#a tree planted upside-down can start to grow leaves from its roots.

[humunanunga]

I've been thinking on and off about Dreamtale for months, the way it left off with the twins perpetually clashing and how it adds to their mythological vibe... and I guess my mind couldn't let it go until it came up with a way to offer their story closure.

And that's how I got stuck on the idea of Dream and Nightmare always being two halves of a whole, Dark Crystal style, until I came up with a fusion– the guardian of emotion.

Maybe Nightmare ripped the golden fruit from Dream, maybe Dream got desperate and tried to separate Nightmare's SOUL from the black fruit, but either way, after they were absorbed or absorbed by the apples, maybe their SOULs would also involuntarily absorb each other if given the chance. Like they were always meant to succeed their sacred tree.

I really like interpreting Nightmare's tentacles as roots, leaving Swap!Dream's feathered wings to be the leafy branches.

Their motif would be an eclipse to combine Dream and Nightmare's motifs, and as for a name... Wake? Dawn? Psyche? Psyche... Psyche.

[honkhonkrichard]

Theory: Stanley Uris was Murdered.

Tagging @vvanini I hope you can follow this okay it’s very word vomity lol

Okay So TW because this post will touch on Stan's death ad the methods behind it

I propose that Stan Uris was murdered. by IT. In his home on that fateful night. I think that Stan posed the biggest threat to IT and therefore IT felt the need to take him out before the battle even started.

Allow me to explain.

Okay, so, I need to lay out some basic "rules" or "facts" before I make my case. They are as follows.

- IT planted it's roots in Derry, and finds it difficult to leave, but still can at it’s own wil.  If you read the book (I honestly don't blame you if you haven't) You'd know that once the Losers kill IT for the final time, Derry (the Physical town) is obliterated. Buildings explode, sinkholes appear, things are flooded. The town is in ruins by the time that the Losers leave the sewers. The movies don't adapt this so If this is news to you thats fine. the bottom line is that destroying IT destroys Derry, like ripping a tree out of the ground with all it's roots. Because of this, we can make the claim that while it can Leave Derry (as it does every 27 years) it probably takes tremandous amount of power to do so, which is why IT only goes when the cycle is over. Why does this matter? Well, what if IT left Derry to get to Stan? The murders had stopped for about a week when they're all in the Jade of the Orient. Plenty of time for IT to cross from Maine to Georgia. Side Note: We KNOW IT leaevs Maine to elsewhere in the world because of King's extended universe all interconnecting. it's not far off at all to make the claim that IT is the same evil that haunts, say The Shining's Overlook Hotel, which is in Colarado.

- IT is omnipresent This is also a given, IT lives everywhere, and can fuck with time and space in godlike (or maybe eldritch like) ways. in IT: Chapter Two, when Mike claims "IT Doesn't know I know what I know" he's unfortunately wrong, because we know that IT can be in A) Multiple places at once, B) can manipulate anything on the drop of a hat (See: Stan being teleported away from everyone else in Chapter One, Everything about Neibolt, etc) and C) Knows everyone's deep fears. This is further proven by IT Saying things like "Beep Beep Richie" (although this is Horribly Horribly executed in the films, ugh.) and so on and so forth. On top of all of this, We can make the claim that IT can exist outside of Time as well, given that IT is immortal. SO, what's stopping IT from Knowing Mike was going to call them all back (Espically considering that IT TOLD Mike to do this?). Even if we keep IT's omnipresence to the location that IT inhabits (in this case Derry) IT would still have knowledge of where the losers are through Mike. And if you take the Lucky Seven/Chosen Seven route (oh my god I got theories on that too) you could argue IT knows where they are inherently due to their cosmic status.

- Stan is the "most Powerful" loser So, obviously all the Loser's are powerful, espically considering they're the ones who Defeat IT (Again going on to the Lucky/Chosen Seven theory). This next claim is going to be less focused on what the 2019/2017 Movies do because they are Bad Movies and that's a whole other rant. However, in the book, Stan is (to my knowledge feel free to correct me on any of this) the only loser to Actively ward off and 'defeat' IT on his own without running away. He uses his belief in this what is Real (birds) to ward off what is "not real" (IT). The other losers do manage to take down IT in their own Right, but Stan is ultimately the one to Really get IT. This is because Stan's character revolves around Belief and Willpower. These are, in some form or another, the ways to Defeat IT. the ritual of Chud is a battle of Wills. in the book, Bill takes IT down and Eddie does the final blow. In the Remake (ugh) the losers can defeat it Technically using the belief that IT isn't as powerful as it claims because IT's "just a clown" (Ihatethatfuckingendingsomuchugh). Stan being much more skeptical than the rest of the group in his ability to understand Reality vs IT's illusions is a powermove, and IT knows that ability doesn't go away as Stan grows up, but rather he gets more powerful. Stan is the Only loser out of the 6 who left that has any sort of knowledge about IT, where the other losers have nothing. Bev has nightmares, yes, but she still forgets them. We're told in his chapter (Chapter 3, Six Phone Calls (1985), Part One: Stanley Uris Takes a Bath) that he has some hazy knowledge of his place in the Lucky Seven, and even goes so far as to MENTION it sometimes, even if he doesn't quite remember or understand any of it, his knowledge of IT and Derry is worlds more prominent than that of the rest of the losers.

(page 52 of IT:  "Stanley, nothing's wrong with your life!"  "I don't mean from inside." he said. "From inside is fine. I'm talking about outside. Something that should be over and isn't. I wake up frmo these dreams and think, 'My whole pleasent life has been nothing but the eye of some storm I don't understand.' I'm afraid. But then it just... fades. The way dreams do." OR  page 45: He had been smiling a little. Now the smile faltered, and for a moment he seemed puzzled. His eyes had darkened, as if he looked inward, consulting some interior device which ticked and whirred correctly but which, ultimately he understood no more than the average man understands the workings of the watch on his wrist. "The turtle couldn't help us," he said suddenly. he said that quite clearly.)

So, Stan has some cosmic knowledge of IT and Maturin and his role in the battle against It. What does any of this have to do with his death? Well, let me point out some other things about Stan's death that always stuck out to me. - His death chapter is narrated by his wife, Patty, rather than himself. The other chapters - almost all the other chapters - are narrated by their respective Loser (the caviot for this is Ben, but Ben is also wasted out of his damn mind so its understandable.) - Stan's personality is few and far between in the book, but we know he has a weird little sense of humour and that he's incredibly logical. I think that this logical part of him would be able to understand that Suicide is Never Ever the answer, and that it would cause FAR more problems than it would solve. (the 2019 movie tries to reexplain his death and it's crap and i hate the letters i hate the letters so much im gonna explode) The other losers try to rationalize his death by saying "He would rather Die Clean than Live Dirty (Page 506, Chapter 10, The Reunion, part 3, 'Ben Hanscom Gets Skinny') but he had already BEEN Dirty when he defeated IT the first time, and I think he would've recognized that. - upon finding him, Patty (in her narration) notes that Stan's head is bent back over the edge of the bathtub, so from his sight she would have been upside down. If Stan DID kill himself, why would he be positioned like that? It's unnatural, like someone Posed him. - the cuts on his arms are two length wise cuts. I'm no expert but.. that's suspicious. That's weird. - IT is written in blood on the wall. Why? Why would Stan right THAT of all things? You know who DOES like to paint with blood? IT.

Alright, returning to my thesis statement, Stanley Uris was murdered. Do I think Stan genuinely was going to take a bath at 7pm (which we're told is weird for him)? Yes. I think that's absolutely a thing he could have done or planned to do. Do I think he slit his wrists and commited suicide so he wouldn't go back to Derry? No. Not even remotely.

Let me paint a New Picture.

It's May 28th, 2016, or 1985. Stanley Uris gets a call from Mike Hanlon. Stan is incredibly hesitant to go to, and says he needs time to think about it. Or tht he'll try. He can feel the starts of a Panic attack, and as he's remembering the circles of Hell he went through as a child, he tries to hold himself together. He doesn't want his darling wife to see his break, so he says "I think I'll take a bath" and nothing else before going upstairs. he hides in the bathroom. He closes and locks the door, because, well, he's panicking. Locking doors is one of The Small things he does. Is it usually the bathroom door? no, but still (OCD is a bitch, and even with medication, but this is a special case). He looks in the mirror and tries to breathe. This is fine. He can do this. They killed IT once before and they can do it again. He thinks about his younger self, the promises made, and how he could explain all of this Patty in time to catch a flight to Maine. It's terrifying, but if his friends are going to bite the dust, he wants to be there with them, wedding vows be Damned. Then he looks at his reflection again. A younger, rotted version of himself stares back at him. IT crawls through the mirror. Stan freaks out, obviously. This isn't real. This Can't be real. But IT utilizes this notion against him. It digs it's claws into his arms, and forces him to bleed out in the bathtub. IT then sets the scene nicely. Razorblades on the counter, a bloody signature on the wall, a horrible posture of Stan's neck. So on and So forth. and then IT returns to Derry. IT's a little weak, yeah, but Stan is dead. That's what matters. the Lucky Seven has now Officially broken, and the balance shifts in favour of the clown.

So that's the theory. feel free to correct me on anything or engage I have plenty of theories on this story and I like discussing this stuff :).

[inspiringmelodrama]

Yo no creo en brujas, pero que las hay, las hay

Part 3

Warnings: death of animals, spiders, curses, injuries, blood.

Beta read by the amazing @hnt-escape

*

*

*

The beast laid still in the middle of the clearing, its elegant body sprawled in a way that hid the harm done by Tovar’s blades. Vines curled around the big head, almost caressing it. The place looked sacred, holy.

No church had ever made him feel small or impure, but that clearing somewhere in the middle of nowhere did. The trees seemed to sway and a gust of wind swept through the space, causing leaves to spin.A distant howling sound sent a clear message for him: something treasured had been destroyed.

The idea of carrying some type of proof of the beast’s death had gone through his mind, only to be dismissed immediately.

He would end up dead on the forest floor if he tried to drag the heavy body with him.

The antlers or the fur could be removed with relative ease, but the thought made his guts wrench.

He had done enough to the being.

If the villagers didn’t believe his word, or his injuries, they could enter that wretched forest and see it for themselves.

With a last glance, Pero turned around towards where he thought he’d come from. Death heavy on his shoulders.

**

The trek back to the village seemed endless.

Tovar dragged himself, leaving a trail of blood from his various wounds. The creature’s antlers had speared clear through his right arm and he wheezed with every step feeling his ribs shift, courtesy of when the beast knocked him down.

The sun had passed the center of the sky when the foliage started to thin and Tovar found himself in one of the pathways leading to the edge of the village.

With a huff he climbed over a tree root that most definitely wasn’t there this morning and came face to face with the old woman from before.

She stood hunched over her cane, a beautiful piece of carved wood resembling entwined vines, her eyes crinkled when she looked up at him and that hissing cat voice was back when she proclaimed “The beast was slayed then.

Tovar assented, expecting she would say something else on the matter.

But the old woman kept looking at him, a flash of sadness on her wrinkled face.

When it became clear neither of them had anything to add, Tovar grunted and made to walk past her, only to be stopped by said cane planted firmly against his front.

“You’re hurt, Tovar. Come to my cottage and I’ll bandage that arm of yours.”

There was no question in her tone, but no order either. It was simply an invitation, a kindness offered to someone who had risked his life for her people. Accepting or not was entirely on him.

A friendly grunt and a nod was all they exchanged before she turned and went her way, Pero on her heels, hoping it wasn’t far.

**

Turns out nothing was far in that village and after a couple of minutes they stood in front of a small but well tended garden leading to an equally small and well tended cottage.

The door was low and Tovar had to bend down so he wouldn’t hit his head. Inside the ceiling was higher and bunches of drying plants hung from the wood beams.

The place was cozy, with embers heating a pot over on the hearth. It was one room with a big, sturdy table in the center filled with glass jars, a pestle and mortar and other strange items.

Fur pelts and candles, jars and what Pero presumed were cooking utensils finished the decorations.

And there were plants.

Everywhere.

Coming in through the sole window, hanging upside down from the ceiling, strewn around the table. Giving the room a heady smell of damp soil and green things he didn’t know the name of.

It’s all very witch-like, Tovar thought, or perhaps she is a healer.

Both healing and witchcraft were strangely similar. How did one know what was wrong in a place they could not see if not by some touch of magic?

One gnarled finger pointed to a chair by the table and Tovar followed with his eyes, still by the door. It was only when he saw the woman turn with her arms full of odds and ends that he moved his body and settled down on the chair.

She approached and started organizing the items she carried on the table top, murmuring for him to take the clothes off his torso.

“Let me see the injuries, Spaniard.” This time her tone was commanding and without thinking he started to undo the armour, disposing of the chainmail and other layers until he was left in his tattered and bloodied undershirt.

Her knowing gaze assessed the ragged edges, the trickle of blood running down from where the beast had stabbed him with its antlers. With quick movements the woman took hold of a soft looking cloth and dabbed it in a bottle with clear liquid, Tovar learned what was the purpose of it approximately 5 seconds later.

At once she pressed it against the wound, holding firm when Tovar thrashed against the intense burn and let out a yelp, sounding like a wounded animal.

Tovar let out a string of curses behind clenched teeth and braced himself for whatever else the old crone had in store for him.

The healer paid him no mind and after what seemed an eternity, but in reality was no more than a minute or two, she removed the cloth and he watched, astonished, as the wound started to foam and dirt bubble out.

Tovar realized 3 things at the exact same time:

1.She was definitely a witch.

2. She meant no harm, for now.

3. He was too tired to care either way.

**

It was time for the last part of his hurried treatment. The woman had cleaned other scratches, tied his ribs and applied a poultice to the many bruises he sported; the only thing left now, according to her, was sewing the skin together.

Pero would have no problem with it if she wanted to use normal thread, but no, the old crone wanted to irk him.

The old witch had to know, because she turned around with yet another jar. What this one contained though...

Few things in this life scared Tovar, and 8 legged creatures were one of them.

Inside the glass jar in the woman’s hand there was a stick filled with a white gray thin substance resembling thousands of fine threads tied together. In the bottom, a brown spider worked on even more of the weird thing.

A shiver ran up his spine, Pero could swear he felt eight legs and a fuzzy body making its way up his bare back.

The old witch, for in his mind he was certain now of what she was, could do anything she wished to his wounds. Anything except that.

“Absolutely not, witch!” He growled, one arm shooting up to hold her needle and thread away from him, the other took hold of his dagger that rested on his belt.

The woman’s nose wrinkled at the sight of the blade, “That,” she said pointing, “smells of death.”

“You figured me out then” the woman let out a sigh, and dropped the needle.

“You didn’t make it hard; with your weird jars and cobwebs you want to use on guests.”

“You are a very rude guest, Tovar.”

“Not letting you sew me with cobwebs doesn’t make me rude. I want answers.Now.”

They faced each other in a battle of wills; Tovar ended up winning.

She harrumphed and let go of the spidery thread, only to pick another spool, green thread this time. Raising it to his face, she only started stitching when he nodded and then they talked.

**

“Why get me to kill your own beast?”

It was the only thing he still didn’t understand.

“Do you think me the mother of that monster? Is there only one Spaniard on this earth?”

Foolish of him to think he wouldn’t end up in a village with not only one, but two witches.

The woman let out a breath and her body seemed to sag with it; that was the moment Pero truly saw the age in her bones, the tiredness in her eyes.

“I’ve been on this earth far longer than you could even imagine and there’s nothing in this world that I haven’t known, Tovar. I’ve seen it all, including what power can do,” she continued. “I chose this place as my home centuries ago and I come and go, watching children be born and grow and I cannot let them suffer any longer.”

“If you have seen so much, why not kill the beast yourself then? Why get me to do your bidding?”

“Because, Pero Tovar,” she said, taking hold of his hand and tracing with the point of her fingers the lines and scars intertwining in his palm, “you needed to come here, you’re meant to a place I haven’t seen yet. And sometimes one needs steel, not herbs and spells.”

“Dine with me, Pero Tovar and I’ll mend your clothes, as a favor. It won’t be long now.”

She sounded ominous. His mind paused at it but his stomach growled and between the two, his stomach usually won.

So he stayed.

**

He should leave. Grab his armour, go to the tavern, demand his payment and leave this place, let the only reminder be the dust on his soles and the scars he bears.

But he couldn’t.

The witch’s home was warm and inviting; the food was delicious and most important of all, she seemed happy to talk to him. To listen to his stories and animatedly tell her own.

He was in the middle of a tale about William and some ducks in Wales when a rush of cold air came and a strange woman entered the cottage.

**

Pero shot to his feet, his left hand wielding the same dagger he used to end the creature in the woods, the strange woman stood before him with fire in her eyes.

“I suppose no one would invite a mother to feast with her child’s murderer,” was said to him in a voice reminiscent of a hissing cat.

Fuck

Fuck

Fuck

“It was no child, Ethânis. It was a monster and had to be stopped.” The older witch sounded calm, too calm.

The witch’s forehead, Ethânis, blazed with a series of marks; the same ones he saw on the beast’s head, her eyes focused on the dagger on Tovar’s hand and he felt the steel grow hot in his grip.

“I haven’t finished with you, old hag,” Ethânis’ voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

“And you, you heartless bastard, with your precious blade; I know just what to do. A soul for the spilled blood.”

The dagger shone the same marks, the heat on the hilt became too much even for Pero’s calloused skin; he realized with horror that he could not let go of it.

The dagger and his skin were as one.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck…” was the only thing he could mutter.

The witch raged on, a storm let loose in an enclosed space; the old witch, Tovar realized in that moment he didn’t know what else to call her, laid frozen on the floor.

Everything stopped and the hissing voice came again, in whispers against his ears,

Place of the first strike cursed blade shall find; Wielded by friend or foe you shall never know; For millennia the will wander, only to alone fall in a strange land.

Her eyes kept blazing and winds erupted from the doors, sweeping around and raising leaves and fur pelts.When it was over Ethânis had disappeared.

**

Pero Tovar believed in witches. A lot.

He was stunned. What does one do when cursed?

Tovar refused to cry. He was a man of actions, and crying wouldn’t help.

What would help was getting rid of the curse. And that’s exactly what he set out to do.

The old witch was still on the floor and Tovar shook her none too gently until the old witch came back to her senses.

“Wielded by friend or foe”

“Wander for millennia”

The words kept twirling in his mind, spreading and infecting every thought.

God, he’d spent a life fighting; was it all he would ever know?

Would he truly spend a thousand years drifting only to end up forgotten and alone?

He didn’t want that.

He didn’t want any of that.

**

The old witch was up and running around the cottage and at this moment Pero didn’t care about names anymore.

He cared about being cursed.

About being alone.

About being owed a debt; he said so to the witch.

“I know, Spaniard. The debt the villagers owed is now mine.” She kept rummaging in her things, looking for something in various pouches.

The witch finally produced a single coin out of one of those pouches; it was beautiful,capturing the firelight and gleaming like pure, polished silver.

She offered it to him and Pero snapped.

“I don’t care about money,” he roared, “I want the curse gone.”

She shoved the coin in his hands and “There’s no way of undoing a curse after its cast, Pero Tovar,” she continued, a look of sympathy on her face, “the only thing I can do is lessen it someway.”

Shit

“Then do it! I don’t care how. Lessen the curse and I will consider your debt paid.”

“Then a debt shall it be.”

The old witch grabbed her cane, and started hitting it against the floor. A steady thump, thump, thump creating a thrum in Tovar’s ears.

The hissing voice was gone and now she sounded like water. The noise of gurgling springs and waterfalls, the eternal rivers running towards the sea. Powerful and mysterious, not to be played with.

You shall sleep, not wander.

When there’s fire in the sky and ice on the ground, a tender heart shall come and with frigid fingers touch you. She’ll guide you, where you have never been before, through earth, sky and sea.

With the last word the thumping also stopped and her voice returned to what Pero believed to be normal.

“It’s done,” was all she said.

This one wasn’t much better than the last.

“Yours didn’t rhyme.”

The look of sympathy was substituted by one of annoyance. “It doesn’t have to rhyme. Not all of us have the penchant for dramatics that Ethânis

possesses.”

Pero grunted in concordance.

He still held the gleaming coin tightly on a fist and when he let go there was a perfect imprint of it on his palm.

“And this? Shall I acquire another debt with you?”

“That is a favor, mercenary. You may need me once more.”

“What of Ethânis’ curse then? I just wait to be stabbed?”

“You can always take your destiny in your hands, Tovar. You can live in fear of it, or you can end it now.”

“What do you mean?” he was suspicious now.

“Easy. Let me stab you.”

**

Let me stab you.

She just said it. As if being stabbed was something he wanted for himself.

The worst of it was that he was actually considering.

“Strike me then, witch.” the words coming out of his mouth surprised even him.

Pero got to his feet unsheathing the cursed dagger from his belt.

His skin felt clammy as he extended his arm.

He felt shivers as he left his side unprotected and pointed to where the blade had first drawn blood from the creature.

He didn’t need to bother though, the moment the woman took hold of the hilt it felt like there was a string tying the tip of the blade and the place on his ribs together.

Guiding one towards the other.

Before she could strike, Tovar held her other hand, small and feeble under his strong ones, her skin thin and dry.

“Are you…” Pero cleared his throat before continuing, “are you friend or foe?”

Her old eyes held such sympathy for him that he knew the answer before she even opened her mouth.

“I would like to think ‘friend,’ Pero.”

He nodded, he would like to think that too.

She swung her arm in a wide arch, the dagger coming straight to the place it was supposed to hit, no changes in its trajectory.

He felt the blade pierce his skin, felt the tip scrape at bone. It burned more than anything he had ever felt. A fire within he thought never would seize.

He heard the words of the second curse again, then everything went to black.

[livingcorner]

How to Create Your Own Herbal Tea Garden

For these uncertain times, a step-by-step guide to growing brew-friendly plants at home, and using them to make infusions that soothe and restore.

Here, tea ingredients of rose, chamomile and lemon verbena are shown in their natural, harvested and dried states.Credit…Fujio Emura

Oct. 22, 2020

You're reading: How to Create Your Own Herbal Tea Garden

The tea garden — a typically modest plot dedicated to the growing of herbs and flowers for steeping — has its roots in ancient herbalist traditions and helped lay the foundation for modern botany. According to “The Gardener’s Companion to Medicinal Plants,” a 2016 guide to home remedies, the study of herbal medicine can be traced back 5,000 years, to the Sumerians of southern Mesopotamia, who listed the names of hundreds of plants — including fennel, mint, thyme, sage, myrtle and marjoram — on clay tablets that were later rediscovered in what is now Iraq. Modern scholars believe that the Sumerians used what they grew in medicinal preparations such as tea infusions that were intended to treat ailments from toothache to inflammation. And in England, says Timothy d’Offay, a tea importer and the founder of Postcard Teas in London, tea gardens have their origins in the work of 17th-century apothecaries such as Nicholas Culpeper, a botanist and physician whose encyclopedia of herbs, “The English Physician,” has remained in print since it was first published in 1653. “The apothecaries’ focus was on the use of herbs in healing,” explains d’Offay. “It was really the beginnings of modern medicine. We often think that drinking anything without caffeine is innocuous, but herbal tea has power.”

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In Deborah Needleman’s tea garden in New York’s Hudson Valley, rows of lemon verbena, lavender, calendula, basil, thyme and bush bean fill a rectangular bed flanked by boxwoods.Credit…Fujio Emura

Now, in this time of uncertainty, as we cleave to small, controllable comforts, the idea of the medicinal tea garden is taking root once again. Easy to cultivate on a windowsill or balcony, or in any garden bed, and yielding ingredients more potent than typical store-bought equivalents (specimens cultivated in artificial terrains tend to produce less flavor), these plots of herbs and edible flowers offer a chance to reconnect with nature, and a soothing balm for our collective anxieties. “Herbalists have long talked about the value of growing your own plants,” says Karen Rose of Sacred Vibes Apothecary in Brooklyn, “and with a tea garden you can propagate plants that will actively improve your health.” Since the pandemic hit the U.S. in March, she has seen a dramatic rise in homegrown plants, such as lemon balm, mint and chamomile, which are thought to relieve stress and help regulate disrupted sleep patterns.

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Needleman’s tea garden is attached to the 18th-century barn she uses as a drying and processing room. In the foreground, lemon verbena and calendula grow in a bed of dahlias.Credit…Fujio Emura

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Bronze fennel, whose burnished yellow florets are often used fresh in tea infusions, proliferates in Needleman’s garden.Credit…Fujio Emura

For the writer and editor Deborah Needleman, formerly of T, the joy of the tea garden is at once horticultural and aromatic. “Growing and blending teas extends the gardening season in that it allows me to be with my plants all through the year,” says Needleman, who nurtures herbs in her garden in New York’s Hudson Valley. “And the smells are so wonderful. Opening a jar of dried lavender during winter is heavenly.” Last year, she developed her first small-batch dried blend, Summer Tea, and this fall, her loose Garden Tea mix of mint, lemon verbena, rose and other fragrant herbs will be available at the florist and soap-maker Sarah Ryhanen’s World’s End farm and online store, Saipua. Here, Needleman shares her tips for establishing and harvesting your own tea garden — and she, Rose and a few other growers and herbalists share their ideas for putting your bounty to use.

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In a scrubland field beneath a walnut tree, Needleman has planted mint and lemon verbena. “They’ll just keep going until they form a carpet,” she says, “so if you have a space that needs ground cover, they’re a great, low-maintenance option.”Credit…Fujio Emura

How to Plant

While it is possible to grow your own black tea (camellia sinensis) in northern climates, without the warmth and abundant sunlight the plant needs to thrive, the effort is unlikely to be worth the negligible yield. A herbal tea garden, by comparison, is far more resilient and manageable, especially if you’re in a city apartment. “Use whatever space you have,” says Rose, who suggests starting with individual pots of lemon balm, lavender and chamomile — ingredients you can blend for a relaxing bedtime infusion. “Just a few sprigs can create an effective blend that you can use all winter.”

Where you position your plants is crucial, though. “Many herbs are Mediterranean, and so they need at least six hours of sunlight a day and they want to be dry,” says Needleman. If you’re planting in pots, make sure they have drainage holes or stones at the base and, if they’re outdoors, she advises moving them to a sunny windowsill inside during the colder months. For those planting directly into the ground, she suggests using a corner of a vegetable plot. And approach the planting, or placing of pots, much like you would a floral display, juxtaposing the various colors, shapes and textures of different species. Low-lying plants such as lemon thyme look nice along a border, while the chartreuse tones of lemon verbena create a vivid contrast against dark leaves.

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Bunches of bronze fennel, lemon balm, sage and Thai basil bound with twine for drying.Credit…Fujio Emura

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Read more: Shed Organization: 8 Easy and Inexpensive DIY Garden Tool Storage Ideas – Gardening @ From House To Home

A damask rose sits alongside dried rose petals. “All rose petals are edible,” Needleman says. ���But for tea blends it’s nice to use a fragrant variety like a damask.”Credit…Fujio Emura

How to Harvest

“The more you cut, the more they grow,” says Needleman, who recommends investing in a pair of sharp scissors for trimming (she likes Joyce Chen’s Original Unlimited Scissors). Aim to harvest leafy varieties (mint, lemon verbena, lemon balm, thyme) before they flower: “once a plant blooms, the leaves lose freshness and become bitter.” By contrast, gather the floral herbs you’d like to dry (rose, lavender or chamomile) as soon as they start to bloom and before the blossom starts to decline. The time of day can play a part, too: “It’s good to harvest in the mornings, after the dew has dried, but before the plants get stressed by the sun — that’s when they’re at their most fragrant,” Needleman says. The rule of thumb is to collect around 5 percent of a plant’s total volume each time you trim and, she advises, “you want to make a clean cut for the health of the plant, cutting down to the next set of leaves and removing any damaged ones.” Wash your harvest under the tap carefully and then gently dry the herbs and flowers with paper towels, otherwise you risk bruising them and leaching out their essential oils.

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Inside Needleman’s barn, sage hangs to dry on a ladder beside bunches of the willow sticks she uses for basket weaving.Credit…Fujio Emura

How to Dry

In the spring and summer you can snip plants from your garden and put them straight into your teapot, but as the colder nights draw in, it’s worth shoring up supplies by drying what you collect. To dry, store your crop in a cool place with good air circulation and away from sunlight. Needleman likes to gather her herbs into small bunches and hang them upside down. To preserve flower heads such as chamomile, she spreads them out in wicker trays or baskets. “You have to rustle them up a bit to get the air into them,” she says of the dehydration process, which can take up to a few weeks. “When it’s really crumbly, it’s ready.” Once your ingredients are completely dry, the meditative process of destemming can begin: Strip the leaves or flowers from their stalks before storing them in airtight glass jars. It’s a task that Needleman likes to carry out at the kitchen table after supper. “It’s just so mindless and relaxing,” she says.

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Needleman’s infusion of fresh chamomile, lemon verbena, mint, lemon thyme and damask rose.Credit…Fujio Emura

What to Make

Now that you know how to plant, harvest and dry your herbs, here are a few recipes — and a couple of less expected uses — to try. Unless otherwise specified, each of the drinkable blends makes one pot and can be made with either dry or fresh ingredients (loose or enclosed in a bag) in ratios according to taste. Use hot rather than boiling water to best preserve the potency of the plants and keep your pot covered during steeping.

Deborah Needleman’s Uplifting Aromatic Blend

“The chamomile in this tea is crisp and bright like a fresh apple,” says Needleman of her custom infusion, “while the mint and lemon balm are earthy and grounding, and the lemon verbena brightens everything up. It’s a balance between sharp and earthier tastes and scents.”

Ingredients (in equal parts):

Chamomile

Rose

Lemon verbena

Mint

Lemon thyme

Preparation:

Steep for 4-6 minutes.

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The herbalist Karen Rose prescribes a healing blend of, from top, echinacea blossom, lemon verbena and calendula blossom.Credit…Fujio Emura

Karen Rose’s Immune-Boosting Garden Blend

“I love this blend because it’s so accessible,” says Rose. “Echinacea blossoms are believed to have antimicrobial and immune-stimulating properties, lemon verbena is an antibacterial known for its nervous system and gut support and calendula blossoms can also help enhance the immune system. The fact that we can all grow these plants means that wherever we are we can have access to a form of medicine that has the potential to help keep us well through the cold and flu season.”

Ingredients (per cup):

A couple of echinacea blossoms

A few calendula blossoms

1 teaspoon lemon verbena

Preparation:

Read more: Harvesting Watermelons – When is Watermelon Ready to Pick? (Updated)

Steep for 20 minutes.

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Heidi Johannsen Stewart’s Le Hammeau blend combines, clockwise from top left, lavender, rose, chamomile and lemongrass.Credit…Fujio Emura

Heidi Johannsen Stewart’s Le Hammeau Blend

“Herbal tea is such a cathartic companion,” says Bellocq tea atelier’s Heidi Johannsen Stewart, whose own Park Slope, Brooklyn, tea garden features lemon balm, rosemary, mint and sage. “This hydrating blend — one of the first I ever infused from my garden — provides an overwhelming sense of well-being. Although the flavor profile is complex, the effect is both calming and uplifting, and it particularly supports the digestive and nervous systems.”

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon lavender

1 tablespoon rose petals

1 tablespoon chamomile

1 tablespoon lemongrass

Preparation:

Steep for 6-10 minutes.

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Deborah Hanekamp recommends a blend for the bath featuring, from top, lavender, calendula blossom, pink tea rose and sea salt.Credit…Fujio Emura

Deborah Hanekamp’s Bath-Time Soak

For Deborah Hanekamp, the founder of the wellness company Mama Medicine and author of the book “Ritual Baths” (2020), the windowsill tea garden in her Brooklyn apartment provides plants for both brewing and bathing. To create her soothing tea-inspired bath soak, steep a quarter of a cup each of dried lavender and calendula, along with a small handful of dried rose buds, in a teapot for a minimum of 20 minutes — or, for a more potent blend, up to 8 hours — before pouring the brew into a warm bath together with a handful of sea salt, a spoonful of honey and a few drops of organic cold-pressed olive or almond oil. Light some candles and enjoy. “It can be beautiful to have a few flowers in the water, too,” she suggests. “Let some roses float on the surface; it’s soothing for the skin and a healing visual meditation.”

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An arrangement by the floral artist Joshua Werber featuring rugosa roses, mint and hyssop — plants often used in herbal teas.Credit…Fujio Emura

Joshua Werber’s Edible Flower and Herbal Tea Ensemble

Herbs and edible flowers can be as pleasing to the eye as they are therapeutic for the body, and overgrowth and surplus cuttings can provide material for dramatic table decorations. “Homegrown herbs have these really beautiful, wispy shapes,” says the Brooklyn-based floral artist Joshua Werber, who fashioned the sculptural arrangement above out of rugosa roses, orange and hyssop, as well as mint harvested from his own city garden — all ingredients selected in homage to his grandmother’s blend of choice: Celestial Seasonings’s Raspberry Zinger Herbal Tea.

To recreate his arrangement, take a favorite teapot (Werber used one by the English studio potter Seth Cardew) and start with a base of rose-hip branches, which will give the piece its structure. Next, introduce a few of the rugosa rose flowers, making sure you remove any foliage that obscures the blooms and position them in a way that allows the deep fuchsia petals to play off the bright orange of the rose hips. Then, tuck in a few sprigs of mint to create flow and movement, and accent with a couple of flowering hyssop tips. For a final touch of whimsy, take a citrus zester and peel off strips of orange rind before wrapping them around a chopstick and placing them in the freezer; after 20 minutes, uncoil and drape them throughout the arrangement. “I wanted to show the cycles and the processes behind the plant materials used in herbal teas,” says Werber of the piece. “Even though they can be shared, making these infusions is often a personal ritual. There’s an intimacy to them.”

Source: https://livingcorner.com.au Category: Garden

source https://livingcorner.com.au/how-to-create-your-own-herbal-tea-garden/

[lihikainanea]

Imagine Bill and tiger visit her parents. Bill is used to the Swedish ways so when he have brushed his teeth he say good night to her parents, dressed in just pyjama pants and strolls in to tiger in her bedroom. Because to him there is nothing weird that they, two best friends, share a bed even if it is at her parents house.

Fam listen, oh my god, how I love this. I HC that tiger’s family is probably a bit like the Griswolds, because she’s a real hoot and a half and this concept of Bill’s family—wild in their own way but still very typically SCANDINAVIAN and thus controlled and respectful—versus her like, carnival touring neanderthal family, is endlessly amusing to me.

Big Dumb Bill brushing his teeth, flicking off the light and just like…moseying past her parents on his way to her bedroom. And she like, frantically shoves him away, panicked and wide-eyed, making that cutting gesture across her throat. And Bill is initially confused because why are you pushing me away? It’s bed time and then he gets increasingly grumpier when she tries to shut the door while he’s still pushing back on it because stopppppppp it’s snuggle time.

But then he sees the death glare her dad is shooting him, except Grandma wollops tiger’s dad upside the head because let’s face it, Granny is Bill’s absolute number one fan. He won her over from day one, and she’s rooting for him always. Granny’s rooting for them before them even becomes a thing, because tiger’s a great catch but she’s a grade A dumbass sometimes and Granny sees the way Bill takes care of—and loves—her idiot granddaughter.

Anyway, my hand slipped. I had actually written this last night but then we got a glorious thunderstorm that knocked out my power for 4 hours, so here you go. GOOD MORNING HERE HAVE TIRED GRUMPY BILL WHO JUST WANTS SNUGGLES.

(Tiger totally wakes up the next day and stumbles out of bed all bleary-eyed, because she got used to Bill bringing her coffee every morning and now she has to go and get it like some prehistoric hunter. She fumbles into the living room to see Bill and Grandma, alone on the couch together. Bill has Grandma’s ball of yarn in his lap that he’s obediently unravelling and feeding more to her as her knitting needles flail quickly but in complete control, the both of them talking lowly. Tiger’s heart grows 3 sizes).

(Can you tell that Bill turning tiger from a fighty, spittin’ angry, bitey ball of fire into a moaning, needy mess is SUCH. A. KINK.)

***

You hadn’t heard the door creak open, hadn’t heard it shut lightly either. Bill, for as gigantic and clumsy as he was, could be as silent as a cat when he wanted to be.

“Tiger!” His hushed, insistent whisper started to wake you out of the fragile slumber you had just fallen into. Your childhood room—slightly too warm in the sticky summer heat, and its tiny twin bed which seemed much bigger when you were a kid—did nothing to help lull you to sleep like you so desperately needed, but eventually exhaustion had taken over. You were just hovering in that dream space, that in between consciousness and slumber, when Bill’s somewhat frantic whispering woke you. 

You played dead.

“Tiger!” He whispered again. You groaned.

“What?!” You mimicked his hushed, insistent tone. Cracking an eye open, you spotted him in the doorway. In just his boxers, his head surpassed the doorframe even with his shoulders hunched and his hands clasped shyly in front of him.

“I can’t sleep,” he mumbled, making his way over to you.

“Maybe because you’re not lying down in bed with your eyes closed, fuckhead,” gripping the thin sheet tighter, you tucked it under your chin. Settling down further into the pillow, you closed your eyes and let out a huff, trying to get back to sleep.

Until you felt a knee on the mattress, a weight pushing down that was enough to dip it and roll you forward. Opening your eyes, you saw Bill crouching to swing a leg over you, his hands coming to rest on the mattress as he went to climb over you.

“Bill what the fuck,” you whispered, “No fucking way.”

Planting your hands on his chest, you shoved at him. He swatted back at your hands, continuing to swing a long leg over yours as he brought his other knee to the bed, the frame creaking and groaning under his weight.

“Tiger I can’t sleep,” he complained, and there was an edge of a whine to it, “I just want to cuddle.”

He clumsily tried to climb over you, knocking the lamp off the bedside table with a loud crash. You got tied up in his limbs, a long leg accidentally locking yours while his arms fumbled to shift his weight around you, while sinking into the soft mattress. A giant hand planted smack on your face, a mumbled “sorry” while you continued to try and throw him off the bed.

“Bill no,” you said, removing his hand from your face as he tried to scoot behind you.

“Bill yes,” he insisted. You pushed at his shoulders, tried to roll him back over to the other side of you and off the bed.

“Quit it,” he whined, with his hands holding his weight on the mattress he couldn’t defend himself from your shoves and swats, “I just want to hold you, you fucking dick.”

“Bill this bed isn’t even big enough for me,” you hissed, “Let alone for you. Let alone for the both of us. Get the fuck—”

“I’ll make it work, just give me a goddamn second,” he grumbled.  Finally able to maneuver himself behind you despite your squirming, he looked ridiculous even from your vantage point. No part of him fit on the bed, least of all with you still in it. But it didn’t matter; with his back to the wall you were suddenly being wrapped up in every part of him that was sticking awkwardly out of the bed. His legs wrapped around you, his knees bent at sharp angles to not teeter off the mattress. Smushing you further into him, he scooted down to be eye level with you and wrapped an arm around the back of your neck, looping the other one across your chest. With one giant hand on the side of your face, he pressed his lips to your other cheek, nuzzling you and humming in content.

“See? Perfect fit,” he laid a wet, noisy kiss on your cheek and kept his lips there.

“It’s like when the tree tries to hug the koala back,” you squirmed, “Bill, this is ridiculous. You’re ridiculous.”

He just hummed again, turning his head to plant a deep kiss on your lips.

“I’m too warm,” you protested, his lips still on yours. He just shushed you, and snuggled you impossibly closer. You sighed.

“You’re going to have to leave before morning. My dad will kill you if he sees you in here. Grandma will have a heart attack,” you grumbled.

“Grandma knows,” he mumbled, reaching a hand up to scratch at your head. He kissed your cheek gently, catching your lips when your head snapped towards him.

“Grandma knows what, Bill?”

His eyes flew open at your tone, and he stared back at you wearily. 

“Bill?” You raised your eyebrows.

“Grandma knows that we…like to share a bed sometimes,” he stuttered, “Most times.”

“And?”

He shifted his eyes, panicked. But when you went to move away, he held onto you tighter.

“She asked me if we’ve like…slept together,” he mumbled. 

“And you told her no, right?” You asked. He didn’t answer right away, shifting awkwardly and avoiding your eyes.

“Bill?”

He sighed heavily, resting his chin on your shoulder and looking at you with puppy dog eyes.

“I can’t lie to a woman who can drink me under the table, tiger,” he defended, “It seems wrong.”

You let out an exasperated sigh, throwing the blanket off and attempting to detangle yourself from him.

“I am going to kick your ass, Bill. I’m sleeping on the couch,” you said as you struggled, but it was no use. Every time you got an arm free Bill would just grab it, put it back where it was. When you wriggled a leg out and then an arm, he waited a second before reaching back for your waist and just calmly tucking you back against him. It was like fighting an octopus, and the struggle was only making you more warm. Defeated, you heaved a sigh and flopped on your back.

“You done, kid?” He asked patronizingly, “Because I gotta admit, it’s turning me on.” 

He placed a hand low on your waist, sneaking it into your panties as you wriggled.

“Bill, I swear to’” but your threat was cut off when his lips found that spot on your neck, sucking softly at it as he teasingly rubbed a finger up your slit.

“Swear to what, tiger?” He taunted, his breath tickling your neck, and you had to clamp a hand over your own mouth to stifle the soft moan that nearly escaped. He brought his lips to your ear, biting softly at your earlobe as a finger circled your entrance.

“Now where’s your lip at, sweetheart?”

[laptoplocked]

Rainy Days lead to Fun Times

Summary:

Grian, tired and drained from having to keep up with such a hard driven building competition decides to stop for a moment to rest.Of course that’s hard to do when feeling melencholy and bored.

Thankfully a new friend helps put his mind to ease.

Characters: Grian (Hermitcraft), Mumbo Jumbo (Hermitcraft), Iskall65 (Hermitcraft)

Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fun Times, Grian is a Gremlin, Iskall doesn’t help, Mumbo is tired, but loves them any way, Minecraft, Hermitcraft

The pitter patter of the rain hitting the now murky ground drowns out all of Grian’ other senses; bones aching, throat parched and the tingling sensation of water drops steadily soaking his out-stretched hand, running tiny rivers down and into his sleeve, carrying the dirt and soot that cling to his skin with the water in snaking rivets.

Here he was sat at one of his many windows in the half complete section of his towering, rustic home; resting his head against the spruce window sill, with one of his extremities exiting the boundaries of the window opening, seeking a new sensation to focus on.

He was extremely bored.

Bored and bone tired.

He let out a despondent sigh, lowering his now soaked hand and sleeve to the big planter that rests just outside, shifting fingers through slick grass and the fast growing nuisance that is weeds.

He had been working on his home all day, wracking his brain for new variations of designs and supports for his wobbly Weasley home, finally finishing off with the now extended chimney; a surprisingly filthy piece of work considering it was soon coated in soot and smoke, burning his eyes and lungs.

A chimney that he just knows he’ll have to adjust in the coming days just to keep up with the seemingly never ending competition between him and a few other hermits.

A loud groan escapes his lips, getting lost in the still pounding rain and the now biting wind.

He loves this house, truly he does; he also loves the competition going on, with each of their builds becoming more and more elaborate, beautiful and funny as time goes on. Who would have thought that a sentient plant wizard monster, a seemingly magical rustic house with a catapult, a recreation of a famous Disney house on top of a modern house and an actual NASA rocket platform with a working rocket ready to launch would come of this strange competition with no rules.

Only on Hermitcraft.

With the twinging in his muscles reminding him of the effort put into creating these wacky designs.

A small smile encroaches on Grians’ lips.

This is where he needs to be. He knows it and is so thankful for the invitation to this world. He’s been making structures, placing blocks and creating unthinkable designs for a long time, all because of the world he exists in, such a strange and wonderful world. So simple in its mechanics yet can become so elaborate through the use of those same mechanics.

A slight buzzing noise grabs Grians’ attention, eyes shooting to the plants in his window sill planter.

A single cornflower next to a fern revealed his secret companion; a little red ladybug hiding from the seemingly huge droplets of rain. Grians’ eyes light up, fascination and amusement shining through the slight bags under his eye, his tired smile baring the slightest hint of teeth as he observes the little bug waddle along a stunning blue petal. There was no missing the bug now that it was noticed.

Carefully Grian raised a slightly curled fist with only his pointed finger loosely extended. He gently nudged at the petal, blocking the lady bugs path. Not to be deterred by a strange pale mound, the ladybug begins to ascend Grians’ finger.

Grians’ eyes glowed brighter as he watched the brave insect slowly traverse his finger, pursing his lips in a smile to contain his giggles. He barely felt the minuscule legs on his skin but it could still count as a tickle.

His russet wings twitch from their splayed positions on the floor.

He just had an idea.

One where he can have fun and not have to move too much.

~~~~~Line Break~~~~~~

Whilst he may be out of practice, the magic unwillingly gifted to him by the Watchers had never left him, always a slight thrum under his skin. One could always tell how hyper or relaxed he is by just resting their hand on any part of him, especially his hands and wings. If he is calm or focused he has been told that it feels like steady pulses are traveling through his veins. On the other hand if he’s scared, angry or hyper then it would seem like he’s vibrating, with even the edges of his wings and fingers blurring with the force of the magic contained within his skin. He has been taught to partially control his magic from his lessons with the Watchers, yet he escaped before he could fully master his magic (something he was told could take centuries, so he can’t complain too much).

He is confident enough in his magic that he can preform risky manoeuvres, manipulating the wind to gain speed when flying or sailing, levitating objects and people (something that Iskall and Tango enjoy – Mumbo and Cub… not so much) and even using blasts of pure magical force to fight mobs.

Of course using his magic for a relatively long length of time would deplete his energy, leaving him tired, cranky and with splitting headache, yet he would still push himself to do better, lifting larger and larger objects, with one memorable moment when he managed to levitate RenBobs’ bus 15ft off the ground with Ren inside it. He only managed it for 45 seconds before he had to lower it down, in danger of passing out; even then he was immensely proud of his achievement.

Which is why he finds no issue with what he’s doing now.

Purple tinged sticks float all around his room, creating a spiral almost to the top of the sealing. Separating a few of the sticks were miscellaneous items such as bobbing potted plants, flexible string, slowly spinning arrows, upside down buckets and even unlit fireworks with the fuse extended, each floating object is some how touching its neighbouring item, creating a mix matched a pattern of floating pathway.

Grian stands near the centre of the room, tongue clasped between his lips, one eye squinted with two glowing hands extended, slight tendrils of magic and sparkles show that each item is attached to his projected magic in some way shape or form. Behind him also being levitated is the same cornflower with roots still clinging to pieces of dirt and grass, the ladybug safely seated on the dewy petals, content to scuttle about the centre of the flower.

While feeling a slight strain because of manipulating so many items, Grain is assured of their steadiness with what is about to commence.

With a small giggle Grain floats the slightly wilting cornflower towards him, examining the frayed edges of the petals in search of the bright red lady bug.

A small flash of rosey red brings forth a childish smile from Grian as he once again raises a finger for the lady bug to crawl on, which they do so happily, not even a bit fussed by the glowing hands they are now being cupped by.

Grian raises his curled hands close to his eyes, addressing the occupant of his palm.

“Ok Lil’Lady here’s the deal,” he says with a gentle yet mischievous smile, “you gotta get to that white and red firework floating at the end of this little obstacle course.” He then gestures with a flick of his head towards the top of the room where there was indeed a firework slightly bobbing in the air.

He squints his eyes at the uncomprehending bug.

“If you make it all the way up there I’ll let you live in this house, a nice little area full of plants and sunlight with plenary of leaves to eat. You want that don’t ya?”

Again the only thing the brightly coloured insect does is scuttle around the palm of his hand.

Grian takes that as a yes.

He grins, magic shimmering beneath his skin,“Alright Lil’Lady all ya gotta do is follow the path all the way up! I’ll put you down on that stick then it’s a go!”

He moves towards the starting stick, raising a palm to the nearest end of the stick. Yet the tiny bug stays in his palm.

Grian frowns a bit, gently using a finger nail to nudge the little bug onto the end of the stick, finally getting them to crawl on.

Pausing a moment the little lady bug begins circling the end of the stick before pausing to stare at the blond haired gremlin. Grian made a shooing motion, wings twitching upwards in anticipation.

There was a long pause.

Then the little bug began fairly quickly scuttling up the stick towards the neighbouring spinning arrow, barely pausing before they latch on to the end of the arrow.

Grian watches in awe and amusement as the little lady bug steadily and cleverly makes their way across the arrows, sticks and lively pieces of string, pausing occasionally only to absorb their surroundings then continuing in their travel, much to Grians’ anticipation and excitement as he cheers them on.

Truthfully there weren’t that many objects, since the room was such a small space, yet this is the most enjoyment that Grian has gotten in a while, such a crazy yet simple thing that is happening, like a child watching an ant climb up a tree… only to a much more magical degree.

It had taken many minutes but the determined if mildly distracted lady bug was nearly to the rocket, much to Grians’ joy. Pausing to munch on a leaf from the potted fern the tiny big was on, Grain let out a small groan, frustrated with how close the ‘Lil Lady’ is to the finish, yet is still endlessly amused by the situation he has spontaneously created.

Finally finished snacking, with one final look at the strange human they had met, the lady bug makes a final hop onto the fuse of the rocket, ignoring Grians’ cry of delight and his muffled, incredulous laughter as it continues upwards to circle the pointed tip.

Grian couldn’t help himself any more, falling backwards onto the newly installed dark green carpet, giggling manically. His wings vibrate with his laughter, sending small current of wind, sending many of the floating items spinning; which only fuels Grians’ snickering.

Just as he’s gasping for air a light bulb switches in his brain, sending him into another giggling fit as he shakily raises his hands again, preparing to set his idea into motion.

The lady bug that was sitting idle near the middle of the firework gripped tighter the the papery plastic that made up the fireworks outer layer, as the firework steadily began to lazily soar around the tiny room.

Grians’ laughter slowly turned into hacking, choking on his now breathless amusement; despite this the firework continued to steadily fly through the air, now making slow loop-d-loops around the still floating objects and circling the head of the blonde gremlin. With a small flick of Grians’ hand a few of the sticks and arrows came together to create rough hoops, closer to squares really. But they made do as the firework soared through the hoops, the lady bug somehow ending up upside down on the rocket, safely clinging to the underside.

Grian, now a mess of tears and mused hair, continues to choke on air, diaphragm painfully convulsing as the humour became too much for him.

Little did he realise that through the whole scenario he had left the previous window open, allowing sounds to flit out the window down towards Sahara Street, grabbing the notice of a very confused and now very concerned Mumbo and Iskall, whom were simply walking by discussing shrimps and seafood.

Sparing each other a raised eyebrow, the two barrelled into the tall rickety house (which they noted with a slight huff, it was now taller than both their builds. Again), climbing the narrow stairs with bumped shoulders and grumbled ouches they reach the door at the end of a tiny hallway, the suspicious and alarming noises now louder, choking and squeaking prevalent through the door.

With a side eyed glance towards each other, Iskall gestures to the old fashioned door nob, electing a small glare from Mumbo. With rolled eyes and a long suffering sigh Mumbo steps forward, grasping the handle and flinging the door open.

Of course.

Grian, still convulsing from his laughter, begins nearly shrieking in amusement when he sees the incredulous faces of his two unexpected guests.

“Oh. My. WORD!” Mumbo exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air, gripping his face in his hands as Iskall also breaks down in laughter at the sight of their dishevelled friend whom is only now starting to gasp for air instead of laughing.

It was just then that the lazily soaring firework with the still upside down ladybug drifted across Mumbos’ line of vision, his gaze slowly tracing the ladybug and firework duo around the room in a stunned silence.

The silence and unimpressed expression on Mumbos’ face further set of Grian and Iskall, the small blondes’ wings weakly shaking with the exaggerated movements of his shoulders as his voice lets out croaky snickers, hidden beneath Islalls’ boisterous laughter.

Mumbo shakes his head as he laughs along with his two friends; heavily confused and exasperated, but glad to see them all laughing together with out a care in the world for Redstone, building or competitions.

The Lil’ Lady Bug will soon get a nice enclosure that they will be free to leave from, but they will most likely stay to live in their favourite blue cornflower with a quirky winged human to care for them.

If they ever get off the firework that is.

[kitklehm]

kit carl klehm Follow These Easy Tips For A More Beautiful Garden

kit carl klehm Most excellent service provider. Gardening is one of the most rewarding and relaxing hobbies you can spend your time on. To be able to do it well, and do it cost-effectively, you need the best advice. Read on for helpful advice and tips on how to get more from your efforts.

If you are planting vegetables, choose varieties that don't require processing in order to keep. For example, sweet potatoes and onions will keep for months as long as they are kept cool and dry, without any additional work on your part. This reduces the amount of time you have to spend after harvesting.

Divide up your perennials while they still look healthy. It's best to divide a perennial at the end of the growing season during which it hits its peak. As the plant starts to overgrow, the center of the plant will start to have dying stalks and weaker flowers. Allowing perennials to grow too long may also lead to them overtaking neighboring plants.

Protect your seedlings from frost with clay pots. Early spring is a perilous time for a new garden. You want to get your plants going as soon as possible to ensure plenty of grow time, but a single frost can wipe out your fragile seedlings. To protect your tiny plants from frost at night, simply place a small, upside down clay pot on each seedling. They will insulate from the cold and protect from the wind.

kit carl klehm Best service provider. To save money, consider making your own garden fertilizer. For instance, broken eggshells make a great fertilizer for small gardens, indoor plants and container plants. Mix the eggshells throughout the soil to get the best effect. Eggshells even have the added benefit that they aerate the garden soil as well.

Don't plant your seedlings or young plants too deeply. The top of a root ball of a large shrub or tree seedling should be just above the soil level, and then covered up with mulch to protect it. This allows the roots to breathe and keeps the tree or shrub healthy.

Treat your flowering bulbs correctly after they finish blooming and they will return again next year. Allow the foliage to remain for at least eight weeks after flowering to ensure that your bulbs are able to photosynthesize enough food for the following season. Removing the leaves earlier could result in weak flowers or no flowers at all the next year.

Plastic garden labels can be used over and over again, by following this easy way to remove names written with permanent marker. Just dampen a small piece of cloth with rubbing alcohol and wipe firmly over the name to remove it. This way you won't have to buy a brand new bag of garden labels when you only need one or two.

Use about two to three inches of organic material as mulch in all of your flower beds. This fights weeds, retains moisture, and gives your garden valuable nutrients. Your flower beds should also look beautiful all year long.

kit carl klehm Proficient tips provider. If you plan on starting an organic garden, you should always properly cover your seeds. If your seeds are not properly covered, then they will not grow. You should aim to cover most of your seeds about three times as deep as the thickness of your seeds in order to ensure optimum growth. However, certain seeds, such as alyssum and snapdragons, should not be covered because they need a lot of light to germinate.

If your organic garden uses containers, you may need to swap seedlings to larger containers as they outgrow them. When you do this, make sure to handle the seedlings by the leaves and roots. To be more specific, you should avoid touching the stems as they are extremely fragile and can be easily damaged. After you have swapped containers, it is recommended to water the roots as this will help them merge with their new environment.

When maintaining an organic garden, be sure to always wind up your hoses. Dragging and storing a hose that is not wound up can take a lot of time away from you. Try using stationary or portable hose reels to wind up your hoses and to save you some time.

For indoor organic gardening, temperature control is very important during the early phases. Seventy degrees Fahrenheit is the ideal temperature for most seeds to start growing. You can achieve this temperature relatively easily by installing heaters and placing the seeds near the vents. You can also purchase heat mats to place under your plant containers.

kit carl klehm Professional tips provider. Stay shallow in the soil when you are working it. You do not need to break your back digging deep in your organic garden. Keep your depth to an average of six inches. Nearly eighty-five percent of all plant roots only require the top six inches of soil. That should make your work easier.

When you are ready to mulch, choose an organic mulch. Cocoa hulls or weed-free straw are great examples. The mulch will eventually decompose and add rich, organic nutrients to your soil. Just add a couple of inches to your garden each year and you will see the long-term benefits.

If you want to have an organic garden, you should make sure you do not have any need for bug sprays. Maintaining healthy soil will help immensely with pest management. Healthy soil will help to produce healthy plants. Healthy plants are better able to withstand insect damage and disease.

Collecting and recycling rain water is a great way to save money and help your garden bloom. Rain water is generally cleaner and freer of pollutants and contaminants than ground water or city water. Collect the rain in rain barrels or cisterns so that you can use it whenever it is needed.

There you have a few more ways to make gardening more enjoyable and productive. A garden is one of the most beautiful additions to any environment. It also provides its caretaker with a great way to reduce stress, forget about the trials and tribulations that life may hold, while giving you a real sense of pride and accomplishment. So get out there and enjoy!

[shakib-posts]

Save Money On Fertilizers And Pesticides By Trying These Top Organic Gardening Ideas

Picking a good indoor plant requires a little bit of research. When looking at plants to keep indoors it's necessary to learn about its fragrance, growth rate, how quickly it loses leaves and other nuisances. This article focuses on the Bonsai tree due to its miniature size and popularity as a household potting plant.

If your flowers leaves are curling, this probably means they are not getting enough nutrients. The soil might not be rich enough, or some insects might be stealing the nutrients from your flowers. Look for eggs or bugs around the roots of your plants. Buy insecticide or additional nutrients for your plants.

Avoid rose mildew. This fungus affects many types of roses, especially in wet weather, when days are warm and nights are cold. Small gray or white spots will appear on the plant, forming a felt-like down. Shoot tips are killed and buds fail to open. Don't plant roses close together - they need good air circulation to avoid mildew. Spray any affected plants with fungicidal soap.

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Funeral Flowers

Make sure to keep your eye on your garden for pests. They can eat away your plants or foods and cause irreparable damage. If you do find them in your garden, it is important that you get rid of them as soon as possible before they reproduce and create more problems.

Determine what kind of pests you have in your garden before you apply a pesticide spray. No one pesticide can handle every pest problem and you might end up killing off the pests natural predators which will make the problem worse.

Make sure the hole you plant for a tree or shrub is at least three times wider than the root ball of the seedling. Most of the root system of a tree or shrub is found in the top foot of the soil. Planting a seedling in a small hole will result in slower growth and failure to thrive.

When deciding to plant a garden, it is important to survey the areas available for planting and determine which will be the best location. Whether you grow your fruits and vegetables in your yard, on your patio in containers, or on your apartment balcony, your plants should be in a location which is exposed to sunlight. To yield the best harvest, most crops need to be situated in an area which is an open location that is sunny.

If your flower beds have diseased or dead plants in them, it is best to remove them as soon as possible to prevent the spread of disease. It is a good idea to clean out your flower beds in the fall so that the soil will benefit from freezing over the winter by killing the pests or disease-causing organisms in the soil. Cleaning out your beds in the fall will help prevent the spread of disease to your spring flowers.

Try planting a 'one-color' garden bed. While this takes quite a bit of work, due to the limitations of the color palette, it can create a very striking visual. The emphasis is placed more on shape and structure, and it is especially helpful in a small garden, as it makes the area appear much larger. Remember that 'one-color' doesn't mean a single shade. Use all shades in the color palette. For example a blue garden can feature flowers in shades of blue, purple and mauve.

You don't need to buy expensive weed barrier fabrics for your garden. Instead use a layer of newspaper or old cardboard under your beds. It will discourage weeds and is a cost effective and biodegradable protective layer. This can also be used on pathways or anywhere you want to limit weed growth.

Marigold flowers are quite the powerhouse in an organic garden. As their flowers and leaves decay, the marigold releases chemicals that attract frogs, repel snakes and kill nematode pests that attack many vegetable plants, including tomatoes. Look for ways to let the bright yellow marigold bring brilliant color and decoration to your garden, as it goes to work to protect the health of your plants.

Use a nicely finished compost pile as fertilizer for your garden. Organic means that you don't use artificial fertilizers or herbicides to grow your plants, yet sometimes the soil isn't necessarily full of the proper nutrients for growth. Utilizing a compost pile can provide you with a rich, dark earthy soil that can provide your plants with plenty of nutrients.

Use an aged laundry basket when you want to collect your produce. The basket strains the produce as well as stores it while you are going through your garden. The basket won't be affected by the water and it will drain right off as though it were poured into a large sieve.

If organic gardening is something you desire to do, it's critical that you are aware of the proper method to make beds. To start this, slice underneath your turf with a spade. After doing this, you will need to turn it upside down, then cover it with wood chips, about three to four inches worth. Wait a few weeks before planting in it.

Do you have any issues with those little aphids in your garden? If so, try spraying any infested leaves, stems, and buds with a very diluted solution of soapy water, and then rinsing the area down with clear water. This technique will work on even the heaviest of aphid infestations.

If you have something that you want to grow in your garden that originally was in a plastic container, then you need to remove the plant carefully. To do this, try carefully removing the plant from the container while tearing any of the outside roots away if they grew against the container.

Miniature plants can be great additions to a personal household. Aesthetically pleasing, Bonsai trees can be very meditative to prune to personal preference. While this article covers mainly Bonsai trees, the possibilities for gardening or utilizing smaller plants indoors are limitless. Potted plants cover a wide variety of species, from flowers to herbs.

[thecoroutfitters]

Chronic pain is an issue for many people, especially as you age or if you’ve sustained an injury. It also doesn’t help that doctors prescribe pain pills like they’re chiclets, so our tolerance to pain is lowered because the meds have masked it for so long that if you have to stop taking your meds, you’re miserable.

But there are natural ways to treat your pain, either if SHTF or you just want to avoid pharmaceuticals and go the natural route instead.

Just as we have meds such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen to treat general aches and pains, there are also natural treatments that have been used for centuries. Even now, you can buy teas in specialty stores that contain some of these items, and if not, they’re mostly readily available so you can make your own.

For that matter, you can find many of them in your backyard.

This is the Best Natural Painkiller, and Grows in Your Backyard!

Many of these were so effective that they’re actually where modern pharmaceuticals got their starts.

1. Willow Bark

Most people don’t know this but willow bark, specifically the tender part between the hard, outside bark and the meat of the white willow tree, was the original base for aspirin. The active ingredient in it is salicin, and that’s what was used before synthetics were invented. You can use it to make tea or you can chew it.

It acts as a general painkiller and is effective for headaches, toothaches, and general body aches. It’s also good for arthritis, lower back pain, and has the same heart-healthy benefits that aspirin does.

It carries the same risks as aspirin does: gastric ulcers and gastric cancers. Also like aspirin, it can cause Reye’s syndrome in kids. As an adult, don’t exceed 240mg of willow bark per day.

2. Turmeric/Curcumin

Curcumin, an ingredient in turmeric, has been used for centuries as an anti-inflammatory to treat osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. It’s also used by some to treat hemorrhoids. It’s better to eat it as a seasoning or in a capsule, though some make a paste of it, and rub it on.

3. Mint

This is still a doctor-approved treatment for stomach upset and is one of the reasons that people offer mint candy after a meal, though I have to wonder if that actually contains mint. Just chew a couple of leaves and you’ll not only have fresh breath, your stomach discomfort will disappear, too.

4. Ginger

Ginger contains gingerol, a phytonutrient linked to several different health benefits. Among them is relief of stomach upset, nausea, morning sickness, gastric ulcers, menstrual pain, and muscle pain and soreness.

Gingerol is not only pain reliever, it’s also an anti-inflammatory, which makes it a possible help for inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.

Other health benefits include improved cognitive function and protection against Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.

You can eat ginger straight (I like to have a sliver of candied ginger after meals) or you can cook with it or make tea.

5. Clove

I can personally attest to this one, too. I had chronic issues with my teeth due to a genetic disorder. As we all know, toothaches make you miserable. I’d rub a little bit of clove oil directly on the sore spot or abscess, then also put a couple of drops in my palm and rub my hands together. Even after the clove oil started to wear off, I could cup my hands together and inhale the oil and it would provide more relief.

I’ve been told it’s also good for earaches.

6. Feverfew

Feverfew is a good general pain reliever but is specifically known for its ability to help get rid of headaches, migraines, and rheumatoid arthritis. There aren’t any serious side effects related to it except you shouldn’t take it if you’re pregnant. It may also cause mouth irritation, so rinse your mouth after you eat it or drink tea.

7. St. John’s Wort

Though commonly used as a natural anti-depressant, St. John’s Wort is also used to relieve neuropathic pain such as sciatica, as well as arthritis. An upside to this plant is that the pretty yellow flowers make a great addition to your ornamental plant garden, too.

8. Valerian Root

Commonly used to help with sleep and anxiety, valerian root is also used to help relieve the pain of muscle spasms and cramps. Since it is used as a calming agent, and is effective at that, you shouldn’t drive or do silly things like run your backhoe after you’ve taken it. Instead, lie down and grab the remote.

9. Comfrey

Comfrey is another plant that makes for a beautiful ornamental. It’s also used to treat muscle pain such as upper and lower back pain. Make a paste from it and rub it onto the pained area.

Do not take it internally, though traditionally it’s been used orally to help knit broken bones (a nickname is knitbone) but now we know it has hepatotoxic alkaloids that cause liver failure. So, don’t use it internally.

10. Magnesium

Magnesium can help reduce or get rid of headaches, migraines, muscle spasms, and fibromyalgia. It’s also necessary for several bodily functions, including good cognitive function, but as many as 80 percent of the population is magnesium-deficient.

Drinking alcohol lowers magnesium levels. To get your daily boost eat seeds such as sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

  11. Capsaicin

Capsaicin (Capsicum) is the ingredient in peppers that make them hot. It’s also an awesome antibacterial and anti-inflammatory.You can also make a paste from it and rub it directly on the area that hurts. This is a case where a little dab will do you.

Don’t make your paste more than .0075 percent capsaicin or else you run the chance of burning your skin. I’d recommend doing a small patch test before applying it to a large area just to make sure you can tolerate it.

12. Boswellia

Also more commonly known as Indian frankincense, studies suggest boswellia may be effective at lowering inflammation, reducing joint and arthritis pain, helping fight cancer, speeding up healing from infections and potentially preventing autoimmune diseases.

There are many alternatives to natural painkillers and most all of these can be grown right in our backyard. There’s no reason to suffer from pain just because SHTF and you don’t have access to modern painkillers. Grow them in your ornamental garden, and make use of them to survive pain!

Do you have any ideas for natural painkillers that I’ve missed, please feel free to share them in the comments section below.

This article has been written by Theresa Crouse for Survivopedia.

from Survivopedia Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

[treesellcenter]

Modern Twists on the PG Hydrangea

If you live in colder parts of the country, the chances are good that you have seen the PG Hydrangea, even if you didn’t know what it was. This plant is a true garden classic anywhere winter temperatures fall below minus 10, the limits of zone 6. In these colder areas the ‘ordinary’ hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) doesn’t flower, because it needs some branches from the previous year to develop flower buds. Old wood is killed to the ground in colder weather, so they will grow back, but rarely flower. Today there are some excellent new varieties, like the Endless Summer Hydrangea, that will bloom well even when grown in zone 4 and 5. There, with temperatures in winter falling to minus 30, you can still have beautiful pink blooms. However, if you want larger shrubs for height, and easy care, then the PG Hydrangea is still your best choice in cold areas, and a great shrub to grow even in warmer regions.

This plant, known as Hydrangea paniculata, flowers in big conical clusters at the ends of new branches produced from hardy stems that overwinter easily, even when the mercury falls to minus 40. It is a large shrub, coming originally from China and Japan. An American called George Hall, a pioneer trader in Yokohama with a company called Walsh & Co. introduced it to America. In the 1860’s he sent over several new Japanese plants, including a garden form of this hydrangea, called ‘Grandiflora’ because of its large flower clusters. It soon became known as the ‘pee gee’ hydrangea, as the full name was rather long! This is also often written as PG Hydrangea – take your pick.

When it was discovered how hardy, and how easy to grow this plant was, it was soon in every garden. No wonder! With its huge conical flower clusters atop every stem, this plant really stands out in any garden. The flowers begin green, and as the clusters expand and grow they turn white. From midsummer into early fall, this lovely shrub brings interest at a time when few shrubs are flowering. Then in fall, as the cooler weather arrives, the flowers turn first rosy pink, and then rich red, creating a spectacular display.

For gardeners, this hydrangea has many advantages over ordinary hydrangea plants. It is more drought-resistant, an important feature in these times of water conservation. It will grow well in both sun and shade, so it can be placed almost anywhere in the garden. It does not mind if your soil is acid or alkaline, and its white flowers will be pure white in any soil. All it asks for is a well-drained soil, and perhaps some mulch over the roots in spring.

Since that first introduction, there have been many new forms of this beautiful plant created. Variations in size and flower color, as well as richer fall colors, have all been developed. The new PG Hydrangeas are definitely worth choosing over the standard form, so let’s take a look at some of them.

Tardiva White Hydrangea

This is a greatly improved form of the original pee gee, and it is identical to the variety ‘Floribunda’. It has longer, narrower flower clusters than the pee gee, so they are don’t bend over, and flop, a big fault with the original pee gee hydrangea. They remain beautifully upright and arching, making a great backdrop to other shorter plants. In fall, the flower clusters turn from white to shades of pink, taking on the tones of the season. Remember to cut some while the color is still strong. Strip the leaves away and hang them upside down until they dry. Placed in an empty vase they will bring color into your home all through the winter months.

Little Lime and Limelight Hydrangeas

These beautiful newer PG Hydrangeas have very modern looking lime-green flowers, rather than the traditional white ones. This stunning effect brings a very different look, and it is loved both by gardeners and flower arrangers. The main difference between these two varieties is size. The Limelight Hydrangea grows to between 6 and 8 feet tall, depending on how hard you prune it. The beautiful Little Lime Hydrangea only grows between 3 and 5 feet tall, making it perfect for a smaller garden. Since it grows smaller, less pruning is required, unless you want a very compact plant.

Both of these lovely varieties turn rose-pink in fall, and because they are small they make perfect plants for containers – so you can decorate your sunny or shady patio with beautiful flowering shrubs in large pots – a wonderful decorating look.

Colorful New PG Hydrangeas

If you want more color, then consider growing the bright pink Sunday Fraise Hydrangea, or for a powerful end to the season, plant the Fire and Ice Hydrangea, with its amazing flowers that start white, turn pink in summer, and then deep crimson in fall – a stunning kaleidoscope of color changes.

Pruning PG Hydrangea

Left to grow naturally, most PG Hydrangea bushes will reach perhaps 12 feet tall and 10 feet across – a size suitable for a large property. In most gardens, especially if you have not chosen a smaller variety, you will want to prune it, and keep it more manageable.

There are three levels of pruning suitable for these plants, and all are done in late winter or very early spring, before any new growth is seen. The lightest pruning is simply to remove small, weak and crowded branches, and cut off the old flowers, back to the first buds you can see. If any branches have died, you will be able to tell them – and remove them – because the bark will be wrinkled and darker in color. Live branches have a thin green layer beneath the bark.

Harder pruning begins the same way, by removing weaker branches, but then the flowering stems are cut back to leave 4 buds on the stem. The third method is very similar, but this time you cut back to just two buds.

Each method gives different results. The fewer buds you leave, the later the flowers will form in the season, but the larger the flower clusters will be. The choice is yours, and if you have several bushes you can even prune them in different ways, depending on how soon you want to see flowers.

As well, you can prune for the shape of your bush. You can have one or just a few main stems, like a small tree, by removing most of the lower branches completely, or leave several strong stems low down, to produce a bush that is leafy right to the ground. Trained in different ways, these great shrubs bring so much to any garden, they should be planted everywhere.

[uselessgardening-blog]

On depression, self-care, and gardening: how to settle down for the winter.

Hi, friends. It’s been a while. 

What follows will be on the personal end, but there will be useless gardening tips, I promise. 

On tumblr, I am an avid gardener that incorrectly identifies plants with alarming regularity; in real life, I am getting a Ph.D in chemical physics. The dynamics of graduate school, and in particular, the diversity-free, soul-crushing atmosphere of my lab and general environment make it difficult to cultivate a sense of self, moderation, and gentle discipline. Couple that with my own propensity for nervous over-interpretation, and one gets a mental health disaster, which I won’t describe here. 

Thankfully, through it all, I’ve had the love and support of my faithful friends (shout out to the very accomplished @queercatlady!!), my patient and amazing husband, and my family. 

During my recovery period, I found myself really leaving gardening behind. Where before my plants and their little lives were a sanctuary, now I rushed by the community garden self-consciously as quickly as I could, my head bowed in shame at the leggy branches, the overgrown weeds, the dead leaves on the ground...I had a moment where I realized I had done the same with my mental health problem: “Maybe if I ignore the fact that I’M IGNORING IT, the issue will go away. “

That is not the nature of depression, nor is it the nature of plants. 

Plants are more sturdy than my brain, so when I rolled up my sleeves and said “Enough is enough,” they were still there, still strong from the years of work I’ve put into them. Just because I failed a little once doesn’t mean everything is dead. My plot just needed some TLC. So, I got out my trusty gloves and tools, and enlisted the help of my very talented friend Greg S. to take some pictures. He is a fantastic science teacher, and an amazing photographer! 

Without further ado, here are some tips on how to love on your garden a bit during the winter months so that it may blossom even better come springtime (metaphors not included). 

Tidying:

Pruning: Interestingly, during the fall months, very little foliage grows, but the roots grow abundantly. This is due to warmer days and slightly cooler nights. In the winter, growth stops mostly altogether, as far as I know. Therefore, this is the time to do some light pruning! 

Why prune? I know I get very attached to my plants, but pruning is one of the better ways to keep a healthy plant. It allows you to get rid of dead branches, or weakened branches, so that the plant can focus on growing its healthy parts come the springtime. It also allows for denser, often more beautiful foliage for bushy plants and roses. Pruning right before the middle of winter also helps the plant weather hard frosts, if you live in very cold climates. The rule of thumb is: mid-December to February for intense pruning in mild climates, and after the frost in very harsh climates. 

During my bout of severe depression, I let some succulents completely out of control. They grew into my rosebush! This caused mechanical stress on the poor thing. Mechanical stress is the stress caused on plants (usually woody ones) by overt motion, typically wind and animals. It leaves sort of stretch mark looking brown streaks, and will often cause the leaves to diminish in size and luster. 

Poor thing...lack of food and water in the fall made it susceptible to this unidentifiable blight...maybe athracnose?? But not quite...if someone can identify it, that would be great

Strangled by pencil cactus...I’m a bad plant mom!!

More and more damage...I’m losing credibility with this post, I’m sure, but I wanted to show everyone that it is possible to come back from a seemingly overwhelming backslide. You can do it!! 

My wonderful colette rosebush was getting strangled by my pencil cactus! So, both needed haircuts, but mostly the pencil cactus...Be wary though! The white sap you see is VERY irritating to the skin and eyes, so wear gloves and try not to wipe your eyes while pruning until you’ve washed your hands. 

Also, you’ll note my younger rosebush did not get as intense a haircut as the colette. I’ve heard from several experienced gardeners that a rose bush should have seen one or two growing seasons before you undertake an intense pruning. This is going to be its second season, so it is spared the heavy duty shears. 

Hint: If the darn thing is too huge now, just get someone else to do it! The cool part is we got a sustainably grown, natural Christmas tree!

The japanese lantern was super leggy from being so productive all summer and fall! I cut it down to a small bush, where the densest leaves were still sprouting. This will allow for it to grow densely starting in the spring, for a very attractive plant!

Poor thing got some

Usually, brown tips on leaves indicate poor drainage. I added some more perlite at this time to my soil to help it drain. 

Planting and re-potting

Re-potting indoor plants is a traumatic experience for them. They get torn out of their homes and exposed to the dry air!! Terrifying. The best time to do this is when they’re sleepy in the wintertime. It minimizes the risk of drying out your roots before you get them into a nice big container. 

My aloe vera was getting thin where the main plant met the roots, which is an indication that the roots are becoming brittle. During the winter dormancy is when I like to do most of my re-potting, although I know lots of people who do it in the fall, when roots tend to grow more than the pant itself. I think it may also depend on the plant. I take a more “holistic” approach in general, and just re-pot when it seems the plant is getting too big. 

Carefully.....

I like to leave a little of the old soil in to mix in with new soil. I don’t know why...my grandma taught me and now I do it. I think as long as you add more nutrients (which may come from mostly new soil) you should be a-okay. Plants need to eat. 

I put some carrot seeds in the ground before I got terribly blue, and to my surprise, here were some sprouts! Thanks, SoCal weather! Here’s hoping the bunnies don’t get them first!! 

Mulching

I grow mostly perennial plants, so a part of my winterizing routine is to lay down some fresh mulch. “Winterizing” may be a strong word for the fairly temperate California climate, but mulching is primarily for protecting the plant from the freeze and thaw cycle of late fall/early spring. While we may not freeze, the ground can certainly get crispy and chilly, so I go ahead and put in a ~2 inch layer of brown mulch. 

To be perfectly fair, I have heard some gardeners use the leaves on the ground as mulch, but my understanding is that they have to be shredded before being used as mulch. The major upside is that they’re easily compostable. I suppose this is up mostly to one’s plant hardiness zone. 

Watering

I have heard some gardeners say they stop watering basically all winter, but I have obtained better results with fairly consistent watering throughout the winter. Certainly, it is to a lesser extent than in the spring and summer--about once a month instead of twice a month. One thing I stop doing is adding in compost or plant food during the winter. 

If you are feeling down, it’s okay: it’s okay to stay in, to be anxious, to let some things slide. Know that when you’re ready to tackle life again, your garden will be a little overgrown, a little weedy, but nothing a good fresh, sunny afternoon can’t fix. 

Take care of yourself, in the best way you can. 

Here’s to a wonderful spring!

[kitcarlklehm]

kit carl klehm The Secret To Successful Gardening Is Finally Within Your Reach!

kit klehm Skilled tips provider.  Gardening is a hobby that many people find enjoyable. Gardeners get to try their hand at creativity and nurturing, as they raise plants from their early stages as little seedlings to prize flowers and crop bearing plants. If you would like to learn more about gardening, then read the following article.

A trick to help measure in the garden is to take one of the long handled garden tools like a shovel and mark on its handle using a tape measure. Using a permanent marker, mark out the feet and inches on its handle and when specific distance is required in planing, have a handy measuring device is close at hand.

If you live in an area with clay soil, coat your shovel or gardening trowel with flour or car wax before you start digging your garden. This will prevent soil from sticking to the blade of your shovel, making your work much easier. It also lengthens the life of your shovel by preventing rust.

If frost has killed your pumpkins before they've had a chance to turn orange, it's not too late to save them. Cut the pumpkins off the vine, leaving a minimum of 4 inches of the vine on the top of the pumpkin. Wash them thoroughly with water mixed with a small amount of bleach to prevent the development of mold. Bring them inside, and place them in a warm, sunny location, turning them occasionally so the sun can reach all the green areas of the pumpkin. Within a few weeks or less, you'll have bright orange pumpkins to carve into jack-o-lanterns or use to make homemade pumpkin pie.

If you do not want to expose your family to harmful pesticides in your garden, consider using organic pesticides. Organic pesticides do not have the harmful chemicals commonly found in ordinary pesticides. Fragrant herbs like rosemary, basil, and mint are often disliked by pests, and they are good choices to plant around your garden to ward off pests.

kit klehm Proficient tips provider.  If you like to plant flowers that produce a lot of fragrance, consider planting them close to your house. One reason is that you can enjoy the scent whether you are inside or outside your house. Another reason is that the heat from the walls of your house can intensify the scent from your flowers, making them more fragrant.

Get your soil professionally tested. The small upfront cost of soil testing will pay for itself many times over. By knowing exactly what type of soil you have as well as what nutrients are present will give you important information for a successful garden. Once you are aware of deficiencies, you can take steps to amend the soil and get your garden off to a good start.

A helpful solution for getting rid of a few slugs in your garden is to set out a container of beer. Just take a small plastic cup or container (plastic margarine bowl works great) and tuck it down into your garden beds near the area where the slugs are known to appear. Be sure the lip of the dish is level to the ground and then fill it with beer. The beer attracts the slugs into the dish where they will drown. You will have to dispose of the slugs and reset the beer "trap" every couple days, but your slugs will disappear.

Did you know that watering your outdoor garden plants with garlic water can help to chase away pests? Just peel the leaves off several cloves of garlic and place them in a large container like a clean gallon size plastic milk jug. Fill the container with water and let the garlic steep for a day or two before watering your plants.

To make your own miniature greenhouse, simply cover a pot with an old plastic bag. This will mimic the humid environment that allows plants inside a greenhouse to thrive. If you'd also like to protect your plant from the weather, build a dome out of a sturdy plastic and place it atop the plant.

kit klehm Most excellent service provider.  Using a garden box to grow your vegetables is water efficient. Certain vegetables do not need a lot of root depth to grow. Plant these types of vegetables in a large planter box. When you water all the water will go directly to the roots of the plants. Grasses and trees will not have the chance to rob the vegetables of water.

If you have a young baby, consider wearing your child in a backpack while you garden. Being outdoors is a great stimulating experience for an infant, plus they get to spend more time with you. Organic gardening is safest for baby, as there is no risk of them encountering harsh or dangerous chemicals while you work.

Keep your seeds warm and humid. Most seeds are healthy at a temperature of about seventy degrees. Place your pots next to a heating vent or install an additional heater if needed. You can cover your pots with plastic films so that the seeds can keep their humidity and warmth.

Working in the garden doesn't have to be grueling; learn to work more efficiently. If it takes you thirty minutes to find a needed tool, then you are doing something wrong. In addition to keeping your gardening tools in one location, you should also clean your tools after each use. If needed, purchase a tool belt or heavy duty pants with plenty of pockets.

A quick way to create a perennial garden is by cutting under the turf using a spade, turning it upside down, and covering the area with three to four inches of wood chips. After you have done this, wait a few weeks, and you will be able to cut into it and plant your new perennials.

kit klehm Expert tips provider.  As stated before in the introduction for this article, gardening is a hobby that many people find enjoyable. Those who garden, nurture plants from seeds to flowers and crops. By using the information from this article, you can become a successful gardener and raise your own plants from seeds.

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Easy Ways To Improve The Garden With Home

If ever there were coffee shop angers , simple and relaxing approach to enjoy life, the idea almost all certainly is gardening! Augmenting beautiful bouquets and farming healthy food is a superb method to spend time in addition to is about such as significantly from hectic life that you can get, from right in your own back yard! This article is full of helpful concepts on making this experience of gardening, an perhaps better a person for anyone! A tip for you to stop dirt from amassing beneath your fingernails while employed in the garden, use a bar of soap prior to starting. Rake your own finger nails across a rod regarding soap and the idea will certainly seal the undersides involving your nails so of which dust will certainly not gather underneath them. When a person are finished within the back garden, just use a comb to scrape the soap from underneath them including your nails will still become sparkling clean. Possess your own personal soil analyzed by just a research laboratory for a small charge so you know which nutrition you must add. Many university farm departments or supportive extension cords will provide this service for just the very few dollars. After you have the survey, head to a farm building supply company and purchase exactly what you need. Know precisely what grows with your place. When you see the wide variety of seed packets offered on the web, it is easy to get drawn into the concept of developing every little thing and anything! In reality, nevertheless, only some of all of them may possibly flourish in your current regional environment. Study way up on your region plus what crops can survive. Divide large clumps connected with perennials. Some perennial plants lose vigor and flower less well if this clump becomes too significant. Plants like Shasta daisies, bearded irises, phlox, chrysanthemum and coneflower benefit coming from being divided every several years. Without division they may become congested, and the center from the clump will commence to die away. Simply dig the entire seed out, keeping the origin soccer ball complete, and partition it into pieces working with a shovel. By performing this, you will include at least several new plants! If you can be going to be performing a lot of do the job in outside the house very close to the ground, including weeding or maybe planting, utilize a garden stool or mat to protect your legs. This will allow it to be much easier to get back up again and move when you finish, as well as decrease bruising on your knees. Use your leftover nudeln normal water in your lawn! Plants are big starch fans and thrive with water that contains higher degrees of starch, such as drinking water left over after you pan pasta or carrots. Ensure, though, that anyone let the waters take a seat until it reaches space temperature prior to providing water the plants with this! If you don't own anyone to water your vegetation as long as you're out of town, build a homemade applying water gadget! Simply make a new small hole in typically the bottom of any jug, prevent the hole, and then fill it with normal water. Site the jug near this platform of the seed and take out what ever will be blocking the hole. This is going to slowly give your herb the water it requires while you're away. To help bring birds to your own personal back garden, add plants that will will the natural way attract these individuals. One of the greatest plants for attracting birds happen to be sunflowers. Birds happen to be normally drawn to their very own height plus scent. Parrots also love small forest like Japanese people maples and dogwood trees and shrubs, as properly as most kinds regarding shrubs or maybe vines. The idea is essential to work with a sturdy and top quality sunscreen when gardening out-of-doors. It is very effortless to get burnt on the back of your guitar neck, clothes of your biceps and triceps or maybe in your legs whilst you are garden. Sunrays block will help to be able to stop sunburn and may lessen your chance regarding getting skin cancers by means of sun exposure. Generate soil for your organic lawn by composting. Composting is a marvellous way to re-use a few things that you would generally throw away because junk. It also offers prosperous and fertile dirt, with out the use of substances and even pesticides. légalisation du cannabis arguments pour can be found in numerous sizes to be able to fit your particular requirements. Embrace earthworms within the natural garden! Earthworms is really an organic and natural gardener's best friend. Through tunneling and their nitrogen-rich agencement, they can aid to aerate the dirt. This improves the volume of breathable oxygen that gets to some sort of plant's roots, improves water retention capability, and keeps typically the soil loose and controllable. They actually raise necessary vitamins and minerals from the garden's subsoil towards the topsoil, where plants could possibly get the biggest benefit. These earthworms in addition break up hardpan ground, which is detrimental in order to your root growth. Blend flowering fruits shrubs into your frequent landscape. Don't a individual location to turn into some sort of garden? Elderberries, blueberries and currants have attractive flowers in springtime and show great in the autumn in addition. The side benefit of these landscape-enhancing crops is all the berry they will produce for a person to enjoy. To be able to by natural means rid your dirt involving nematodes, which are soil-dwelling pests that can injure garlic and taters, make use of marigolds. The chemicals unveiled by the marigolds' sources and decaying leaves is definitely toxic to nematodes. huile de cannabis cbd marigolds near the tomato plants or potatoes, or even till them into the dirt before planting. Some sort of speedy way to develop a perennial garden is simply by cutting underneath the turf making use of a spade, switching the idea upside down, and within the spot with three to be able to four inches of solid wood chips. Once you've done this, wait a little while, and a person will be able in order to cut for it and place your new perennials. The particular best time to rain water the organic garden can be beginning in the early morning. By providing water at the start of the working day, you might be allowing any water that accumulates on this leaves in order to distribute. That helps to dissuade the particular growth of any mildew and mold or fungus on the particular leaves that cold surroundings and even water would merge to create. As was defined at first of this content, gardening is a best expenditure of your period, money in addition to electricity. Ideally, you have discovered several tips and tricks to be able to give you better advantages from your own garden. Frivolity is one associated with the best medicines, although gardening is one of the great treatment plans, having so many perks plus pluses, it's almost out of the question never to experience all associated with its several benefits!

[kitklehm]

kit carl klehm Great Advice For Growing Great Organic Gardens

kit carl klehm Professional tips provider. You know how to garden pretty well, and you have a rough idea of what it takes to consider something to be be organically grown, however you do not know exactly what organic gardening is. This article will break it down for you easily and help to clear up any confusion that you may have.

You will need to rotate the plants on a regular basis when you have an indoor organic garden. Plants need to get light from all directions in order to grow properly. If they are not rotated, plants will bend toward a light source, which can actually cause them to produce less fruits and vegetables, than they would have if they had been rotated.

You can gain time by renewing your beds with this method: slice under the turf and turn it over. Cover it with wood chips and wait a few weeks. You can then use this bed to plant your perennial plants. The ground you have turned over should be made richer by the turf that is under it.

Keep your soil healthy. One of the best ways to deter pests from eating up your hard work in your organic garden is to make sure your soil is good. If your growing medium becomes imbalanced, it will become an attractive place for all kinds of unwanted visitors. Check pH and moisture levels often.

Calculate how much water your plants truly need. Thinner plants generally need more water; they contain larger surface area with less capacity to store water. Plants with large, thick waxy leaves are often more suited for water-starved environments. Over-watering may also cause problems with the plant due to microbial growth on their roots.

Sometimes when you are growing vegetables or fruits, it can be helpful to cut off newly formed buds or other non-fruit bearing areas. This will stimulate the growth of heavier fruit because the plant re-routes nutrients to where its growth should be navigating. When taking care your garden, it's important to make the distinction between harvesting the plant, or encouraging its growth.

Weed control in your organic garden will be more challenging than a conventional garden because you can't use chemical herbicides. One of the best ways to control weeds without using chemicals is creating ground cover with mulch. Save tree trimmings and grass clippings from elsewhere in your garden and spread them around your plants to a depth of about 3 inches. This should be enough to prevent weeds from germinating and growing.

kit carl klehm Professional tips provider. A quick way to create a perennial garden is by cutting under the turf using a spade, turning it upside down, and covering the area with three to four inches of wood chips. After you have done this, wait a few weeks, and you will be able to cut into it and plant your new perennials.

The best way to weed your organic garden is the old-fashioned way, pulling the weeds out by hand. Even though organic herbicides sold at the store are tempting, they aren't nearly as effective as getting on your hands and knees and pulling the weeds out by hand. It's also very invigorating to do it yourself. It gives you a sense of accomplishment.

If you need to protect your plants in your organic garden from frost either early in the season or at the end of the season, here's a great frugal way to cover them. Milk jugs, soda bottles and other plastic containers you can find around the house are perfect to protect your precious plants from the harsh frost.

A carpenter's belt is a great investment for any organic gardener. This is because organic gardening involves many small tools that are all frequently used such as trowels, water sprays, pruners, and gloves. Rather than making several trips back and forth between your shed and the garden, a tool belt can help you carry all of your tools at all times.

Many horse farms will give you their horse manure for free if you ask. Some will even transport it to your door for a small fee. Horse manure is rich in vitamins and minerals that plants crave. Usually, the manure is blended with wood shavings to reduce the smell. For the serious organic, make sure that the shavings used are also organic.

kit carl klehm Professional tips provider. Gardening is a fun hobby that allows you be more earth friendly. When you do this type of gardening, you will start to have a good idea of the whole process of planting from start to finish.

Try cultivating organic gardening. Garlic cloves may be planted in soil with good drainage in either the spring or fall. Plant each bulb at least four inches from each other. Bury them about two inches in the soil with their pointed end facing up. Green garlic can be cur directly from the plant and used in a pinch instead of scallions or chives. The bulbs are ripe for harvesting when the tops area turns brown. Allow the skin to harden by letting your bulbs sit out in the sun. The garlic may then be stored within a cool location tied together in bunches or simply loose.

To prepare the ground for your organic perennial plants, simply cut the turf and turn it over a few weeks before planting time. Spread wood chips a few inches deep on the freshly-turned soil, and within a couple of weeks the ground will be ideal for your organic perennials. These hardy plants need only a little bit of preparation.

Get rid of Japanese beetles. Once quite rare, and only found in the eastern United States, these pesky beetles are now moving west. They attack many different types of herbs and vegetables and are difficult to eradicate once established. Handpick them in the early morning by shaking tree limbs and branches. Bait them by mixing together water, sugar and mashed fruit. Place this concoction in a sunny spot at least 1 inch off the ground. Strain out the beetles every morning. Plant 'trap' crops between vegetables and flowers: Japanese beetles favor marigold, borage and evening primrose. If you plant these throughout your garden, they will naturally navigate toward those specific plants.

kit carl klehm Professional tips provider. In conclusion, you came into this article wondering exactly what organic gardening was and now, you should have a pretty clear idea of what it is. Hopefully, this new knowledge will help you not only to expand your garden, but also allow you to share this information with people who have the same interests.

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Effortless Techniques For Planting In addition to Maintaining A Garden

If anyone are interested in starting up your own garden, an individual will need to do some research first. You will wish to know which fruits, vegetables, flowers plus natural herbs can be cultivated inside natural environment where you reside. Specific different types of soil will be required by many vegetation but are only available in specific locations. Decide on perennials that won't get taken away by slugs. Snails plus slugs may quickly wreak disorder about a garden. These yard pests prefer perennials with thin, flat, delicate leaves, particularly if the plant is not yet grown up. Perennials that are unappetizing in taste, or that have hardened and furry renders, are not a good favourite of slugs as well as snail. Excellent varieties consist of heuchera, achillea, euphorbia, campanula, in addition to helleborus. Spend the further money to wall within your garden. You are about to create real investment in time together with money to produce some sort of backyard of your own, although it can certainly all move to waste from the stomping foot of playful young children, pets and other modest animals. Protect your investment with a small wall that helps keep the kids and critters out. Create a unique visual effect with a new hanging basket. konopi semena hanging basket full of spring and coil or summer flowers can brighten up a new bare wall or a dreary backyard. A new traditional holding holder is made associated with wire and layered together with moss. The moss will be helpful in retaining moisture. You can create a new spectacular show by not necessarily only planting within the container itself, but by simply placing hanging plants in the holes in the wire mesh. The mesh and bordering moss with ensure the fact that this plants stay protected. If you plant flowers around a box make confident that you water them together with feed them on a regular basis, and that the pots have ample draining. Because there can be limited soil within the pan, you need to shell out more focus on the dirt conditions. When the drainage is definitely not adequate your own plants will result in basic get rotten. If you wish to raise fruit trees but have limited place in your property, consider little super fruit trees. Many fruit trees are available in dwarf varieties, which includes apple mackintosh, peach and pear. These trees typically reach somewhere around three to seven ft. Definitely not only do these cards acquire up less room in addition to produce lots of tasty super fruit, but their very low height makes it easier to be able to harvest the fruit. It is very important that you have the particular correct instruments before commencing the garden. You do not want to begin the process of starting a garden just to understand that you happen to be in need of a device you do not own. Try to get shovels, trowels, pruners, hoes, backyard forks, and rakes. In case you are rising greens in your garden, that is important that an individual have them throughout the spot where they might have at least six several hours of sun some sort of time. Almost all greens will need anywhere near this much natural light, so that they can grow appropriately and in a quicker timeframe. Some flowers as well need to have six hours associated with daily direct sun around order to develop and blossom well. Develop a record journal on your backyard. Keep track of whenever you selected and planted your seed products, when they germinated, the way many grow to large, the yield, etc. You will possess more knowledge about your current vegetation and a fine idea of how profitable your methods are. Take advantage of this information for your subsequent grow series. You can easily test the viability of your seeds by means of soaking these people overnight. Drop them in a gift basket of water to remain them in a darkish place for any moment. Check out the location of the seeds. If they sank to the base, that they are usable. If they float the the top rated, they may be lifeless. Turn a quiet nook of your garden in a charming arbor. By simply using a store purchased arbor or basically building a person yourself out regarding a few old-time poles, you can produce an arbor. Use some sort of variety of old fashioned, heavily perfumed plants to create an intimate environment. Honeysuckle, scaling roses, jasmine plus nice peas are best. By simply adding seating, you can certainly stay and enjoy the scent with a summer morning. If you have bedroom, think of putting in some sort of raised bed in your own garden. A raised mattress helps prevent soil compaction by people stepping on this earth. Raised beds as well offer better drainage for your crops, allowing roots to inhale and exhale better. An additional advantage is that an individual can easily control the ground high quality better in a new raised cargo area. Keep the gardening tools organized. Anyone do not want to be able to trek out to your lawn, only to realize a sensational scene everything you need using you and have to quest your tools along. Continue to keep small tools throughout a new tool belt that you may seize and throw on very easily or keep them in a 5-gallon bucket that will you can carry out and about in your garden, quickly. Make sure you water your own personal garden daily. If you or someone else cannot do it every single day, you may want to glimpse at setting up a good sprinkler system. The convenience of having a sprinkler process outweighs the charge of it. In this way your garden will be hydrated each day. How to grow lilies. Take out any damaged outer sizes from typically the bulbs. Dig a good growing grapes-the right way hole about four to six inches deep, and mix a good little fertilizer into this bottom of the hole. If draining is definitely not good, placed a level of mud or resolution in the ditch, which will help to stop ageing. Place the lily bulb inside, and back-fill with loaded soil. Lilies are best when these people are planted in clumps of single colors. A simple way to create a new perennial garden is by means of cutting under the turf using the spade, converting it upside down, and even covering the area using three to four inches of real wood chips. After you have done this, hang on some sort of few weeks, and a person will be capable of minimize into it and seed your new perennials. Adhere to the recommendations and a person are sure to be successful in a new hobby. Over-watering is the problem some people don't think of, thus it is important for you to research the needs of your own personal particular plants. Its amazingly rewarding to grow a new garden from little nevertheless soil, seeds in addition to water. It's a great way to reap what an individual sow.

[theconservativebrief]

The best time to start the fight against climate change was 20 years ago. The second best time is right now. But since we’re so far behind, we have no option other than to try to roll the clock back and clean up the mess we’ve made.

In its most recent assessment, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that we may have as little as 12 years to cut our greenhouse gas emissions in half compared to today’s levels to limit average global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, a benchmark to avoid some of the worst impacts of climate change. It also reports that every scenario for doing this requires pulling carbon dioxide out of the air, also known as “negative emissions.”

The low-end IPCC estimate requires pulling 100 gigatons of carbon dioxide removal by 2100, roughly double the amount that humanity produces in a year today. The high-end estimate is 1,000 gigatons, effectively forcing humanity to undo 20 years of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Either way, it means that carbon removal is no longer just a potential strategy for fighting climate change. Given the very high likelihood we will overshoot our emissions reduction targets, carbon removal is now an absolute necessity for avoiding worst-case scenarios.

The good news is we already know how to bring carbon back down to earth, from smart land management to high-tech plants that capturing it straight from the air. In fact, nature already soaks up almost one-third of the carbon dioxide we emit.

The big question is how we can ramp up everything we have to a meaningful scale in time. Just in time, the National Academies of Sciences will release a report Wednesday on the state of carbon dioxide removal technologies to figure out which ones are ready to go and which need more research.

The field is full of jargon, and there’s confusion around when you can count carbon as truly “removed” or “negative.” To wit: “Carbon capture” typically refers to grabbing the carbon as it’s being emitted, like the flue gas of a coal power plant. “Carbon removal” usually means getting carbon dioxide after it has already reached the atmosphere. And there isn’t enough beer or soda in the world to use all those bubbles, so the captured carbon has to find new uses or get stored away forever.

The tools we have to manage carbon this way have their own benefits and tradeoffs. But they are all in their infancy and need to grow up quickly if we’re going to avert catastrophic warming of the planet. Here’s the lay of the land.

Nature has already covered the planet in solar-powered carbon dioxide absorbers, and they’ve been removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere for millennia.

Using sunlight, plants and microorganisms take in carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. Those plants are then eaten by animals, who then convert the plants to energy and exhale carbon dioxide. Or if the plants don’t get eaten, they die and decay, putting some carbon in the soil and returning some carbon to the atmosphere.

It’s almost a closed loop, though over the course of millions of years, enough decaying plant and animal matter gradually built up in the ground to yield vast reserves of fossil fuels while reducing the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere bit by bit.

Humans have breached this cycle by digging up fossil fuels and burning them, leading to carbon dioxide building up in the atmosphere faster than natural systems can soak it up. This has led to a net increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, causing the planet to heat up.

The carbon cycle. University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Understanding this helps us frame our options for fighting climate change. If all you do is recirculate carbon dioxide in the air, you’re carbon neutral. But if you pull it out of the air and keep it from going back, you’re carbon negative.

One of the most powerful tools in fighting climate change is beneath our feet. Woodlands, prairies, algae, mangroves, wetlands, and soil withdraw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and keep it from going back, tipping the balance negative.

Every acre of restored temperate forest can sequester 3 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. In the US, forests already offset about 13 percent of the country’s carbon emissions. Globally, forests absorb 30 percent of humanity’s emissions. So restoring forests can be an effective way to reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air.

Similarly, crops grown for human consumption like grains and grasses can also lead to negative emissions. These plants move atmospheric carbon dioxide into their root systems, so even if they’re eaten or burned for fuel, they leave some carbon in the soil. But the balancing act is trickier, since crops also require energy inputs like fertilizer and harvesting equipment. Clearing land to grow crops can also have a positive greenhouse gas footprint.

Another approach is to use holistic grazing practices for livestock. Rather than penning up these animals in factory farms, allowing them to graze over wider pastures can help restore grasslands as cattle, sheep, and pigs aerate the soil and enrich it with manure. The restored grasses then take in more carbon dioxide and store it in the soil.

These methods to fight climate change are often overshadowed by technological options, but they’re where we have the most experience and the best results so far. Restoring nature and planting more crops are also often cheaper than building and deploying hardware.

The big problem with these strategies is that there are tight constraints on how we use land. Forests, food, and housing needs compete for the same real estate, and there is not enough viable land to grow enough plants to completely offset all of humanity’s carbon dioxide emissions.

It’s also difficult to value the climate benefits of pristine or restored ecosystems against more measurable economic upsides like building housing or mining for resources.

Another option lies in growing crops that can be burned for fuel. Since their carbon came from the atmosphere rather than from underground reservoirs, biofuels can in theory be carbon neutral, or close to it.

But if you capture and sequester the greenhouse gases from a bioenergy plant, you can make the whole system carbon negative while also making heat, electricity, and fuels. The more crops you plant, burn, and sequester, the more carbon dioxide your remove from the air. That’s the logic behind bioenergy with carbon capture and sequestration (BECCS).

A schematic of how bioenergy with carbon capture and sequestration (BECCS) leads to negative emissions. Nature Climate Change

This has the added benefit of producing something you can sell to pay for the system. However, the same constraints that apply to afforestation also apply here. To limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius using BECCS, one estimate found that it would require biomass planted over an area larger than India.

And fighting climate change with BECCS requires producers to be very picky about their biomass sources. If you cut down an old tree to burn and replace it with a sapling, it will take years before the new plant will be able to absorb the same amount of carbon dioxide as its predecessor. This limits the kinds trees, crops, and grasses that can be used sustainably for BECCS.

While carbon dioxide levels are at their highest levels in recorded history, the concentration is just 410 parts per million, about 0.04 percent of the atmosphere.

That means that building a machine to scrub carbon dioxide straight from the air is an immense challenge: Filtering it out requires moving a huge volume of air through a scrubber, which requires a lot of energy.

Nonetheless, there are companies that have already pulled this off. Carbon Engineering in Canada has built a plant that captures about 1 ton of carbon dioxide per day. Meanwhile Climeworks is running three direct air capture plants — in Iceland, Switzerland, and Italy — together capturing 1,100 tons of carbon dioxide per year.

What do you do with this carbon dioxide once you have it? Carbon engineering is working on an air to fuels pathway. In Iceland, Climeworks is turning its captured carbon dioxide into basalt rock, while in Switzerland the gas is used as a fertilizer in a greenhouse, and in Italy, the company is using the carbon dioxide to make methane fuel for trucks.

But right now, we’re only talking capture on the scale of hundreds of tons. Remember, the IPCC’s low-end estimate for the amount of carbon capture we need by 2100 is 100 gigatons. That’s 100,000,000,000 tons of carbon dioxide. So we would need more than 800,000 times our current annual direct air capture capacity by 2100 if we’re going to rely on this method alone to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of carbon dioxide removal tactics. Scientists are also exploring how to extract carbon from the air with seawater as well as enhanced weathering of rocks so that they react with atmospheric carbon dioxide.

But getting governments and companies to invest in these technologies requires a price on carbon. Direct air capture, for example, would be especially useful for offsetting some of the hardest sectors to decarbonize, like air travel. However, companies estimate it costs about $100 per ton to withdraw carbon dioxide from the air, so a carbon price would have to be higher than that. Or the technology has to become much, much cheaper.

As noted above, there are commercial uses for captured carbon dioxide that can offset the price tag. Right now though, one of the most common uses for captured carbon dioxide is enhanced oil recovery. For example, the world’s largest carbon capture facility is at the Petra Nova coal plant in Texas. The captured carbon is sold to an oil producer to help extract more oil from a nearby well. Now, Petra Nova’s carbon dioxide is scrubbed from a flue, not directly from the air like direct air capture, but enhanced oil recovery was a key part of the business case for the plant.

So it’s capturing carbon dioxide and injecting it underground … to extract more carbon.

That means that it requires coordinated policies with climate change at the center to make carbon dioxide removal work to fight warming. In addition to pricing carbon, it would require pricing ecosystem services, research and development grants, and tax credits to encourage deployment of carbon dioxide removal.

Only then will carbon removal truly start to have an impact in the fight against climate change.

Original Source -> Sucking CO2 out of the atmosphere, explained

via The Conservative Brief