GARDENING TIPS

• You can save your favorite geraniums by taking cuttings from the plant. The cuttings should be about 4 inches long. Dip the cuttings in rooting powder, and insert the stem 1/2 of the way into a good quality potting soil. Keep the soil moist and in a well lighted area. Feed with 20-20-20 during the winter months.

• LIGHTEN THE LOAD
  
  Snow does a great job of insulating the ground, but its weight can be too much for trees, shrubs, and evergreens to bear. Shovel off a little bit if you can, and watch where you pile the snow that you remove from walkways. High, sunny spots are better than low spots, where mud persists for a long time. If you planted some new perennials this past summer and the area is dry and has not had a lot of moisture, it is good to water them on and off during the winter months.

• SPOIL YOUR HOUSEPLANTS
  
  When you can’t garden outdoors, keep things green and growing indoors. Besides making great companions in any room, houseplants help clean up polluted air, and some of them even produce flowers when the days become longer in late winter. Watch out for little pests on your houseplants, especially mealybugs and aphids.
  

• HOUSEPLANT TONICS
  
  For the most part, you can alternate the kinds of plant foods you feed your houseplants. Plants, like people, get bored with the same old diet, day in and day out. I suggest you mix up batches of the following tonics (make sure you label each one), keep them handy and then feed your plants with a different food each time you water.
  

• NATURAL PLANT FOOD
  
  1 tbsp. of fish fertilizer
  4 tsp. of instant tea granules
  ½ tsp. of liquid dish soap
  1 gal of warm water
  
  Use at full strength when you water!
  

• BALANCED PLANT FOOD
  
  1 tbsp. of instant tea granules
  1 tsp. of 15-30-15 fertilizer
  ½ tsp. of ammonia
  ½ tsp. of liquid dish soap
  1 gal. of warm water
  
  Use at full strength when you water!
  

• GENERAL FOILAGE PLANT FOOD
  
  ½ tbsp. of ammonia
  ½ tbsp. of bourbon
  ½ tbsp. of hydrogen peroxide
  ¼ tsp. of instant tea granules
  1 vitamin tablet with iron
  1 gal. of warm water
  
  Add 1 cup to each gallon of water used to feed your plants. For flowering houseplants, use vodka instead of bourbon. Even the regular monthly use of Miracle grow will be helpful to your plants growth during the winter months if you don’t wish to use the above tonics.