 The earliest recorded reference to April Fools’ Day was in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales in 1392.
Fertilize perennials if you did not fertilize in March. Avoid excessive amounts that may encourage foliage and reduce blooms. Butterflies taste with their feet. Tulips are the only flowers that continue to grow after they’ve been cut. The USA has more tornadoes than any other country in the world, averaging around 1200 a year. This is due largely to its unique geography which forms an area in central USA called “Tornado Alley” which is frequently hit by tornadoes. Get a head start on summer by planting seeds in an egg carton to which you’ve added a small amount of soil. Fish tank water is loaded with nutrients. When cleaning the tank, use the water on your blooms instead of pouring it down the drain. Alternate rows of fast-growing crops such as radishes, green onions, spinach or lettuce with slow-growing vegetables like cabbage, corn and broccoli. When the fast-growing crop is harvested there’s more open space between rows to accommodate the slow-growing varieties. Grubs do eat roots just below the soil surface which is good in small numbers. They help aerate the soil but if there are dead patches, the population is getting too large and treatment is necessary. To get rid of hiccups try using a cotton swab to massage the back of the roof of your mouth.
0 Comments
 By late winter berries and seeds are sparse for returning birds so fill feeders with sunflower seeds, peanuts, millet and suet to welcome them home.
Rake the lawn to remove leaves and debris. Each year, lightning kills more people in the United States than hurricanes or tornadoes. March's flower is the daffodil, which represents hope. Dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids, antioxidants that could prevent wrinkles and cut the risk of skin cancer caused by exposure to sunlight. While trees and shrubs are still dormant, finish any needed pruning. Don’t trim spring-flowering shrubs such as lilac, magnolia, and forsythia until after they finish blooming. The very first professional baseball game was played in Fort Wayne, IN on May 4, 1871. How did the shamrock become associated with St. Patrick? According to Irish legend, the saint used the three-leafed plant as a metaphor for the Holy Trinity when he was first introducing Christianity to Ireland. Deer can jump eight feet high. After WWII plants were bombarded with radiation to produce useful mutations known as Atomic Gardening which resulted in today’s peppermint and red grapefruit.  Directions:
1) Fill a flowerpot within two inches to the top with potting soil from an unopened bag. 2) Take a lemon and cut in half with a sharp knife. Remove the mature seed – you can tell if a seed is mature because it will be plump. 3) Rinse your lemon seeds in water ensuring that you remove all the sugarcoating. The sugar will encourage fungi to grow and kill your lemon plants. 4) Plant your lemon seed about a half an inch deep in the center of your flowerpot. You need to do this immediately as dried lemon seeds will not germinate. 5) Moisten your potting soil with water making sure not to over water it. 6) Cover your flowerpot with plastic wrap, and place it in a warm location such as the top of the refrigerator until you notice your seeds have germinated. 7) Move your flowerpot to a bright lit area such as a window and enjoy.  Start seeds indoors for cool-season vegetables so they’ll be ready to transplant in the garden early in the season. Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage seeds should be started five to seven weeks before transplanting.
Have an upset stomach? Follow the advice of an old Hungarian grandmother. Alternate sipping chamomile and peppermint tea every hour until you feel better. The active ingredient in chamomile relaxes stomach muscles and may relieve cramping, intestinal spasms, and pain, while the menthol in peppermint has pain-killing properties and promotes relaxation. A tiger’s stripes are like fingerprints—no two animals have the same pattern. Now is the time to sketch garden plans on paper, including what to grow, spacing, arrangement and number of plants needed. Vitamin D is not really a vitamin at all, it’s a hormone. It’s made in our skin and from there it gets activated through the body. The primary way to intake Vitamin D is exposure to sunlight. In 1913, Gideon Sundback, a Swedish engineer working in the United States, invented the “Hookless Number Two”, which is known today as a zipper. Trypanophobia—the fear of needles. During the average lifetime, the heart will pump nearly 1.5 million barrels of blood—enough to fill 200 train tank cars. No network footage exists of Super Bowl I. According to rumors a soap opera was taped over it. Almond butter contains about 83 percent more fiber than peanut butter and is higher in Vitamin E, calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium.  Hackberry Tree
(Celtis occidentalis) Besides having all the benefits of a tree native to Indiana, the Hackberry tree contributes to the all-important efforts at biodiversity underway by arborists and gardeners. Biodiversity is important because it “hedges your bets.” In other words, when a blight or defect affects a specific species, having many other types of trees will give you better odds at having more trees unscathed. Can be used as a tough street due to its tolerance of automobile exhaust and reduced permeable surfaces. You can see it successfully being used this way in downtown Indianapolis on Market Street, just east of Monument Circle. Size: Grows 40’ to 60’ high and 40’ to 60’ wide, a very well-proportioned shade tree native to Indiana. It has a classic rounded shape and is great when shade is desired. Conditions: Climate zones 2 to 9. Best in full sun, tolerates shade. Also tolerates wind, urban pollutants, and a wide range of soil conditions.  In cold weather always keep your car’s gas tank at least half full. The extra volume will help reduce moisture problems in the fuel system and can add weight to the car.
At the turn of the century the number of chimneys on a house depended on how many rooms were used in the winter. Each room was heated individually by its own fireplace. Most plants require less water and little fertilizer as growth slows or stops in winter months. Cardamom—dried fruit in the ginger family. It has a pungent aromatic flavor and is used in traditional medicine for a variety of conditions including sore throats, indigestion and stomach issues. Cardamom also may have antiblood-clotting effects. Apples contain the essential trace element boron, known to strengthen bones—a good defense against osteoporosis. Ancient Babylonians are said to have been the first people to make New Year’s resolutions some 4,000 years ago. English Ivy is a good plant to grow in the kitchen. It helps to remove formaldehyde, a respiratory irritant, which can enter the air when you use some dishwashing liquids and disinfectants. Pressed-wood products such as cabinets and tables may also emit formaldehyde. The sun is an incandescent ball of gases, primarily hydrogen (about 73 percent) and helium (about 25 percent). The center of the sun is roughly 27 million degrees Fahrenheit; the surface, around 10,000 degrees. The birth flower for January is narcissus. It’s not uncommon for your foot to increase in size by middle age or after having kids due to factors including weight gain and the natural expansion of ligaments, tendons, and other tissues.  Protect newly planted or tender perennials and bulbs by mulching with chipped leaves, straw or other organic material after the plants are dormant.
Christmas trees can drink up to one gallon of water each day. Keep watering! The first bread-slicing machine was invented in 1928 by Otto Rohwedder from Michigan. The machine also wrapped loaves. By 1933 80% of all bread sold in the United States was sliced making popular the phrase “the best thing since sliced bread.” Pull mulch back 2 to 3 inches away from the trunks of trees and shrubs. Rodents like to nest in mulch. These nesting rodents may nibble bark, creating a perfect entry point for disease and pests. Bananas offer a slow release of energy plus vitamin B6 and potassium, while fructoligosaccharides help the “good” bacteria in the gut. Bananas are the ultimate healthy fast-food. When shopping for a Christmas tree, check for green, flexibility, firmly-held needles and a sticky trunk base. Both indicate freshness. Make a fresh trunk cut and keep the cut end under water at all times. Fort Benjamin Harrison located at 59th Street and Post Road in Indianapolis was a prisoner of war camp from 1944-1945 and housed many Italian and German prisoners. If you don’t want to clean your paint brushes until you’re done with the job, wrap the paintbrush in aluminum foil and put in the freezer. When you’re ready to continue painting, pull out the brush, let it warm up to room temperature and keep painting. Prepare your furry friend’s doghouse for the colder weather by choosing a wind-blocking house design, facing the opening toward the south or southeast, insulating with spray insulation, using straw or wood shavings for warm, dry bedding and getting a heated water dish to prevent water from freezing. Tomato ketchup is found in 97 percent of U. S. households.  Cold weather can reduce inflammation helping to relieve your aches and pains.
Complete planting spring flowering bulbs. Even though temperatures have dropped, the soil still retains heat from the summer sun. This makes fall the ideal time to seed thin areas and damaged spots for a healthier, more weed-resistant lawn. Colds are respiratory illnesses primarily caused by rhino-viruses (rhin is Greek for “nose”), of which there are at least 100 different strains and perhaps as many as 200. A runny nose and watery eyes are a result of your white blood cells attacking the rhinovirus. Soak cotton balls in vanilla and put them in a dish in your refrigerator to help absorb odors. The first Thanksgiving was eaten with spoons and knives. Forks weren’t introduced to the Pilgrims until 10 years later and weren’t a popular utensil until the 18th century. Late-fall fertilizing can help lawns stay green into winter and boost early-spring recovery. Genetic modification—the process of taking a favorable quality, or trait, that helps a living thing flourish in nature, like an ability to use water efficiently, and adapts that trait to a plant. In this way, the plant can better survive its environment. Hang English Ivy in your home or office to soak up formaldehyde, the most prevalent indoor pollutant emitted by wood flooring and synthetic carpets. When a cat nudges you with her head, it’s as if she’s giving you a hug or a kiss. Cats rub with scent glands on their on their faces, muzzles and foreheads as a way to mark territory or show affection. |
AuthorsCurrent and former staff members have contributed to our newsletter over the years. Now the articles are available to view here on our blog Archives
April 2018
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
