Soil Moisture Search Results

How To: Plant narcissus bulbs

In this tutorial, we learn how to plant narcissus bulbs. To pick out the best bulbs, look for a nice healthy sprout and a nice firm bulb. These plants grow very fast and they grow during the winter. You can plant these and within 2-4 weeks you will have flowers growing. You can plant either a small or large bulb, just make sure it's healthy. To plant these, you can either grow them in rocks and water or soil. To grow in soil, place the bulb all the way into the soil then pour water into the p...

How To: Make ground-plantable paper pots for seedlings

This video demonstrates how to fold a newspaper seedling container using a simple origami method. This is a free idea that incorporates recycling. Not only do these paper containers stand up well to moisture, they also will break down in the soil if you place it directly into your garden. Begin by using one half sheet of black and white newspaper. Lay it out length wise and fold it in half from top to bottom. Then fold it left to right. Next turn the paper so it is horizontal with the open si...

How To: Use soil block makers to start seeds

A soil block maker is a cool device for starting your seeds. All you do is fill a container with soil and use the block maker like a cookie cutter. Then you'll have little blocks of soil to plant your seeds in, and you can easily transfer the block to your garden. Now stand back and watch your plants grow!

How To: Plant cactus in containers

Cactus can do very well in containers if attention is paid to several things. One, use terracotta, it breathes well. Also, make sure there is a hole in the bottom because the soil shouldn't be sitting in water. And importantly use a Cactus soil mix, a mix that has a lot of sand, a lot of perlite. Although most plants don't thrive in mixes with a lot of sand, because it dries too fast, Cactus requires this condition. In fact, over watering is the number one way to kill a Cactus. To place the C...

How To: Purify Urine for Drinking with an Emergency Solar Still

It’s called Urophagia—the art of consuming urine. There could be any number of reasons for having the desire to drink your own urine (or somebody else’s). There’s the so-called term “urine therapy,” which uses human urine as an alternative medicine. In urine therapy, or uropathy, it’s used therapeutically for various health, healing, and cosmetic purposes. There’s also those people who drink urine as sexual stimulation, where they want to share every part of each other. And then there’s the o...

How To: Check the pH levels in the soil of your garden

Testing the pH level of your garden soil can tell you a lot about your garden. Depending on the results of your test you can see what the acid/neutral/alkaline levels are and you can even change the levels by adding different kinds of elements so that you can grow just about anything you want and keep your garden healthy. You can purchase a SoilStick test at Plumstone to see what type of garden you've been working with.

How To: Lay sod for a perfect lawn

The quickest way to get a gorgeous lawn is to lay sod, uniform patches of grass-covered soil held together by matted roots. It will go more smoothly if you know a few landscaping tricks. Learn how to lay sod for a perfect lawn with this how to video.

How To: Winterize the sterdrive unit on your boat

In this tutorial, we learn how to winterize the stern drive unit on your boat. By draining the oil as the last step, you must inspect for moisture. If you have no moisture, you can assume there is no water intrusion so you don't have to do any repairs. Remove the oil out of the lower unit first, making sure to keep an eye out for metal shavings and moisture. Use the proper gear lube to make sure you are draining all the areas properly. When finished, your boat will be ready to be stored and b...

How To: Proof yeast

Learn how to proof yeast. Yeast is used in baking as a leavening agent, which is what makes bread and pastries light and airy. Yeast reacts with moisture, sugar, and heat to create tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide which cause the dough to expand and rise. To proof yeast, you'll need yeast, sugar, moisture and warm environment.

How To: Mulch a garden

Gardening doesn't have to be a lot of work, especially if you use mulch in your vegetable and ornamental beds and pathways. Mulch is a huge garden time saver because it helps prevent weeds, reduces the need to water, moderates soil temperatures, adds organic matter to the soil as it breaks down and helps your garden look tidy.

How To: Use wood chips in the garden

Chopping up downed trees and sending them to the landfill isn't ideal. It's better to use them as firewood or have them chipped up and use them as mulch material or for a walkway. Never combine woodchips with the soil because they rob the soil of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium but they're great walkway material and will gradually break down providing nutrients for the soil.

How To: Clean laminate floors safely

The basic idea of cleaning laminate floors is to use a dry or damp mop or cleaner for cleaning spills and as little moisture as possible. Laminate floors are resistant products and are made to last, but they also are sensible to moisture and thus it can produce damage. Also very important for defending against stains like tomato sauce and red wine is to be vigilant and clean them immediately. The longer a stain like that sits, the longer it is the probability of being permanent, so the best a...

How To: Care for Mexican elder tree

In this video from nmsuaces we learn how to care for the Mexican elder tree. This is a widely used tree but it is not a good windbreak tree. It could have limb breakage. It's native to northern Mexico and southern California and is found in New Mexico. The sprouts on the tree need to be broken off the sides of the tree otherwise they are taking energy away from the rest of the tree. When it goes through its dormancy, you need to keep dead wood out of it. It needs a water source near it but it...

How To: Prepare a raised bed garden for planting

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...

How To: Make a Milk Jug Green House

In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to make a mini greenhouse milk jug. Begin by cutting the milk jug in half. Make sure to leave one side uncut, leaving the top of the jug on. Then pour some potting soil into the milk jug and plant some seeds into the soil. Make sure to plant the seeds deep into the soil and then pour some water onto the soil. Now tape down the top of the milk jug. This video will benefit those viewers who enjoy planting and gardening, and would like to learn how to ma...

How To: Make a trash can compost bin

Soil is arguably one of the most important ingredients when starting a garden. Buying it from the store is easy, but sometimes store bought soil doesn't work as well. Now making your own soil, cannot only help make your garden grow, but gets rid of unwanted fruits and veggies. So in this tutorial, you'll be finding out how to make a trash can compost bing using some easy to find ingredients. So check out this tutorial to find out more and good luck!

How To: Make a soil sifter with hardware cloth and wood

Danny Lipford shows us how to filter rocky soil in a flower bed in this informative video. By stapling 2 pieces of 2x2 to a hardware cloth, a mesh is produced that can be clipped onto a wheelbarrow. A home-made sifter of this variety, without a solid frame has the distinct advantage that you can pick it up and toss the filtered out rocks to the side after use. The sifter could also be used to filter the clumps that appear in fertilizer bags, or even masonry sand. The resulting filtered soil i...

How To: Make a micro terrarium

Learn how to make a micro terrarium which usually holds 1 small plant in simple steps. You can use any type of container like a light bulb, yogurt container, baby fruit jar, spice container, honey jar, etc. Now select your container and add some soil in it. Place the seeds if you are using them or plant the miniature sinningia in the soil. Use a copper wire to tamper down the soil nicely and close the container lid.

News: Livestock Antibiotic Use Increases Threat of Resistant Microbes to Humans

Antibiotics used to prevent diseases in livestock are creating a world of hurt for humans and the soil we depend on for food. Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a global health issue. The overuse, underuse, and poor use of these life-saving drugs is rapidly removing them as a treatment option for serious infections in humans—plus bacteria are naturally adaptive.

How To: Choose the right garden mulch

This video will show you how to choose the right mulch for your garden. The first thing to learn is that you have a lot of choices when it comes to selecting a garden mulch. The first type is organic mulch. Organic mulch is a kind of mulch that will break down into the soil over a period of time. Wood chip is an example of organic mulch. You can put a weed mat down under the mulch to keep the weeds from growing up. A second way to mulch the garden is with a decorative pebble. They come a wide...

How To: Choose colorful flowers & shrubs for the garden

This video makes suggestions in how to choose colorful flowers and shrubs in your garden. Bowle’s Mauve is a purple flowering plant that will grow and bloom until fall. It will become bushy. Another colorful choice is the Rock Rose, a pinkish flower. The Blue Salvia has blue flowers. A Bank’s Rose, only bloom for a short time. It has yellow or white flowers. Aphids tend to attack it, but it is hearty.

How To: Force flower bulbs to bloom

This video explains how to force flower bulbs to bloom. The instructor first takes a pot and fills the bottom of it with gravel, which then the bulbs are placed right on top of the set gravel. The rest of the bowl is filled with polished show rocks mid way up the bulb to set them properly inside the pot so they are unable to move freely. The instructor then explains that using the gravel and rock filling forces the bulbs to bloom faster then with standard potting soil. The instructor explains...