Lakewood
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Have a Look Around the Site:
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January |
There is much to do in January to get ready for spring. Plant all things bare root, such as fruit trees, ornamental trees and roses. Prune deciduous fruit trees. Plant all the salad greens your heart desires. Start your strawberry pots. Start a new fescue lawn if you need one. Shop for azaleas and camellias while they are blooming.
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Contact Information:
E-Mail:
Click to e-mail us.
Telephone:
(562) 804-2513
Address:
6220 Lakewood Blvd
Lakewood, CA 90712
Store Hours:
Mon.-Fri.: 7:30 to 5:00
Sat. 8:00 to 5:00
Sunday: 9:00 to 4:00
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Featured Quote:
"We may think that we are tending our garden, but of course, in many different ways, it is the garden and the plants that are nurturing us."
— Jenny Uglow
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By Tamara Galbraith
Soon after the festivities end, your once-fresh Christmas tree begins moving from Christmassy to crispy. No matter. When you're ready to take down the decorations, explore all your options of how to reuse or recycle.
Many communities across the country offer a recycling program, whereby trees are collected and ground up into mulch for municipal use. Areas with lots of man-made lakes sometimes collect and sink old trees into waterways to slow erosion. Check with your local city government or county Extension Office to see if such a tree collection program is in place.
Also, if you have the space and don't mind "the natural look" in your landscape, lay your old tree in a remote corner of your yard; it will make a great hiding and nesting place for birds, rabbits and other small creatures. If you have a compost pile, you can cut the branches into small pieces, and add them to the compost pile. It will take time, but they will break down to beautiful soil.
Whatever you choose, be sure all the non-natural decorations, like tinsel and ornament hooks, have been removed. While sparkly mulch might have an interesting look, it's not very good for the environment.
Click to print this article.
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Have you bid your herb plants "adieu" and resigned
yourself to using dried herbs until the warm weather returns in the
spring? Why not try an indoor herb garden this winter? These plants
can then be transplanted into the garden when the danger of frost has passed.
If you already have a few plants inside, you can take cuttings of your existing plants. For variety, however, you'll probably prefer to start new plants from seed.
Here is a list
of materials you will
need:
Containers: Any container will do, as long as it's large enough for the herb(s) and drains well.
- Vermiculite: You will need this only if you are
starting your plants from cuttings. Vermiculite will allow the cutting to stay moist enough but not so moist that it rots before it
has a chance to develop roots.
- Rooting hormone: Available in
powdered or liquid form, it encourages faster development of roots.
For use with cuttings only.
- Potting soil: Choose a good
quality, light potting soil. Sow your seeds directly into the soil,
or use it when transplanting your rooted cuttings into a slightly
larger pot.
- Grow light: You can
dispense with the light, if you have a window that is warm and sunny enough.
Follow these steps when
starting your plants from
cuttings:
- Take a cutting, about 4" long from the herb you want to
grow.
- Remove the lower leaves and dip the cutting into the rooting
hormone. If you are using the powdered form of rooting hormone,
shake off any excess powder.
- Stick the cutting into a small container filled with moist
vermiculite. To increase humidity, cover your plant and container
with a glass or clear plastic.
- Place plant in a sunny, warm window and keep the growing
medium moist.
- When the plant is rooted well, it can be transferred into
another container, using potting soil.
Follow these steps when
starting your plants from
seeds:
- Fill small containers with potting soil, pressing it in
firmly.
- Following the instructions on the seed packet, plant at the
recommended depth.
- To increase humidity, cover your plant and container with a
glass or clear plastic.
- Place plant in a sunny, warm window and keep the growing
medium moist, but not soggy.
Your herb plants will benefit from an occasional "bath" to wash the dust from them. In the
spring, when danger of frost has passed, begin moving them outside.
Acclimate them slowly over a period of a couple of weeks by placing
them in semi-shade for a few hours a day at first and gradually
increasing the time and amount of sunlight they receive until they
are eventually outside in the full sun all day long. Next step?
Transplant them into the garden!
Click to print this article.
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What does soil pH measure?
Answer:
Soil pH indicates how acid or alkaline a soil is. In technical terms, it is a logarithmic function of the hydrogen ion concentration [H+]: pH = -log [H+]. Got all that?
In simpler terms, a pH of 7.0 is neutral. Below that number is acidic, above that number is alkaline. The scale is progressive, too. A pH of 6.0 is ten times more acid than a pH of 7.0; a pH of 5.0 is 100 times more acid than a pH of 7.0, and so on.
You can test your soil pH with a simple pH test kit.
• To modify or correct acidic soils you need to apply lime.
• To modify or correct alkaline soils you need to apply soil sulfur or aluminum sulfate.
Most plants prefer soil slightly on the acidic side of 6. Use a lower pH for acid-loving plants like blueberries, azaleas, and ferns. Click to print this article.
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What You'll Need:
- 1 8 ounce package softened cream cheese
- 1 8 ounce container of ranch dip
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
- 5 stalks celery, chopped/diced
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 2.5 pounds imitation crab meat, diced into bite-sized pieces
Step by Step:
- In a mixing bowl, blend softened cream cheese, ranch dip, mayonnaise and spicy brown mustard.
- Fold in diced celery and onions, gently fold in imitation crab meat.
- Chill for two hours, then serve and enjoy!
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