Resources on Gardening (01)

Native Plants Database by National Audubon Society
The National Audubon Society is an organization that aims to protect the birds of the Americas and their habitats. The organization does this through on-the-ground conservation, advocacy, and education. This resource is one of Audubon’s initiatives in making people more aware about bringing birds into their respective homes by planting native plants that serve as natural habitats for different bird species. To access the database, one only needs to enter his email address and 5-digit U.S. zip code. The database lists the best plants for birds that live in the area, a wealth of information about the said birds and plants, as well as local resources and tips about making the area more bird-friendly.

Include an Outdoor Garden Fountain to Make Your Home a Happy Haven for Birds
When the days start getting shorter, people start to think about spending more time indoors. Birds that winter in snowy climates don't have this luxury, but that doesn't mean that you can't make the area around your home a safe haven for your feathered friends during the cold winter months. From placing well-stocked feeders out to adding an outdoor fountain, birdbath, or pond, you can get tips for attracting birds to your home on a year-round basis. If you put up a bird house, you may find that you have some small tenants taking up residence before too long.

Winter Hydroponic Gardening Lights
An informative article about using grow lights in the winter to grow plants. Like heating systems, greenhouse lighting offers undisputed benefits to the growth of crops in winter. Recreating summer's warmth and sunlight via artificial means, can trick most crops into continuing production right through their usual dormant season. For growers, however, the lights can be pricey, so this article discusses whether it's worth the money to invest in indoor lighting technology.

Gardening and Landscaping Tips from About.com
Gardening on About.com is an online destination provides articles and resources on the topics of gardening and landscaping. For instance, read an article on gardening with allergies or a special report on what gardeners are at risk for. Spider and snake bits can occur while gardening, and gardeners should be careful to not get pesticide or fungicide poisoning. There are always lots of feature articles and interesting information pieces on very specific topics on this site.

Grow Your Own Vegetables Without Soil
Growing plants without soil is known as hydroponics. This guide from the University of Florida explains the basics of hydroponics, including how water culture works, supporting plants so they grow as needed, providing aeration to plants and a nutrient solution for the water culture system. The nutrient flow technique, also known as NFT, is also discussed. This method uses a series of plastic tubing through which a nutrient solution is circulated around the roots of plants. Gravel is also known as an aggregate culture, and used in hydroponic systems. The guide gets technical toward the end with some tables to help you create a formula for a solution providing trace elements and a formula for preparing general-purpose nutrient solutions.