HI, newbie here. I recieved a hydrangea for Mother's day. The tag sayshydrangea macrophylla-hortensia type. The flowers were sort of a purplish color and as they died off they lightened to a sort of greenish color. They were the only blooms I got. I thought they bloomed all summer? I tranferred it into a x-large planter and they get a little morning sun and then shade the rest of the day. I plan on bring it in for the winter. Then next year hopefully it will bloom and I am going to attempt at planting it outside in a sheltered spot. So,is it not reblooming because it is so young or what? Also purchased some at home depot 3/9.99. (I figured what they hey)They had no bloosoms. There leaves are green with some white streaking. I cant remember what they are called. They are thriving well out in the yard. Do you think it is possible to get a look at the flowers this year? We have a real long growing season here. I have ran around in shorts and picked tomatoes clear into late Oct. (and have ALSO froze my buns off in early oct LOL) Any help out there?

Hello, everyone. I have a question regarding nitrogen fixing by certain soil components, and how it influences organic fertilization. I am trying to develop a better soil for my potted maples, and have found as a component (in addition to pine bark pieces, and perlite) a mix of composted bark, wood chaff, cocofiber and cocopeat plus low initial organic fertilization. I chose the product to avoid peat, and because it uses very little initial fertilization - it's a mix for growers, and not especially meant for the 'end user'. I talked to a couple of representatives from the firm and two growers who use that particular product. The reps in particular mentioned that I needed to take into account the nitrogen deficit that occurs with the coco products contained. This, plus the low initial fertilization seemed fine to me. They mentioned for instance 'horn meal' meaning, I guess, parts of ground cow horns, for additional nitrogen. (Is this the same as bone meal?) Now since they were so adamant about this, I'd like to find out what I need to do, or worry about, if anything. I plan to fertilize these maples that are about 5-7 years old once the leaves are about 70% out, in May and only then. I was thinking about may be trying the product you mention above, as well as non organic fertilizers on other maples. Do I need to add anything when I repot now because of this issue? As I said, I was not planning to do this. If I need to add a little more nitrogen to compensate later, how much? The product has an initial low organic fertilization, like this : N 50 - 110 mg / l P 30 - 70 mg / l K 460 - 700 mg / l PH: 6-6.8 Salt: 0.4-0.8g/l Thanks for any input. schusch PS: I know these indications are in grams and liters, but since recalculating would imply me knowing how these indications are listed in North America, I thought I'd leave it as is.

it was truly a movie worth the watch...being a flight attendant I've witnessed some of those caskets rolling off the plane...it just breaks my heart and you can bet when I have a soldier on board he gets my thanks and just about anything I can do for them...free food...free drinks...whatever...here lately I've been making up goodie bags of peanuts and cookies for them to take back to the barracks...unless you've walked in their shoes no one can imagine what their lives are like...they truly have my utmost honor and respect...

If the jam is still sealed, it's still safe to eat. However, the quality may not be as good as it was when it was fresh. I just opened a jar of Habanero Gold jam that I made in 2014, that's 3 years old, and it was fine, although the top 1/8 of an inch or so had darkened a little. Jam can spoil, but it will mold or become rancid and it's usually pretty easy to tell if it's bad. Fruit is generally acidic and jam contains copious amounts of sugar, which also acts slightly as a preservative. I wouldn't hesitate to eat it. I have found that lower sugar fruit spreads lose quality more quickly than the full sugar preparations. The pepper/onion relish is a different thing altogether. Both peppers and onions are low acid vegetables. If it's two years old and still sealed, and I knew the recipe and process followed, I'd still be comfortable consuming that. However, without knowing the level of acidification, the ph of the product, the recipe and procedure used and the fact that it isn't heated before using to help avoid contamination, well, I'm not as comfortable with that. The National Center for Home Food Preservation gives a 2 year guideline for storage of home canned food but it's not a safety issue, it's a quality issue. Who wants to eat it if it doesn't taste good? Annie