How To Propagate Plants

The process of propagating plants is easier than most folks think. Some people, mistakingly, believe that all plants are grown from seed. If this were the case we would never have the variety of plants that we do today in our world. True, many plant varieties have come from seed grown plants and trees, but many also come from sports, commonly seen as mutations of currently growing plants. Many trees and plants can be propagated without rooting hormones. Rooting hormones, such as Hormodin and Dip 'N Grow, can be purchased at most home and garden centers. If they don't have it, they may willingly special order it for you. Rooting hormones for propagating plants are really only needed for harder to root types of plants. Some easy to root plants are: willow, forsythia, weigela, butterfly bush, and hydrangea. If you are new to plant propagation, try one of these plants first.


We've found the easiest time to root cuttings is in late Spring. You'll want your cutting to have "hardened off" on the plant first, meaning that where you make the cut to take your cutting is starting to go "woody". Inspect the stem you are going to take the cutting from. The tip of the stem will still look "green". Lower down on the stem you will see how the stem starts to turn brown or woody looking. About an inch or so below that woodiness is where you can take your cutting from. Using a pair of garden hand pruners, cut about 6 inches from the tip of the stem. Remove any buds on the lower 2 inches of the stem. This is where some of the roots will form. You'll have to prepare a pot of soilless mix for the cutting to reside while it's developing its roots. This can be any type of pot as long as it has drainage holes in the bottom. You can fill the pot with a soilless mix that you can buy from any local garden center. You'll also want to pre-moisten the mix before inserting the cutting. Press down on the mix lightly to compact it a bit.


Now you're ready to insert the cutting. Simply insert the bottom part of the cutting into the mix and press the soil around the cutting gently and then lightly water around the cutting to set the cutting. You want to always make sure the mix in the pot stays moist (not soaking wet) and keep the pot in a lightly shaded place for several months. The hardest part of propagating plants and trees is waiting for them to root. You can occasionally check the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. If you see white roots through the drainage holes, you can be assured that the plant has rooted and will be ready to be planted in the Fall in either a nursery bed made specifically for growing on small trees and plants or you can go ahead and plant it out in its desired location in your landscape. Just remember, it will take the plant a few years before it grows into a decent sized plant. If you go ahead and plant it out in the yard, you can put a short wire fence around it to make sure it doesn't get stepped on or run over with a mower. Make sure the plant gets plenty of water the first few years, especially during a drought, while it is getting established.

Now that you've learned how to propagate plants, you can grow whatever your heart desires. Try your hand on various trees and plants and see what plants you can root and grow. It really can become addictive once you get the hang of it!

Read more

How To Remove Rusty Nuts

What's more aggravating than a rusty nut that won't budge no matter how hard you try to turn it with a wrench? Have you sprayed a whole can of WD 40 or PB Blaster on the stubborn rusty nut and still have no luck in removing it? Well, you are in luck. Before you give the nut one last hard turn and break the attached bolt, try this simple trick that involves one simple tool that is usually available in most hardware stores. Your secret weapon for stubborn rusty nuts is a propane torch. Heating the nut until it turns cherry red will loosen the nut enough to remove it without pulling your groin. You will need to take safety precautions when using a propane torch. Wear thick leather gloves to prevent burns. Don't use near flammable liquids. Use common sense. I always heat the rusted nut to a cherry red, wait a few seconds and then spray the threads with WD-40 or PB Blaster. It will smoke a little. Then put your wrench on the nut and you'll see how easily it comes off the bolt. Be sure and remember that the nut and bolt will stay hot for some time. For those that were born without common sense, aloe is good for first degree burns.

Read more

How To Get Enough Lutein

Lutein is a carotenoid that is vitally important for healthy eyes. A healthy diet that includes lutein lowers your risk of developing cataracts and helps prevent the medical condition known as macular degeneration. There is currently no RDA for consuming lutein, but eating such lutein-rich foods as potatoes, tomatoes, kale, spinach, corn, carrots and greens daily will provide an ample serving. Lutein supplements are available to buy, but if you eat a variety of fruits and vegetables they should not be necessary. One very important study actually found that the body absorbs lutein from eggs better than any other source of this all-important carotenoid. And if you happen to raise your own chickens, you can feed them flower petals from marigolds, which are also a rich source of lutein. The pigment causes the egg yolks to be a darker shade of yellow. And you'll be getting an even healthier egg than can be found in your local grocery store. Your heart will thank you and you should literally see the benefits of lutein for years to come.

Read more

How To Be A Healthier Smoker

Can you be a healthier smoker? Who knows? But a healthy diet can sure help fend off some of the serious damage smokers do to their bodies on a daily basis. For instance, did you know that the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of vitamin C is 125 mg a day? That's 35 mg a day more of vitamin C than nonsmokers. Naturally, smokers inhale more toxins into their bodies than nonsmokers and need the extra boost from increased intake of vitamin C to counter the oxidative stress. Think of other ways to be a healthier smoker. Even one less cigarette a day is a start. Any one thing you can do to help your body fight the ill effects of cigarette smoking is much better than doing nothing at all. When you finally are able to quit smoking, you will be well on your way to healing the damage to your body by utilizing a healthier diet plan.

Read more

How To Thread a Needle

Any sewing project starts with threading a needle. Some folks, such as those with arthritis or poor eyesight, may have a problem in this area. To make needle threading easier for those with poor eyesight, place a piece of white paper behind the needle hole. This makes it easier for you to see through the eye of the needle and pass the thread through. For those people that suffer from arthritis, get a small piece of paper and fold it in half. Lay the thread in the inside crease with a little bit of the thread hanging out from the edge when folded over. Now simply slide the the paper with the sliver of thread hanging out into the hole of the needle. Enough thread should poke through where you can get a good hold to pull the thread on through.

Read more

Catfish Bait Recipes - How To

Who doesn't love the taste of freshly caught filleted catfish, fried up on a plate with homemade hush puppies? Yummm! Most people think catfish are hard to catch, but it doesn't take long to reel them in once you've found the proper baits that they strike on. I've tried many of the store-bought catfish baits and not really had too much luck. The best catfish baits can be found right in your own home. One of the easiest catfish baits to use is regular old hot dogs. Cut them up into one inch slices and throw them on a hook and more likely than not, you'll be reeling in a catfish or two. I've experimented with several baits for reeling in the catfish and two of my favorites I'll list for you here. Just don't go stealing all my catfish or I'll have to start charging for these bait recipes :)

Catfish love chicken livers. And some people have been known to fry them up and eat them. But I'll save mine for the catfish, which seem to taste a little better in my opinion. First thing you'll need is the chicken livers. If you raise and eat your own chickens, you'll have an endless supply (lucky you). But if you're like most people, you'll have to resort to picking up a bucket or two at your local grocer. They're really cheap, cheaper than night crawlers, so grab an extra bucket of them while you're there. The worst thing about chicken livers is that they are hard to keep on a hook and they are slimy as all get out. So to make them easier to stay on the hook, the need to really be dehydrated. I dehydrate mine to about the consistency of beef jerky. In a dehydrator, it usually takes about two full days for them to dehydrate fully. They should look and feel like beef jerky when they're done. The secret ingredient that helps them get the strikes from catfish is garlic salt. When I put the chicken livers in the dehydrator, I sprinkle them with cheap garlic salt. The catfish ain't going to know it's not McCormick garlic salt. You can find a large bottle of garlic salt at a dollar store for less than a buck. Note: Unless you want a big mess on your hands, you also need to cut out & lay a piece of wax paper on each of your trays. The chicken livers will peel off easily when you go to turn them. Every time you turn the chicken livers while drying, give them a sprinkle of garlic salt. When they are done, they almost smell good enough to eat...almost! Again, I'll leave that to the catfish. This homemade catfish bait recipe will have the catfish begging for more. Trust me!

So you got all of the chicken livers onto the dehydrator trays and they are on their way to drying out nicely and stinking up your wifey's kitchen, right? Now we have all of that leftover chicken blood still in the buckets. While the chicken blood may be good for pouring into the back of your wifey's flower bed for the health of her plants, it is even better for use as a seasoning of sorts. You did buy a package of those really cheap hot dogs while you were at the grocery store, right? The cheapest you can find. It don't matter to the catfish. They are downright hungry, remember? Now fill a small mason jar with the hot dogs cut up into about one inch slices and put them into the jar. Now take that leftover chicken blood and pour it over the hot dogs. Then put the lid on and let the hot dogs sit in the blood for about a week before using. You can add some fresh garlic to the mix if you so choose. Shake the jar once every few days to keep the dogs covered with the "seasoning". Keep them in the back of the fridge so the wifey don't know they're in there, else she might throw them out the door, with you not too far behind. Them catfish are just going to be waiting for you to arrive, trust me!

Read more

How To Seal a Leaky Pond - Leaking Pond

How To Seal a Leaking Pond

If your new pond leaks and you're having trouble finding out what is causing the problem, not to worry. There are a few things you can do to keep your new pond from leaking, as well as a few things you can do before you're ready to fill your new pond with water. I'm speaking mainly here about newly built farm ponds, not your typical small backyard garden pond that will usually have a pond liner to retain the water.

The major problem with a newly built farm pond is that they are built by inexperienced bulldozer operators that don't understand soil types. They may think that pushing the dirt to form a hole will hold water leaving you with your dream pond. This is not always the case. If you have a very sandy soil, you will have to usually have a high-clay soil shipped in on truck to cover the base of the pond to form a good seal. Otherwise, the water will puddle after a rain and then just recede into the soil within a short time. A good pond base needs a clay soil that will keep the water from receding. As mentioned above, you can either have a clay soil shipped in and spread over the pond base, or you can buy a product called bentonite spread over the pond surface. Bentonite is a cost-effective way to treat porous soils when building a new pond. Two commonly used variations of Bentonite for sealing ponds are calcium bentonite and sodium bentonite. Both are acceptable for sealing a leaking pond.

If you live on a farm and already raise cattle, pigs (swine), or even goats, you also have another, more frugal, way of dealing with a leaky pond. By simply fencing in your livestock around the pond and spreading their feed onto the pond surface you can build a durable pond base in hardly no time and without the expense of the options mentioned above. Adding organic matter such as manure, leaves, straw, grass, sawdust or hay will also help build the pond base. What happens here is that the animals' hooves trample the pond bottom, working in the organic matter, and basically seal the pond to retain water. As an alternative, Bentonite can also be spread over the pond surface without worry of contaminating the livestock. Their hooves will work the bentonite into the soil along with the organic matter and provide a perfect pond base that simply won't leak.

Read more