Plants that bring Back Luck

Snake Plant

March 15th was the Ides of March – a day made famous in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar when a soothsayer told him to “Beware the Idea of March”.  It’s the day he was murdered by his friend Brutus.

Actually, every month has an “Ides.”  It simply means the middle day of the month and since our months are (more or less) 30 days, the ides will fall on the 15th.

Speaking of bad luck, it seems that there are some plants you shouldn’t bring into your house since they cause bad luck.

Personally, I’ve had several of these and haven’t seen a problem.

Here are a few of the plants and the reasoning behind their bad luck: 

• Tamarind Plant – is often home to evil spirits

• Calla Lily – the plants are poisonous both physically and spiritually

• Cactus – causes misunderstandings (as well as most other plants with thorns)

• Snake Plant (mother-in-law’s tongue) – encourages negativity and arguing

• Cotton Plant – these are dust-collectors and the dust brings bad luck and poverty

• Gum Arabic tree – can cause residents of the home to be argumentive

• Henna Plant – brings on negative thinking

• Dead Plants – attracts negativity and weakness

The Shamrock & St Patrick's Day

What else but the Shamrock?

St Patrick’s day will be here next week and people will be “wearing the green” and decorating with Shamrocks

The Shamrock is the plant that people most often associate with St. Patrick ’s Day.  However the shamrock is not a specific plant.  It refers to a few plants, typically, Oxalis, Clover or Wood Sorrel.  The symbol referred to as the Shamrock always has three leaves.

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland allegedly used the shamrock to represent the Holy Trinity. 

The Oxalis, Clover or Wood Sorrel often have leaves growing in groups of three but the mutation that causes 4-leaf varieties are considered to bring special good luck. 

Four-leaf clovers represent Faith, Hope, Love and Luck.  Even better, a 6-leaf clover brings Faith, Hope, Love, Extra Luck, Money and Good Fortune.  If you find a plant with 4 or more leaves, they say you will be able to see the fairies.

Keep a lookout for shamrocks, elves and fairies and enjoy your day!

Wasabi

If you like Asian food, chances are you have at one point or other eaten a product that has been identified as "wasabi."

I can tell you without a doubt that what you had is not Wasabi but rather a mixture of common Western horseradish, mustard powder and green food coloring.

True wasabi is rare in the United States and when you find it it is extraordinarily expensive.

If you want to try growing it I've seen seedlings for sale on the internet for $17 each and small plants for $29 each.

There are a couple reasons for the high price. First the plant is very picky about growing conditions. If you are not on top of it, the plant will most likely not survive. It needs daily care with misting and precise temperature, lighting and humidity.

If you do get it to survive and harvest the rhizome, you have to be careful with how you store it.

And once you put it on your food the essential oils dissipate within about 5 minutes so eat quickly.

If you want to try the real thing you might be able to get it in an Asian restaurant or specialty store. Just remember if the price is good it's probably not the real thing.

Making the most of a small garden

Do you have space issues with your vegetable garden every year?

Here are some ideas on how to make the most of the space that you have

First think upward. Grow plants on trellises, string or wire. Steak plants wherever possible so that you minimize the footprint of each plant.

Rotate seasonal crops. There are quite a few vegetables that like cold weather but don't do well in the heat. That could be various types of lettuce and other greens. Once those have finished growing and you harvest them before they start to get bitter then you can plant new vegetables there that you probably have been growing in pots

Layer your plants by height. Put the tall plants at the northernmost end of your garden with shorter plants in front. Continue by height and squeeze in as much as you can. Plants love to lean on each other so this will help support the taller ones. Also this will allow all of them to have access to ample sunshine. Make sure you add a bit extra water and fertilizer.

When your summer crops have faded, pull those plants and put in another crop of lettuce and other cold weather vegetables.

You'll be surprised how much more you'll be able to grow in that little space.

Varmint Control – Fencing

Before you plant your vegetable garden this year, it’s time to think about protecting your vegetables from animals that would eat them before they have a chance to grow.

The most effective method is a physical barrier.

First, identify your “enemy.”  Are they burrowing, climbers, big or small? 

For burrowing animals such as woodchucks (ground hogs) , rabbits or chipmunks, bury your fence bottom or other barrier underground at least a foot.  For woodchucks, you may need to go deeper – about 3 feet or maybe more.  Woodchucks and chipmunks also climb so keep that in mind.  I’ve personally seen a woodchuck that climbed a tree and was sitting on the roof of a 12’ garden shed.

Climbers include raccoons,  squirrels and chipmunks.  Nothing will stop these guys except having a wire, chew-proof top on your garden.  The squirrels and chipmunks are small and can fit through very small gaps.  The garden top will also keep out birds that love fresh produce.

Large animals such as deer or bears can often reach over or jump over a lower fence or simply knock it down.  (Note that bears can’t jump.)  Deer can jump at least 6’ from a standing start.  For these you would need either a sturdier tall fence or something with an electrified wire.  If you’re thinking about using an electric fence, please check your town laws to be sure they’re legal and that children and pets can’t come near them.

There are services such as NJ Deer Control that offer a service to keep the deer and other animals out.

One of the most effective fences is made of hardware cloth on a very sturdy frame.  Hardware cloth is something of a misnomer.  It is actually a wire mesh with quarter-inch holes that are small enough to keep out just about anything.

Whatever you plan, do your homework and good luck!

Planning Your Spring Garden

Even though it’s still February, it’s not too early to get started with your garden plans.

All of the seed and plant catalogs are out and available so you can see what’s new for 2021.

What would you like to change in your garden?  Do you want more color?  Maybe you want to move or expand some beds.

If you’re planting flowers or vegetables from seed, now is the time to get them started so they are strong and healthy when it’s time to move them outdoors.

Plant your seeds in a warm spot and keep them moist enough to grow but not so moist that you have a problem with mold or damping off.

Once they’ve sprouted, put them in a window or under grow lights.

When it starts to warm up outside, you can acclimate them by moving them outdoors during the day but bring them in at night.  And remember that the deer and other animals just love those tasty young plants.

Noxious Invasive Plants – Purple Loosestrife

The purple loosestrife is a beautiful plant you see growing in damp roadside ditches and along the banks of any body of water.  It’s tall with gorgeous purple-pink stalks of flowers.

But don’t let its beauty fool you.  This is a very bad plant that is crowding out many native plant species and taking over.  It is one of the plants listed on the NJ Invasive Species website.

It is the MOST prevalent invasive species in our state – even worse than the horrific Japanese Knotweed.  It crowds out EVERYTHING near it with its unbelievably rapid spread.  It is so prolific that it can cause drainage problems.  It can also displace wildlife that feed on the plants it overwhelms.

It spreads by both underground runners and by producing millions of seeds that are dispersed by water and wildlife.

If you can, please destroy any plants you see! Do NOT compost it as you will spread any seeds present and it could resprout. Bag it carefully and place in the trash.

Noxious Invasive Plants – Garlic Mustard

You probably won’t even notice the garlic mustard plant even though it can grow up to 4’ tall.  It is unobtrusive and grows mostly in the woods.  It does well in poor soil and in shady conditions.

One way to identify it is by the garlicky odor it gives off when you crush the leaves or stems.

This plant is listed on the NJ Invasive Species website.  It crowds out native plant species – some of which are endangered.  It also replaces plants that native wildlife depends on for food. 

It can accomplish its take-over of the environment through its allelopathic effect.  That means it gives off chemicals that act as plant-killers for other plants or at the very least, make it difficult for them to thrive.

This plant is very easy to pull out by hand.  Please destroy any plants you see!

Never compost any invasive plants as you will spread any seeds present. Bag it carefully and place in the trash.