Container gardening, House Plants

Terrariums

I have been thinking about terrariums lately. My terrarium happens to be a large vessel with a narrow throat I received for Christmas. The biggest point depending on the success of these types of container gardens is providing for good drainage because glass containers don’t have bottom drainage holes like regular flower pots. You can use any size glass container to make yours, ranging from a jar or brandy snifter to a fish tank.


I got these steps off the internet. 
1. Start with a 1 1/2″ layer of small pebbles on the floor of the container.
2. Cover the pebbles with a thin layer of loose charcoal, which will help keep the water in your garden from stagnating.
3. Cover the charcoal with an inch layer of sphagnum moss . Look in the aquarium/terrarium section of a pet store for the pebbles, charcoal, and moss.


4. Now, add enough potting soil so that the total contents occupy about 1/4 of the container. There will be some settling of the layers.
5. Choose small or miniature plant varieties so they don’t overtake the container. You have to experiment to see what type of plants do well for you. The plants that have found to be the best suited for terrariums are slow growers, tropical plants. Most cacti and succulents are suited for an open dry container.


I like miniature animals (especially dinosaurs), otherwise it’s just a garden in a glass bowl. I will show you my terrarium when it is done. Below are some examples:

Gardening & Landscape, Lawns

Buffalograss

Buffalograss, is a perennial grass native to the Great Plains from Montana to Mexico. It is one of the grasses that supported the great herds of buffalo that roamed the Great Plains. Buffalograss also provided the sod from which early settlers built their houses.

Buffalograss is, perhaps, our only truly native turfgrass in North America. Its tolerance to prolonged droughts and to extreme temperatures together with its seed producing characteristics enables this grass to survive extreme environmental conditions. Overgrazing and, in the case of turf, over use or excessive traffic are the pressures that lead to the deterioration of a stand of Buffalograss.

This type of grass is not adapted to shaded sites or to sites that receive heavy traffic. Also, under intensive management bluegrass and other more aggressive grasses tend to replace Buffalograss in the lawn.

Buffalograss does offer many advantages for a low maintenance turf and is gaining acceptance and popularity in dry areas. Buffalograss thrives in neutral or alkaline clay soil, even heavy clay soil. It is native to our shortgrass prairie region. Drought tolerance is its best feature. A lush buffalograss turf requires only 50% of the water requirements as does bluegrass and fescue. However, it will survive on a great deal less, going into dormancy that is readily broken by rainfall.

Mowing requirements are infrequent; once a month is sufficient, once a year for a naturalistic landscape. Fertilization is not only unnecessary, but harmful.

The disadvantages are it does not green up until mid-May and goes dormant in September. Also, some do not like the green-gray color, however, there are other varieties that are greener than gray. Baffalograss does not mix with other grass varieties. The seed is more expensive than with our grass varieties.

Garden Pests, House Plants

Fungus Gnats

Been getting questions on fungus gnats which are small fly-like insects that may be noticed flying around houseplants. They are commonly associated with over-watered houseplants or those grown in poorly drained potting mixes. If a houseplant pot is harboring fungus gnats, treat the soil with insecticidal soap. Another management approach is to cut back on water so the soil dries out between watering. Any larva present in the soil will dry out and lack of water will reduce fungal growth, reducing the food supply for adult fungus gnats. A third option is a combination of letting the soil dry between watering and then watering with a solution of water and insecticidal soap. Transplant the houseplants early this spring in a potting medium (do not use garden soil).

fungus gnats on a houseplant