Over time, the soil in the garden or in potting mixes becomes ‘hydrophobic’. This is also referred to as ‘soil repellent’. The word hydrophobic is made up of two parts. ‘Hydro’ means water and ‘phobic’ means to have a fear of something. Of course, soil can’t be scared of water but sometimes it can put…
A dibbler is a great name for a very simple tool that is poked into the ground to make holes for planting seeds or seedlings into the soil. It is often made from wood and has a pointed end. If you don’t have a dibbler, you can use a thick stick or cut down…
Perlite is made from volcanic rock that has been heated really quickly causing the water in it to soften the rock, making it expand. It turns into very light pebbles that are mixed into potting mixes and soils. Perlite is combined with coco peat when making a mix for growing cuttings and seeds. It helps…
Potting mix is the material that goes into a garden pot before you put seeds and plants into it. It has several jobs: It keeps the plant in place. It holds water for the plant’s roots to soak up. It contains nutrients that feed the plant. Different plants need different types of potting mix. For…
Hormone gel or hormone powder is also called rooting hormone gel because it’s main job is to encourage roots to grow when taking cuttings. When taking cuttings, the stem is cut and then placed into the soil but just before it is, the very tip of it is dipped into the hormone gel or powder. …
A coco peat brick is also called a coir brick. It is made from coconut husks leftover from the coconut industry so is 100% organic and a very good use of resources. The husks and dust are dried and squashed into a brick making it very easy to transport. It is used in propagating mixes…
All plant have nodes on them which are the little bulges that you can see and feel along the stem. On some plants they are quite larger but on others you need to look very closely. The nodes are where the leaves grow from but, when you take cuttings and pull the leaves off the…
A cloche is a cover that is used to protect young plants. Usually they are transparent but sometimes they are made out of terracotta clay. It’s a French word which means ‘bell’ which makes sense as many are a bell shape. To pronounce cloche say ‘klosh’ so that it rhymes with posh. Using a cloche…