Garden Culture Magazine

A gardening magazine with a social conscience.

Subscribe now

Featured

Can Mushrooms Save the Bees?

Rich Hamilton

The bees are dying and in massive numbers, a tragedy, given their importance to the ecosystem. It is estimated that one-third of the food that we consume daily relies on the pollination of honeybees. Globally, there are more of them than any other type of pollinating insect, making them the most important pollinator on Earth.Pollinators strongly influence ecological relationships, ecosystem conservation and stability, genetic variation in the plant community, floral diversity, specialization, and evolution. In tropical forests, woodlands, mangroves, and deciduous forests, many species of plants and animals will not survive if bees disappear. The production of many food sources such as seeds, nuts, berries, and fruits are all highly dependent on insect pollination.

View Article

Cannabis and Chronic Pain: The Endorphin Connection

Guest Author

Humans have used cannabis for pain relief for a thousand years, but only recently have we garnered evidence from controlled, experimental studies regarding its efficacy for treating and helping those with chronic pain.

View Article

Chlorine and Plants

Guest Author

This article originally appeared in Garden Culture Magazine UK32 & US30.  Chlorine has been used as a disinfectant in city drinking water since the turn of the century, initially in the American city of New Jersey. As cities expanded and needed a longer-lasting disinfectant that would reach even the farthest tap, chloramines were introduced for…

View Article

Clean The Air With Plants

Albert Mondor

This article originally appeared in Garden Culture Magazine Uk32 & US30 . The atmosphere of buildings – especially new ones – where we live and work might be full of several chemical compounds that are harmful to our health. In some places, there can be up to 60 different toxic gaseous substances. Fortunately, plants can…

View Article

Dandelions: Medicinal Weeds of Gold

Caroline Rivard

This article was originally published in Garden Culture Magazine UK30, & US28 In our modern western culture, where perfect green lawns have been worshipped for so long, the dandelion is generally seen as one of the most disgraceful weeds. We have been taught that it is an invasive plant that we must eradicate, usually targeted…

View Article

Detox with Fruit And Fasting

Evan Folds

We might live longer, but do we live better? The developed world eats more than ever, and yet, we grow sicker. We grow plenty of food, yet people go hungry. The U.S. spends more money on health care than any other country, yet we rank towards the bottom in results. We are more connected through the computers in our pocket, yet lonelier than ever. Something big is wrong.

View Article


Latest Posts

Garden Strategies to Cope with Drought – Part 2

In part 1, we looked at strategies for sustainable water management practices to help with collecting and storing water. However, there are other ways we can protect our gardens and help them survive through periods of limited rainfall and hot temperatures while providing us with food.  Design and utilize microclimates  For the last ten years,…
January 15, 2020

Garden Strategies to Cope with Drought – Part 1

Australia. It’s hot, bone dry, smokey, and windy across much of this country. Drought and fires have devastated communities with no respite on the horizon. It’s not that these conditions are unexpected, but when all these harsh weather factors occur at once or in succession, the stress and impacts are catastrophic. The prolonged drought conditions…
January 13, 2020

Top Gardening Trends Of 2020

Garden Media Group has released its 2020 Garden Trends Report, Seeing 20/20. The annual write-up offers a peek at the trends expected throughout the year in the world of gardening. This year, practices, products, and innovations will offer a deeper connection with Mother Nature.  Here’s a look at some of the top ideas coming our…
January 10, 2020
,

Trendy Houseplants: Dracena Marginata

Baby, it’s cold outside! Caring for houseplants throughout the cooler months is excellent for keeping the winter blues at bay. Beyond being mood boosters, air-purifiers, and pleasing to the eye, houseplants provide a connection to Mother Nature that people seem to crave these days.  Why not try adding this beauty to your repertoire?  Name: Dracena…
January 8, 2020

New Cannabis Law Raises Legal Age In Quebec To 21

Quebec is rolling out new rules where cannabis is concerned, ruffling the feathers of many people in the province’s younger crowd.  On January 1st, the legal age to buy or possess cannabis products in Quebec changed from 18 to 21, the highest minimum age for use in all of Canada!  Everywhere else in the country,…
January 3, 2020

Beehaviors: Swarming, AKA, Looking For a New Hive (Part 2)

If you were ever lucky enough to see the incredible sight of hundreds of bees flying frantically above your head in a cloud reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s film ‘The Birds,’ you have witnessed the birth of a bee swarm.  Intimidating at first, the cloud of bees disappears after a few minutes as if nothing happened,…
January 1, 2020

Green Christmas Tree Disposal

Shortly after the chaos of the holidays comes the mad dash to get the Christmas tree and falling needles out of the house. But the endless stream of discarded, oranging trees waiting for curbside collection is a depressing sight. When the time comes, why not try some of these ‘green’ alternatives for disposal, courtesy of…
December 27, 2019

Gardening Books For The Holidays And Beyond

The holidays are for traditions, relaxing, and taking the time to do things you don’t always have the time to do; like reading! One of Garden Culture’s holiday traditions is putting a list together of our favorite gardening reads. Make it a New Year’s resolution to grab a copy and read your way to becoming…
December 25, 2019

Kissing Under The Mistletoe: Fun Plant Facts

Have you ever wondered why holiday traditions have us kissing under the mistletoe? Here are a few fun facts about the plant decorating homes around the world this time of year.  What It Looks Like Mistletoe has smooth, oval evergreen leaves with clusters of small white, pink, or red berries, depending on the species. There…
December 20, 2019

Beehaviors: The Waggle Dance (Part 1)

Last summer, we put our apiary through some major changes. We broke some “traditional” beekeeping rules and tested some new ideas. One of the chances we took was moving a colony from one hive to another, but only two meters away from the original one.  An old saying teaches beekeepers to move your hive less…

Give The Gift Of Plants This Holiday Season

Homemade Seed Packets This gift takes some planning, but gardeners who think of doing it at the end of the growing season will undoubtedly spread some joy come the holidays. Who wouldn’t love receiving packets of seeds saved from your garden? Select seeds from a variety of plants that attract different pollinators to the yard.…
December 13, 2019

‘The Game Changers’ Sheds Light On Benefits Of Plant-Based Diets

Some nights, you can waste 45 minutes searching Netflix for something decent to watch. Others, you stumble upon a fantastic documentary that inspires you to reevaluate how you live. The Game Changers is one of them. Mind-Blowing Results James Wilks, a UFC champion and mixed martial arts instructor, is the narrator of this piece. He…
December 11, 2019

“Farm To Table: Homemade Vegetable Broth

Who says leftover vegetable scraps are all destined for the compost heap? There are many good uses for them, and making a homemade broth is one of them! Lots of delicious recipes call for vegetable broth. From soups and risottos to couscous salads, cooking with broth is an excellent way to add extra flavor to…
December 6, 2019

Product Spotlight

Green Cleaner

Terminate Pests and Protect your Grow Environment

Green Cleaner protects crops by killing spider mites and their eggs, predatory mites, aphids, whiteflies, broad mites, and russet mites on contact and washes powdery mildew right off the plant. Green Cleaner can be used as a solution to dip tender new cuttings into and can also help prevent garden contamination when outsourcing plant starts. Use it from beginning through harvest as a treatment.

Check out CentralCoastGarden.com for great tips for getting rid of unwanted pests in your garden.

Smart Light Switcher sLS24

Control up to 24 1000W 240V HID lights and protect your grow environment from high temperatures. The sLS24 is equipped with smart high-temperature shut-off and automatic light rotation to prevent dark spots when a high-temperature condition is met. All Grozone Control products are proudly manufactured and engineered in Canada.

Visit GrozoneControl.com for more great products.

Mini ARCS

The Mini Automatic Reclaimed Condensate System is the next step towards zero-waste! Don’t let money and resources flow down the drain; reclaim and purify up to 720 gallons a day of HVAC runoff with the Mini ARCS. Nothing but ultra-pure, pathogen-free, pH-balanced water goes back into your irrigation system. Small in size, huge on savings.

Visit HydrologicSystems.com to find a solution that is right for your garden.

iLW 40w LED

Finally: A Light Specifically Designed for Clones

When growing clones, balancing light is essential. Plants are sensitive in the early stages, and as they grow, proper lighting strength is crucial for them to thrive. Clones need a particular type of light, and ILUMINAR Lighting’s created a fixture specifically designed for growing clones. The low-profile design of the 40-watt, 47″ iLW wide-bar LED fits nicely in tiered growing environments or baker’s racks and covers a 2’x4′ area. The iLW is an excellent alternative to T5 for growing clones and hardening them off for veg.

* PPF: 100 μmol/s
* Efficacy: 2.5 μmol/j
* Uniformity higher than 90%
* IP65 certified for Damp/Wet Conditions
* 50,000+ Operational hours

Visit iluminarlighting.com for more great lighting solutions.

JOULE-Series

Developed and manufactured by Dutch Lighting Innovations, a company specializing in supplemental lighting systems, the JOULE-Series delivers what growers need for optimal performance, yields, and quality. The DLI reflectors are made to have the highest possible total reflectance. Composed of an electrochemically-brightened, high-purity aluminum on top of an anodized base coat and overlaid with a dual-layer oxide system, the DLI reflector is tuned for maximum visible reflection. The new JOULE-Series 1000W fixture is designed for the DLI Horticulture Plus 1000W DE Lamp.

Visit pHive8.com to find a store near you.

Royal Gold Basement Mix

A Humboldt County Original

With so many developments in cultivation technology, the giant fancy greenhouses, and the indoor facilities, it’s easy to forget where it all began: in basements, attics, closets, and garages. Simple methods in simple spaces and success was measured in quality alone. Those methods and the quality product they bring are regaining a foothold in the modern world of elaborate and expensive infrastructure. Basement Mix, Royal Gold’s flagship, simple coco-based, moderately amended potting mix allows that simplicity to thrive.

Whether 1 pot or 1000, Basement Mix is the foundation for your success.

Check out RoyalGoldCoco.com or follow @RoyalGoldSoil to learn more about their story.

AZOS Red Liquid

New by Xtreme Gardening

A living product with millions of colonies of Azospirillum brasilense. AZOS Red Liquid is used in conjunction with other fertilizers and biostimulants and is compatible with all waterborne applications and fertigation systems. Best for middle to large-scale growers looking to increase the efficiency of their clones and nursery plants as well as boosting vegetative growth.
​
Nitrogen is a major component of every protein molecule, and yet soils are often deficient in this element. Although the atmosphere is comprised of around 80% nitrogen, it is in a form that is not readily available to plants. AZOS Red Liquid can facilitate this conversion, increase the accessibility of nitrogen in the soil, and catalyze a natural growth hormone within plants that help promote more root and vegetative growth.

Cultured and packaged to order, AZOS Red Liquid is one of the freshest and biologically active microbial products on the market, packaged to maintain the viability of the bacteria. To ensure the best results, purchase enough product for a single crop cycle. Best when stored in a refrigerator.

Check out Xtreme-Gardening.com for tips and tricks on beneficial bacteria.