growing a daisy ecocube

I must confess that Geoffrey bought me this cube of daisy seeds nearly two years ago. I remember because it’s the first time that I noticed that my favourite flower is also known as ‘Marguerite’. A few days after learning this, we watched the zombie film “Maggie” and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s daughter, Abigail Breslin, is also named Marguerite. I thought it was a strange coincidence.

Getting back to the cube, I never could bring myself to open it due to a few reasons. One is that I can’t grow anything that isn’t a succulent. Two, the packaging itself was too darn cute. Every time I was about to open it I found myself putting it right back down next to my other plants. I kept telling myself “next month.” 

That month never came. Until recently, that is. Nearly two years later, I’m getting rid of things we no longer need. This includes furniture, baby items, and throwing out dying plants. I knew that it was now or never with growing this daisy cube. 

The instructions of the ecocube are as follows:

1. Open and pull back sticker.

2. Carefully pour 30 ml of water into the cube.

3. Keep the ecocube at a bright, warm place.

4. After 7-14 days, the daisy will start growing.

5. After another 10 weeks the daisy will start blooming.

6. After about 12 months you can bury the entire cube in a pot.

7. The ecocube slowly decomposes and turns into a valuable fertilizer for the plant.

Right now I’m probably on week 3. The seeds have begun growing but are nowhere near blooming. I’m hoping that they will. I really love the idea of an ecocube.

Do you have experiences with anything similar to this?

<3

Emory

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pork and beans revisited

Pork and Beans - 2Nearly two years ago, I had blogged about my newest and fastest growing succulent, Pork and Beans. These plants are known as Sedum or stonecrop plants. To date, this specific type of succulent remains my favourite of over the thirty types that I am currently growing. Its delicate leaves have fallen off over the years and have turned into several separate and flourishing plants of their own. I thought that I would share some additional information and care tips about the Pork and Beans succulent. Additional facts can be gained from the Balcony Container Gardening website.

Screen Shot 2016-02-15 at 11.35.39 AMIntro: The jelly bean plant, also called pork and beans, is an interesting succulent plant that displays jelly beanlike leaves. In the summertime its leaves change from green to bright red, and it bears yellow flowers in the springtime. This colorful succulent does best in hot, sunny apartment balcony gardens and will look best as a “ground cover” in plant containers underneath tall plants with a small footprint, such as a jade plant pruned to look like a tree. The jelly bean plant will also look stunning in a short, squat container set on a table or in a hanging window frame-like plant container.

Scientific Name: Sedum rubrotinctum

Plant Type: Succulent cactus

Light: Full sun

Water: Water the jelly bean plant more in the spring and summer, but still let it dry out in between waterings. Plant Sedum rubrotinctum in well-draining potting soil and never let it sit in water.

Zone: Zones 9 to 10

Temperature: This succulent plant does best in hotter conditions. Do not keep Sedum rubrotinctum outside in freezing temperatures. Take the jelly bean plant inside and display it in an indoor garden for the winter. Keep it by a western- or southern-facing window.

Fertilizer: Fertilize in the spring and summer once a month with a cactus and succulent fertilizer.

Pests and Diseases: No insect pests or diseases are known to severely attack this plant.

Propagation: Propagate the jelly bean plant by taking cuttings. Cut off leaves from the stem, let them dry, and then place the cutting into the soil. Keep the potting soil moist until the cutting begins to grow.

Misc. Info: Be careful when touching this succulent plant, as it can irritate some people’s skin. Also make sure that no pets or children eat this plant. Jelly bean plant leaves are delicate and can fall off easily.

<3

Emory

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try this : terrarium kit

Terrarium Kit DIY 5I first gave mention to this beautiful little Sedum + Moss Terrarium kit three months ago when I received it as a gift from my husband. I was so excited to plant it, but I wanted to wait for the perfect container before I did so. It took me awhile to realize that I had it all along. So rather than having to purchase a new glass terrarium, I merely rearranged some succulents, and voila! Sometimes the best surprises are those that are right under our noses.

Terrarium Kit DIY 1This kit came with everything except for the purple succulent and the river rocks. I had removed the former from another one of my plants. The latter I stole from my parent’s acreage. I was originally going to propagate the purple succulent into a new pot when another ingenious idea struck me. I had a feeling that it would look quite beautiful paired alongside this kit. It turns out that wasn’t wrong. I couldn’t imagine this terrarium kit without one!

Terrarium Kit DIY 3Terrarium Kit DIY 4Now all of my plants friends, both new and old (and stolen), can be together. :-)))

Terrarium Kit DIY 6I really love the way that this terrarium kit turned out. If and when I start to see some growth (the packaging indicates two weeks), then I may have to go out and buy another one. Stay tuned!

<3

Emory

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how to: propagate aloe vera leaves

AloeVera1Last November, I published a post on the growth of my first and only Aloe Vera plant. I learned that if properly cared for, these wondrous cacti can live for decades, and many of you had stories to share of such activity. I was simply amazed!

Before owning an Aloe Vera plant, my knowledge on greenery in general was immensely lacking. This included not knowing what the word propagate meant. Over the last few years, many of my own succulents have come and gone (meaning I bought and accidentally killed them), but this lone plant has continued on, flourishing under my amateur watch. Having just had to repot it into a larger home, I knew that the day was fast approaching that I would also have to remove some of its leaves. To this new feat, I was extremely apprehensive. So I studied up on it, and this is how I learned to propagate Aloe Vera leaves.

AloeVera4-1Step 1:

Cut the leaves off of your plant using either a sharp knife, or scissors. Do so at an angle.

Step 2:

Set the freshly cut leaves aside for 1 week, or until sufficiently scabbed over. The waiting time varies from other succulents. Some websites say to wait no longer than 3 days, while others say to wait up to 2 weeks. I waited 1 week, just to play it safe.

Step 3:

After the bottom of the leaves have scabbed over, you are close to commencing the last steps. However, you will need to apply a rooting hormone to aid in the growth of the leaves. I used organic honey, which I applied generously to the ends of the leaf cuttings.

Step 4:

Now you are ready to plant your leaves. Choose a large pot with sufficient drainage at the bottom. Fill it with soil and plant the leaves carefully. Top off with rocks.

Step 5:

Water sufficiently after a few days. That’s all!

While propagating Aloe Vera leaves is a week-long process, in total the steps take less than 30 to complete. This simplicity has made me a little nervous, and I hope that both my new and original Aloe Vera plant will survive my latest attempt at being a gardener. Fingers crossed!

You can get more information on Aloe Vera at monicashealthmag.com.

AloeVera2On a side note, Geoffrey bought me the cutest gifts for St. Patrick’s Day. This included an owl mug and terrarium start-up kit. I suppose if I butcher my Aloe Vera (please, no!), I will alway have a substitute plant.

Do you have any future tips for me and propagating succulents?

<3

Emory

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how to: brew pour over coffee

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About a month ago, I came across a ‘how to’ video on Kinfolk Magazine’s website. It showed viewers the steps in brewing the perfect cup of pour over coffee. You can see it here.

Having been a barista and manager of several coffee shops for several years (I did go to university after all), I am always intrigued on all things related to coffee and tea. Any coffee lover has probably at some point in their lives wanted to own coffee brew system at home for single cups of coffee, and I’m not talking about K-Cups.

I’ve been scouting out several different coffee brews, but have never known which one to buy, nor how to use them. Urban Outfitters has several, and I may just resort to their website to supply me with a pour over set.

After the video ended, I said something like, “Whoa, that’s a process.”

Geoffrey, who was sitting at the table behind me, replied, “How to make the perfect cup of coffee. One, wake up at the crack of dawn. Two, start growing your own coffee tree.” And so on.

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The video was actually very informative, and although there are quite a few steps, the entire process doesn’t actually take that long. Watching the barista go through the directions has only reaffirmed my desire to own a coffee brewer. If you would like to learn more about the making of coffee, from planting the seeds to how it gets to you, visit here.

Do you have any pour over coffee tips for me?

<3

Emory

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  • Hello! My name is Emory. I am a wife, mother of four (three on earth in heaven). This is our life on the Canadian prairies.
    email: helloscarlettblog@outlook.com

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