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Grow your own fruit from a cutting

 Did you know that you can grow some types of fruit trees, bushes and vines from just a cutting? Yes, you could grow most things from a seed but many plants that are hybrids may not "grow true" from a seed. This means that it may not produce fruit that is the same as the plant you got the seed from because of mixed genetics. Growing from a cutting is a much more reliable way because you are sure to get a plant that is exactly the same as the parent plant. Also, the plant will mature and produce fruit faster than from a seed.  For example, an avocado plant grown from a pit/seed will grow well but you will have to wait about 10 years before it produces fruit, or not. Because of the mixed genetics the fruit can be like any of its ancestors or may not fruit at all. A Haas Avocado seed is very unlikely to produce another Haas avocado-like fruit. A cutting may start producing fruit the same year or up to a few years after it roots.  Grafting is another way to make a new plant b...

DIY Garden Fertilizer

 Plants need food,  just like we do, and there are many ways you can make your own fertilizer to help keep your plants healthy and happy. Here are just a few. Do I need to say it? Organic is best! You can feed the soil but putting toxic chemicals on the plants or in the soil will kill most or all of the beneficial organisms that make soil alive and healthy. Its a complicated, amazing ecosystem that, when cared for properly (organically), will feed and care for your plants as nature intended. If you use chemicals most of this info is a waste of your time and energy. With chemicals you have dirt, not living soil and you will need to add more fertilizer (may as well use the cheap chemical varieties).  What makes a fertilizer? Anything that adds nutrition. You will see 3 numbers on bags of store-bought fertilizer. They are NPK - nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. These are the big 3 that are the most crucial but, like us, plants also need other nutrients to be healthy.  If...