How to Remove Pesticides from Your Produce

Pesticides are everywhere. A recent survey by the US department of agriculture showed that 65% of the sampled produce tested positive for having pesticide residue.

Even if your produce looks fresh, clean, and healthy it can still have most of the toxic pesticides used to protect crop growth. Hence why I’ve always advocated purchasing organic alternatives to any food.

The top offenders for heavy pesticide residue are potatoes, strawberries, apples, snap peas, grapes, celery, spinach, sweet bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and nectarines.

Nectarines are particularly worrisome because a 99% of the sampled group show at least one pesticide residue.

On a positive note, there are also fruits and vegetables that rank low on pesticide residue presence. Chief amongst them are avocadoes, scoring a wonderful 1% of detection in its sample group, proving once again that avocados are amazing for your health.

The cleanest produce you can find are kiwis, eggplants, onions, sweet corn, pineapples, yams, mangoes, cabbage, and papayas. You can enjoy these with relative ease.

But say you’re craving a juicy Fuji apple, what can you do?

Most supermarkets can offer you a variety of vegetable cleaners. However, you can always make your own vegetable cleaner. It’s super simple to make and it only requires one common household ingredient: white vinegar.

I personally like knowing every little detail of what goes into my produce, so I normally opt for using my homemade cleaner.

Homemade Vegetable Cleaner

My vegetable cleaner recipe is simple: it’s 90% water and 10% white vinegar. I’d recommend mixing it in a large basin so you have enough room to properly soak your fruits and vegetables.

Simply let your produce sit in the mix for approximately twenty minutes. After enough time lapses, rinse your produce with fresh cold water.

If you have any fragile fruits like blueberries, I’d recommend not leaving them in the mix for the full twenty minutes. Blueberries are known to have porous skin and the homemade vinegar mix can overwhelm their natural taste.

If you do find a remaining vinegar smell on your fruits and vegetables, you can always use lemon water to help eliminate the stench.

After you finish, you’ll notice a strange gunky residue at the bottom of your basin. As you may have guessed, that is pesticide residue that was hiding in your produce.

Say you’re particularly against using vinegar because its smell. Worry not, you’re in luck because there is an alternative. According to the Center for Science and the Environment, you also have of using 2% salt water to eliminate pesticides from your produce.

Using these methods, you’re likely to reduce the pesticide residue by 70%. There will always some residue hiding in the folds and crevices that are too hard to wash manually.

Taking your time to prepare and clean your food has enormous health benefits for your family. Each step, be it incorporating organic produce to eliminating pesticides, gradually brings you closer to achieving the necessary nutrition to keep your body at optimal performance.

Source: Healthy Holistic Living

Containers Growing Mulberry (How to Grow Mulberry Tree in a Pot)

Mulberry fruits are rarely available in the market due to their short shelf life but growing them in containers can allow you to taste them FRESH. Check out!

The sweet and tart, mulberry fruits are rarely available in the market due to their short shelf life and also the leaf harvest to feed silkworms don’t allow the fruit business to thrive. So, it’s a good idea to grow them in your garden or yard. But what if you don’t have enough space or you live in a freezing cold climate? In that case, growing mulberry in containers is the one option you can try. And here’s all you need to learn to do this!

How to Grow Mulberry Tree

Information about Mulberry Tree

The mulberry tree is a small to medium sized deciduous tree or large shrub. Some cultivars exceed the height of 30 feet easily but the tree can be trimmed, and height can be managed.




The cultivars vary according to the climates– Temperates, subtropical or tropical; and it is usually grown in Mediterranean part, South-East Asia, North America, Australia, Northern Africa and the Middle East.
The size of the tree and the flavor of the fruit varies according to the cultivar too. Usually, mulberry trees grow best in subtropical and light temperate regions. 


All the fruiting mulberry species are divided into three types, according to the color of their fruits– Red, white, and black. Note that the darker mulberries are sweetest and flavorful than the brighter ones. The mulberry tree also attracts the wildlife profusely– critters, birds, and many other wild species.
Varieties
There are many mulberry tree varieties available but the two container friendly varieties you can look for are ‘Dwarf Everbearing’ Mulberry and Mulberry ‘Issai.’ These two don’t exceed the height of 2 m. Other popular varieties are Morus alba ‘Pendula’ and Pakistan Mulberry. However, you can try any cultivar and keep the height under control by pruning.
Getting a Tree
Don’t start to propagate a mulberry tree from seeds. It is difficult, the germination rate is low, and the tree will take years to fruit if grown from seedlings. You’ll have to wait for 5-9 years for fruits, and it is also possible that seedlings you’ll grow may remain fruitless (male mulberry trees). So the best idea is to buy a grafted tree from a reputed nursery, NEARBY. This way you’ll get a self-fertile mulberry plant, and it’ll start to fruit in a year or two after planting.

Growing Mulberry Tree from Cuttings
You can also propagate mulberry trees from cuttings. Some varieties root easily; some take time. Here’s an informative article on growing a mulberry tree from cuttings, check out!
Choosing a Pot
Often people directly plant the fruit trees or shrubs in large pots, which is not right; this way the plant start to grow its roots rather than focusing on the growth above. START with small containers. For example, choose a standard 5-gallon pot (12 inches wide and deep in size) or a little bigger 7-gallon pot (14 inches deep and wide) and upgrade to one size bigger pot each time when you see the plant is getting root bound. Later increase the pot size to 15-20-25 gallons, depending on the space you have and the cultivar you’re growing.
Requirements for Growing a Mulberry Tree in a pot
Climate
The mulberry tree is found across all the continents. It can be grown in temperate regions and as well as in subtropical and arid tropical areas. It’s possible to grow it in USDA 5-10, and also in Zone 11 with slight difficulty, you can also try growing a mulberry tree in USDA zones 3 and 4 with care in winter. *When grown in cold climate expect your mulberry tree to shed its leaves in winter, the new growth begins with the slight warmth after winter.
Position
A mulberry tree, like all other fruit trees, requires plenty of sunlight to grow and fruit. Therefore, find a position that receives full day sun and has a good air flow. If you live in a warm tropical or subtropical climate, place the mulberry tree growing in the pot in a spot that receives shade in the afternoon in SUMMER.

Soil
Use rich, loamy and well-drained potting soil that is slightly acidic or neutral in pH. The mulberry tree prefers soil that is fertile and rich in compost or manure. So make sure to add this, too. For a successful container grown mulberry tree, proper drainage is necessary. Soil that blocks drainage of water must not be used. Therefore, it’s a good idea to use a SOILLESS potting mix.

Watering
Deep regular watering is essential for a few months when your plant is establishing. Ensure the soil is not remain wet. Once the mulberry tree growing in container establishes, water moderately when it is needed, you can observe it by poking the finger in top 1 inch surface of the soil. 



Reduce watering in winter if growing in cooler zones.
*In USDA zones 10 and 11 or in any tropical region, keep the soil slightly moist and water regularly, especially in summer.
Mulberry Tree Care
Fertilizer

Apply fertilizer moderately! During the start of growing season, you can spread the granular balanced fertilizer over the soil or feed the plant with balanced liquid fertilizer in a regular interval of 7-10 days. You can also spread a layer of well-rotted manure or compost over the top surface of the pot. Regular feeding of compost tea is also a good way to ensure optimum growth.
Pruning
Basically, in containers, you don’t need to care much about pruning than the mulberry tree growing in grounds. The best time for scheduled pruning is when the tree is dormant and not growing (in winter). You can also prune after the fruiting season ends. Slight pruning and trimming of the dead, damaged, diseased, and crossing branches can occasionally be done or at the time of requirement anytime. In tropical areas, the pruning is done after the end of summer, right before the rainy season begins.

Mulching and Covering
As you’re growing a mulberry tree in a pot, you don’t need to worry much about the freezing temperatures in winter. Below USDA Zone 7, mulching over the top surface of the soil is important to insulate the roots. If you’re keeping your pots in an exposed spot, cover them with bubble wrap.
Mulching also resists heat in summer, so a top layer of mulch is a good idea for a mulberry tree growing in a warm climate.


Pests and Diseases
In diseases, mildew, leaf spot, and root rot can be a problem. By ensuring proper drainage and avoiding over watering, you can prevent root rot. In pests, thrips, white flies, mealy bugs, spider mites, and scales may affect the growth. However, these pests can easily be outnumbered and eliminated as you’re growing mulberry in a pot.
Fruit Covering
Birds love to nibble the mulberry fruits; it’s their preferred most favorite fruit. If you’re growing more than one plant in an open area like a patio or rooftop and if the birds visit there often, you may need to cover the fruits.

🌷 How to Grow bulbs Tulips at Home 🌷

Have you ever wondered how to grow tulips in your house? Well, in this article we are going to teach you the steps to follow to have some beautiful tulips in your house . Take note!!


How to Grow Tulips at Home
It is one of the most important points, the choice of bulb will affect the future growth of our tulips. The bulbs can be bought in specialized stores and we always recommend that you take the biggest bulbs, since the bigger the bulb, the plant will be stronger and the bigger the flowers.


 


Before placing the bulbs in water, they need an incubation period. So you have to have them in a cold place to carry out your initial process. They would be good in the refrigerator. The recommended time will tell you in the store, as there are many varieties of tulips, but normally it is ready between 11 and 15 weeks.

Place the bulbs
We will need a tall glass vase, some crystal gems or if we prefer small stones and water.
In the first place we put in the base of the vase a few gems of glass or stones until covering about 5 cm of height, we add water without getting to cover the stones and we place the bulb pointing upwards.


Add a few gems or stones around half the bulb and you’re ready to start growing.
The most important thing is to prevent the water from directly touching the bulb, always have to be below to force the roots to grow down.


 That way we will have some tulips bloomed all year round .


We will put our floor in a bright and airy room. After about 3 weeks, we will see how the bulbs begin to break and the stem appears growing slowly upwards.

Actually the process of how to grow tulips is very slow and always requires a lot of dedication, but if you are loving these beautiful plants and follow our directions, you are sure to enjoy some beautiful tulips.

How to Prepare Nourishing Calendula Cream to Beat Dry Skin, Eczema, Acne & More

Calendula cream is easy to make and it can make your skin soft and tender! People use Calendula, also knows as pot marigold, for centuries, as healing oil, tonic and much more.

You’re growing calendula in your backyard, but don’t know how much power it actually has? Why don’t you make nourishing calendula cream? This miracle salve beat aches, eczema, and dry skin and even heals tiny or minor wounds.


Homemade Calendula Cream
Making this natural cream is a two-step process. You will get rich, smooth lotion that’s ideal for dry skin, bruises, cuts and more.

Ingredients:

1 cup of a high quality carrier oil like olive oil, jojoba oil or grape seed oil
A bunch of dried calendula flowers
1 ounce of beeswax
1 cup of room temperature water
10 to 20 drops of essential oils of your choice
A clean blender
Clean mason jars or tins

 The first step in making nourishing calendula cream is to make infused calendula oil. You can do this by allowing dried flowers steep for several weeks in a cup of carrier oil, like olive oil, in sealed jar. Another alternative is that you can heat the oil and dried flowers in a slow cooker for about 12 hours before allowing cooling. 


Then continue to infuse, overnight.

Strain the flowers out of the oil and transfer to a clean jar to store. You should be left with one cup of rich yellow calendula oil.
Once your oil is ready for use, put several cups of water in a pot and bring to the boil. Swirl 2 cups of the warmed water around the blender. Leave to heat the glass in order to prevent the cream from sticking to the sides.


Place a heat proof bowl on top of the pot to make a double boiler and turn the remaining water in the pot to a simmer.
Pour one cup of the infused oil into the heat proof bowl, along with the beeswax. Stir gently until the beeswax has melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the essential oils.

Discard the warm water from the blender, and pour in the melted oil and wax blend. Place the lid on the blender, leaving the filler cap off. Blend on a low speed while slowly pouring in one cup of room temperature water. Combine until the cream is opaque or emulsifies.

Put the cream into clean jars and allow setting before using. You can keep this all-natural, preservative free cream for approximately one month when stored in the refrigerator.
Why Use Calendula Cream?
Dry Skin – Calendula has fantastic moisturizing properties and is a must for those with dry, flaky or cracked skin. Apply it once or twice a day as a body and face cream and you’ll soon notice a dramatic difference in the look and feel of your skin.

Acne – Calendula helps to reduce the bacteria level in the skin pores while also acting as a cleanser and a toner. It has an astringent action that pulls in the skin pores, reducing chances of dust and dirt entering them.

Premature Aging – Calendula cream has natural restorative properties that can fight premature aging and thinning of the skin. You can use this natural formulation daily on the face, and is even gentle enough to apply around the eyes to prevent wrinkles and under-eye sagging.
Minor Wounds – Calendula’s mild antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties help speed up healing of wounds and minor cuts. It’s also great topical treatment for use on rashes, insect bites, sunburn, varicose veins, spider veins, leg ulcers and chilblains.

Muscle Pain – Massage sore muscles and aching joints with some calendula cream for pain relief and reduced swelling, thanks to its anti-inflammatory action.

Dermatitis and Eczema – Evidence suggests that calendula may help prevent skin inflammation and dermatitis. Maybe because of its ability to moisturize, rejuvenate and fight swelling and microbes.

It’s also frequently used in homeopathy to treat the inflammation caused by eczema.

Diaper Rash – This soothing water-based cream is ideal for treating diaper rash, particularly as it is anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial. Calendula’s antifungal action is also effective at treating jock itch and ringworm.


Essential Oils for:


Dry skin: Lavender, Rosemary, Neroli, Rose or Carrot Seed
Anti-aging: Frankincense, Geranium, Sandalwood, Lavender or Myrrh
Healing: Lavender, Clove, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree or Peppermint

Precautions: Calendula is generally considered safe to use on the skin, although it’s best not to apply it to an open wound. People allergic to plants in the aster or daisy family may experience an allergic reaction to calendula. Usually it is a skin rash. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid using calendula.


Source

How to Grow a Lemon Tree from Seed Easily in Your Own Home ...

You need a lemon, which you can buy from the supermarket. Of course, it is better to choose organic. Because lemon trees are usually grafted, it means that a wild lemon tree will be grown from the seed. You will have to use it as a base on which to graft the fruit-bearing species if you want to get abundant and large lemon fruits.


Follow these steps:
Cut the lemon with a knife and take out the seeds. If you cut a lemon seed with a knife, you cannot use it. Wash them with water to remove the pulp around them.
Divide each seed in half using your fingernail. Bury the seeds in a small bowl and water the soil. Then cover with a paper towel to keep moist.



When the plants get bigger, place them in the ground.
Why are lemons good for you?
Lemon is a superfood. They are so useful for many things, no matter if you add them into water or use their peel. Growing your own lemons should not be ignored.

Lemons are rich in Vitamin C, which is in the form of citric acid. It has been proven to improve the absorption of calcium by the digestive system.



They contain unique flavinoids and are high in antioxidants which can combat free radicals and cancer cells. Lemon’s antioxidants also help with providing vascular protection and boosting the immunity.



Moreover, lemons help in treating urinary tract infections and many problems with digestion. Also, it can be used as a natural antiseptic on cuts.
Because this fruit is rich in Vitamin C, be careful with your daily consumption of Vitamin C in order to avoid intestinal discomfort and diarrhea.

Here’s How To Prepare Your Own Apple Cider Vinegar

Today we’re going to show you how to prepare your own ACV. Apple cider vinegar is definitely the healthiest liquid you can consume. It is highly popular around the world, with millions of people using it due to its incredible health benefits.

 Of course, you can buy a bottle at the market, but due to the high amount of fake ACV brands, we recommend preparing it yourself at home. Making it on your own is a straightforward process and once you master it, you’ll have an endless supply of the liquid.

How to make ACV

As you may already know, ACV is made from fermented apples. The process is easy, and requires only a few simple ingredients. Here’s what you should do:

Ingredients

• 1 kg. apples
• Mineral water
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• A piece of cloth
• Glass container

Preparation

Wash and peel the apples first, then cut them to pieces and put them in the glass jar.

 Cover them with mineral water and sugar, then put the gauze (or piece of cloth) over the opening of the jar and secure with a rubber band. Leave the mixture in a dark place for 5-6 weeks. After that period, strain the mixture and save the liquid in another bottle. Leave it for 2-3 more days, then try the ACV and see if it’s already acidic enough.

If the taste is right, you can start using it. If you need it a bit sourer, you can leave it for a few days more. Enjoy your pure fresh homemade ACV!

Source:homeremediesgarden.com

4 rules for the care of indoor bonsai

Bonsai, miniature and ornamental plant that grows as a dwarf tree can be a real star of your green oasis. This "pine Buddhists" does not require any special care in order to survive, progress and maintain a nice, attractive appearance.


Care of indoor bonsai is nothing more complicated than the care of other tropical indoor plants. To mini-trees retain their shape, must be root and shoots regularly cropping. 

A very helpful can you be and literature about bonsai. 

  
Here are the shortest of visits: 

Habitat - Throughout the year, the plants keep the bright and warm (18-23 ° C), in a room where there is no draft. Flights plant can be outdoors but protected from wind and rain. During the heating season, during the night to lower the temperature.



Watering - Flights watered abundantly, and in the winter a little water at room temperature. Avoid stagnant moisture.

  
Fertilization - With liquid fertilizer from March to September (every 14 days).


Grafting - Young bonsai every two years to transplant a mixture of clay, sand and humus.

It's time to garden 'strike glow'

April is the time for final corrections in the garden. You only need to highlight the details and your green paradise will shine in all its glory. 

Longer, warmer days are finally woke up our gardens. From day to day changes are more visible: the plants slowly emerge from the country, begins flowering and leafing through a beautiful evergreen regain shine.


 Take advantage of this wonderful time I perform the glorious awakening of nature in its green oasis because it is a real balm for the soul. All this means more work in the garden, but in such an atmosphere, it represents a lot of satisfaction. Before the complete labeling the plants, the best you will notice the damage that your little angel suffered during the winter. 
 
Whether it's frozen or frozen parts of plants, or still, the wind and snow damaged and broken branches, be sure to remove them as soon as possible and thus enable them to proper growth and development.



 All damaged and broken parts, remove with a sharp pair of scissors, cuts just above the bud of living, but do be careful not to damage or cut off the healthy parts. In this way redirect nutrients right where I need to prevent the occurrence and spread of the disease. While your ornamental plants and is entering an intensive vegetation, the same thing happens and with weed species. April is a good time to deal with removing unwanted plants while not too multiplied While the plants are still young, so it's easy to pluck out of the country. 

If in your garden you have a larger group of perennials, you can split them and thus strengthen, at the same time provide new and planting material. After transplanting and planting plants thoroughly divided them pour. 



Also, choose a dry, warm day for sowing and planting new species to enrich your collection. Make sure not to overload the garden, because in this case, many plants will not be revealed, and dense planting disable reaching the right size and shape. I grasses are now at the stage of full growth, which makes it necessary regular mowing.

If some parts of the green areas are growing weaker, and color is less intense, April is the best time for fertilization. Also, if you were on the lawn appeared bare surface, is the right time to be podsijete. 

Creepers and climbers also are in the phase of intensive growth, so make sure to provide them with a solid and stable support with which you will focus their growth and secure the existing branches. To enhance the development of new lateral branches, carefully orez peaks shoot because you will thus direct effect of hormones and the flow of nutrients into the new, the young side shoots. 

You encourage and establish a larger number of flower buds along the entire plant, not just at its peak. Onion species such as narcissi in this period slowly cease to flower, so keep in mind I give orate to let their flowers wither completely to all the energy transferred and stored in the bulbs. 

Only then can you remove them. In this way, your daffodils will next year even more beautiful and richer blossom. Most shrub species require pruning at this time. After blooming forsythia trim, but I meadowsweet, Mahon, jasmine ... 

For Flowers in the House writes: 

Dipl. Ing horticulture 
Lidija Djuric

READ: How to Identify Your Succulent Plant

The broad category of “succulent plant” includes thousands of plants, including both indoor and outdoor plants, so identifying a specific genus and species can be difficult. Identification is difficult in part because succulent plants often have multiple common names that can be used interchangeably. There are a few steps a person can take to obtain an accurate identification, which mainly focus on using the plant’s physical features as descriptors.


What is a Succulent?
Succulents are plants with fleshy leaves that store water. Cacti, which tend to have spikes, fall under the broad succulent category, but not all succulents are cacti. For both cacti and succulents, it is unlikely to find pure, liquid water within the plant’s leaves. Instead, there is typically a gel-like, moist substance within the leaves.



In general, a plant that has evolved to live in warm, dry climates by storing water in its leaves and stems may be considered a succulent. Some popular types of succulent plants include Crassula, Haworthia, Mammillaria, Aloe, Sedum, and Lithops, all of which offer their own unique traits and characteristics.



The Identification Process
One way to avoid a long identification process is to simply ask the plant seller which succulent plant is being purchased. If the seller does not know or it is not possible to ask, start the identification process by first discerning whether the plant is a succulent or a cactus, and then getting more specific from there by looking at the plant’s leaf shape and overall configuration.


Leaf Shape
Succulents can have dramatically different leaves, from the long, thin, triangle-shaped leaves of an Aloe vera plant to the small, almost perfectly spherical leaves of a Senecio rowleyanus, also known by its common name, String of Pearls. Knowing the leaf shape alone can be helpful for quick identification, like in the case of the String of Pearls, or for succulents with unique leaf shapes, but this is not always the case.




Rosette Shape
Certain types of succulent plants have a rosette shape, which feature tight clusters with leaves that radiate out from a central point, much like a flower. Some rosette succulents have pointed leaves, while others have rounded leaves. Details such as this are helpful for identification.


Overall Configuration and Age
Succulent plants sometimes grow long stalks or strands, while others stay squat and close to the ground, growing outwards rather than upwards. Age tends to have an impact on a succulent’s appearance, with some starting as a cluster of leaves poking out of the soil and growing into a tall, treelike structure with woody stems and leaves only on the outermost parts of the plant. For this reason, it may be easier to identify some succulents as they continue to grow and age.



Plant Size
A plant’s overall size can be helpful for identification as well. Succulents that are just 2.8 or 3.1 inches (7 or 8 centimeters) tall or wide are generally indoor plants, while those that are larger in size are typically grown in a garden. Size descriptors of a plant can help a succulent owner narrow down options.


Flower Color and Shape
If the succulent features distinctive flowers, that information can be useful for identification. The time of year that the succulent blooms can also be significant. For example, Christmas cacti have long, bright flowers with petals, and they bloom in early to mid winter, usually right in time for Christmas — hence the name “Christmas Cactus“.




Other Significant Details
There are a few additional details that can help lead to the positive identification of a succulent plant. If the plant has any physical features that are easy to describe, those words can be the very keywords that help identify the plant.


 For example, if a person owns a succulent with green, spiky leaves that have white stripes on them, you most likely have a Haworthia attenuata or Haworthia fasciata. If the succulent plant features long, overlaying leaves, a plant owner may own a Sedum morganianum, which is commonly known as a Burro’s Tail or Donkey’s Tail.