Learn how to choose and care for poinsettias with Southwest Yard and Garden's John White. You will be taken through the typical height and specifications for poinsettias, as well as what to look for in the leaves and flowers. One of the most important parts of growing poinsettias is keeping to a specific schedule. Measuring the plants is also important as plants that are too tall or too short are undesirable. Remember to frequently water the plants, but be careful not to overwater. Also, keep...
John White is an expert horticulturist. He thinks you need to make sure to add zinc to the proper care of your pecan trees. White advises to buy zinc at your local gardening store and use a garden sprayer to put it on your trees. Older trees and younger trees need to have zinc at different times. When you are spraying make sure to hit all the limbs and leaves. Without proper care your trees will not be as healthy as they would if you follow White's simple instructions. Make sure to follow his...
Want to stop wasting energy charging your USB devices? Transform some cheap solar-powered garden lights into your very own solar USB charger. For step-by-step instructions on replicating this hack yourself, watch this video tutorial. Just watch to see how to build your own solar-powered USB charger with a few solar panels from those garden lights and some floppy disk wiring.
This dish was inspired and created at Olive Garden's Culinary Institute of Tuscany in Italy. In this how-to video Chef Paolo Lafata will show you how to prepare this flavorful chicken entrée featuring a golden potato-parmesan crust and paired with linguine pasta and a creamy garlic-butter sauce. It's a perfect way to add some zest to your family's chicken blues. Start cooking Olive Garden's chicken crostina.
How to save seeds from vegetables from your garden.
In this video, we learn how to hang outdoor Christmas lights from the experts at Home Depot. First, you want to start out the planning process, and figure out where you want lights to be hung out. Then, decide how many lights you need and what kind you want to use. Then, go and purchase your lights, making sure they are made for outdoor lighting, not indoor. Next, you will be ready to decorate your trees and shrubs since they are the easiest to do. Next, hang the lights on your roof and windo...
Want to know how to play the lead parts of "Octopus's Garden" by Ringo Starr of the Beatles on your electric guitar? While this free video lesson is best suited for intermediate players, rock guitarists of all skill levels can play along given a little sticktoitiveness. For more information, and to get started playing the Beatles' "Octopus's Garden" on your own guitar, watch this how-to!
Shelley Lovett from Childcareland demonstrates sand writing as an early childhood learning activity. All you need for this activity is a baking sheet that is approx one inch deep and some sand. Colored sand makes it more fun for the kids. Shelley says the cheapest place she has found colored sand is at Wal-Mart, but it is also available at craft stores and perhaps even at Home Depot or Lowes. You spread a thin layer of the sand onto the baking sheet and try to make it pretty even. For very yo...
With the proper planning and education constructing your own fence can be a breeze. This video tutorial offers an in depth look at how to build a fence for your own home. Learn the basics of building a fence with the help of The Home Depot.
The art of floral arrangement is a fun and valuable skill. Dana Plazyk lends useful tips and tricks on making simple flower arrangements.
A place to sit and relax can add greatly to the enjoyment of your backyard, garden or flower beds. A garden bench is one answer and also a fun workshop project. Garden benches, as seen by the examples here, can range from classic designs requiring a fair amount of materials and woodworking expertise to simple slab benches that require little effort, can be built from scrounged materials and add a “rustic” appeal to yards. In this DIY video tutorial, you'll find step-by-step instructions for b...
Container gardening is a great way to grow plants, vegetables and herbs without needing a lot of space. Herbs do especially well and can be grown right outside your kitchen door. In this video, you'll learn how to use an old farmer's market basket to make a great container garden. Fill it with your favorite herbs and your cooking will be full of flavor all summer long.
Sick of messing up your garden? Make stepping stones for your garden.
In our hectic everyday world of coffee, office cubicles, kids, and soul destroying commutes, it's nice - and often necessary - to have a peaceful, safe haven we can come back to and just be ourselves in. Unfortunately, for those who live in overcrowded cities, that place is not home. What's worse is that most apartment buildings and even condos don't have garden space for you to calm your mind in.
In this tutorial, we learn how to grow a culinary herb garden. This will save you money in the kitchen and is very easy to do! You can grow herbs in a 6 square feet area that only needs watered for around 10 minutes each day. You just need to make sure to cut out the flowers that will grow inside them. You can grow chives, rosemary, mint, basil, and thyme. You can use all of these inside the kitchen for all of your different dishes. This will save you a small fortune, because herbs at the gro...
In this tutorial, we learn how to build a raised flower or garden bed with Lowe's. First, you need to decide what you want your bed built with. There should be enough support for the soil and plants, along with being in a good place so it will reach the sun all over. Make sure there is 6" of soil at the bottom so there is enough room for the plants to grow. Once you have everything constructed, you will be able to plant in your flowers or vegetables. Make sure you pay attention and water them...
Growing a garden isn't a walk in the park. Besides watering the plants and choosing the right kind of soil, one of the biggest threats is also one of the smallest. Bugs can be a major factor when planting certain fruits or veggies in a garden and should be taken care of as soon as possible.
Growing your own herbs is easy. So easy, in fact, that you may soon find that you have more than you know what to do with. In this home gardener's guide, Melinda Myers discusses how to store herbs that you've harvested from your home garden.
This video explains how to solve several problems associated with gardening in arid environments. Rhubarb is a plant that is commonly grown in colder environments. In arid environments, its very important to not over water it, so keep it in a sandy soil with lots of organic compost material. Plants such as the peace lily also need well irrigated soil, so it is important to pot it in an organic potting soil in a location that allows the water to drain away from the pot instead of soaking back ...
Watch Southwest Lawn and Garden's John white and Dr. Bernd Leinauer Discuss the importance of Bermuda grass lawn fertilization and the correct techniques involved. You'll learn how to interpret the meaning behind the fertilizer label, and why a complete fertilizer, including nitrogen, phosphorus and Potassium. Along with how to calculate much fertilizer to use per square foot, You'll learn how each important nutrient helps your lawn, and why having the correct balance is so important. Most im...
Great video by Southwest Yard & Garden. tutorial on how to identify garden pests on your plants & shrubs. Went into detail on the Salvia plants - always be careful spittle bugs, they produce spittle commonly on Salvia plants. Whiteflies and aphids are known to take residence in Ash trees. Aphids commonly take on the look of mildew. Ways to manage moths for apples, you can use insecticide spray but be conservative. Took a look at signs of Cochineal Scale on a Prickly Pear. Went over ways to ta...
On Southwest Yard & Garden, John White, a Dona Ana County Extension Agent, gets together with Master Gardener Virginia Podmenik to discuss some common problems with typical garden plants. Having trouble getting your Wisteria or Bouganvia to bloom? John White has several solutions. Baffled when your Dianthus and Artemsia grow into beautiful green mounds, then split and turn brown in the center? John White will help you find out why and what you can do to help. Not sure if it’s the right time t...
This series of survival training videos discusses and shows methods of gardening "when it counts." Some of the pitfalls and perils to the common survival/preparedness thinking of "when my storage food runs out I'll just grow a garden." Intermixed throughout are also invaluable tips on gardening and food production for the homestead, survival retreat or backyard in suburbia. The first step in planning to truly grow food is to recognize the factors working against you, so you can plan according...
Southwest Yard and Garden featuring John White, Dona Ana County Extension Agent, hosts a 6 minute clip with co-host Master Gardener Valois Pearce both of Dona Ana County, New Mexico host a short web show featuring plants that can easily survive on smaller amounts of water over typical plants. They begin by discussing the full sun Ice Plant, which comes in many species and colors as well as their hardiness, but unfortunately are easy targets for wildlife. They then move onto the Gopher Plant, ...
First of all you have to start by terracing all the lands. Now select the varieties of trees that you want and start planting them in your garden. These trees shall help you in checking soil erosion. You may also use rocks fro land scalping and also checking soil erosion. Now you can plant ‘daisies’ all around the garden. These grow very fast and then they help to bind all the soil together. However you have to check their growth because they compete with other plants for the nutrients. They ...
John White, a Doña Ana County Extension Agent, highlights a new section on the show - a monthly checklist for the garden. This time, he talks about what to do in your garden in the month of February. The checklist includes planting dormant plants, pruning with a purpose and applying herbicides and pesticides. He shows us various types of dormant plants that can be purchased from nurseries in February for planting such as potted, bare-root or root-balled plants wrapped in burlap. As for prunin...
Doña Ana County Extension Agent John White and Master Gardener Benny Knudsen look at stone fruit trees on their tour of the "Garden of Weeden". The Mariposa Plum, the dwarf Stella Sweet Cherry, Elberta Peach, Tilton Apricot and the almond tree (which also belongs to the stone fruit family) are featured in this segment of Southwest Yard and Garden series. The suitability of these trees for a small garden is mentioned. Besides this, also discussed is the problem of late frost and its effect on ...
Don't be intimidated about plant nutrition and how to read those mysterious numbers on fertilizer labels! Watch this funny and memorable video that breaks down the basics of fertilizing and shows you how to feed your plants.
In this video, we learn how to prepare a raised bed garden for planting. First, clear some of the debris that was left from last year. Then, take a pitchfork and loosen the soil all around the bed. Bring the soil from the bottom up to the top to make it stay loose throughout the bed. Then, start shoveling the soil around the bed and then add in some manure to the bed and mix together with the shovel. Worms in the compost will give you a lot of nutrients and help break down the manure. When fi...
In this video, we learn how to plant a container herb garden. First, lay down a layer of fertilizer to your pot and then rip off the container from around the plant. Then, place the plant inside of the pot and throw some of the fertilizer around the top of the base of the plant. From here, you will place in the rest of the herbs to the pot until it all fits in well. Then, make sure you water this according to which of the herbs that you are growing. Enjoy watching your herbs grow and enjoy fr...
If you plan on growing cucumbers in your garden, a smart move is to grow them up. By that, grow them on something that will lead them up. This is a smart idea, because cucumber plants can take over a garden at any time and can actually come out much better when grown on something that leads up. In this video, you'll find out how you can do that and why following this method is a good idea. Good luck and enjoy!
In this tutorial, we learn how to prune trees and shrubs in your garden. If you want to have a natural looking appearance to your plants, make sure you prune them often! A lot of plants will grow out of shape quickly, so make sure you trim them often. Don't square them off on top so your plant doesn't look fake and un-natural. To begin, you will want to take your tallest branches off first, from the bottom of the tree. Keep doing this until the very tall branches have been removed and you are...
In the plant world, not all things are green. This also is especially true for ferns. These plants can grow in a variety of different colors and differ from many other types as well.
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to prune roses. Users will need a pair of garden trimmers or cutters. Observe the rose stem and check to see if there are any thorns and if it has a black color. If it does, it needs to be cut. Then remove the mulch around the canes. When cutting, go as deep as you can to allow the new cane to fully develop. Cut the cane and make sure that you see clean, green tissue. This video will benefit those viewers who enjoy gardening, and would like to learn h...
In this Home & Garden video tutorial you will learn how to divide hosta. Hostas are one of the best plants for your garden. They grow very fast. Hence, you have to divide them to keep them healthy. The best time to do this is either early spring or during fall. Take a flat shovel and dig a hole about 3-5 inches around the base of the plant and then pull it out. You can use a big knife, your hands or even the shovel to divide the bunch of plants. Move the foliage a bit so that you can see the ...
If you have a shady yard, you can still have a colorful garden. You just need to pick the right plants that do well in the shade. Caladium is a leafy plant with bright colored red, pink and green leaves. They do not tolerate cold weather and should be brought in over winter. Impatiens are popular annual flowers that grow in the shade. They look nice planted around the base of a tree or in containers. The flowers come in shades of pink, coral, white and red. Fuchsia is a beautiful flowering pl...
Small creatures like rabbits can be a large problem for gardeners when they begin to feed on garden plants. John White shares some tips on how to keep rabbits from ruining your plants. Rabbits will feed on almost anything, especially when they’re starving, so it’s hard to rabbit-proof everything. However, you can still try to save the plants that are most prone to dying with rabbits and rodents in the area. For instance, if you just planted a young tree, you can put netting around it with...
The Gardening Guru demonstrates how to prepare and lay pavers in a multi-level adjoining area. First, get a garden stake use it to measure the evenness of the terrain and to set the height. Put the leveling tool on top of the pavers to even out the dirt. Then, lift out the rails. Once the rails are removed, you can then set the pavers directly on the dirt. If you prepare your area correctly, you will save a lot of time when you execute the actual project. This technique is useful when dealing...
In this how-to video, you will learn how to make a simple cost-saving planter for a small kitchen garden. First you will need a plastic milk jug. Cut at the opening of the jug and split it in half vertically. Next, place soil inside the half of the jug. Water this part well, but do not have a standing puddle underneath the jug. Use a chopstick to poke holes into the soil. This will allow you to plant about 35 seeds in the plastic planter. Viewing this video will show you the easiest way to ma...
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to grow a tuberous begonias. It is recommended to pot the tuberous begonias in the early spring of March. Begin by removing the tuberous from it's bad and discard any packing material. Be gentle and do not remove the buds. Select a small pot that is slightly larger than the tuberous begonias and fill the pot 2/3 with well drained soil less potting mix. The carefully place the tuberous rite-side up in the potting mix and cover it with more mix. Water t...
