Paphiopedilums do not divide as readily as the cymbidiums and cattleyas and although they do not outgrow their pots so fast annual repotting seems to suit them. Certainly the intervals between repotting should not be longer than two years, by which time the compost will have become exhausted.

Having severed the rhizome the divisions will pull apart, revealing a number of dead roots at the centre of the plant. The rhizome which has been cut through is hard and woody, and should come to no harm as a result. However, as a precaution against the possibility of causing a rot to set up in the cut ends, they can be dusted with sulphur or any powdered fungicide to ensure that the areas remain dry. Once the divisions have been separated, any remaining compost will fall away, leaving the bare root divisions ready to be trimmed. It will be found that the roots belonging to the oldest pseudobulbs will be dead. These roots will have died naturally of old age, and can therefore be removed from the plant. Only those roots supporting the younger pseudobulbs will be alive, and these should be trimmed back to within 6 in (r5 cm). The back division of the plant will probably be found to contain no live roots at all, and in this case some of the dead roots should be left on the plant to about 6 in to provide an anchorage when potting the plant.

Since being placed in the basket this plant has been carefully watered, being kept just slightly moist until the roots were seen. It was well sprayed over its leaves and pseudobulbs which helped to reduce the loss of moisture through the leaves, and in particular the surface of the compost was sprayed so as not to dislodge the bark.

By the time the Encyclia pentotis has been removed from its existing square wooden basket, it will have little of its original root system left, and with the removal of the old compost there will be nothing to hold the plant in the new basket. Using a length of plastic-coated wire and a pair of pliers position the plant in its new elongated basket with the oldest, leafless pseudobulbs to one end, so that the front of the plant is close to the other end, with sufficient room available for at least two years’ growth.

To provide a moisture pad for the orchids, a small amount of osmunda fibre will be needed to place between the base of the plants and the bark. This will aid development of new roots at the same time supplying them with some nutrient. Osmunda fibre was for many years the standard ingredient in orchid compost. Today, although expensive, it can be purchased from some orchid nurseries.

Watering: This is probably the most important activity for a garden in January. Throughout most of this area, winter droughts are common. Even though temperatures may dip very low, the available moisture necessary for plant growth may be lacking. Often the greatest damage to plants is caused by a dry freeze. When soil is dry, open and loose, the freezing air will penetrate, damage and often kill the root system of plants. The top surface of the soil, if kept moist, will freeze over and insulate the soil below, thus preventing the penetration of freezing temperatures. Mulch provides protection and helps hold moisture.

Even though freezing temperatures may not develop, many feeder roots can be damaged by becoming dehydrated, and a stunted plant will result. Thoroughly soak the bulbs that were planted last October as they are beginning to grow now. A light feeding of liquid plant food and thorough watering will improve the quality of bloom and length of stem.

Watering means thorough deep soaking and not just superficial sprinkling with a spray from the hose. The old fashion sprinkler hose or soil soakers are good for this purpose. Do not fail to keep the lawn areas watered during the winter months.

Sometimes a little more garden landscaping is exactly what your home needs. Most likely, which is excellent. Landscaping is more fun than one can imagine, and there’s nothing more exciting than planting your own flowerbed.

When you try layering your landscaping beds you add a new dimension to the aesthetic appeal of your garden design. Your garden makes the first impression on any visitor to your home, so giving a tour that showcases your awesome garden is a wonderful idea. Garden landscaping can make you the talk of your neighborhood for good reasons.

Layering your garden landscaping project is easy to do. Finding out what kind of plants you are planting is very important. The layout of your landscaping will be affected by many things including your choice of flowers and other plants.

Although this may be obvious to you, you should still make a rough sketch of the layout for your garden landscaping prior to beginning. This way, your work is kept to a very minimum level. Your garden landscaping project will be accomplished sooner with fewer snags along the way.

If you are in search of good looking outdoor furniture to be used for your deck and you prefer quality furniture that displays a sense of style and luxury, then deck furniture made of deck would be the best option. None of the other wood furniture can be as good as the teak and cannot match its excellence. On the other hand teak is also very expensive than other furniture molded out from other materials, and the benefits you receive from them are always worth their price.

The looks of teak deck furniture are for sure very understandable. There is after all, something that has to be said regarding the durability of the wood that is been used in the boats craftsmanship. If teak can tolerate or bear the harsh things of the powerful sea, then furniture of the teak deck can surely bear all the wear and tear that you backyard would put through.

What’s small, has shiny bright red wings, a black head and legs and is capable of destroying a lot of ornamental plants? It’s the red lily beetle and it’s the terror of many gardeners worldwide.

Also known as the lily leaf beetle, this small insect is notorious in areas where lilies are cultivated. First seen in Montreal, the red lily beetle has spread throughout Canada and in some parts of the United States.

“They are often confused with the cardinal beetles since they also have a black underside and wings that are spotless and red in color. However, lily leaf beetles have wings that are shinier with tiny dimples on them. They are more rounded in shape compared to the dull, narrow, flattened and elongated cardinal beetle,” according to the editors of Wikipedia.

“Another difference between the two is their food preference. Lily leaf beetles are herbivores and are usually found on lily plants eating their leaves whereas cardinal beetles are usually found on tree barks and flowers and feed on flying insects. Lastly, the cardinal beetle has comb-like antennae,” they added.

Barbeque grilling is regular at most of the houses in US. It is a leisure activity that most Americans undertake with all their families. However hardly anyone thinks of having a barbeque party in their backyard. Hence it is must be realise that a backyard barbeque party is an excellent and unique idea. One can enjoy delicious barbequed dishes with their friends and pals. For sure, it is a distinct and amusing way of socialising and relaxing on weekends or during holidays.

It is obvious that you might not be able to invite a lot of people, since this depends firstly on the size of your yard. Such kind of open air party can be organised for your closest family and friends. Nevertheless, you can’t be relaxed and make a plan at the last minute. Rather, barbeque events would require proper planning or else all the concept may fail. Hence get up and start now if you feel like organizing a barbeque kind of party in your backyard.

If you’ve read about the problems with drinking contaminated water you might be getting interested in water filtration. You will have heard of charcoal water filters or carbon water filters or even activated carbon water filters. What are these water filters?

Charcoal water filters are filters that use charcoal to remove the contaminants in water during the filtration process. Charcoal is carbon that is created by heating organic matter in the absense of oxygen to high temperature. Commonly coconut husks are used for the organic material.

Charcoal has various properties, primarily that it is extremely porous and this is what is necessary for successful water filtration. These pores allow water, and contaminants, to pass through and for the contaminants to be absorbed by the carbon by means of chemical attraction, because many carbon based or organic compounds are chemically attracted to carbon.

So if that is charcoal, or carbon, filtration, what is activated carbon filtration? Activated carbon, (or AC) filters use a form of carbon that is much more porous than traditional charcoal. This is created during the manufacturing process. The best carbon or charcoal water filters use activated carbon.

Koi pond filtration is the process of removing waste products and other harmful substances from the Koi pond. This is a basic requirement if you want to keep your Koi healthy for a long time.

Without good pond filtration, the pond will start to turn that unsightly green color we have all seen with standing water that has become stagnate. This is clearly unsightly, if not harmful to your fish. In addition, parasites and other harmful creatures will form and can easily spread from one fish to another. With all this the water in the pond will become foul smelling and will be deadly to the fish.

A koi pond is a big investment. Don’t risk that investment and the health of your Koi by not planning for a proper Koi pond filtration system. Take the time to carefully plan the kind of system that’s best for your particular pond.

Some Koi experts recommend a filter system that will handle a volume of not less that 33% of the total pond water volume. Therefore, a 3,000 gallon pond should have a filter capable of handling 1,000 gallons of pond water at any given time. At the very least, it should not be less than 10%.

Tender bulbs and tubers that are in storage for the winter should be given an inspection in February. Cannas, dahlias and tuberous begonias that have been packed in a storage material (sand, peat moss, vermiculite, etc.) should be examined for evidences of insects and diseases and to ascertain whether or not the packing medium has become too dry.

Any of these conditions should be corrected before trouble develops. Storage temperature, too, should be checked. Gladiolus, dahlias and cannas should be stored at temperatures that do not go above 40 degrees nor below 33 degrees.

Tuberous begonias, Peruvian daffodils and other warm climate plants should be stored at temperatures that do not go above 60 degrees or below 40 degrees. The corns of gladiolus should be examined for evidence of insects and diseases and if they have not been cleaned of the soil from the garden, now is the time to do so.

The stub of the old stalk which was left attached at digging time should be removed. It should be dry enough by now so that it can be detached without injury to the upper surface of the corm. The withered remains of the old mother corm also should be separated from the new corm.