Happy Housekeeping: Home And Garden Tips

Every year, thousands of people purchase miniature roses, only to have them die in a few months. In many cases, these plants won’t even flower once they’re brought home. Unfortunately, roses aren’t well suited to growing indoors. That said, with a little bit of care, you may be able to get them to grow long enough to produce a second set of beautiful flowers in your home.

Pruning and Repotting

As soon as you bring your roses home, it’s important to prune them back and take off all the flowers. Look carefully at each stem and determine which one has the most leaf buds. Once the original leaves fall off, these buds will develop into new leaves and stems – so keep the stems with the most intact buds. It may also be helpful to repot the plant so that it has access to nutrients from fresh soil.

Use Tea Bags for Fertilization

If you drink tea on a daily basis, simply place the used tea bag near the base of your miniature rose plant. This will help create a more acidic soil environment. In addition, if you see that the leaves are becoming pale green or yellowed, add a little extra iron. Miracid works well for this purpose and is also helpful for increasing the acid content of the soil. You may also want to try fertilizer formulas specifically designed for roses that can be found in any lawn and garden store.

Once your miniature rose plant begins to make new flowers, it’s important to take note of their color. If the plant originally had pink or red flowers, and now produces ones with a pale yellow color, you’ll need to repot the plant – if it even survives the second flowering. Typically, this lack of color is due to insufficient acid content in the soil and indicates a lack of nutrients in the soil.

Provide as Much Lighting as Possible

Even when planted outdoors, roses require an enormous amount of direct sunlight. When compared to other kinds of plants, roses require more sunlight than almost any other kind of plant. Unfortunately – regardless of how bright your home may be – miniature roses will still need more light. If you’re going to try adding extra artificial lighting, it’s best to use a grow light. You may also want to purchase a light meter in order to determine if sufficient light is actually reaching your rose plants.

Regulate Water

At first, you may be inclined to over water miniature roses. While this may keep the leaves growing, it will cause the roots and stems to rot. As a rule, if the soil is moist and there is some water in the drainage plate, don’t add more water! If you notice leaves falling off or dying, try providing the plant with more light and check if it’s lacking in nutrients.

In many cases, you’ll find that growing miniature roses indoors can be very challenging. That said, with a little bit of practice, you should be able to get your plants to flower at least once. If you find the right balance of light, water, and nutrients, you may even be able to keep your rose plants looking healthy and beautiful for a number of years.

Butterflies have enchanted humans for thousands of years. Aside from being beautiful, they’re often considered to be symbols of hope, beneficial changes, and even spiritual salvation. A great way to bring these lovely creatures closer to your home is with the construction of a garden that includes plants known to attract butterflies. In order to build a successful butterfly garden, you’ll need to consider how to nurture butterflies at every stage of their growth.

From Egg to Chrysalis

Butterflies go through an enormous amount of physical change over the course of their lives. As a result, the types of plants that they need to have on hand varies according to these stages. In many cases, plants with fine leaves are most favored by butterflies looking for a place to lay their eggs. These plants are also commonly used as food resources for the caterpillars once they hatch.

Carrots and parsley are two plants with this type of leave that is so often favored by butterflies. However, if the plants may not be able to serve double-duty – because caterpillars will also eat the parsley leaves, you may want to plant some indoors for your cooking needs. Queen Anne’s lace and milkweed are also highly attractive to butterflies during this stage of their life.

Milkweed is also one of the most favored plants by caterpillars that are building their chrysalises. If you’re interested in attracting a specific type of butterfly, do some research to find out which specific plants they are most attracted to during this stage. Chances are, if a species of butterfly is known to visit your geographic region, there’s likely some type of plant in the area that is attractive to them. Your local cooperative extension agent may be able to give you this type of information, or at least help you locate it.

The Butterfly

Once a butterfly emerges from the chrysalis, it lives of nectar instead of plant matter. Most butterflies look for brightly colored flowers with many small flowers packed closely together. For example, the Mexican butterfly weed, milkweed, and gayfeather will all attract butterflies. Coneflowers, asters, daisies and Indian blanket flowers also tend to be irresistible to butterflies. You’ll also want to make sure to provide some shelter for butterflies. Typically, cedar butterfly houses will be suitable for this purpose. You can also provide some broad leafed plants that provide refuge during the rain or when there are predators around.

Whether you’re drawn by the mysterious Monarch Butterflies or simply enjoy the sight of yellow and blue butterflies, there are a number of plants you can use to attract them into your yard. While milkweed and butterfly bushes are two of the most common plants used to attract butterflies, do some research to find out which butterflies are most common to your area. Once you know which butterflies you want to attract, you can begin the process of including plants in your garden that will get their attention and make it easier for them to survive.

When you’re shopping for a mattress, some of the most important parts are the ones that you won’t be able to see. In particular, you’ll want to find out as much as possible about the metal coils inside the mattress and how they are made. Mattress testing in the store will offer you some information about the current condition of the mattress, you’ll have to ask some questions in order to determine how the mattress will hold up over a longer period of time.

Number of coils and coil construction

It’s important to ask how many coils are enclosed within the mattresses you’re looking at, as well as their size. But don’t assume that the same number of coils will equal a similar level of quality from a different manufacturer. Manufacturers may design their coils in a slightly different way or use a different wire size – both of which can have a big impact on their feel. When evaluating this aspect of a mattress, it’s best to just lie down on the mattress and see how it feels.

In addition, it might be helpful to ask if the store owner has a bare coil set on hand for you to look at. As you study the coils, you’ll be able to see how the coils are pieced together. This will show you the size of the wire in each mattress and help you understand how the mattress supports your body. Even if you can’t see a bare spring set for each model, you can still use the visual information to help you assess other mattresses.

Observe how the handles are attached to the mattress

Even though you may not be giving much thought to turning your mattress or to how much work goes into moving one should you need to relocate. But give the mattress handle a little respect – you won’t know how much you need it until it’s gone. When you’re looking at new mattresses, it’s important to evaluate the durability and quality of the handles. Ask if the handles are attached to the inner coils – if not, they may tear out quickly.

Asking about recycled content

Unfortunately, there’s no way to determine whether or not you’re receiving all new materials when you purchase a new mattress. In some cases, manufacturers may take coils from old mattresses and simply add a new covering. If you’re concerned about this issue, ask to test a number of mattresses of the same model. Chances are, if one of the mattresses has been made with used or refurbished coils within, it will sound and feel different than the others you try out.

As you’re shopping for a new mattress, you may be tempted to buy the one that looks the prettiest or the one that’s the cheapest in the store. While the covering of a mattress may be important, the coils that determine how your body will be supported are far more important. Even though you won’t be able to directly assess the coils in the store, you should still do your best to test them out and ask questions about their construction.