A rain garden is a shallow, constructed depression that is planted with deep-rooted native plants & grasses. It is located in the landscape to receive runoff from hard surfaces such as a roof, a sidewalk or a driveway. Rain gardens slow down the rush of water from these hard surfaces, hold the water for a short period of time and allow it to naturally infiltrate into the ground. A rain garden can be thought of as a water quality system because it filters the runoff from your roof and lawn and recharges the groundwater. ¹

Usually, a rain garden is a small garden which is designed to withstand the extremes of moisture and concentrations of nutrients, particularly Nitrogen and Phosphorus, that are found in stormwater runoff. Rain gardens are ideally sited close to the source of the runoff and serve to slow the stormwater as it travels downhill, giving the stormwater more time to infiltrate and less opportunity to gain momentum and erosive power.

Below the surface of the garden, a number of processes are occurring which mimic the hydrologic action of a healthy forest. Soils are engineered and appropriate plants selected for the rain garden. The garden is a small bioretention cell in which stormwater is cleaned and reduced in volume once it enters the rain garden. Nitrogen and phosphorus levels and overall sediment loads in the stormwater are reduced by the action of the plants and growing media on the water. Multiple rain gardens over an area will have a positive cumulative effect on both the volume and quality of stormwater run off. Some municipalities even offer a small grant for building a rain garden due to it’s beneficial effects.

Most rain gardens are populated with either herbaceous perennials, woody shrubs or trees. This does not mean that annuals are not possible for such gardens; rather it means that the gardens have been designed for habitat and low maintenance goals rather than purely seasonal aesthetics,color effects or production. Some annuals are good candidates for a higher maintenance version of a rain garden. ²

Rain gardens are a great example of the ingenuity and adaptability of gardens and gardeners to their local environment and resources. With nature and technology plants can be grown under any circumstances and in any environment, so while I enjoy the plants of the rainy pacific northwest I hope everyone takes a look at the unique properties of their local climate and environment and how that effects both indoor and outdoor gardening this winter!

Additional resources

About Rain Gardens:
Wikipedia
Sue Ellingson

How To Guides (PDF)
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Oregon State University

Notes:
¹ Low Impact Development
² Rain Garden Network

I picked up a Poinsettia plant the other day while grocery shopping and started wondering, “Why is this plant associated with the Christmas Holiday season”? Here are some interesting facts I learned about this beautiful plant that may help shed some light on your questions?

The Poinsettia (Euphorbia Pulcherrima) is native to the Southern Mexican countryside. Known to the Aztec people as “Cuetlaxochitl”, this star shaped plant was used to make dyes and medicine for the ancient people. The legendary Aztec king, Montezuma would have these beautiful plants caravanned to his temple because they could not be cultivated in the high altitude region of his empire.

Contrary to popular belief, the Poinsettia is not poisonous. A 50lb child would have to eat 600 bracts (leaves) to have a toxic effect. That is about 40 plants worth of leaves. Interestingly, the Aztecs used the sap from the plant to treat fevers.

Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett, for whom the plant is named, introduced the Poinsettia to the U.S. in 1828. As the first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Dr. Poinsett introduced the American elm to Mexico and was looking for a new species to bring back to his South Carolina greenhouse. The Poinsettia grew so well that he began propagating them for friends and other greenhouses.

In the 1920’s a California farmer decided to try his hand at growing Poinsettia’s. Paul Ecke, Sr. loved the beautiful colors of the plant and the fact that these beauties bloomed in December. Mr. Ecke had the notion that these plants could potentially be big sellers for the December holidays. He moved his family ranch to Encinitas, CA and the rest is history. Paul Ecke single handedly traveled the country selling his Poinsettia mother plants to greenhouses. Encouraging them to up sell as a great holiday plant. Even now, the Ecke Family control about 70% of Poinsettia sales around the world.

If you enjoy Poinsettia’s this time of year the way I do, take good care of your plant. Poinsettia’s DO NOT like to be over watered. When the media is dry to the touch it’s time for another watering/feeding. Feed them a solution of FloraNova Grow; remember the red flowers are actually the plants leaves. So we enjoy this plant more often than not in it’s vegetative cycle. I feed my plants 5 ml/gal of FloraNova Grow every 5 days. They also do not like a lot of heat or to be in direct sunlight. Take good care of them and Poinsettia’s will reward you with their beauty long after the holiday season.

We eat all sorts of plant parts so not every vegetable needs pollinating. Leaf and root crops (lettuce, kale, beets, etc) do not need to be pollinated because we eat them before they get to the flower stage of their life cycle. However, there are plants that we eat (like tomatoes, lemons and almonds) that need to be pollinated in order to produce the fruit or seed that we want to eat.

Quick botany lesson:

Male squash flower

Bees (and other pollinators) travel from flower to flower, drinking nectar and spreading pollen. Pollen is the male component of a flower (flower sperm, if you will). When it’s transferred to another flower, it goes into the pistil (female flower part) and fertilizes to make fruit. This process can’t be done without the aid of a pollinator. There are some plants, however, that have both male and female parts and can self-pollinate but you can still give them a little help.

Since there (presumably) aren’t swarms of bees flying around your hydroponic system, you might want to lend a hand to a few of your edible crops. It’s pretty simple. Here’s how to do it:

• Leaf and root crops (like spinach, carrots, onions and garlic): don’t worry about it! They don’t need to be pollinated. Just crunch them and enjoy.

• Self-pollinators (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, beans and peas): They can generally take care of things themselves but you can help: jog the pollen loose by gently (very gently) shaking the plants, tapping the flowers or try this method:

• Cross-pollinators (squash, cucumbers, melons and most fruit): These plants need to trade pollen in order to produce fruit. The squash, cukes and melons have separate male and female flowers. The male flower will have pollen-laden stamens and the female flower will usually have what looks like a tiny fruit bulging at the base. These guys need the most help and must be pollinated to produce fruit. The how-to:

1. Wait until both male and female flowers are in full bloom, petals open.

2. Get a watercolor paintbrush or a Q-tip. Brush it against the male flower (you should see yellow or orange pollen on the brush or Q-tip).

3. Brush it against the pistil on the female flower (the pistil is tall and gooey and right in the middle. You can’t miss it.)

Female squash flower

That’s it! You’ve done it! You should see fruit begin to form in the next few days. Keep repeating the process with subsequent flowers and you should have lots of fruit in no time.

Orchids are incredibly popular among plant enthusiasts and it’s easy to see why. Each of the many species, varieties and colors produce their own kind of unique beauty and appeal. However, growing them can be tricky and getting them to bloom and stay healthy is even trickier! Here, we offer an alternative to the conventional orchid growing method.

Most orchids, especially the popular Phalaenopsis, grow naturally in treetops and jungle canopies, where there is little soil. Generally speaking, their roots thrive in bark and moss in the wild. That is the usual medium for growing orchids in pots. There is normally no soil involved. So, it’s just an easy step from there to growing hydroponically! Orchids thrive in a soilless environment. Plant your orchids into a hydroponic system, add a growing media, water and nutrients. That is all you need to do! It takes the guess work out of wondering when to water; you can stop worrying about root rot and wilting leaves. It also eliminates the threat of most diseases, since the growing media are inert.

The well-balanced nutrients, found in our FloraNova Grow, are the perfect way to start healthy root and foliage growth. It’s is especially ideal for helping your orchids get established in their new hydroponic home. Healthy root growth builds the essential foundation for overall success. FloraNova Grow is a unique formulation of highly purified minerals, plus natural additives that combine the best of both the hydroponic and natural gardening methods to facilitate healthy growth. Use FloraNova Grow throughout the structural growth phase and into the first 7-10 days of transition. Switch to FloraNova Bloom for the flowering growth phase.

Our FloraNova Series has the perfect nutrient balance to support orchids. The NPK is 7-2-10, with many micronutrients (like iron and calcium) included, to form a near-complete, nourishing product to aid in the foliage growth and establishment of young and fragile orchids. Try growing these unique beauties hydroponically and watch them flourish!

This video of flowers glowing in the dark after drinking highlighter ink is really trippy. It proves what hydroponic growers have always known to be true- that plants are super sensitive to everything they are exposed to.

My good friend Mark sent me this excellent video of his sister-in-law Gail brewing up a nice batch of compost tea. Instead of keeping a giant pile of rotting compost, she uses our Ancient Forest and Floralicious Plus and a few other select ingredients. Her instructions are simple, and her results are amazing- tomato plants to die for.

Related Content:
Actively Aerated Compost Tea Q&A
What does it do? Floralicious Plus

Powdery mildew (PM) is one of the most disturbing problems in any garden. First of all, it’s just disgusting- the smell and the nasty texture are just awful. But even worse is the damage it does to crops. Once infected with mildew, your plants are weakened and any crops contaminated should not be consumed. Indoor gardeners are especially prone to developing PM, mainly because high humidity and overcrowded plants are ideal conditions for the disease.

The ideal solution is prevention:

*Keep your temperature in check, and don’t overcrowd your plants.

*If you visit a friend’s room, be sure to change your clothes and especially your shoes before you re-enter your room.

*Treat your room with Azamax to prevent fungus from taking hold.

*Remove any leaves with PM, and then wash your clippers or scissors.

But if you do find yourself battling PM, I recommend checking out the solutions in this article from Urban Garden Magazine. They break down many different methods for eliminating the problem, including using hydrogen peroxide, a milk solution, and even pH up. I hope that you never have to deal with powdery mildew, but if you have any tips, please share in the comments!

Photo of powdery mildew on pumpkin leaves by Jeff Kubina on flickr.

Phew! I’m back! Just returned home from my annual Thanksgiving trip to the island of Oahu in our lovely state of Hawaii. This photo is one from last year, of the Thorn Tree. Its flowers are the most exotic I have ever seen. These beauties grow all over the campus at the University of Honolulu.

All told, I was gone for 3 weeks. I was a little worried about my garden, but all my housesitter had to do while we were gone was top off the reservoir with H2O one time. The cold temps this time of year kept the plants from drinking too much, and the stability of the GenHydro products I use kept the pH in the perfect range the entire time. Yay!

Today I’m getting back into the swing of things. I’m digging up new content to post, and will be answering the questions left as comments while I was gone. Thanks for reading and posting comments, even over the holiday!

The tiny honeybee can often be overlooked as an essential part of gardening. This was highlighted to me recently when my friend was discussing the giant avocado tree that has grown in her neighbor’s yard for decades. It never produced even one avocado until another neighbor on their block started keeping bees. The humble bees were able to finally properly pollinate the flowers and now the 4 story tree is finally covered in avocados. I’d love to know if you incorporate beekeeping into your garden, let us know in the comments!

Related Content:
Bees in the GH Greenhouse
Clue to the Vanishing Honeybee

No matter what time of year, there is always some kind of amazing flower blooming here at General Hydroponics. And some flowers, like these dahlias seem to be perpetually producing massive flowers. These beauties are growing in CocoTek planters, and are fed the latest bloom formulas.

I am so inspired by this!

Our sales rep Randall sent these awesome shots of the General Hydroponics SnapStands in action. He found them in Charleston, South Carolina at GreenSpirit Hydrogardens. They look so great all loaded up with big lush plants!

Boom go the gardens!

I’ve been watching the hydrangea bloom behind the office here at GH. I love how the bright green buds open into pale pink blooms. The transformative power of plants blows my mind.

I swear, the hydro roses never seem to stop blooming. I love the dark red and the moon rising in the background of this shot.

This yellow rose with the tinge of pink smells like cinnamon. It’s totally spicy.

The white ones are unique because they open all the way up and show their yellow centers right when they start blooming.

More Roses on the GH Blog: April 2009, October 2008