The theory Parsnips become sweeter when it turns cold because the starch in their roots is turned to sugar. Sprouting Kitchen Scrap Gardens with Kids, Japanese Maples: Fantastic Color Spring through Fall. It was thought that the plants sucked up all of the oxygen in the room, ultimately killing the people asleep there. Old wives tales are definitely a part of our culture and there are subcultures surrounding them as well. Water moves into coarser materials, such as gravel or crocks, only once the soil above is saturated, so a sudden change from a fine to a coarse texture causes water to collect in the soil above, rather than drain away. They will grow upwards with the rising sun. One of my favorite old wives' tales says that stolen plants grow better because “they want you to feel more and more guilty.” Know what? TRUE -- Wood ash contains potash or potassium, which help plants to fruit and flower. However, they are attracted by many things. Too much nitrogen can, in fact, be detrimental, because it raises salt levels, which discourages worms and will turn your heap into a foul-smelling mess.The verdict False: urine may be beneficial in composting if there is not enough fresh, green material in your heap, but it will not speed up composting in a balanced heap. This is one old wives’ tale grounded in truth. First impression are everything! Tips for stylish fall decorating. Love Herbs? TIP: If you’re worried about soil washing out of the bottom of your pot, put a paper coffee filter or a piece of screen over the holes before adding dirt. April 4, 2011 by embev. There is significantly more nitrogen in tea leaves than in most liquid  pot plant fertilisers that are formulated for healthy, balanced growth. Fact behind gardening old wives’ tales, lunar sowing and companion plants Wherever I go, I seek out second-hand bookshops for little gems full of information. FALSE -- Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday, and Easter Sunday occurs at different times in March and April in any given year. Tomatoes & some fruit trees respond especially well to the addition of wood ash to the soil. It doesn't take long, however, for the ants to continue their quest. They take a long time to break down, so don't expect them to work in just one growing season. Plant spring-blooming bulbs in late fall for a beautiful Spring show! One myth said that all budded roses had to be planted with the bud union facing north. Celebrate the fall season by trying something new on your porch, like pumpkin planters! There is no firm proof, but if you enjoy talking or singing to plants it seems possible that it might benefit your plants too, so go for it! We trialled compost activators in 2008 and found that nitrogen-rich fertiliser did not speed up composting. Tips and inspiration here for your next outdoor project or garden renovation plans! Overdoing it in the heat and sun can cause heat exhaustion and heatstroke! As it turns out rubbing Vicks Vapor Rub around the feeding flowers effectively repels the bees and wasps away, but doesn't bother the birds because birds don't have a sense of smell, but the wasps and bees do. These range from cures for rheumatism to plants that make dogs mad, from those that ward off plagues to others that free rooms of mice, from fertility potions to cures for coughs. Gardens: Old wives' tales. FALSE -- There is no evidence for this, if the chips are just used on the surface as a mulch. The old wives' tale that eating horseradish will cure a chest cold. She says she has heard that you are not supposed to thank someone for giving you plants. Halloween is coming! Grow your own herbs, they are both beautiful, and useful! Both are safe choices to grow plants in so it may depend on what's in the pot and your watering habits. Unfortunately though, like many of the other old wives tales on this list, this one us untrue and there is no evidence it will work. But crush them up finely. TRUE & FALSE -- Some fruit trees do need both the male and female trees to be planted in proximity to each other in order to produce fruit. Old Wives Tales for a ‘Bad’ Winter: * squirrels begin gathering food in September-black bugs about in the fall. Generally plastic pots have thinner walls than clay thus offering roots little if any insulation from temperature change. The “old wives” tradition and expertise in herbalism, botany, minerals, and the human body has been passed down and maintained through the early 1900’s and even today, in areas where modern governments and medicine have not yet ventured. There are many old wives’ tales about the supposed dangers of sleep—not surprising, given a person’s vulnerability in that state. Juglone is exuded from all parts of the tree, including the leaves, wood, fruits, and roots. But there is some circumstantial evidence that it does work. TRUE & FALSE -- There is no scientific evidence that hitting a non-productive plant or beating the trunk of a tree that won't bear fruit, will actually make a difference. The theory Tea contains nutrients and trace minerals that promote healthy growth in plants. TRUE -- Eggshells contain lots of calcium and are great for enriching compost. Today we are going to talk about some fun and probably very seemingly silly old wives tales in the farm and ranch community! Many old tales involve flowers and plants which suddenly bloom on Christmas Eve. There is nothing hiding in horseradish that would somehow make it the magical cure for chest colds, and yet somehow still reach for the plant whenever we're under the weather. Above-ground crops should be planted in the light of the moon. But many people swear that it works, including many restaurant operators. Consideration: If you don't want to wait for them to rust or risk cutting yourself on these long-buried rusty metal pieces, you can achieve the same effect by adding aluminum sulfate to the soil. This is found naturally in kitchen waste and green, sappy plant materials such as grass clippings. FALSE-- Ordinary chalk may temporarily deter or detour ants, but only temporarily. "As a health professional I questioned some of these old wives tales vs. evidence-based practice. Basically it’s like having a smaller pot! Most of the caffeine in coffee grounds is removed when it's brewed, so the amount of caffeine in spent coffee grounds is much lower than the amount needed to kill slugs. The Wiltshire Badger Group claimed the vets were ignoring modern science and relying on old wives' tales. The granular texture of coffee grounds may deter slugs, but in an earlier Which? Is that an old wives’ tale or is there some truth to a correlation between forsythia bushes blooming and ideal planting conditions? Many gardening tips have been passed down through the generations, but are they simply myths or do they have any scientific weight? Plants that are not only beautiful, but can perform through our intense Houston summer heat. By Denise Some farmers believe that plants, which grow above ground, should always be planted in the morning, like beans cucumbers, peas and melons. came up with some surprising results... Illustrations: Alex Green for the Guardian, gardening illustration 2 Photograph: Alex Green. ‘Old wives’ tales’ – “A widely held traditional belief that is now thought to be unscientific or incorrect”. But if you are concerned, just don't turn them or till them into the soil. Yesterday, Clay’s father brought us a few new plants to add to our collection, including one that is a descendent of a christmas cactus originally owned by his great grandmother! There are countless old wives’ tales about the alleged danger of sleep, as you are vulnerable during that state. Of course roses and all plants will grow toward the sun so it doesn’t matter what direction the rose is planted. Used tea leaves are best added to your compost heap. 4/16/2013 0 Comments Ever hear of an old wives tale about what to put in or around your plants to help them produce a more abundant supply? 21. TRUE -- The scientific reasoning behind this is that as we talk or sing to our plants we release carbon dioxide with our breath. Love your Winter Lawn! Plant Summer Snowflake bulbs in fall for a jump on spring blooms! The black walnut, Juglans nigra, produces a chemical that destroys or deters plant competition, a process known as allelopathy. Others say it might unblock something in the trees nutrient-transport system. Fir no one should be planted in the house or outside the house … How Dirt Makes You Happy: Antidepressant Microbes In Soil, Brown Patch Disease - Overwatering Grass in Fall. Folk lore is rich in stories of plants and the effects they have on people. Spice Up Your Winter Landscape. Singing or talking to flowers helps them to grow better. Some people have even had success spreading tea bags around in their flower beds, since they also add much needed acid to the soil. When a drip system is used, water is released slowly and steadily, plus directly to the root zone, so it's never wasted through evaporation or runoff. Maybe it was just a late bloomer? Old Wives’ Tales About Plants. Mid-September to mid-October is the best time to strengthen and prepare your lawn to survive the winter and vigorously recover in the spring. The stories shared in the local pub or over a cup of tea or something stronger down at the allotment, or over the garden fence/gate!! Over watering during the cooler months creates conditions for fungal diseases such as Brown Patch to set in. A collection of superstitions, beliefs, and old wives tales from various cultures and eras. Containers are perfect for growing many types of herbs. Some researchers suggest that it shocks the plant into production, if for no other reason than the plant thinks it is in danger and needs to reproduce. Many people used to believe that having plants in one’s bedroom was a terrible idea. This encourages the plant to convert it to oxygen, which in turn produces more growth. 30 Old Wives Tales About Food in Your Kitchen that Might Actually Work. The theory Water droplets act as mini magnifying glasses, which focus the sun's rays and scorch leaves.The evidence For the first time last year, researchers investigated the effect of water droplets and sunlight on leaves. TRUE -- The black walnut tree produces a chemical called juglone that inhibits many other plants from growing under them, thus less competition with the tree for the nutrients in the soil. Another old Christmas wives’ tale is that water turns to wine at midnight on Christmas Eve. This article first appeared in Gardening Which? The Landscaping trends for 2018 are putting a great deal of emphasis on providing simple pleasure to the homeowners! ‘It is an old wives' tale that this is supposed to be lucky, but I have no idea why.’ ‘In addition to formal calendars using certain flowers, superstitions and old wives' tales about plants and flowers abound for each month of the year.’ These superstitions come from various sources and countries. You can find many self-pollinating peach, apple, apricot, pear and cherry trees. For £4, I picked up a book called The Gardener’s Folklore, by Margaret Baker, originally published in the US in 1977 (there are second-hand versions available on the internet). This is why rusty nails, saw blades, tin cans or other forms of tin buried among the roots of the hydrangea shrub seem to change the color of the hydrangea to blue. Plastic does not have the wicking action that clay has, making them an excellent choice for moisture-loving plants or for those gardeners who water infrequently. The "old wives" part possibly comes from how for centuries, medical knowledge, particularly concerning minor ailments, pregnancy, and birth, would have been the purview of … But where is the carbon dioxide coming from in the stereo system? Learn a simple approach to planning an edible garden for any landscape. I found a fun website, Pinkie’s Parlour, that gives lots of old wives tales about plants. Japanese maples can be a stunning sculptural element in the garden, offering up year-round interest. TIP:  Click here to see our blog about Composting basics, and the many benefits thereof. Bury them just below the surface. They found that parsnips developed a sweet flavour after cold storage, and that there was a rapid increase in the sugar content of parsnips that had been stored at 0C compared with those that had been stored at 10C.The verdict True: parsnips really do taste sweeter after being exposed to the cold. They provide their own pollen and they fertilize themselves! This myth is actually completely true and as strange and made up as it sounds is actually something we recommend for our customers to follow. Yes, you can plant edibles in the ornamental garden... Summers in Texas can be scorching, but there is a simple remedy: Plant more trees! If you've got the right balance of nitrogen-rich and carbon-rich materials in your heap, there's little evidence that adding extra nutrients benefits microorganisms and speeds up composting. * woolly worm tell of a bad winter if there are a lot of them crawling about he has a heavy coat, you see him crawling before the first frost, if he’s black in the front, the bad weather is coming It contains aluminium, fluorine and manganese, which are harmless to people but high concentrations in very strong or stewed tea may retard plant growth.The verdict False: regular watering and an occasional liquid feed are better for plant health than relying on tea. They eventually took a baseball bat and beat the trunk. Does anyone know of this superstition or the origin or the import. Older myths included some interesting items. The theory Caffeine is toxic to slugs and snails, and mulching with coffee grounds therefore deters these garden pests.The evidence US researchers have shown that spraying plants with a caffeine solution equivalent to a strong cup of coffee does kill slugs, but there is currently no direct evidence that coffee grounds have the same effect. The strange practices described in old wives’ tales have no place in traditional or folk medicine, which are practically plant based without resorting to rituals or spells. Well, as it turns out many are not true at all and were probably either invented as ways to get children to behave or started out as misconceptions about the scientific workings of the world. More water will evaporate compared with the amount lost when watering at a cooler time of day. TRUE & FALSE -- There is no scientific evidence that clearly proves or disproves this. - Check out Tripadvisor members' 7,623 candid photos and videos of Jardin Botanico de Cienfuegos Jardin Botanico de Cienfuegos, Cienfuegos Picture: My guide provided old stories, wives tales that helped me relate to the trees and plants. The theory Human and animal urine is a source of nitrogen, which speeds up decomposition by boosting the activity of composting organisms. You could attract these pests with grapefruit rinds, banana peels, a damp wooden board, etc. It's not just chalk -- anything that disrupts the scent trail will briefly stop the march of ants. The problem is, 90% of the plants they mention won’t grow here. Mine is a generation without old wives' tales or handy money-saving hints. So which are sound gardening advice or not? The theory Nodules on the roots of peas and beans (legumes) harness nitrogen from the air and make it available to plants.The evidence Research has shown that almost all the nitrogen gathered by bacteria in the root nodules of legumes is passed straight into the plant.