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Ski Notes

6/7/2012

Circa 1999

To deter deer and other wildlife from dining on your garden plants, try hanging car air fresheners on them.
After steady rain, give soil a few days to dry out before preparing beds for planting. This helps to avoid compaction.
Doctors in the 1500's prescribed nutmeg for several different illnesses. Many people believed that nutmeg can be used to brew excellent love potions.
The average lawn has a cooling effect of 10 tons of air-conditioning.
In the language of flowers - daisies mean innocence, loyal love; violets mean modesty; and marigolds suggest cruelty and jealousy.
Pinch chrysanthemums and annual flower plants to keep them compact and well-branched.
Move house plants to shady locations outdoors after danger of frost has passed. Plants will dry out quicker outdoors, so make sure they are well watered.
Place petals from a flower under a microscope for children to observe.
Providing food in the spring will help birds survive the seasonal change and give them the added nourishment and energy required for the mating and nesting season.
To fertilize your garden use an ice pick to punch holes in the bottom of an empty one-gallon milk jug, removing the spout but leaving the handle. Put some fertilizer in the jug and walk slowly around the garden to evenly treat plants.

Ski Notes

5/7/2012

Mow grass one-half inch higher than usual during dry weather to conserve soil moisture.
In flower language, iris meas faith, wisdom and valor.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away. A rosary a day keeps the devil away. An onion a day keeps everybody away!
To keep rabbits and other wild animals away from your garden cut shavings from a strongly scented soap and place around the garden perimeter. Repeat after a hard rain.
Taper hedges so they're wider at the bottom than the top. This allows sunlight to reach lower branches, keeping them leafy and vigorous. Trim the top first, then work down.
An ideal time to divide perennials is after they have finished blooming.
Begin seeding new lawns or bare spots in established lawns in late August or early September.
Remove the foliage from spring-flowering bulbs after it fades.
Poultices are used to draw out infections or to relieve pain from muscle strain or spasms. They are made from dried herbs that have been ground or powdered. Mixed with hot water or herbal tea and thickened with oatmeal or flour, the poultices are smeared on the skin and covered with warm, damp towels or cloths.
In 1830 E.E. Budding invented the lawn mower.

Ski Notes

4/5/2012

Keep Easter lilies in a bright, cool location out of direct sunlight. Waster as soil begins to dry.
Apply pre-emergent herbicide to control crabgrass in lawns
Plant hardy perennials, such as day-lilies and delphiniums.
Zinnias means "thinking of an absent friend" in flower language.
When planting you garden plant rows form north to south with tall plants at north end so they wont shade the other plants.
Start seeds of warm-season plants including tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, marigolds, zinnias and petunias indoors for transplanting to the garden later.
Bee pollen is said to contain every substance needed to maintain life. It eases hay fever, exhaustion, depression, anemia, colon problems, and hypertension.
Get rid of pesky ants by squirting hot pepper sauce across their trail. It's a natural pesticide.
Approximately 6% of a toad's diet consists of harmful insects.
Seeds of dandelions were brought from Europe as a valued green vegetable for salads and cooking. Dandelions are nutritious, tasty, and useful from root to flower.

Ski Notes

3/30/2012

Circa 1996

Pinch chrysanthemums and annual flowers to keep them compact and well branched.
A dense lawn absorbs rainfall six times more effectively than a wheat field and four times better than a hay-field.
While out of town, place your houseplants on several layers of heavy towels in the bottom of bath or laundry tub and add 2 inches of water to the tub.
Peonies are named for Paeon, the physician to the Greek gods. The peony, adopted by the 1957 General Assembly to replace the zinnia which was the state flower from 1931-1957.
Protect trees from weed whackers by cutting the top and bottom off a plastic two-liter bottle. Take the center part of the bottle, cut it vertically, and place the bottle around the trunk for protection.
Cut flowers at down before their fragrance evaporates.
Mint repels mice; rosemary deters moths and garden pests; catnip keeps ants and beetles away.
To kill a weed and avoid desired plants, spray weed killer through an empty paper towel or toilet paper cylinder.
Over-watered grass becomes frail, lighter in color, and is more easily damaged by traffic, drought stress, and temperature extremes.
Plant in the evening or on an overcast day, to give plants a chance to adjust to their new homes without being forced to face the drying sun.

Ski Notes

3/23/2012

Circa 1995

Grass clippings are 90% water. As water evaporates from each clipping, the grass leaf shrivels and then filters into the soil. This organic matter adds nutrients to the soil and helps the soil retain moisture.
If planted near roses, parsley will improve the sent.
Rhubarb stalks are edible but leaves are poisonous.
75% of the world's population still used plants and plant extracts to relieve medical problems.
Test leftover garden seeds for germination. Place 10 seeds between moist paper towels, or cover with thin layer of soil. Keep seeds warm and moist. If fewer that 6 germinate, then fresh seed should be purchased.
Keep holiday poinsettias and other plants near a bright window. Water as top of soil becomes dry.
Wood ash from the fireplace can be used in the garden to raise the pH of the soil. Have the soil tested before adding ash.
Protect shrubs from heavy snow by tying their stems together with twine. Remove heavy snow with a broom to prevent limb breakage.
Order seed catalogs now. Spring is coming!

Ski Notes

3/19/2012

Circa 1995

Don't create a flower bed around an unsightly feature such as a fire hydrant. It only draws more attention to that feature.
Store watering can upside down after use to help prevent rust.
Avoid, if possible, installed and maintaining a bed where you must haul in water. A hot, dry summer can defeat you.
Use trees and shrubs that have more than one feature or seasonal interest.
Let foliage from spring bulbs stay in place after the flower dies. Leaves make food reserves for next year's blossoms.
Plants watered too often will develop shallow roots and will lose their tolerance for drought.
Don't leave sprinklers running so long that water forms puddles. Beneficial microorganisms drown in saturated soil. Also, plants gasp for oxygen and stop absorbing nutrients. Plants need about 1" per week during growing season.
Prune trees and shrubs to avoid interfering with homes, fences, etc..., improve wind resistance, gain access to fruit and to create good branching structure.

Ski Notes

3/14/2012

Circa 1994

- Ann Wolski

Acorns, pokeweed berries, yew berries and buckeyes are all toxic if ingested by curious children. Vomiting, abdominal pain and sometimes liver and kidney damage can occur.
Consider hardy annuals such as carnations, dianthus, dusty miller, pansies and snapdragons instead of mums to provide good bloom well into October
Prepare trees, shrubs and perennials for winter by making sure they have enough water. Moisture helps plants withstand freeze damage.
Early fall is a good time to apply broadleaf weed killer.
Water indoor plants less and stop fertilizing as their growth slows during fall months
Migrating songbirds can climb heights of 5,000 to 20,000 ft. and travel at 15 to 30 mph, covering 90 to 150 miles per night.
Sugar Maples have the most dramatic fall color and are found throughout Indiana.
Save plants such as coleus, wax begonias, impatiens or fuschia for indoor growing over winter. Dig the plants and cut them back about half way. Root them in moist vermiculite, soil mix or perlite.
Fall aeration of the soil is the best way to loosen it and provide grass roots with more nutrients, air and moisture.
Evergreens hung on a door once was an invitation to woodland spirits to enter the home to bring health and prosperity to the household.

Ski Notes

3/12/2012

Circa 1994
- Ann Wolski

Pomologist - a person who cultivates fruit professionally.
Bees are unable to fly in temperatures below 54 degrees. On cool evenings, its a long walk back to the hive.
Start seeds of broccoli, cabbage and brussels sprouts to transplant later for a fall harvest.
For long-lasting blooms on garden-cut flowers, place cut stems in warm water and store overnight in a cool location.
Trees with turf over their roots are more subject to drought stress than trees with mulch over their roots.
To attract attention to your home, plant flowers that match the new shade of paint on your front door or shutters.
The first evidence of gardens is found on Egyptian tomb paintings around 2000 B.C.
Water in early morning or evening to minimize evaporation. You can also water late at night when water pressure is usually higher.
Basil's original home is Africa.
Grass clippings are a natural, nitrogen-rich, slow release fertilizer for your lawn.

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