
Best Mycorrhizal Inoculants
Mycorrhizal fungi form symbiotic networks with plant roots — the plant feeds the fungus, the fungus extends the plant’s effective root system tenfold. Inoculants introduce these fungi to soils where they’re absent (mos
With two hunters in the house, there’s more than one antler trophy gracing the walls of our home. However, the hunters get a little wild-eyed, if I mention dressing them up just a bit. My daughter hung a few Christmas ornaments from my husband’s elk antler mount one year. It bothered him, a lot. But he reluctantly let us have our fun. This year I’m dressing up my own antler for Spring.
No, I’m not a hunter. I acquired this antler from a friend of mine. She gave me an elk antler shed she found on her ranch in Colorado. It’s wonderfully bleached from being outdoors for a long time and it’s the perfect size for the mantel.
The weather was so beautiful here this past weekend. Our apple tree has bloomed with pretty white blossoms. The apple tree was the inspiration for this project.
I headed to the dollar store and picked up a package of moss and a few flower stems. When I got home I plugged in my glue gun and got to work while the vision was still fresh in my mind. Do you ever do that? Have an idea, get the supplies, then totally forget what your inspiration was because you let the project sit for too long? Happens to me frequently.
I put a drop of hot glue here and there and attached some moss. Then a few flowers. A little messy, but easy.
I couldn’t believe I was finished in just a few minutes.
I was liking it, really, I was. Then I sat down and stared at it for a while. Then I started thinking that maybe it was too simple. Maybe it needed more. . . moss. So I added more. . . a lot more.
It was definitely more green. I may have gone overboard with the moss. What do you think? More or less on the moss?
It was too beautiful outside to stay indoors, so I stepped outside to think about it. I soon got distracted by more signs of spring. This flowering bush made me wonder if pink flowers might look better on that antler . . .
The Hostas has started to pop up. I also noticed the flower beds are in need of some clean up. I turned to grab my son, who was playing catch in the yard, for a little help. ‘Was’ being the operative word. It was already too late. He was in the wind. Probably saw me eyeing that garden, then rolling up my sleeves. Teenagers have a keen sense of yard work projects about to commence.
I’ll wait a few more days to decide if the antler needs weeding. I’d love your opinion.
Thank you!

Mycorrhizal fungi form symbiotic networks with plant roots — the plant feeds the fungus, the fungus extends the plant’s effective root system tenfold. Inoculants introduce these fungi to soils where they’re absent (mos

Liquid seaweed extract is the magic-bullet supplement of organic vegetable growing. It contains over 70 trace minerals, plant growth hormones (cytokinin, auxin), and improves stress resistance — making plants more drou

Bone meal — ground animal bone — is the traditional slow-release phosphorus fertiliser for vegetables, fruit trees, and bulb plantings. Phosphorus drives root development and flowering, so bone meal at planting time

Worm castings — the digested output of composting worms — are the closest thing to perfect plant food in nature. They’re mild, slow-release, packed with beneficial microbes, and impossible to over-apply. A handful ar

Container plants live or die by the potting mix. Ordinary topsoil compacts in a pot and drowns roots; the right potting mix has structure (perlite, peat or coco), nutrition (compost, slow-release fertiliser), and biology

Making your own compost is best, but if you’re just starting a garden — or topping up after a big planting — bagged compost is the practical answer. The right bagged product is fully composted (not raw manure), scree