APPS TO GET YOUR KIDS INTO THE GARDEN

by Meg Sperring
With the arrival of summer, you want to get your kids outdoors, but all they do is play, talk, and listen on their electronic devices—indoors. Get them into the fresh air with apps that lead them into the garden.

There are a number of gardening apps and outdoor apps for children. The first thing to do is to channel their curiosity with game apps and story apps, and then download further apps that will help them to practically apply what they have learned.

Roo's Fabulous Edible Garden. A free game app that will spark your kids' interest in growing fruit and vegetables, with the side benefit of learning how yummy this produce is to eat. The game takes them through preparing the ground and planting their own virtual garden, harvesting their crop, and finally cooking their produce. During the growing season, they weed their plot, remove harmful insects and learn about the good ones, and water their plants. Suitable for Grades 1 to 3 and up, this gardening app is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (iOS 3.0 or later), and was developed by UNC-TV.

Green RADventures of Nico. A fun story app that teaches kids about growing plants that you can eat. Your children will plant seeds, learn about growing processes of plants, and sing along with the Green Minstrel. Suitable for children ages 4 to 12, this app is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (iOS 4.2 or later).

Star Walk, Star Chart, or Night Sky (compatible with iOS and Android) are other great apps that will get your kids into the garden. These outdoor apps allow kids to explore the night sky above them, and are easy to use. Your children will have access to fascinating information about the celestial bodies that they see, and the apps enable them to move back in time to view the sky of years ago. Apps like these make kids aware of the infinite potential of nature, and help them to understand how the rhythms of the natural world control the activities in it.

Plants and Plants Pro. This reasonably priced gardening app helps kids organize and schedule their gardening activities and to tag plants that need individual care. An icon alert lets them know when they need to water or fertilize their plants. The app gives information about various plants, and kids can add plants to the library whenever they want. Suitable for ages 8 to 99. The app was developed by Tuparev Technologies, and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (iOS 4.2 or later). Upgrades to the app are free.

Audubon Wildflowers, SMM Wildflowers, or Wildflowers of Central Texas all provide information about wildflowers. Choose an app that covers your area, and you can download them onto iOS and Android devices. Take the kids on a walk, identify the flowers that you see, and then source them from your local plant nursery. Indigenous plants thrive in gardens, and are easy for youngsters to grow because they're in their correct climate zone.

Gardening apps and outdoor apps are great for encouraging your children to get outside and enjoy themselves. Once they're in the garden, they can continue to use their apps and will realize that they've found a fun and interesting place to be. Why don't you join them?
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Healthy Garden Solutions

by RM Barry

Before reaching for an insect spray or a plant remedy, try to determine if an insect is eating the plant or if the plant is diseased. Applying a pesticide can expose us to immediate or long-term health risks. Studies have linked pesticide exposure to an increased risk of Parkinson's disease not only among those who work on farms, but even in persons who live near sprayed fields.

Another study found a relationship between exposure to pesticides in our food and environment and the development of type 2 diabetes. They found that pollutants tended to concentrate in body fat.

The Melaleuca Wellness Guide (don't have one yet? Just click on my name below and email me! - linda) has a chapter entitled: "Healthy Garden Solutions." This chapter is based on suggestions shared by our readers: Note: When using any kind of spray, test the results by spraying a few leaves and waiting a couple of days to see if any damage occurs. To prevent damage, avoid applying sprays during the heat of the day. Irrigate drought-stressed plants thoroughly before applying any kind of spray. Since soft body insects like aphids and thrips are killed on contact, after applying a spray, rinse with water. Oil sprays should not be used on Blue Spruces. Citrus are also sensitive to oil sprays. Your Cooperative Extension Agent can recommend spraying times for citrus.

Roses ⁃ Black spot, rust, and powdery mildew are three different diseases caused by fungal infections. Try spraying diluted Sol-U-Mel on affected leaves. If you notice the first rose flowers of spring tinged with brown edges, the culprits might be thrips. Thrips are tiny, slender, difficult-to-see little insects that cause brown edges on flower buds. Roses and peonies can be affected. Spray diluted Tough & Tender on affected flower buds. Rinse with fresh water. Aphids are soft body insects that suck plant juices. You will usually find them on new growth. Over- fertilizing can make for lots of tender new growth that attracts aphids. Spray with diluted Tough & Tender and rinse off with water. Natural predators such as lady bugs eat aphids. 

Black Sooty Mold on Elm trees, or other susceptible trees, can be reduced by spraying Sol-U-Mel high into the tree. If needed, use a power sprayer. Black sooty mold is usually caused by aphid secretions as they feed on leaves. The aphids produce sticky "honeydew" that sometimes turns black. If you happen to park your car under an affected tree you will notice the sticky substance on your vehicle. You might also notice ants because they harvest the honeydew. Sometimes the honeydew dripping is caused by scale insects. Scale insects are harder to remove. But Sol-U-Mel should help as the scale insect does have periods of time before it forms its hard scale when it is more vulnerable to safer solutions.

Ants can be killed with PreSpot, Sol-U-Mel or Tough & Tender. If ants are making a little trail into your home, sometimes just dusting them with clove spice or dropping mint leaves on their trail will cause them to decide your home is not so attractive after all. In the yard, repeatedly spraying water on them can make them decide to move to another part of the yard. If you have fire ants, to kill them mix the following into a two gallon bucket of water: 1 capful of Tough & Tender, 1 capful of MelaMagic, 1 capful of Sol-U-Mel, 1 capful of Tub & Tile, and always 10 drops of Lemon Brite. Stir and pour half of the bucket on the fire ant bed. Wait 30 minutes and pour on the other half. This kills them "dead" and they won't come back.

Zinnias are prone to powdery white patches caused by powdery mildew. Give zinnias good air circulation and avoid watering them from above. If affected by powdery mildew, spray diluted Sol-U-Mel directly on the leaves of your zinnias. They will usually show improvement in one day.

Ninety percent of insects are good bugs. Beneficial insects help keep pests from causing damage. To attract and maintain a population of beneficial insects we need flowers like yarrows, dill, and cilantro which provide nectar and pollen. Planting fragrant plants such as herbs, marigolds, and nasturtiums help confuse and repel pests.

Some bugs, like squash bugs can be easily picked off plants, hopefully before they mate and multiply. MNN.com shows bug pictures and a bit of bug-education. Learning to identify good bugs versus pesky bugs can help you maintain a safe and healthy garden. And if you have children, this knowledge can be fun and a foundation for them in organic gardening.

A spray bottle of Tough & Tender and Sol-U-Mel along with common sense and a bit of patience can result in a healthy productive garden.

Healthy Garden Success Stories
I have many perennial plants around our home. After returning home from a week's vacation last summer, my Hosta plants were all infected with a little red bug. I came in the house and looked in my Wellness Guide. As advised, I grabbed my bottle of Tough & Tender spray and went to work spraying my Hosta plants. The bugs were eating holes in my plants. The next day, the bugs were ALL GONE! My Hostas had no damage from the Tough &Tender and were beautiful the rest of the summer! THANK you Melaleuca and RM Barry Publications! ~ Mickey 

I have lots of roses, about 40 plants, and other than feeding the roses with healthy soil additives like manure, alfalfa pellets, banana peels and fertilizers, I just use Tough &Tender. In the spring I used to notice the first flowers on some roses were brownish. I discovered they were thrips... so tiny you can barely see them. The Melaleuca Wellness Guide recommends Tough & Tender. One spray with Tough & Tender takes care of them. Now when the roses are setting their first blooms I go around early in the morning and as I admire them I give them a quick spray. My roses are beautiful and healthy. I only need to do this one time in the spring. ~ Gloria

Ants will appear here and there in the garden. I try not to kill anything, but ants can be a problem. I've used PreSpot, Sol-U-Mel or Tough & Tender on the ants. A bucket of water with a bit of product is usually enough to discourage their presence. ~ Anna

Great Vegie Garden Companion Plant Chart

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FERTILIZING A GARDEN THE NATURAL WAY: MAKING HOMEMADE LACTOBACILLUS

Written by Cherie Pearson
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Overview
Lactobacillus is a Gram-positive bacterium, belonging to the to lactic acid group. On the basis of its natural habitat, Lactobacillus is an anaerobic bacterium, meaning that it doesn’t require oxygen from the air to survive. The organism plays a crucial role in the conversion of lactose, and other forms of sugars, into lactic acid through anaerobic processes. These bacteria are benign in nature, and in humans, exhibit a symbiotic relationship in the gastrointestinal tract and vagina where they occur naturally. Lactobacillus is also found in small amounts in the gut and alimentary canal of humans, where again, they exhibit a natural symbiotic association.
There are many types of Lactobacillus bacterium species that play prominent roles in decaying plant material, and converting them into manure and effective fertilizer.  This is especially true for garden plants.  The presence of Lactobacillus bacteria in the environment causes it to become acidic, thus thwarting the proliferation of harmful bacteria.   Use the instructions below to make Lactobacillus fertilizer for garden use.

Supplies
Bowl
Cheesecloth
Mason jar (or similar container)
Milk
Molasses (or other raw sugar)
Rubber band
Strainer
White rice

Create Rice Wash
Add cheap white rice to a bowl, and then add water until it covers the rice completely.  Allow the mixture to sit for 20 to an hour.  Use a strainer to separate the rice from the liquid portion of the milky solution, and discard the rice.  The liquid left behind will serve as the growing medium for the Lactobacillus.  Pour the milky solution into the jar  (or similar container) until it is about half full.  Cover the jar with cheesecloth, and use a rubber band to secure it in place.

Grow Lactobacillus
Store the jar in a semi-dark, cool environment (such as a basement or pantry) for five days during warm weather, or up to 15 days in cold weather.   During this process, the bacteria will colonize in the rice wash, creating a sweet alcoholic aroma.  A layer of film will also be visible as a “skin” atop the solution.
After the initial incubation period of up to 15 days has passed, add 10 parts milk to one part rice wash mixture into a new container.  Cover the container with cheesecloth and let it sit for an additional five days.

Harvest Lactobacillus
After an additional five days passes, the solution will appear separated, with the milk fats on top.  Strain the liquid to remove the fat, and what is left behind is the Lactobacillus fertilizer.  Finally, add molasses (or other raw sugar) equal to one-third of the total volume of the solution.   The solution can last months stored in the refrigerator or simply left standing.  A rotten smell is an indication that the solution no longer contains Lactobacillus.

Apply Lactobacillus as a Foliar Spray
Add a 1:20 dilution of Lactobacillus liquid to non-chlorinated water to a spray bottle.  If non-chlorinated water is unavailable, allow the water to stand overnight so that the chlorine will evaporate.  As a final step, spray the mixture onto the leaves and stems of garden plants as a protectant against harmful bacteria and to promote plant growth.
While creating homemade Lactobacillus for plant fertilizer is a slow process, it can save money on home gardening supplies.  In addition, Lactobacillus is a naturally occurring fertilizer that doesn’t contain toxic chemicals, and as such is perfect for organic gardening.