Plant friends, I’m so excited to finally bring this highly request episode to your earbuds! I have to be honest, for the first 3 years I really wasn’t getting the whole “hoya craze” that many of my plant friends were going through, I just didn’t get it. But after I was gifted a Hoya compacta from a listener… and realized how much it looked like stacked tortellinis, I started falling in love. THEN I went down a rabbit hole of what Hoya flowers looked like and I was sold. When looking for a guest for this show, I knew I had to look no further than Doug Chamberlain, the man behind Vermont Hoyas. Doug is one of the most successful Hoya collectors in all of the states and documents his collection on his blog. Today he shares his passion for hoyas and lots of information about them: where they grow in the wild, basic care, how he achieves ideal humidity in his home, a deep dive into flowers, we bust a few Hoya myths and then he shares his Top 5 Hoyas for Beginners, 3 Hoyas for Advanced Plant Parents and then assigns the perfect Hoya for each Plant Parent Personality. 

You’re going to hear a lot of intimidating latin plant names, but he provided amazing photos of all the hoyas which we have collected for your hoya heads in two ways: 

1. You can find them on the blog 
2. We’ve made a youtube episode with just the matchmaking portion of this podcast with Doug’s photos superimposed over the audio, so you can watch and listen along to connect the photos to what we are talking about.

I hope this episode sparks your curiosity within the Hoya family, and I'd love to know what your favorite Hoya's are! Share them with my on instagram @bloomandgrowradio.

In this episode we learn:

• Dougs Plant Parent History and introduction to Hoya and his Ideal Hoya Set Up
• Where Hoya's live in nature [11:11]
• Why are Hoya's called "the wax plant" [14:00]
• Where Hoya got it's name [15:20]
• General Care Guidelines for All Hoyas [15:40]
• Doug's Set Up (and humidity hacks0 [16:29]
• What does a sunburn look like on a Hoya leaf [19:50]
• Best Watering Practices for Hoya [21:00]
• Words of encouragement from Doug when you have a hoya fail [24:00]
• If Hoya's like to be potbound [25:30]
• How to pot up a hoya [26:26]
• Best potting mix for a Hoya [27:50]
• What is a peduncle [32:00]
• What is bud blast [33:50]
• Why does a hoya bud fall off before it blooms [34:27]
• How to get your hoya to bloom [35:15]
• What is a "day length specific" hoya bloom
• How frequently does a Hoya bloom [38:00]
• Is there a hack to force Hoya to flower? [39:00]
• 5 Easiest Hoyas to Care for [39:30]
•  Rarer Hoya's for Advanced Plant Parents [44:20]
• Matchmaking for the Bloom and Grow Plant Parent Personalities! [47:10]
• How to fertilize hoyas [53:00]
• Listener Questions!
• Propagation tips [54:00]
• Tips for stimulating leaf growth [57:00]

Spelling and Hoyas Mentioned:

5 Easiest Hoyas to Care for

Hoya Carnosa, Hoya Carnosa Crimson Queen, Hoya Pubicalyx, Hoya Cumingiana (Doug's Favorite!), Hoya Lacunosa, Hoya sp aff burtoniae

Rare Hoya's for Advanced Plant Parents

Hoya engleriana, Hoya polystachya, Hoya Aff clemensiorum

Plant Parent Personality Hoya Pairings

Mindful Plant Parent Pairing: Hoya undulata

Low Key Plant Parent: Hoya obovata

Curious Collector Plant Parent: Hoya amicabilis

Design Based Plant Parent: Hoya finlaysonii

Urban Farmer: Hoya empirialis (harvest the flowers)

Best Scented Hoyas

Hoya lacunosa, Hoya sp aff burtoniae, Hoya calycina

Lovingly the best place to buy flowers online, matching you with a community of real, local florists across the US and Canada. Their website pairs you with local florists who create a custom bouquet for your loved one. Support local while supporting your loved ones and spread the planty love and get $9.99 your order at lovingly.com with code "BloomAndGrow" at checkout.

Soltech Solutions Luxury Grow Lights: Whether its simply getting through the lower light winter- or if you’re like me and you’ve just got too many plants  and too few windows and need to bring more light indoors so your collection can keep growing- Soltech Solutions has the luxury lighting option for you! Soltech is offering BAGR listeners 20% off with code "20BLOOM" at soltechsolutions.com once again thats soltechsolutions.com and code 20BLOOM at checkout for 20%off.

Follow Doug

Website: vermonthoyas.com

Youtube: Doug Chamberlain 

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Take the Bloom and Grow Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle)

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Tiktok: @bloomandgrowradio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Today we invite Dr Elle Barnes back to the show after our very successful conversation after I took Intro to Plant Science with her at NYBG. Elle is a scientist and teacher for NYBG and in addition to Intro to Plant Science, I recently took The Science of Tree Communication class with as well. It was WILD to learn about the underground “wood wide web” that the forest runs on, and how trees communicate with one another through VOCs. I frequently go for morning walks in nearby woods, and since I took that class, I truly look at forest environment differently, and have such a deeper appreciation for it. Plant friends, there is a network of mycorrhizae negotiating transport of vital compounds for trees under every step we take outside! How cool is that?!

In addition to the “Wood Wide Web,” a big part of our conversation in The Science of Tree Communication class was HOW trees and plants communicate with each other through VOCs or Volatile Organic Compounds. Since VOCs are a hot topic in the plant community regarding how “plants clean air”, we took a deep dive to understanding this concept. Get ready to learn all about VOCs, what they are, how they are used and the great “Wood Wide Web”.

Thanks to the NYBG for continuing to create enriching courses that have helped further my Plant Parent Knowledge. Check their offerings out here If you are in the NY area, the NYBG is back open, including the Palm Conservatory and is an absolutely DREAM! Consider becoming a member!

Have you taken the 2020 Bloom and Grow Radio Listener Survey ?! Please take 5 minutes to take this survey and be a part of the future of Bloom and Grow Radio and Media! I did this survey 2 years ago and it was INSTRUMENTAL in planning episode topics and community resources. I can't wait to hear from you!

What's your Plant Parent Personality? Take the FREE Bloom and Grow Plant Parent Personality Quiz to get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle

In this episode we learn:

• How and why plants communicate with each other
• The "fake news" that VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) are all bad for us
• How plants use VOCs to communicate with each other and themselves
• The above ground plant communication system
• If plants ACTUALLY clean the air, and how and why we might have been mislead with this notion
• If VOCS are all bad
• The difference between a VOC that comes off of a plant and one that comes off of a carpet
• The truth about the scent of fresh cut grass (and why it smells that way)
• What the scent of a rose actually is (it's a VOC!)
• How plants use VOCs to attract pollinators
• Maria's OBSESSION with The Overstory
• How plants and animals have evolved together
• "The enemy of my enemy" theory when it comes to how plants attract certain pollinators
• The "Wood Wide Web" and the underground plant communication system
• How fungi help trees and plants communicate with each other
• Dr Barnes' most "mind blowing" fact about trees and VOC
• Why Monstera are conditioned to look for darkness and not light
• VOCs and the Ozone

Mentioned in Today's Episode:

• Dr's Barnes first episode on BAGR: Mind Blowing Facts from Intro to Plant Science
• Online courses offered at NYBG (This was based off of The Science of Tree Communication)
• The Overstory (Maria's absolute favorite book) * Bookstore.com Affiliate Link

Thank you to today's sponsors!

Soltech Solutions Luxury Grow Lights: Whether its simply getting through the lower light winter- or if you’re like me and you’ve just got too many plants  and too few windows and need to bring more light indoors so your collection can keep growing- Soltech Solutions has the luxury lighting option for you! Soltech is offering BAGR listeners 20% off with code 20BLOOM at soltechsolutions.com once again thats soltechsolutions.com and code 20BLOOM at checkout for 20%off.

Espoma Organics: for responsibly made, fabulous indoor and outdoor organic soils, fertilizers, pest control sprays and more visit espoma.com to find your local dealer or check out my amazon storefront of my favorite Espoma products here.

Follow Dr Elle Barnes

Twitter:@ecoevoelle

Follow The New York Botanical Garden:

IG: www.instagram.com/nybg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NYBotanicalGarden/

www.nybg.org

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Take the Bloom and Grow Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle)

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Tiktok: @bloomandgrowradio

"You can't reach the brain till you go through the heart" - Joe Dombrowski

I'm thrilled to welcome back Joe Dombrowski (@mrDtimes3) to the show after our wonderful episode on Plants in the Classroom a couple of years ago. Since then a lot has changed, Joe and I have become IRL friends (I was able to visit him in 2019 and we took an amazing trip to the Amazon Spheres together which you'll hear about in the episode), Joe has become a full time comedian AND... classrooms are looking very different these days. Since many kids are home with the pandemic, Joe and I thought we'd put together a list of fun planty experiments and projects to do with kids while we spend this time at home together. There is a project for every type of kid and every age. We hope this episode helps with ideas to get children (or adult children like us!) off of their phones and into the dirt and getting curious about plants. Please share your projects with us on instagram! @mrdtimes3 & @bloomandgrowradio

Have you taken the 2020 Bloom and Grow Radio Listener Survey - Please take 5 minutes to take this survey and be a part of the future of Bloom and Grow Radio and Media! I did this survey 2 years ago and it was INSTRUMENTAL in planning episode topics and community resources. I can't wait to hear from you!

In this episode we learn:

• Joe and Maria remember their trip to the Amazon Spheres together
• Joe's opinion on kids going back to school
• [12:25] Project 1: Seed Germination in a Bag
• [19:50] Project 2: Sweet Potato Experiment and understanding the scientific process
• Project 3: Pothos Propagation 3 Ways
• Project 4: Fairy Gardens and Terrariums
• Project 5: List of Interactive Plants for Kids
• Joe's list of his personal favorite plants in his collection
• Joe's most recent plant parent win

For photos and instructions for these projects, check the blog for today's podcast  https://bloomandgrowradio.com/kids/

Mentioned in this episode:

• Episode 23: Plants in the Classroom with @mrdtimes3
• Maria's new tiktok account
• Bloom and Grow Youtube Channel
• Here is a slink to the book A Family Guide to Terrariums
• Mushroom Grow Kits! This is my favorite one from Back to the Roots!
• Back to the Roots Fishtank Water/Microgreen Garden
• Maria's episode on JOE's podcast, Social Studies

Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Soltech Solutions Luxury Grow Lights: Whether its simply getting through the lower light winter- or if you’re like me and you’ve just got too many plants  and too few windows and need to bring more light indoors so your collection can keep growing- Soltech Solutions has the luxury lighting option for you! Soltech is offering BAGR listeners 20% off with code 20BLOOM at soltechsolutions.com once again thats soltechsolutions.com and code 20BLOOM at checkout for 20%off.

Thank you Territorial Seed Co for sponsoring today's episode! Territorial Seed Co provides high quality seeds and plants (over 2000 varieties) that are tried and tested on their 75 acre farm and have a ton of fall varieties for us to try! For seeds, their online garden planner, how to videos and more visit TerritorialSeed.com and use code BLOOM20 for 20% off.

Follow Joe

Website: https://www.mrdtimes3.com/
Podcast: https://studyhall.libsyn.com/

Instagram: @mrdtimes3

Tiktok: @mrdtimes3
Merch Shop: https://www.shopmrdtimes3.com/

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Take the Bloom and Grow Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle)

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Tiktok: @bloomandgrowradio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

So thrilled to welcome Chris Satch back to the show for an UNBELIEVABLE, comprehensive conversation on all things WATERING! We cover everything from top watering, bottom watering, troubleshooting, how to identify root rot and many listener questions. This is not an episode to miss if you have any questions around watering your plants!

Have you taken the 2020 Bloom and Grow Radio Listener Survey - Please take 5 minutes to take this survey and be a part of the future of Bloom and Grow Radio and Media! I did this survey 2 years ago and it was INSTRUMENTAL in planning episode topics and community resources. I can't wait to hear from you!

Check out my youtube video on how I water my plants

In this episode we learn:

• [5:00]What Chris is loving in his collection lately
• A quick overview on how to propagate fern spores
• How to grow mosses
• [12:30] What BAGR listeners are struggling with when it comes to how to water your plants
• [13:00] Why is watering so important to our plants?
• [14:20] What are xylem and phloem and how do the affect watering?
• [15:40] What is transpiration?
• [16:20] The connection between soil moisture and light
• [18:18] How humidity affects transpiration and our plants watering schedules
• [21:15] What are microclimates and how do they affect humidity
• [23:30] Watering Hack #1: Group Plants with Similar Needs Together
• [24:50] Chris's opinion on Top Watering Vs Bottom Watering
• [26:20 ] Best Top Watering Practices
• [29:00] Maria's (STRONG) opinion about care cards and watering instructions
• [30:50] What does "water when dry" mean- how many inches of soil should the top of the soil dry out
• [32:42] Watering Hack #2: Use the pot weight to understand how heavy soil saturation feels and get to know how a dry pot feels like as well
• [36:20] What is the ideal temperature for watering your plants
• [36:50] How to leave water in the catch tray of your pot with drainage
• [ 40:20] Best Bottom Watering Practices
• [42:10] Chris's issues with Bottom Watering
• [46:34] Root Rot: what it is, how do we fix it, how can we avoid it
• [48:30] Signs that you've under watered your plant
• [48:40] Signs that you've over watered your plant
• [49:50] Maria's honest experience about overwatering her plants this year
• [55:30] How Chris saves his plants from root rot
• [55:50] Chris's (STRONG) opinion about self watering pots
• [1:01:22] The truth about spritzing (you might not like this)
• [1:01:53] How brown tips can actually be a sign on fungal infection and not humidity or underwatering
• [1:06] How to use fungicide to treat brown edges on a plant
• [1:07] Why using warm water is important for watering
• [1:07:30] Where the ice cube watering myth started, why it's bogus and why you shouldn't use this method
• [1:08] Tap water vs distilled water vs rain water = does the type of water you water your plants with actually matter?
• [1:10:00]What white spots on leaves are and how to remove them
• [1:10:10]  Hack # 3: use lemon juice to remove white spots on leaves
• [1:11:43] When during the day should you water?
• [1:11:55] Do you water your plant before you repot? or leave it with dry soil?

Mentioned in our conversation:

• Episode 97: How to Care for Ferns with Lisa from Houseplant Guru
• Maria's Youtube Video on How I Water My Plants
• Maria's Youtube video on The Perched Water Table and Drainage
• How Maria saved her variegated Watermelon Peperomia from Root Rot

Thanks to our episode sponsors!

Espoma Organics: for responsibly made, fabulous indoor and outdoor organic soils, fertilizers, pest control sprays and more visit espoma.com to find your local dealer or check out my amazon storefront of my favorite Espoma products here.

Soltech Solutions Luxury Grow Lights: Whether its simply getting through the lower light winter- or if you’re like me and you’ve just got too many plants  and too few windows and need to bring more light indoors so your collection can keep growing- Soltech Solutions has the luxury lighting option for you! Soltech is offering BAGR listeners 20% off with code 20BLOOM at soltechsolutions.com once again thats soltechsolutions.com and code 20BLOOM at checkout for 20%off.

Follow Chris

Instagram: @botanictonic

Website: christophersatch.com

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Take the Bloom and Grow Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle)

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

The 2020 Bloom and Grow Radio Listener Survey is live!- Please take 5 minutes to take this survey and be a part of the future of Bloom and Grow Radio and Media! I did this survey 2 years ago and it was INSTRUMENTAL in planning episode topics and community resources. We had 1000 people complete the survey last time, so my goal for this survey is 3000 planty listeners! I can't wait to hear from you!

At this point in the growing season, I'm sure we all have some beautifully bushy herb plants... and maybe no ideas of what to make with them. Today's episode is focused on getting these homegrown herbs into our bellies! (If you want help learning how to grow herbs, check out Episode 22: Windowsill Herb Gardening).

I’ve connected with some brilliant female chefs who share their favorite herb inspired recipes! Each chef chose an herb, they share why they love it in recipes so much and then educates us on how to cook their favorite dish inspired by their herb! 

The first chunk of this episode is three powerhouse professional chefs who guide us through a LOT of helpful cooking and herb pairing info with mouth watering recipes. Then stay tuned to the end, where Billy shares his famous pesto recipe and my Italian Mom, Mama Failla, shares two sauces you can make with a bounty from the garden. 

Cooking food that I’ve grown myself has been one of the most rewarding parts of my plant parenthood journey, I hope this episodes not only gets you growing but gets you cooking too! Make sure to report back to me and these chefs on IG about what you make!

In this episode we learn:

• [6:50]  Getting to know Chef Serena Wolf and her thoughts on using Mint in recipes
• [16:50] MINT (and BASIL)Watermelon Salad with Tomato, Feta and Herb Vinaigrette Recipe breakdown and tips
• [30:30] Getting to know Chef Priyanka and learn about Coriander/Cilantro and how she uses it in recipe
• [36:55] Coriander Vs Cilantro and how to cook with it's 3 components: Seed, Stem and Leaf
• [40:00] Chef Priyanka's balance of Sweet, Salty, Spicy, Bitter and Umami and how Coriander plays a strong role in that
• [43:19] CORIANDER Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Turmeric, Fennel Seed and Dates
• [50:20] Getting to know Pastry Chef (and high school friend) Becca Newman
• [58:00] Becca breaks down the flavor profile of Lemon Verbena
• [1:01:26] Becca's philosophy of "what grows together, goes together"
• [1:01] LEMON VERBENA Cherry Chocolate and Lemon Verbena Ice Box Cake Recipe
• [1:17:40] Other herb options to substitute into the Ice Box Cake recipe if you don't have lemon verbena
• [1:21:33] BASIL with BILLY! And his famous walnut pesto recipe (we also reveal who we have a couples crush on)
• [1:24:10] Why Billy uses walnuts instead of pine nuts in his pesto
• [1:31:22] ROSEMARY Mama Failla's Rosemary Bolognese
• [1:38:35] SAGE Mama Failla's Butter and Sage Boiled Potatoes
• [1:41] PARSLEY AND THYME Mama Failla's Famous Polpetti! (Meat balls!)

Recipes Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Serena's recipe for Watermelon Salad with Tomato, Feta and Herb Vinaigrette

Chef Priyanka's recipe for Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Turmeric Fennel Seed Dates 

Chef Priyanka's BONUS recipe for  Vegan Indian Stuffed French Toast

Becca's Cherry Chocolate and Lemon Verbena Ice Box Cake

Mama Failla and Billy's Recipes for Rosemary Bolognese, Sage and Butter Sauce, Mama Failla's Meatballs and Billy's Famous Walnut Pesto! 

Check out the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show with Videos of Mama Failla and Billy making their recipes!

Mama Failla makes Rosemary Bolognese

Billy makes Walnut Pesto

Territorial Seed Fast Fall Gardening Fact:

After you make your own pesto or Sauce from Billy and mom’s recipes with freshly harvested garlic- enjoy that flavor all year by freezing the sauce. We suggest filling a sealable freezer bag with the fresh pesto and smoothing it flat so you have about a ½” to ¾” layer. Then seal the bag and freeze. When you need a little pesto flavor, just break off a chunk and toss it into your recipe! I can’t wait to make pesto and bolognese next season with the territorial seed company garlic we are starting this fall!

Thank you Territorial Seed Co for sponsoring today's episode! Territorial Seed Co provides high quality seeds and plants (over 2000 varieties) that are tried and tested on their 75 acre farm and have a ton of fall varieties for us to try! For seeds, their online garden planner, how to videos and more visit TerritorialSeed.com and use code BLOOM20 for 20% off.

Follow Serena

https://domesticate-me.com/

Instagram

Serena's Recipe for Watermelon Salad with Tomato, Feta and Herb Vinaigrette

Follow Priyanka

www.chefpriyanka.com

Instagram 

LinkedIn

Twitter

Facebook

Follow Becca

Instagram 

Follow Billy

Instagram

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Plant Friends WELCOME to the 100th episode of Bloom and Grow Radio. Wow, I can’t believe we are here. 100 episodes over 3 years, when I really thought we might not get past episode 10. I’m humbled, proud and incredibly honored to have been through this journey alongside you. If you’ve been listening, you’ll know that this podcast was such an insane surprise for me. I’m a professional musical theater performer with a degree is in opera, I’ve spent my life as a plant killer, and now here I am, publishing this episode in celebration of 100 times we as a community have shown up to learn and grow together and nerd out about plants and plant care. What?! I’m so thankful to this community for supporting the show with your listens, shares, contributions and engagement. Beyond thankful. So today is going to be a celebration of just that- this beautiful community.

Speaking of community here are some resources I've made for our community to use!

The 2020 Bloom and Grow Radio Listener Survey - Please take 5 minutes to take this survey and let me get to know you! I did this survey 2 years ago and it was INSTRUMENTAL in planning episode topics and community resources. We had 1000 people complete the survey last time, so my goal for this survey is 3000 planty listeners! I can't wait to hear from you!

The Bloom and Grow Radio Episode Directory! I realize 100 episodes can be overwhelming for any new listeners here, so I went through our 100 episode bank and categorized each episode based on its category: Plant Care, Nerdy Science Breakdowns, Wellness, Planty Business, Seasonal, DIY projects, Edible Gardening, Lifestyle, People and Food. That way, if you are a newbie to the show and feel overwhelmed at the feed, or even if your and OG listener, you can review whatever genre interests you and make sure you haven’t missed any episodes! I will continue updating the directory every 20 episodes or so so it’s always up to date, and I hope that it helps you continue your plant care and wellness education :)

Lastly: there’s an epic party happening on IG this week: I'm going live at 1130 EST everyday with one of our favorite guests: yesterday was Leslie Halleck, today Chris Satch, Wednesday Colah from Black in the Garden, Thursday is Summer Rayne Oakes and Friday is Alessia from Apartmentbotanist. We are doing lives where we will have fun plant show and tells and chat and the week is ending in an EPIC giveaway with current and past sponsors of BAGR. Definetly head to @bloomandgrowradio to partake in that giveaway because it is CRAZY!

Top 10 Lessons Learned from 100 Episodes

1. Plants are an instrument for connection
2. Plants make people happy, but they can also make people overwhelmed and anxious.
3. Understanding Light is the Key to Not Killing Plants
4. Using grow lights is an amazing planty home hack
5. Understanding how to water AKA Drainage and capillary action is the OTHER key to not killing plants
6. Plants are a window to wellness
7. With plants, there is always something new to try, no matter how advanced of a plant parent you are!
8. Moss poles are a great addition to your plant fam
9. Anyone can grow their own food
10. Plants are a great way to help children and those in need

Bloom and Grow Radio Goals for the next 100 episodes!

• Continue to connect with our community on a deeper level and get to know you better through the new listener survey

• Spending more time in the private BAGR facebook group

• Designing new ways to get our community involved, virtually for 2020/2021 and IRL in the future!
• Learn more about horticultural therapy and food insecurity and figure out how BAGR can contribute meaningfully
• Grow the brand and business - i feel called to do this full time on a large scale: TV, Book, helping people bloom and grow

What’s clear to me is my role in this plant space is to be a community advocate, to learn alongside you, ask the questions you need answered, and foster relationships virtually or in real life with each other so that we can all grow. I believe caring for plants help develop empathy and kindness, and learning those skills will help us make the world a kinder and greener place, and it’s my calling to help as many people successfully care for plants in order to do that.

Thank you for being alongside me for this beautiful ride. Life looks nothing like what I thought it would when I started this podcast 3 years ago. I’m so thankful for that. My plant friends, I adore you, I wish you the plantiest lives full of growth and happiness and that you, of course, keep blooming and keep growing.

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Music used is entitled "Fresh Fallen Snow" composed by - Chris Haugen and is the property of Youtube Music Library.

Hi Plant Friends!

I cant believe the 100th episode of Bloom and Grow Radio is around the corner! Many of you have been around since episode 1, and I'm so honored to have learned alongside you in this three year journey!

The 100th episode will be my top 10 lessons learned from 100 episodes! I want this episode to be all about our community and these 100 episodes of learning, so I'd like to feature YOU and hear what YOU have learned from the 100 episode catalogue!

I'd love you to call in and answer the following question to get featured in the 100th episode!

What has been your favorite episode of BAGR and how did it help you and/or what is the top thing you've learned from listening to an episode BAGR?

How fun will it be for our community to share their most important lessons with each other? The episode itself will turn into a community sourced, education tribute to all of our amazing guests.

Here are the instructions for calling in!

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Call (203) 998-0394

2) Say and Spell your name and email at the beginning of the message so I can contact you!

3) Share your favorite episode and lesson learned from BAGR in the voicemail!

TIPS:

- Wear headphones with a microphone (way better sound!)

- The google voice only allows for a 3 minute message, so you might want to write out your story, or jot some thoughts down on paper to allow for you to effectively tell your story without getting cut off.

- If your story requires more than 3 minutes, you can call back and leave back to back messages.

Deadline to call is Wednesday August 5th, that's only a 5 days window to call your lessons in, so please do so ASAP.

I can't wait to hear from our community and feature your lessons. Thanks for being part of this beautiful journey and I'm honored to learn alongside and grow with you through every episode.

Plant friends: big announcement, WE’VE MOVED. I’ve been returning to the concept of pruning as I go through many unforeseen changes in life these days, the biggest being that Billy and I have moved out of our tiny NYC apartment in search of adventure and more space. Today I share the science behind pruning, and how it’s been helping me stay present and trust these sudden changes will all work out. I hope it helps you in your transitions and changes of 2020 as well!

My NYC Apartment Tour! 100+ Plants in less than 500 square feet! https://youtu.be/-ahLE_zusrI

FOLLOW MARIA AND BLOOM AND GROW RADIO:

Take the Plant Parent Personality Test!:  Unlock your Plant Parent Potential by taking the test below and get curated recommendations for plants, projects and resources inspired by your lifestyle.

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

I am SO very excited to welcome Dr Elle Barnes, my teacher for my Intro to Plant Science with NYBG. HOLY MOLY this episode was so fun to record. I took the Intro to Plant Science Course with the NYBG virtually via Zoom during this period of social distancing and what I learned throughout the course blew my mind. Intro to Plant Science might be my most favorite class I’ve taken at NYBG yet. We dive into the basics of all of the processes that make our plant babies thrive and there is just so much to learn. Dr Barnes did such a good job at breaking down difficult plant science topics so even I could understand them that I was having major “aha! moments” every class. I started a running list at the bottom of my notes document titled “aha moments” so I could always refer back to them. That list has now turned into this episode!

In today’s chat, I go through the “aha moment” list with Dr Barnes and ask her to help me explain all of these fundamental principals that have helped me understand plant care on such a deeper level. I hope this episode brings you some "aha moments" of your own and helps you and your plant collection to continue to bloom and grow! Please share them with me on Instagram so I can celebrate you!

If you are interested in virtual learning opportunities in this period of social distancing check out NYBG at home which is their virtual hub with tons of free resources like videos, plant guides and virtual events and tours of the garden in addition to ALL of their courses that they have moved online. From botanical art classes, to plant science, there is something for everyone.   https://www.nybg.org/nybg-at-home/ NYBG is also opening it's doors back up in July to their members only. After all this isolation I am so excited to get back to the garden. Members will be the first to be able to access the park after reopening, in addition to free admission year round, special discounts and more- so if you are in the NY area, consider becoming a member this year!

In this episode we learn:

• How Dr Barnes became the Plant Lady scientist she is today
• What is the difference between Monocots and Dicots
• How seeds germinate
• Overview of cellular respiration and photosynthesis
• Can plants emit too much carbon dioxide that it can harm humans?
• What is a VOC
• How plants both emit and absorb VOCs
• Do plants really clean the air?
• How dormancy works
• Modified leaves and what we didn't know about Cacti and Onions
• Roses don't have thorns, they have prickles!
• Spines vs thorns vs prickles
• Flower petals vs sepal
• The concept of apical dominance and how it affects pruning
• What an apical bud is
• What the hormone auxin is and how important it is for our plants growth
• Why Maple trees in colder climates make sweeter syrup
• That a tomato is actually not a fruit or a vegetable
• What is an inflorescence

Thank you to this week's episode sponsor Wallygro!

Wallygro, the company behind my beloved Eco Planter Greenwall, has released a new product: Loop! Loop is Wallygro's clever solution to a hanging planter that looks gorgeous and is designed with your plant's health in mind with it's 2 shell system. The inner shell provides 360 degrees of aeration for drainage and airflow and the outer shell insures no leakage.  PLUS Loop is made of recycled water bottles! Wallygro is giving listeners a limited time discount of 15% off with code BLOOMANDGROW15 at wallygro.com.Offer expires August 4th, 2020.

Follow Dr Elle Barnes

Twitter:@ecoevoelle

Follow The New York Botanical Garden:

IG: www.instagram.com/nybg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NYBotanicalGarden/

www.nybg.org

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Take the Plant Parent Personality Test!:  Unlock your Plant Parent Potential by taking the test below and get curated recommendations for plants, projects and resources inspired by your lifestyle.

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

I’m thrilled to welcome Nadia of Urban Farm Sista to the show today to discuss garden pests and her mission with the Agricademy. Nadia is the plant lady behind several amazing businesses and planty projects including the Urban Farm Sista Educational Social Media Platforms, Quiwi Produce and Agricademy. She graduated from Ohio State in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture where she majored in Animal Sciences/minored in Entomology. Entomology is bugs, plant friends and today we do a DEEP DIVE into the common garden pests and insects that we struggle with and learn how to identify and treat them. I appreciate this conversation with Nadia because she helps us zoom out and understand our gardens as a full ecosystem. In gardening, it's always important to "zoom out" and see the larger picture, this conversation very much illustrates that!

Check out the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show!

What we learn:

• How Nadia became the founder of Quiwi Produce, the Agricademy and Urban Farm Sista
• Why Nadia chose to get a degree in Entomology (studying insects!)
• How to differentiate a "good" vs a "bad" insect
• Zooming out and understanding the garden as an ecosystem and why insects are important
• Why Hemp is important (beyond CBD and Cannabis)
• Most common garden pests: how to identify and treat them
  • Aphids and Ants (Minute 36:00)
  • Caterpillars (Minute 48:25)
  • Leaf Beetles (discussed throughout the episode)
  • Leaf Miners (Minute 1:00)
  • Wasps (1:03)
• Recipe for pest control spray
• Why and how does Neem oil work
• What is BT Bacteria
• What is Diatomaceous Earth
• Why and how to use Insect Nets
• Does releasing predatory bugs outdoors work?
• Nadias non profit: Agricademy
  • Its mission
  • the Food is Essential project

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

Aphid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsTTC7CKO2c&feature=youtu.be

Recipe for Nadias Neem Spray: Found in her amazing Insect Investigator PDF

Bacillus thuringiensis - Information on BT Bacteria

Diatamaceous Earth / Flea Beetles - https://youtu.be/PQ222Sa6XXI

*Bloom and Grow Amazon Affiliate Code*

Thank you to this weeks episode sponsors:

Makespace makes storage simple, seamless and affordable without you EVER having to leave your apartment. They pick up, store and return your stuff and provide the packing materials! To learn more, visit makespace.com and use code SPACEPLZ for $100 off!

Espoma Organics: for responsibly made, fabulous indoor and outdoor organic soils, fertilizers, pest control sprays and more visit espoma.com to find your local dealer or check out my amazon storefront of my favorite Espoma products here.

Follow Nadia

IG: Urbanfarmsista

Youtube: Urbanfarmsista

Agricademyinc.org

Amazon Storefront -https://www.amazon.com/shop/urbanfarmsista  

Donate to Farming is Essential Project

Website: http://www.agricademyinc.org/farming

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Take the Plant Parent Personality Test!:  Unlock your Plant Parent Potential by taking the test below and get curated recommendations for plants, projects and resources inspired by your lifestyle.

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

I’m  so thrilled to invite my Soil Science teacher Dr. Anna Paltseva to join us today for a nerdy conversation about soil science and drainage. I took her Soil Science 101 class virtually with the NYBG this year and learned so much. I look at soil and the earth differently after this course. What we learned is way too much to cover in one episode, so today Dr Paltseva and I hone in on drainage for houseplants: why it’s important, the science behind it and how we can achieve it for our houseplants.  I think one of my top 5 proudest moments over the 95 episode span of BAGR is the "lightbulb moment" we have in this conversation while discussing capillary action. But I’ll let you hear it in your own time in the midst of the episode.

If you want more: I made a super nerdy youtube video companion to this episode. I show you some visuals to further explain what we discussed in our interview and show you the experiments I did for my presentation on drainage.

Speaking of the NYBG, they have created an incredible virtual resource for you in this moment of social distancing: the NYBG At Home center. Since the Garden’s gates are temporarily closed, they’ve opened their virtual gates to you! They’ve compiled videos, plant guides, virtual events for your free entertainment and education and my favorite aspect of the NYBG at Home is their online courses! Plant Friends… these courses aren’t free, but they are so worth it. I got so much out of my soil science class, I will never pot a plant the same again, and this intro to plant science class is transforming the way I look at my balcony garden and plants. Check everything they have to offer at https://www.nybg.org/nybg-at-home/

In this episode we learn:

• Anna's childhood that inspired her to become a Soil Scientist
• Why fresh produce literally tastes better in Italy (hint... it has to do with the soil)
• What is the difference between soil and dirt
• Differences between outdoor and indoor soil
• Why indoor houseplant soil needs to be aerated
• The purpose of aeration
• Ways to help your soil that has become "hydrophobic"
• The "recipe" for soil
• How Sand, Silt and Clay drain at different rates and how that affects your soil
• What is "capillary action" and why bottom watering is best
• What is adhesion and cohesion in relation to capillary action
• Can you overwater a plant using the bottom watering method?
• What is the Perched Water Table
• How Maria has changed her plant care practices after learning about the Perched Water Table
• How do plants absorb minerals through roots and soil
• What are macro and micro nutrients
• What nutrients are important for our plants

Mentioned in the episode:

Bloom and Grow Youtube Show on Drainage

Thank you to this week's episode sponsor:

Espoma Organics: for responsibly made, fabulous indoor and outdoor organic soils, fertilizers, pest control sprays and more visit espoma.com to find your local dealer or check out my amazon storefront of my favorite Espoma products here.

Follow Dr Anya Paltseva

Instagram: @soil_expert

Website: https://www.annapaltseva.com/publications

Youtube: Anna Paltseva

Follow The New York Botanical Garden:

IG: www.instagram.com/nybg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NYBotanicalGarden/

www.nybg.org

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Take the Plant Parent Personality Test!:  Unlock your Plant Parent Potential by taking the test below and get curated recommendations for plants, projects and resources inspired by your lifestyle.

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

On the heels of the #amplifymelanatedvoices initiative, we take pause to reflect on the national and international conversation happening around the Black Lives Matter movement. We hear excerpts from two episodes with two beautiful Black Plant People, Christopher from PlantKween and Colah from Black in the Garden, share inspiring stories about how the Plant Community rallied to raise money and support the Black Lives Matters Movement, hear what Maria and Bloom and Grow's commitments are and end with a special poem and time for reflection. 

Featured  Voices, Resources and Inspirational Stories of the Plant Community Stepping Up to Support Black Lives Matter

Follow Christopher AKA PlantKween on Instagram: @plantkween

Follow Colah and Black in the Garden: on Instagram @blackinthegarden  and subscribe on iTunes: Black in the Garden Podcast

Ross Gay: A Small Needful Fact  https://www.rossgay.net/about

Summer Rayne Oakes #PlantOneForward resource for Black Owned Plant Shops - this can be added to, so many sure your or your favorite black owned plant shops are on this list! 

Betsy Begonia's US Black Owned Plant Related Businesses List - you can also email her to add others onto the list 

Permacrafters created a list of 50 Black Voices in the Green Space to follow under the following categories: Herbalism, Environmental Justice, Climate Activism, Outdoors, Ecology, Vegan, Sustainable Living, Farming and Food Justice,  Sustainable Fashion, Filmmaking and more 

Follow Christopher AKA PlantKween

Instagram: @plantkween

Follow Colah and Black in the Garden:

iTunes: Black in the Garden Podcast

IG: @blackinthegarden 

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

So thrilled to be welcoming Becca de la Plants and  SO MANY of our favorite plant-tubers to the show today on an epic cross media collaboration! I have become very curious about the Plant-tube, the Planty corner of Youtube, and decided to do a deep dive by reaching out to YOUR favorite plant-tubers to get answers to my questions! This is a two part episode hosted on the Bloom and Grow Radio Podcast and Youtube Show. Todays podcast episode has special guest Becca de la Plants for a conversation on all things youtube: history, the differences in the plant-tube sect of the youtube space, maintaining a channel, growing one, monetization and etiquette. THEN we have a beautiful montage of 11 plant-tubers sharing why they love their channels and the plant-tube community and why (you'll be surprised at how varied their answers are!). THEN on the Bloom and Grow Youtube Channel, we have a video with all 13 of us sharing How to Sow, Grow and Nourish a Plant-tube Channel with tips for creating your OWN channel if you are curious. These plant-tubers are sweet, passionate people and I feel lucky to have gotten to know them over the course of this collaboration. Make sure to head to their channels and subscribe and give them some love!

In this Episode We Learn:

• Becca's journey to becoming Becca De Le Plants
• Youtube Vs Planttube
• Why Plant-tube might have the most haters
• How Plant-tube fits into the world of Youtube
• Etiquette for watching and engaging with plant-tube videos
• How plant-tubers make money (if they do)
• How to connect with local plant people in your community #indoorjungledirectory
• A compilation of our favorite Plant-tubers sharing their favorite part about having a Plant-tube channel (dont forget to listen to this part, it will give you all the feels!)

Make sure to check out the video companion to this episode: How to Sow, Grow and Nourish a Plant-tube Channel!

Follow Our Plant-tube Collaborators!

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Take the Plant Parent Personality Test!:  Unlock your Plant Parent Potential by taking the test below and get curated recommendations for plants, projects and resources inspired by your lifestyle.

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Today we welcome back Marc Hachadourian from the New York Botanical Garden to the show! You might remember Marc from Episode 50: Maranta, Calathea and Stromanthe 101 where he gave so many amazing tips and tricks for caring for this finicky but beautiful group of plants. Now he is back for an in depth review of the world of Begonias! He gives us the history of these plants and tips and guidelines to keep these gorgeous creatures thriving in our homes. As you’ll learn in the episode, I’ve always been a bit scared of Begonias, but after this episode, I’ve found myself cruising online plant shops for an Angel Wing Begonia… I found a Red Ruby Begonia which I’ve ordered off of amazon and will do an unboxing of when it arrives, but if you have the inside scoop on where I can get an Angel Wing Begonia… let me know on the post for the podcast episode on IG!

Marc Hachadourian is the Director of Glasshouse Horticulture and Senior Curator of Orchids at the New York Botanical Garden. His amazing plant brain, friendly personality and passion for plants is kind of legendary in the plant space and I’m so excited to bring him back for another show. I could seriously talk to Marc all day. And I’m so thankful to the New York Botanical Garden for lending him to us for this episode.

Speaking of the NYBG, they have created an incredible virtual resource for you in this moment of social distancing: the NYBG At Home center. Since the Garden’s gates are temporarily closed, they’ve opened their virtual gates to you! They’ve compiled videos, plant guides, virtual events- like you can take a virtual tour of the Orchid Show or the Magnolias in Bloom and my favorite aspect of the NYBG at Home is their online courses! I just finished Soil Science 101 with them and I’m currently taking Intro to Plant Science with them. Plant Friends… these courses aren’t free, but they are so worth it. I got so much out of my soil science class, I will never pot a plant the same again, and this intro to plant science class is transforming the way I look at my balcony garden and plants. I’m like trying to lecture Billy about monocots vs dicots and plant adaptions and he is looking at me like a crazy person. But if you aren’t interested in getting science-y they also have Botanical Watercolor, Botanical Embroidery and currently have a series called “All About Containers” if you are interested in growing edibles in containers this season. Check everything they have to offer at https://www.nybg.org/nybg-at-home/

In this episode we learn:

• Marc's love of Begonias
• The Begonia's  (and other plant) that was featured in American Gothic 
• The wide variety of Begonias available to plant parents
• Marc's famous Houseplant Hospital and Humidity Hacks
• General care guidelines for light, soil and watering of Begonias
• Where Begonias grow in the natural world

Mentioned in today's episode:

Maria's favorite soil company, Espoma Organics

Leslie Hallecks book on Propagation: Plant Parenting

Thank you to this week's episode sponsors:

Modern Sprout: for more information on Modern Sprout's amazing *NEW* line of indoor grow lights and adorable and innovative hydroponic grow kits, seed starter kits, seed pops, planty accessories and more visit www.modernsprout.com and use code "15BLOOM" at checkout for 15% off.

Espoma Organics: for responsibly made, fabulous indoor and outdoor organic soils, fertilizers, pest control sprays and more visit espoma.com to find your local dealer or check out my amazon storefront of my favorite Espoma products here.

Follow The New York Botanical Garden:

IG: www.instagram.com/nybg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NYBotanicalGarden/

www.nybg.org

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Take the Plant Parent Personality Test!:  Unlock your Plant Parent Potential by taking the test below and get curated recommendations for plants, projects and resources inspired by your lifestyle.

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

So excited to welcome my MOM back to Bloom and Grow Radio today! It feels very fitting to have her joining us so close to Mother's Day! You might remember her from Episode 20: Talking Tomatoes when she gave us her Italian secrets to tomato gardening, and now she's back to talk about what she's learned with 5 years of edible landscaping under her belt (and a lifetime of general gardening experience). She shares her top 10 tips for Edible Landscaping and Gardening with our audience today and has a LOT to share.

In this episode we learn:

• My Mom's history as a plant lady
• Her garden growing up with my Italian Grandparents
• Her tip for how to memorize your houseplant names
• Her process for evaluating her new house and figuring out how to start a garden on new land
• How she chooses plants for her garden
• How she grew the "Failla Farm" section by section over 5 years
• Mom's top 10 tips for edible landscaping and beginning gardeners!

Read the top 10 tips on the blog! https://bloomandgrowradio.com/momtips/

Check out the Youtube Tour of my Moms Garden! 

I’m so excited to finally welcome Jane Perrone of On the Ledge Podcast to the show. Jane and I have both been podcasting for almost three years now and, if we do say so ourselves, are the OG houseplant centered podcast on the airwaves. It’s only taken three years and a pandemic to make our schedules clear enough to pull our heads out of the production of our own shows to finally visit each other shows, so we thought it would be fun to interview each other on our shows in the same week. So if you are interested in hearing Jane interview me you can check out her channel, and if you are a new listener of Jane’s coming here to hear her interview, welcome!

In this episode we learn:

• If Jane Perrone and I view each other as competition
• How we feel about being the OG houseplant podcasters
• How Jane's family has reacted to her plant collection
• One particular topic that Jane wants to set the record straight about
• How both Jane and Maria have developed their knowledge of plant care
• Jane's favorite houseplant of the moment
• What Jane's house plant set up is in her home
• How many plants and grow lights Jane currently has in her home
• What the rarest plant Jane has is
• Why the term "plant parent" can be tricky for some people

Check out my Modern Sprout Growbar and Growhouse installation on this weeks Youtube Show video

Thank you to this week's episode sponsor: Modern Sprout!

For more information on Modern Sprout's amazing *NEW* line of smart indoor grow lights and adorable and innovative hydroponic grow kits, seed starter kits, seed pops, planty accessories and more visit www.modernsprout.com and use code "15BLOOM" at checkout for 15% off.

*discount code not available for Mother's Day Bundles*

Have you taken the Bloom and Grow Plant Parent Personality Test yet? Take the 2 minute test to learn your Plant Parent Personality and what plants, projects and podcast episodes are perfectly suited to your lifestyle!

Follow Jane:

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Take the Plant Parent Personality Test!:  Unlock your Plant Parent Potential by taking the test below and get curated recommendations for plants, projects and resources inspired by your lifestyle.

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

So excited to welcome Toby Adams, the Director of the Edible Academy for the New York Botanical Garden onto the show to talk all things vegetable gardening!

The NYBG Edible Academy is a state-of-the-art educational facility featuring hands-on activities and innovative programs that help children, families, teachers, and the general public learn about growing and preparing vegetables, fruit, and herbs while encouraging a lifelong interest in gardening, nutrition awareness, and environmental stewardship. Toby has worked at the NYBG for almost 20 years, and has a passion for helping people understand how to grow food- as you’ll see in our interview.

We don't talk a lot of about herbs because I've already done an Herb Garden 101 episode with a horticulturalist from NYBG on another episode! If you are interested in growing herbs check out Episode 22: Windowsill Herb Gardening 101

I’ve been taking a lot of online courses in this time of isolation and spending a lot of time focusing on what I will grow on my tiny balcony garden this spring and summer. The New York Botanical Garden has an unbelievable array of online courses and even have a Horticulture Certificate degree you can complete! I've taken several NYBG courses and am totally hooked! The first course I took was Fundamentals of Gardening and I’m currently enrolled in the virtual Soil Science 101 class. Plant friends… I am loving these classes so much, as I’m finding they are teaching me the underlying reasons behind so many basic plant care techniques I know.

Learn with me! I’ll be taking Intro to Plant Science with the NYBG  starting April 23^rd and I’d love for you to join me! I cannot WAIT to dive into the scientific processes our plants go through that I don’t quite understand and would love to have you in class with me!

In case this episode gets you excited and you want to learn more about vegetable gardening, they also have four virtual courses focusing on vegetable gardening coming up!

• Rooftop Gardening (Starts April 22)
• Mastering the Art of Tomato Gardening (April 23)
• Vegetable Gardening Saturday (April 25)
• Super Small Space Veggie Gardening (Starts April 28)

In this episode we learn:

• Maria's overview of the main takeaways she took from her Fundamentals of Gardening Class
• Annual vs Perennial
• Compost vs Mulch
• Basic Garden Design Strategies
• What is the Edible Academy at NYBG and how is it reconnect kids with food
• What are the Fundamentals of Vegetable Gardening
  • Understanding what you want to grow
  • Understanding what you CAN grow
  • Understanding your growing conditions
• The pluses and minuses to container gardening vs bed gardening
• Best soil to use for vegetables and herbs
• How to assess your garden sunlight
• General fertilizing guidelines
• Easy to grow Spring edibles: Lettuce, Radishes, Sugar Snap Peas
• Easy to grow Summer edibles: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, beans
• What not to grow (and why)
• Why everyone should try vegetable gardening this year

Mentioned in the episode:

Take the Plant Parent Personality Test!:  Unlock your Plant Parent Potential by taking the test below and get curated recommendations for plants, projects and resources inspired by your lifestyle.

NYBG Online Courses

• Intro to Plant Science (Starts April 23 and I'll be taking it!)
• Rooftop Gardening (Starts April 22)
• Mastering the Art of Tomato Gardening (April 23)
• Vegetable Gardening Saturday (April 25)
• Super Small Space Veggie Gardening (Starts April 28)

All of NYBG's virtual content, including a link to online classes, can be accessed through NYBG at Home

USDA Hardiness Zones: enter your zip code in the map here to find yours!

Soil Testing: find your local cooperative agent for testing guidelines

Thank you to this week's episode sponsors!

For more information on Modern Sprout's amazing *NEW* line of indoor grow lights and adorable and innovative hydroponic grow kits, seed starter kits, seed pops, planty accessories and more visit www.modernsprout.com and use code "15BLOOM" at checkout for 15% off. 

For responsibly made, fabulous indoor and outdoor organic soils, fertilizers, pest control sprays and more visit espoma.com to find your local dealer or check out my amazon storefront of my favorite Espoma products here.

Follow The New York Botanical Garden:

IG: www.instagram.com/nybg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NYBotanicalGarden/

www.nybg.org

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Take the Plant Parent Personality Test!:  Unlock your Plant Parent Potential by taking the test below and get curated recommendations for plants, projects and resources inspired by your lifestyle.

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Today's episode is simply me sharing things that are inspiring me in this weird time for our country. There is so much to be scared of, but so much to be thankful for and inspired by. A lot of people are feeling helpless and alone, and this is a list of ways that you can help those in need and yourself in the Age of Corona!

Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode:

#PlantOneForward Initiative

Summer Rayne Oakes' #plantoneforward initiative: Summer Rayne is encouraging everyone in our community to support local growers and plant shops by sending one plants to one person who could use cheering up in this moment: a loved one, a plant friend, or maybe even someone you've lost touch with. If you can afford to, this is a great way to help our beloved plant shops (and the growers that supply them) stay in business. I sent a thank you plant from @plantsbypost

From Summer Raynes' Blog post: "If even 100 of us do so, we’ll positively affect the lives of 300 people (you, the person who owns the shop, and the person you give the plant to); 300 becomes 900; 900 becomes 2,700; 2,700 becomes 8,100; 8,100 becomes 24,300; and so on and so forth. It’s simple acts such as these that not only help our communities—but also help us stay connected to one another. "

Click here for SRO's blog with all of the plant shops mentioned

To buy something for yourself AND sending a plant to your friend visit Steves Leaves to take advantage of their #plantoneforwardbonus. Purchase a plant (or more) and then add the item Promo to their cart (it can be found by searching promo on the site). Use promo code #PLANTONEFORWARD to send an airplant to a friend at a separate address when you place your order. You will need to put the name and address of who you are sending the air plant to into the comments section of the order so we can mail it to the other person.

Victory Garden Movement or Cooperative Gardens Commission

Click here to read the NY Times article about it!

The Victory Garden movement was a result of World War 1, when people were encouraged to grow as much food at home as possible to become self- sufficient. It was so successful that it was predicted that up to 40 % of the countries vegetables were grown in community, home and school gardens. In 2020 as a response to the Covid Pandemic, the Experimental Farm Network is swiftly pulling together the Cooperative Gardens Commission (renamed after they decided to move away from the Corona Victory Garden Network). The commission is pledging to helping connect experienced gardeners with supplies to help their communities grow their own food. You can visit www.coogardens.org to pledge supplies or volunteer time to help the movement.

In their own words:

"In response to this crisis, Experimental Farm Network (EFN) is urging all people who can to establish "Cooperative Gardens" to grow as much food this year as they possibly can. We hope this effort will help people across the country (and potentially in other countries as well) to provide themselves and their communities with healthy fresh food, reduce our reliance on the faltering industrial food system (which is terrible for the environment and human health even when fully functioning), and make it easier for folks to stay in their communities and avoid further transmission of the virus.

We hope people in cities will take over defunct community gardens and vacant lots and fill them with life once more. We hope people in towns and suburbs who normally work hard to keep their lawns green will instead rip up grass and plant vegetable gardens. And we hope rural farmers who normally grow big fields of commodity crops — folks who know how to farm and have a great capacity to produce lots of food — will set aside at least a portion of their land and labor to grow fruits and vegetables for their neighbors and for those in need in nearby communities (especially in cities, where people are likely to suffer greatly in the event of major supply chain disruptions).

This is a time for social solidarity on a scale not seen since wartime — though such solidarity would inarguably be welcome in peacetime too, given how many people already lack food sovereignty, particularly in historically oppressed communities. During World War I, a National War Garden Commission was established by concerned individuals outside of government before the US even entered the war. Girl Scouts tended a quarter-acre garden in Boston Common. The Army's Camp Dix here in New Jersey hosted a 400-acre "war garden" tended by soldiers (with 140 acres of potatoes alone). Schools and Universities grew food on their campuses. And people of all ages came to consider gardening to be their civic duty. We must do the same today.

Please fill out this survey if you have food production resources to share (seeds, tools, land, volunteer labor, soil/compost, tillage equipment, knowledge, etc), or are interested in starting a farm or garden in your community, particularly if you don't have access to all of the resources you need. We are working around the clock with a growing coalition of individuals and organizations able to help and will do our best to match those in need with those who have (likely through a different platform than this one, which we will ask you to migrate over to at some point very soon). If you would like to donate funds to support our organizing efforts, please visit www.ExperimentalFarmNetwork.org and click the "Donate" button at the bottom of the page."

GrowIt! 1000 Plant Giveaway

GrowIt! is giving away 1000 free plants through April 19th. You enter by participating in the "Spring is NOT cancelled giveaway" conversation on the GrowIt! App- if you get selected then GrowIt! will ship a houseplant to your door via a small business OR give you a giftcard to a local garden center.Visit our Giveaway FAQ for details.

Little Prince Growers: Garden Center 911

https://littleprinceplants.com/garden-center-911/

Little Prince is a grower in Oregon who is helping garden centers and nurseries who are in need. They are a grower that ships directly from their growhouse, so they are set up for success in this time- but garden centers with no online sales capacity are struggling. So they are telling garden centers and shops who can't sell, that if they direct their customers to the Little Prince site and make sales through them, Little Prince will send them 20% of the sale to help them stay afloat. It's a really creative way for a grower with the ability to sell, help generate even a small amount of revenue for shops that cannot. If you know a shop or nursery who could benefit from this, visit the Garden Center 911 Page at Little Prince Nursery. Also, if you are just curious to see their awesome array of succulents, airplants, houseplants and more, you can use the Bloom and Grow Radio Affiliate link here.

Educational Offerings

Now is the time to take time to advance your learning! I am on an online course spree! I'm currently taking the online Soil Science 101 class at NYBG, BSchool by Marie Forleo, Joe Lampl's Organic Vegetable Gardening course AND I've got a botanical watercolor class tonight I'm taking with friends! I'm hooked! I know there finances might be tighter for some of us in these periods- so I have offerings listed in every price range (including free) for you to check out.

FREE

If you're looking for free gardening tips- there are limitless options of different channels! As I prep for my spring garden, lately I've been watching:

Joe Gardener Youtube Channel

Epic Gardening Youtube Channel

Garden Answer Youtube Channel

Homestead Brooklyn Youtube Channel

But comment below on the blog if you have channels you want to suggest!

The New York Botanical Garden has created the New York Botanical Garden At Home Hub for a one stop visit where you can find virtual tours of the garden, plant guides, videos, recipes for kids, blogs  links to their online courses and so much more!

PAID

NYBG has put many of their courses online! I've taken Fundamentals of Gardening and Soil Science 101 and loved it! I'll be enrolling in the Plant Science 101 Course starting April 23rd, incase anyone wants to join me!

If you are interested in growing herbs and vegetables they have the following classes coming up:

• Rooftop Gardening (Starts April 22)
• Mastering the Art of Tomato Gardening (April 23)
• Vegetable Gardening Saturday (April 25)
• Super Small Space Veggie Gardening (Starts April 28)

Click Here to check them out

Craft Jam has all sorts of fun botanically inspired classes like botanical watercolor and embroidery (I'm taking the Floral Watercolor on April 2nd and Modern Calligraphy on April 4th!)

Leslie Halleck has discounted her Garden Consultations and Business Consultations for people wanting to design their first gardens or help their planty businesses pivot in these times. For rates and more info click here

Rooney Bloom (from our two part Cannabis Series) launched his online shop where he sells plants and consulting services. But for the month of April he is doing a 4 part educational series for kids on learning how to grow plants from seed. This could be a very fun activity for those of you with kids at home! http://www.rooneybloom.com/products/online-education

Local NYC Offerings

Farm One is the hydroponic farm in NYC that is run by our Hydroponics 101 guest, Rob. The farm grows rare herbs and flowers and sells them to high end restaurants across NY. Because of the restaurant closures, they've found themselves with a farm full of product and no one to sell it to...so they are offering it to folks to use in their home quarantine cooking creations. :) They will also going to be releasing herb mixes to follow along with video content, like cocktail classes and have a recorded a tasting tour of the farm and will be offering a pack of the herbs covered in that tour so people can taste along at home. Check out their herbs delivered to your door and tours and other offerings at https://store.farm.one​. You can also buy a gift card to use once the farm reopens for a tour!

NYC based Advertising Agency CSM, launched #ExperienceGood a campaign to collectively celebrate the ideas and people adapting to the sudden shift in what live experiences mean in the midst of this unprecedented crisis. If you are a business owner trying to pivot and need to feel uplifted  and inspired, head to the experiencegood.co to find some inspo!

On a Larger Scale

GiveDirectly is the leading global NGO specialized in delivering digital cash transfers. They've worked in challenging contexts across 8 countries, from Houston after Harvey to the most remote parts of Uganda, and now they have turned their attention to those in need in the US in response to Covid. They are helping Americans who are on SNAP (or foodstamps) to get financial relieve into households in need.

(quoted from April 2nd edition of Washington Post's Power UP Newsletter) “We are working specifically with people on food assistance,” Michael Faye, the president and co-founder of GiveDirectly, told Power Up. “80 percent of these people will have lost work or received a reduction in wages … The urgency of the crisis cannot be understated. The difference between getting someone a check — or buying a load of groceries now versus waiting a month or so is pretty meaningful.”

The nonprofit has already committed to doling out $10 million for cash transfers of $1,000 to 9,000 American families. They've also rolled out their #PassTheCheck pledge. The group is encouraging Americans “about to receive government checks even though they might not need it,” to donate their check — or a portion of it — to help a low-income family.

“To the extent that you are in a fortunate position, we are asking you to give [your check] to someone in more need,” Faye told us. “Do the math. If 1 percent of the population doesn't need their check and donates it — that's $3.5 billion dollars.”

If you are in a position to give or #PassTheCheck learn more at givedirectly.org

In Summary

People all over the country are doing amazing things to help those in need in this time of crisis in which none of us could have prepared for. It is scary, it is unnerving, and it is at times, beautiful. The pandemic is horrible and wreaking havoc on our economic and healthcare systems, but silver linings will come out of this. People are quarantining sometimes not to help themselves, but to help others not get sick. Neighbors are offering to do grocery runs for those unable to go outside in these conditions. Old friends are connecting over zoom. Families and couples are reconnecting in quarantine in deeper ways. This period of isolation is causing all of us to slow down for a minute and be present. Just like plant care. How lucky are we to have plantcare as a hobby in this time!

So how can you help? Maybe you are in a position to donate which is amazing. But there are so many ways to help that aren't even financial. Check in on a friend who you know is alone in quarantine. Share an uplifting story.  Back a birthday cake for your friend who's birthday party got cancelled because of social distancing and drop it off on her doorstep. Prepare some cuttings of your plants to send to people you want to feel loved! Or just take some time for yourself to go ham on youtube videos and gardening books to increase your plantcare knowledge. If you have the means, support a local plant shop by buying a plant for yourself or a friend. Donate to an organization that is meaningful or send money to a friend or family member in need. Or maybe buy some educational books or courses for yourself to pass the time.

Whatever you choose to do, be kind to yourself and be kind to others, and Keep Blooming and Keep Growing.

My Fiance, Billy, joins me today to give you the inside scoop on what the last year has looked like for us. As most of you know I left home for an entire year to travel with Cats the Musical, and Billy was left to care for all of our 150 plants all by himself. This was a HUGE undertaking for him, as I was the "primary caretaker" for our plants when we lived together, so we break down exactly how both of us went into this new phase of life and lessons learned along the way. Thank you to Billy, my partner in plants and partner in life, who greets every challenge with an open heart and open mind. I'm so thankful to have you to grow through life with.

In this episode we learn:

• Billy's reaction to me leaving him with our 150 plants for tour for a year
• Billy's journey warming to my passion for plants when it began
• An overview of our "plant pause"
• How Billy managed caring for our 150 plants on his own while I toured the country with Cats
• Maria's strategies for helping Billy learn how to care for their plants

Mentioned in the episode:

Billy's first episode on BAGR: Tips for Living with a Crazy Plant Person

Thank you Plants by Post for sponsoring today's episode! Plants by Post is a family-owned nursery located in Northern California cutting out the middleman and delivering beautiful and healthy  indoor and outdoor annuals and perennials directly to your doorstep, nationwide. I have used them several times and have been blown away by the quality of their plants, intention behind their shipping and love how environmentally friendly they are! Spring is here, Plant Friends! Time to stock up! Head to plantsbypost.com and use code BLOOM20 for 20% off your order!

Follow Billy

Instagram: @atadashbilly

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Brittany Gowan, the plant lady behind @ihavethisthingwithurbanjungles on IG and the Pause with Plants Podcast has been a #plantfriendIRL for a while now and a lovely lady. She has been practicing and teaching her Pause with Plants Method and we thought today would be the perfect time to discuss how to use plants to reduce stress. There has never been a better time than to have houseplants and practice houseplant care than now, when many of us are confined to our homes in the midst of this pandemic! It's important to understand tools and techniques for us to use our houseplants to reduce our stress. I've never been more thankful for my houseplants than the last 8 days of quarantine! This talk with Brittany inspired my to do a planty workout you can find on my IGTV. I hope it inspires you to bring a little calm into your "work from home" days! 

In this episode we learn:

• How Brittany became the plant lady she is now and why she started Pause with Plants
• How to incorporate plants into your mental wellness routine
• How to use plants in your morning routine
• The importance of breath while practicing mindful awareness
• How to use plants in your meditation
• The importance of routine while working from home
• Techniques to incorporate more calm and recenter yourself
• The "Pause with Plants" Method: connect, move and meditate with plants

Mentioned in this episode:

Brittany's comprehensive guide to how to Pause with Plants

If you've got time to spare and want to boost your plant care education try these episodes of the Bloom and Grow Radio Podcast:

Episode 03: How NOT to kill your succulents!

Episode 02: Top 5 Houseplants for Beginners

Episode 18: Prepping your Plants for Spring

Episode 19: Terrarium 101

Episode 20: Talking Tomatoes 

Episodes 46/47: Understanding Natural Light

Episode 71: Low Light Plants 

Episode 74: Grow Lights 101

Also scroll the podcast feed to find 101 episodes on: orchids, airplants, fiddle leaf figs, monstera, peperomia, african violets, prayer plants, windowsill herb gardening, container gardening and more!

Follow Brittany and Pause with Plants:

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

I’m excited to have another podcaster join me today on the podcast! Today we welcome Colah B Tawkin of the Black in the Garden Podcast who created the podcast to bring more of a voice and presence for the stories and voices of Black Gardeners and Plant People.

Today, in a belated Black History Month episode (since I didn’t air the podcast last month) Colah shares amazing stories about some historic  black gardeners and plant people, we discuss her top 5 favorite houseplants that originate in Africa and Colah highlights some beautifully diverse gardeners doing amazing things in the plant space who we need to know about! This conversation was eye opening, enlightening and inspiring and I’m thankful to Colah for sharing all of this amazing information! I hope you find this information as interesting as I did and that maybe you find a new person on IG to follow or make your #plantfriendIRL!

In this episode we learn:

• About Colah and her plant lady journey and why she created the Black in the Garden Podcast
• About Harriet Tubman's knowledge of plants and how it served her as she lead people to freedom on the Underground Railroad
• About how George Washington Carver, who was born a slave, revolutionized agriculture in the South
• Colah's top 5 favorite houseplants that originate in Africa
• Colah shares companies and people who are striving for inclusivity and representation in the plant space (tagged and linked below)

Mentioned in the Episode:

Colah and the Black in the Garden Podcast

African Violets are having a comeback, plant friends! You heard it here first. I know a lot of people feel like African Violets are their "grandma's houseplants", but this flowering gesneriad brings cute fuzzy leaves and bright, multi-colored blooms to the tropical landscape of our urban jungles. What's not to love! They can sometimes be thought of as finicky, so Lisa the "Houseplant Guru" joins me to walk me through every step to African Violet success! Lisa is the author of Grow in the Dark: How to Choose and Care for Low Light Houseplants and Houseplants: The Complete Guide. I love her books (and the episode we did previously on Low Light Plants) and I love her!

Have you checked out the new Bloom and Grow Radio Youtube Channel? If you like this content, you’ll love the fun videos I’m making- this week I released a moss pole tutorial video that pairs with episode 42 of the podcast with Tylor from Arium Botanicals. You can also find planty home makeovers, behind the scenes tours of cannabis growers, Airplant 101, my hacks for traveling with plants  and more. Click here to watch and subscribe!

In this episode we learn:

• Where African Violets Originate
• How they grow outdoors
• What is a gesneriad
• Care: watering, light, soil
• Best watering practices for African Violets
• When to repot
• How to Fertilize
• Bloom Cycles- how to have your violet stay in bloom
• Troubleshooting listeners from our Patreon Supporters!

Links mentioned in the episode:

AVSA or African Violet Society of America.

http://www.avsa.org/

The national convention is in Little Rock, Arkansas this year, Sunday May 24-Sunday May 31.

It moves every year so if it isn’t close to you this year, next year, it may be. It is a huge event including a judged show (where you will see African violets like you’ve never seen) as well as a marketplace to buy all things violets, and educational presentations, too.

Self-watering pots:

Oyama pots- the wicking material is perlite. Here is an article about how to use them. There were only sites I’m not sure about to order them from. On the AVSA website there is a supplies button and it takes you to all the vendors for plants and supplies. That includes the Oyama and Dandy pot.

https://www.oyamaplanters.net/how-to-use-oyama-planters

Plants: Two very reputable companies.

https://www.violetbarn.com/

http://lyndonlyon.com/

Thank you Plants by Post for sponsoring today's episode! Plants by Post is a family-owned nursery located in Northern California cutting out the middleman and delivering beautiful and healthy  indoor and outdoor annuals and perennials directly to your doorstep, nationwide. I have used them several times and have been blown away by the quality of their plants, intention behind their shipping and love how environmentally friendly they are! Spring is here, Plant Friends! Time to stock up! Head to plantsbypost.com and use code BLOOM20 for 20% off your order!

Follow Lisa, The Houseplant Guru

Website: thehouseplantguru.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houseplantguru/

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/HouseplantGuru/

Recent Blog Posts:

Acclimating Plants to Your Enviornment: https://thehouseplantguru.com/2019/07/10/help-your-houseplant-adapt-to-the-light-it-is-receiving/

What to Do with Burned Leaves: https://thehouseplantguru.com/2018/11/06/tuesdaytidbits-too-much-sun/

Cleaning your leaves: https://thehouseplantguru.com/2018/11/06/tuesdaytidbits-too-much-sun/

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Thrilled to be bringing you the audio from the Live Taping on Herbal Mixology done in 2019 in Dallas at the Gardenuity HQ! The entire evening was built around my two favorite things: herbs and drinks! We had an amazing panel of female founders talking about how liquor and spirits are made (spoiler alert, they come from plants!), how to incorporate herbs and veggies into our cocktails and how to grow and select those plants! It's an amazing conversation with amazing women I'm thrilled to introduce you to! Meet the panelists Donna, Claudia and Chris!

Donna is the co-founder of Gardenuity: a company that ships container gardens right to your door. They take the stress and hustle out of growing your own food. Whether you are looking for a kitchen herb garden, peppers, tomatoes, carrots or a variety of seasonal herbs and vegetables, Gardenuity will make growing them to harvest super simple. They have a cocktail herb garden which Billy and I have had for a couple of years that would be a fun purchase if you get inspired after this episode! You can mention the code "Spring2020" will save $10 off of any order at Gardenuity.com - this will be valid until the end of June 2020.

Claudia is the cofounder of Katy Trail Vodka which is crafted by Silver Nickel Distillery, one of the first distilleries in the city of Dallas, TX since prohibition. All of their products are crafted, distilled and bottled in Dallas and are gluten free. They also use no artificial coloring or flavoring in their product which is a topic of our discussion on the panel.

Chris from HD Liquid Catering and Betty Cocktail is a master mixologist who moonlights are all of the hottest Dallas bars and consults for the new speakeasy being set up in the Texas Rangers Globe Life Park and her own company Betty Cocktail- her motto is “if you can dream it (with alcohol)… we can do it! She works with service industry workers and home enthusiasts to curate cocktails, craft cocktail menus, elevate home bars, bartender training and more. She joined us today representing HD Liquid Catering which is Dallas’s premier full service bar catering company, and co-founders Heather and Don have over 30 years of experience in the event industry. They are highly respected across Texas, and you can see their amazing work on their IG page @hdliquidcater. Chris has her hands in allllllll the mixology pots in the Dallas scene, but she is just the coolest gal, an empowerer of women and an all around lady boss.

** just to be clear, when we refer to "edibles" in this podcast, it refers to edible vegetables and herbs... nothing regarding Cannabis. Edible plants and veggies are what we are talking about adding to our drinks! **

In this episode we learn:

• How liquors are made (from plants!)
• How vodka is made and what distilling is
• Strategies for shopping for liquor at the store
• Importance of natural flavorings
• Best starter cocktail herbs
• Basic herb care
• History of mixology
• Tips for a beginner to make a great cocktail
• Suggestions for herb/liquor pairings
• How to incorporate herbs into cocktails: infused syrups and alcohols, garnishes and salt rims
• Mocktail ideas

Follow Gardenuity:

** Spring gardens are shipping nationally! You can mention the code "Spring2020" will save $10 off of any order at Gardenuity.com - this will be valid until the end of June 2020 **

Website: gardenuity.com

IG: @gardenuity

Follow Katy Trail Vodka:

Website: katytrailvodka.com

IG: @katytrailvodka

Follow Chris and HQ Liquid Catering

Website: hdliquidcatering.com

IG: @hdliquidcater

Betty Cocktail (Chris's personal business): bettycocktail.com

IG: @bettycocktail

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

I’m in Canada and connected some my favorite Canadian plant friends for a fun discussion on the winter months (while we are in the midst of a cold Toronto December). Today I have Darryl from @houseplantjournal and Jaz from @gardenstead to not only discuss how to care for our plants the winter months, but to more importantly, how to “zoom out” to think about what is actually happening to light and our surroundings in the winter to better understand WHY we alter our care routines. We might push you to think and go a little deeper in your plant care approach and routine- it’s lots of food (or should I say “fertilizer”) for thought with these fun plant parents!

In this episode we learn:

• Why and how light changes in the winter
• How winter’s change in light affects our indoor plants
• Signs to look for in our plants to see if they are transitioning well
• Why dormancy is important
• Tips for caring for houseplants in the winter
• Fun plant projects to do in the winter

Mentioned in the episode:

Maria's Favorite Things // Holiday Gift Guide and Discounts: http://bit.ly/BAGRgiftguideyoutube

Youtube tour of my indoor grow lights: http://bit.ly/BAGRgrowlighttour

Website for measuring light Darryl Uses:

Thank you to today's episode sponsors!

Wallygro offers sustainable and ridiculously simple vertical gardening solutions for any plant parent to have the greenwall of their dreams! (Check mine out on the youtube channel this week!) To learn more about their Eco Planters (that come in 12 gorgeous colors!) head to wallygro.com and use code BLOOM20 for 20% off!

Plants by Post is a family-owned nursery located in Northern California cutting out the middleman and delivering beautiful and healthy  indoor and outdoor annuals and perennials directly to your doorstep, nationwide. I have used them several times and have been blown away by the quality of their plants, intention behind their shipping and love how environmentally friendly they are! Give the gift of PLANTS this season! Head to plantsbypost.com and use code BLOOM19 for 20% off your order!

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Follow Darryl and Houseplant Journal:

Preorder Darryl's New Bool! The New Plant Parent: Develop Your Green Thumb and Care for Your House-Plant Family

Instagram and Facebook: @houseplantjournal

Twitter: @houseplantjrnl

Website: www.houseplantjournal.com

Patreon: www.patreon.com/houseplantjournal

Follow Jaz and Gardenstead

Today Leslie Halleck ("Her Highness of Horticulture") joins me again to talk about the topic I was most excited to cover this season: ROOTS (or as we call it "root-ology". We spend so much time thinking about the “above soil” section of the plant, and often times, disregard the unbelievable root structure underneath the soil that is responsible for keeping the plant alive! So today Leslie walks us through what roots are, why they are important, how they vary, and lots of troubleshooting questions from our Patreon supporters.

Make sure to subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show- this week I released a Wallygro grow wall update and this month we will have other videos like a tour of my grow lights and more! Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss anything.

In this episode we learn:

• What roots do for the plant
• Roots relationship with the “above ground” portion of the plant
• Water vs soil roots
• What growing medium does for root development
• Different types of roots: fibrous, tap, tuberous, adventitious
• What an aerial root is
• Is a rhizome a root?
• Best practices with roots when repotting
• Listener questions!

Mentioned in this episode:

Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! Wallygro Greenwall Update and Install

Leslie's Books: Plant Parenting (for propagation) and Gardening Under Lights 

Thank you to today's episode sponsors!

Wallygro offers sustainable and ridiculously simple vertical gardening solutions for any plant parent to have the greenwall of their dreams! (Check mine out on the youtube channel this week!) To learn more about their Eco Planters (that come in 12 gorgeous colors!) head to wallygro.com and use code BLOOM20 for 20% off!

Plants by Post is a family-owned nursery located in Northern California cutting out the middleman and delivering beautiful and healthy  indoor and outdoor annuals and perennials directly to your doorstep, nationwide. I have used them several times and have been blown away by the quality of their plants, intention behind their shipping and love how environmentally friendly they are! Give the gift of PLANTS this season! Head to plantsbypost.com and use code BLOOM19 for 20% off your order!

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Plant Side Chats are shorter episodes with just Maria as she shares life lessons learned in the garden. Today's topic is: What to do when your orchid or plant doesn't bloom when you want it to. 

THANK YOU TO TODAY’S EPISODE SPONSORS!

SOLTECH SOLUTIONS MAKES LUXURY GROW LIGHTS THAT LOOK LIKE HIGH END MODERN LIGHT FIXTURES WITH CUTTING EDGE GROW SPECTRUM FOR HOUSEPLANTS AND DWARF FRUITING TREES. I HAVE THREE OF THEIR ASPECT PENDANT LIGHTS IN MY APARTMENT AND LOVE THE LAUNCH OF THE NEW HIGHLAND TRACK LIGHT SYSTEM! FOR 15% OFF A LIGHT OF YOUR OWN, VISIT SOLTECHSOLUTIONS.COM AND USE CODE “BLOOM15” AT CHECKOUT.

FOLLOW MARIA AND BLOOM AND GROW RADIO:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

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Today’s episode is exciting for me to share with you because the topic was something I was completely confused and bewildered by: this “semi-hydro” craze. Semi Hydro- (which is not a correct term, it’s actually called “passive hydro” standing for “passive hydroponics”) is the growing practice of using LECA balls, which are puffed clay balls that look like coco-puff cereal, to grow your houseplants. You’ve probably seen photos of this, where the plants look like they are buried in coco puffs or a bowl of olives). Plant Friends, I did NOT get this trend. Or how it worked. But I started seeing more and more photos from trusted plant friends who use them, and kept getting more and more questions from you guys about it. Enter Kay, of the instagram account @inrootedlove, who has kept over a hundred houseplants thriving in this passive hydroponic system for a year and a half. Plant Friends… I’m slowly becoming a believer. After my conversation with Kay, I transferred my orchid and the top of a pilea peperomiodes that I accidentally broke off into LECA and I can’t believe how happy the orchid has been so far, and the pilea rooted in under a week. I documented my experiment with setting them up in LECA on the Youtube channel if you are interested in checking it out.

Like last weeks hydroponics episode, this Passive Hydroponic set up could be a really fun way for someone looking for a planty project for the winter, or maybe for the plant parent that just hates potting soil (or maybe has a partner that hates potting soil). Passive Hydro also seems to be a great option for a plant parent that likes to get their inner mad scientist on- because as you’ll learn, you are totally in control of mixing nutrient solutions for the plant. Whatever you plant parent personality is, this was a really interesting conversation and has been a really fun planty experiment for me that I hope inspires you to continue playing around with your indoor jungle!

In this episode we learn:

• What is "semi hydro" aka "passive Hydroponics"
• How Kay became the LECA Plant Lady she is today
• How Semi Hydro works
• What are LECA balls
• What materials do you need to have a LECA set up
• How does a beginner make their first LECA set up
• How expensive is this hobby?
• How to fertilize
• What products Kay uses in her home
• Pest management for a semi hydro set up

Mentioned in this episode:

Dallas Live Taping: Herbal Mixology with Gardenuity! http://bit.ly/gardenuityBAGR

Bloom and Grow “Passive or Semi Hydro” Amazon Store: http://bit.ly/bagrsemihydro

Maria sets up her orchid and pilea cutting in LECA on Youtube: http://bit.ly/BAGRSemiHydroYoutube

Thank you to today's episode sponsors!

Osea Malibu is the original plant-based, non toxic skincare derived from seaweed plant friends- it doesn’t get more planty than that!!! Each product is infused with sustainably-sourced, organic Patagonian seaweed and 
active botanicals that leave your skin feeling amazing. I LOVE their Ocean Cleanser, Atmosphere Cream and Argan Oil! Visit oseamalibu.com/bloomandgrow  and use code "bloomandgrow" for $10 off your purchase of $50 or more!

Soltech Solutions makes luxury grow lights that look like high end modern light fixtures with cutting edge grow spectrum for houseplants and dwarf fruiting trees. I have three of their Aspect pendant lights in my apartment and love the launch of the new Highland Track Light System! For 15% off a light of your own, visit soltechsolutions.com and use code Bloom15 at checkout.

Follow Kay:

Instagram: @inrootedlove

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Very excited to welcome Rob from Farm.One to the podcast today for a conversation about beginners Hydroponics. Rob is doing Hydroponic Gardening at an incredibly high level at Farm.One- a hydroponic, vertical farm that grows rare and exotic produce indoors, year-round, pesticide- free in a basement in NYC. I met Rob last year when I was fortunate enough to tour Farm.One and was blown away by the concept of the business and the set up. I think a lot of us are very curious about hydroponic gardening, and experimenting with growing edibles indoors- and as winter is approaching… we might be interested in having an indoor gardening project to ward off the winter blues!

In this episode we learn:

• How and why Rob created Farm.One
• What is Hydroponic Gardening
• Hydroponic Vs Aquaponic Vs Semi Hydro Gardening
• What a basic hydroponic set up looks like for a DIY plant parent
• Existing systems that one can buy to just plug and grow
• Materials needed for a basic hydroponic set up
• Why you need a “bubbler” for your hydro set up
• Nutrients- what is important and what isn’t
• Why EC and PH are important for your water supply (and what they are)
• How to test your water
• Pre-made Hydroponic Set Ups you can buy

Mentioned in today's episode

Visit the Bloom and Grow Radio Amazon Storefront for the Hydroponic Materials mentioned in today's episode! http://bit.ly/BAGRhydroponics

Thank you to today's episode sponsors!

Soltech Solutions makes luxury grow lights that look like high end modern light fixtures with cutting edge grow spectrum for houseplants and dwarf fruiting trees. I have three of their Aspect pendant lights in my apartment and love the launch of the new Highland Track Light System! For 15% off a light of your own, visit soltechsolutions.com and use code "Bloom15" at checkout.

Follow Rob and Farm.One

Website: https://farm.one

Instagram: @farm.one

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Plant Friends- I'm so happy to have brought you the wonderful conversation this week on The Science of Soil. It's important for us to understand what makes our soils our plant babies grow so happily (or unhappily) in. I realize in this conversation, I stumbled upon a hot topic that I was unaware of: whether or not peat moss is sustainable. I've had conversations with members of our communities and advisors in the horticultural industry, and I've realized this is an incredibly complex conversation, with many layers, angles and sides.

Plant Friends, I’m learning alongside you in this journey, and thought I’d provide you with some resources for you to further educate yourselves to make your own decisions.

Jane Perrone’s Episode on the sustainability of Peat on On the Ledge Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-103-houseplants-sustainability-part-one-peat/id1211183700?i=1000444873656

Dr Mark kindly sent over two websites to learn more about how Canada is regulating their bogs.

https://peatmoss.com/  (Peat Moss Association in Canada)

http://www.sungro.com/about-us/sustainable-peat-moss/ Information from the Canadian Peat Moss Supplier Metrolina works with.

Other resources passed along from listeners and that I’ve found:

http://www.indefenseofplants.com/blog/2015/5/4/the-truth-about-peat

They also have a great podcast, but this is a short blog from 2015

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090904165253.htm

A study from 2009 on research for alternative growing media.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/should-sustainable-gardeners-use-peat-moss/2017/05/09/1fc746f0-3118-11e7-9534-00e4656c22aa_story.html-

Britain is outlawing it by 2030, big argument against stores a third of the worlds carbon.

https://www.rootsimple.com/2010/12/is-peat-moss-a-sustainable-resource/     Two people with opposing views on Peat Moss that make interesting arguments- there are also lots of comments on the blog you can read.

https://peatmoss.com/responsible-production/laws-certifications-and-policies-of-the-industry/ There is a Rules and Regulations Section for Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association

https://www.gardenmyths.com/peat-peatmoss-true-story/

So excited about this highly request episode on the science of soil. Finding a “soil expert” was kind of tough, but when I met Dr Mark Yelanich on a recent visit to Metrolina Greenhouse, I knew I had found the answers to my prayers. Dr. Mark has been the Director of Research at Metrolina Greenhouses for the past 14 years. Metrolina Greenhouse is the single-site heated greenhouse in the United States at 162 acres under roof. The Metrolina Research department focuses on working with plant breeding companies to find varieties that will delight home gardeners and help them be more successful. The research department also works on finding improved ways of producing our plants to make Metrolina more sustainable and efficient. Before Metrolina Dr. Mark worked for Scotts Miracle Gro (SMG) where he was the Senior Scientist in charge of research on Miracle Gro branded potting and garden soil (and received three patents on soil products). Dr.Mark received his Ph.D., Masters and bachelors from Michigan State University (The Harvard of Horticulture). He is married to Lisa for 26 years and has two daughters Hannah and Emily (sadly neither are going into Horticulture but he is still very proud!)

Today he joins me to break down the different components of soil, and why choosing the right soil is so important for the success of our houseplants!

If you are interested in seeing Dr Mark and Metrolina Greenhouse, check out the behind the scenes tour Dr Mark gave me when I was in North Carolina! You see the entire process of what it takes to grow a plant in a commercial greenhouse!

In this episode we learn:

• How Dr Mark became a soil expert
• Difference between outdoor and indoor soil
• Why to NEVER use outdoor soil
• What mixes to use for indoor plants
• What makes up potting mix: peat moss, perlite, pumice, bark, vermiculite, coco coir, earthworm casings, various “meals”, fertilizer pellets
• Fertilizing practices (brief overview)
• Best ratio for indoor potting mixes and what to include (and what not to include)
• Best way to store soil
• Is reusing soil ok? What’s up with “baking”soil?
• How and when to repot your plants
• When to start fertilizing
• Pest control
• Is the white mold on the top of the soil going to kill a plant

Mentioned in today's episode!

Check out my tour of Metrolina Greenhouse with Dr Mark! http://bit.ly/BAGRMetrolina

If you are wondering what soil and fertilizers I use on my plants, here are the links to the Espoma Organic products I use.

Thank you to today's episode sponsors!

Soltech Solutions makes luxury grow lights that look like high end modern light fixtures with cutting edge grow spectrum for houseplants and dwarf fruiting trees. I have three of their Aspect pendant lights in my apartment and love the launch of the new Highland Track Light System! For 15% off a light of your own, visit soltechsolutions.com and use code Bloom15 at checkout.

Osea Malibu is the original plant-based, non toxic skincare derived from seaweed plant friends- it doesn’t get more planty than that!!! Each product is infused with sustainably-sourced, organic Patagonian seaweed and 
active botanicals that leave your skin feeling amazing. I LOVE their Ocean Cleanser, Atmosphere Cream and Argan Oil! Visit oseamalibu.com/bloomandgrow  and use code "bloomandgrow" for $10 off your purchase of $50 or more!

Follow Dr Mark and Metrolina Greenhouses:

http://www.metrolinagreenhouses.com/

https://www.facebook.com/metrolinagreenhouses/

https://www.instagram.com/metrolinaghs/

https://www.youtube.com/metrolinagreenhouses

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Thrilled as always to welcome Leslie Halleck back on the show. You will remember Leslie from our two part series on Understanding Natural Light and Propagation 101. She has two books, Plant Parenting- a guide to plant propagation and Gardening Under Lights. Today Leslie joins me to discuss everything we need to know about grow lights. Winter is coming plant friends, and many of us might need to take the plunge with additional grow lights to make sure our plants are happy and healthy. Personally, as my plant collection grew, I quickly realized I did not have the amount of light needed for the amount of plants I had collected. That's when I started bringing grow lights home to help keep all my plants happy. I also got really into using them as part of the design of our apartments, as my go to grow light companies, Soltech Solutions and Modern Sprout make gorgeous lights that actually enhance your homes aesthetic instead of making you look like you are up to something questionable. This is the second episode we’ve done on grow lights. The first one was Episode 12 with Chris Satch. I wanted to do another one because this science of grow lights, and photosynthesis can be tricky and it’s nice to hear it explained by various people. That’s why we have several episodes on succulents, and other topics. So listen to today’s episode, listen to it again, listen to episode 12, just keep listening and absorbing and learning.

In this episode we learn:

• What Leslie’s personal grow light set up is
• What photosynthesis is
• Why light is important for plants
• What the different colors of light do for plants and why “full spectrum” grow lights are so important
• Lumens vs PAR vs Kelvin = how to measure light
• What the best choice of grow lights for indoor houseplants are
• Defining “bright indirect” for a grow light
• Patreon Plant Friend and listener Questions !

Mentioned in today's episode!

Leslie's books: Gardening Under Lights and Plant Parenting: Easy Ways to Make New Houseplants

Soltech Solutions: soltechsolutions.com and use "Bloom20" for 20%

Modern Sprout: modernsprout.com use code "Bloom" for 15% off

Bloom and Grow Amazon Grow light  Storefront: http://bit.ly/growlightep

*The mentioned codes and amazon links are Bloom and Grow Affiliate partnerships, meaning Bloom and Grow Radio will receive a portion of the sale at no extra cost to you.*

Thank you to our two amazing episode sponsors: Espoma Organics and Floating Bed and Breakfast.

For responsibly made, unbelievable indoor and outdoor organic soils, fertilizers, pest control sprays and more visit espoma.com to find your local dealer or check out my amazon storefront of my favorite Espoma products here.

For the plantiest airbnb experience of your life in the Norfolk, VA area, visit theloiselaine.com and message Nicole for 20% off by telling her Maria sent you!

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

I’m so excited to welcome Joe Lamp'l of JoeGardener.com back on the show today! You might remember him from our episode on Living Christmas trees, but he is my outdoor gardening guru who is going to walk us through some fun things for us to do in our outdoor gardens this Fall. Joe Lamp’l is the creator, Executive Producer and Host of the Emmy-award-winning national PBS series, Growing a Greener World®, Founder and “joe” behind joegardener.com, and creator of the new joe gardener Online Gardening Academy™.

Have you checked out the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show? Check it out and subscribe for videos on my indoor plant journey, behind the scenes planty tours, and lots of fun home DIY projects!

In this episode we learn:

• How Joe Lamp'l became Joe Gardener
• Why Organic Gardening is so important
• If we have to “put our garden to bed” in the fall
• What to plant in the fall and how
• Quick results: radishes, lettuce, kale
• Fun gardening projects for kids: Garlic Onions
• Grow your own holiday feast! herbs, carrots, brussel sprouts
• How to organize yourself in the fall to prep for next spring
• The Apps Joe uses to organize himself and his garden

Mentioned in episode:

https://joegardener.com/what-to-plant-in-a-fall-vegetable-garden/

https://joegardener.com/podcast/046-garden-organization/

Biggest Little Farm Movie

Thank you to our two amazing episode sponsors: Espoma Organics and Floating Bed and Breakfast.

For responsibly made, unbelievable indoor and outdoor organic soils, fertilizers, pest control sprays and more visit espoma.com to find your local dealer or check out my amazon storefront of my favorite Espoma products here.

For the plantiest airbnb experience of your life in the Norfolk, VA area, visit theloiselaine.com and message Nicole for 20% off by telling her Maria sent you!

Follow Joe:

Founder: joegardener.com

GrowingAGreenerWorld.com
joegardener.com

Beginning Gardener Fundamentals -  my new online course

The joe gardener Show Podcast
Facebook.com/joegardener
facebook.com/GGWTV
twitter.com/joegardener
twitter.com/GGWTV
instagram.com/joegardener

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Today I welcome Lisa Eldred Steinkopf, otherwise known as the “Houseplant Guru” to the show for an enlightening conversation about how to care for plants in low light environments, and what the best beginner and advanced and interesting low light tolerant plant choices we can make. We discuss how to truly understand if we have low light, several hacks to capitalize on the light we have and she suggests some really interesting plants besides your normal pothos, dracaena and snake plants we know so well. Lisa is the author of Grow in the Dark: How to Choose and Care for Low Light Houseplants and Houseplants: The Complete Guide. I love her books and I love her!

Have you checked out the new Bloom and Grow Radio Youtube Channel? If you like this content, you’ll love the fun videos I’m making- this week I released a moss pole tutorial video that pairs with episode 42 of the podcast with Tylor from Arium Botanicals. You can also find planty home makeovers, behind the scenes tours of cannabis growers, Airplant 101, my hacks for traveling with plants  and more. Click here to watch and subscribe!

In this episode we learn:

• How Lisa became “The Houseplant Guru”
• How to measure low light with no fancy tools
• How to “hack” your way to capitalizing on all the hacks you have
• How low light affects your plant care routing
• Watering for a low light plant
• Phototropism
• How Variegated plants are affected by low light
• Standard low light plants
• Lisa’s 5 more rare and unknown low light plants for advanced plant parents looking for something new!
• Patreon Plant Friends and Listener Questions!

If you are interested low light plants or purchasing Lisa’s books, they are linked in the show notes, and you can visit my amazon store where I have put together a compilation of my favorite low light plants and grow lights.

Buy Grow in the Dark: How to Choose and Care for Low Light Houseplants (Amazon Affiliate Link)

Thank you to our two amazing episode sponsors Espoma Organics and Floating Bed and Breakfast.

For responsibly made, unbelievable indoor and outdoor organic soils, fertilizers, pest control sprays and more visit espoma.com to find your local dealer or check out my amazon storefront of my favorite Espoma products here.

For the plantiest airbnb experience of your life in the Norfolk, VA area, visit theloiselaine.com and message Nicole for 20% off by telling her Maria sent you!

Follow Lisa, The Houseplant Guru

Website: thehouseplantguru.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houseplantguru/

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/HouseplantGuru/

Recent Blog Posts:

Acclimating Plants to Your Enviornment: https://thehouseplantguru.com/2019/07/10/help-your-houseplant-adapt-to-the-light-it-is-receiving/

What to Do with Burned Leaves: https://thehouseplantguru.com/2018/11/06/tuesdaytidbits-too-much-sun/

Cleaning your leaves: https://thehouseplantguru.com/2018/11/06/tuesdaytidbits-too-much-sun/

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Thrilled to bring you part two of the Growing Cannabis episode series! In this conversation I’ve sat down with Rooney Bloom, a home grower of cannabis, and Chudy Azuogu, a commercial grower of cannabis, for a “compare and contrast” conversation on growing Cannabis from seed to harvest. Last week, on Episode 69 we discussed set up, seed starting and the vegetative stage, today we discuss flowering, harvesting and curing.  This conversation is so much more about growing plants, the unbelievable advances in science that allow indoor growers to replicate outdoor growing, and learning about a very trendy industry! I hope you enjoy!

In this episode we learn:

• How to get the plant to flower in a commercial set up and why growers manipulate grow lights during this process
• How Cannabis flowers naturally outdoors
• The process of caring for Cannabis after it flowers day 1, day 7 and day 21
• Caring for Cannabis outdoors
• How to know when to harvest
• What a trichome is
• What tool you need to see when it’s time to harvest
• How to harvest in a commercial grow house
• How to harvest as a home grower
• The bud drying process commercially and at home
• What are terpenes
• How to “burp” your bud
• The lifespan of a cannabis plant in a commercial grow house VS outdoors
• Pest Control
• How the commercial grower has to comply with the government to grow legally
• How Chudy feels about being a pioneer in the Cannabis industry
• Final thoughts on Cannabis from a home grower and a commercial grower

 Check out the behind the scenes tour of Chudy's commercial grow facility here!

Instructions for being on the Indoor Plant Appreciation Episode!

1) Call (267) 478-2521

2) Please spell your name and email at the beginning of the message so I can contact you!

3) Share your story in the voicemail! Share your favorite story regarding an indoor plant: whether its a fail, a win, a humble brag, or a story of #plantfriendsIRL- your choice!

**Tip: The google voice only allows for a 3 minute message, so you might want to write out your story, or jot some thoughts down on paper to allow for you to effectively tell your story without getting cut off. If your story requires more than 3 minutes, you can call back and leave back to back messages.

Thank you to Highline Wellness for Sponsoring today's episode! Highline Wellness makes premium CBD products at honest and affordable prices. They make CBD gummies, oil and pain cream that has broad spectrum CBD with no THC that have been helping me manage anxiety and sleep in all of the different  hotel rooms and beds use as I travel to on tour. For 15% off go to highlinewellness.com and use code BLOOM15 for 15% off your first purchase!

Follow Rooney Bloom

Instagram:@rooney_bloom

Website: www.rooneybloom.com

Follow Chudy

Instagram: @chew_d

Bud Fox Supply Co: @budfoxsupplyco

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

While I was in Denver, I had the opportunity to tour The Garden, a 7000 square foot commercial Cannabis grower with my plant friend, and cannabis home grower, Rooney Bloom. In that tour, it was incredibly clear to me that I needed to sit down with the founder of The Garden, Chudy Azuogu and Rooney to discuss their different approaches to growing Cannabis, from seed to harvest. Cannabis is obviously a very popular plant these days for indoor growers… for different reasons than our houseplant plant parenthood obsessions, BUT this two part conversation ends up not being about Cannabis, but perspectives from two growers on how they care for a simple plant. What struck me the most is how commercial growers, (of Cannabis or any other plant) use science and technology to manipulate these plants to grow to their best ability and yield. But really, they are trying to mimic what Mother Nature does so easily. I’m so thankful to Rooney and Chudy for being so open to have this conversation and give us so much knowledge! It was an eye opening conversation that I’m so thankful for!

Disclaimer: if you plan on growing Cannabis, you absolutely must look up your local laws on growing this plant. This episode is not an endorsement for growing Cannabis, but an exploratory conversation for those who do. Do your own research on the legal side if you intend on growing on your own.

Also- you might hear Rooney’s pup walking around and wagging his tail through this conversation, he was a wonderful audience to have in Rooney’s home during this conversation.

In this episode we learn:

• How Rooney Bloom became the professional plant educator he is
• How Chudy Azuogu became a commercial grower of Cannabis
• The difference in growing cannabis from a commercial and home grower perspective
• What do you need to grow Cannabis Commercially
• What do you need to grow Cannabis as a home grower
• How to start seeds from home and in a commercial grow house
• Why it is important to separate Male and Female Cannabis Plants
• How to tell Male and Female Cannabis Plants apart
• How and when to feed cannabis commercially and at home
• The lighting setup in a Commercial grow house
• How to care for the plants while they are in their vegetative stage

Tune in next week for Growing Cannabis Part 2: Flowering to Harvest when Rooney and Chudy lead us through how to watch (or force) a plant to flower, how to care for it in it’s flowering stage, how to harvest and dry the bud and overall thoughts on the Cannabis industry.

Thank you to Highline Wellness for Sponsoring today's episode! Highline Wellness makes premium CBD products at honest and affordable prices. They make CBD gummies, oil and pain cream that has broad spectrum CBD with no THC that have been helping me manage anxiety and sleep in all of the different  hotel rooms and beds use as I travel to on tour.

For 15% off go to highlinewellness.com and use code BLOOM15 for 15% off your first purchase!

Follow Rooney Bloom

Instagram:@rooney_bloom

Website: www.rooneybloom.com

Follow Chudy

Instagram: @chew_d

Bud Fox Supply Co: @budfoxsupplyco

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Hi Plant Friends!

I'd love to feature you and YOUR plant stories in an upcoming community episode of the Bloom and Grow Radio Podcast. The theme of the episode is "Indoor Plant Appreciation" for National Indoor Plant Week! Call in following the instructions below and share your favorite story about a plant of yours: it could be a plant parent win, a loss, a lesson learned, a new friendship that blossomed, a funny story or a #plantmomfail or #plantdadfail. Whatever you want! I want this episode to inspire our community to keep blooming and keep growing together :) 

I can't wait to hear from you!

Instructions for being on the Indoor Plant Appreciation Episode!

1) Call (267) 478-2521

2) Please spell your name and email at the beginning of the message so I can contact you!

3) Share your story in the voicemail! Share your favorite story regarding an indoor plant: whether its a fail, a win, a humble brag, or a story of #plantfriendsIRL- your choice!

**Tip: The google voice only allows for a 3 minute message, so you might want to write out your story, or jot some thoughts down on paper to allow for you to effectively tell your story without getting cut off. If your story requires more than 3 minutes, you can call back and leave back to back messages.

Deadline for submissions is September 3rd! 

So glad to have Nick from @phillyfoliage and Nick Pileggi on Youtube join me for a discussion on Peperomia 101. This interview happened during our Live Taping at Urban Jungle Philly this summer. Peperomia are such a wonderful houseplant variety and such a perfect plant for beginners. We are lucky to have Nick walk us through the history, care and fun facts and troubleshooting tips for our peperomia plant babies!

In this episode we learn:

• How Nick Pileggi began his career in plants with no degree in horticulture and became the houseplant curator for Urban Jungle Philly and the epic youtube planty personality we know today
• How many varieties of Peperomia Nick owns (you’ll be shocked!) and his favorites
• Peperomia IRL: where we find them in Nature
• How many different varieties of Peperomia are known and how they differ
• Best watering practices for Peperomia
• Best light for Peperomia

Thank you to Soltech Solutions for sponsoring the podcast taping. Soltech Solutions makes luxury grow lights with full spectrum, white, museum quality light designed to keep your houseplants and dwarf fruiting trees happy. They have the hanging pendant Aspect light and now have the Highland Track Light system, designed for grow walls and plants in hard to reach places. They are offering you 20% off your order so head to soltechsolutions.com with the code "Bloom20" at checkout.

Special thanks to our event sponsors who made this event unbelievably special!

Planty Gift Bag Sponsors

Espoma Organics provided my FAVORITE Indoor Fertilizer and Bio Tone Starter Pack for the outdoor gardener.

Centurion Garden Snippers provided their stainless steel garden snippers to make every propagation snip count!

Local Sponsors who you MUST visit if in Philly!

Urban Jungle Philly - a MUST visit plant MECCA in Philly!

Barcelona Wine Bar - the most DELICIOUS paella in town!

Rival Bros Coffee - Philadelphia natives raising the bar for amazing coffee1

Pollyodd limoncello - the flavors of this limoncello are unbelievable!

Essen Bakery - The chef just got nominated for a third James Beared Award- need I say more?

Visit the East Passyunk Ave Business Improvement District If you are interested in learning more about this neighborhood

Today I’m just intro’ing you to Season 4 and giving you my off the cuff update on what I’ve learned from being away from my plants for 6th months! Sharing recent life lessons, what’s bringing me joy lately and how I’ve been bringing my passion for plants on the road with me. Season 4 will officially launch Tuesday August 13th. Make sure you are subscribed to the podcast so you don’t miss one episode!

Check out the Bloom and Grow YOUTUBE show: http://bit.ly/BAGRyoutube

Become a Plant Friend of Bloom and Grow Radio on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bloomandgrowradio

Join the Bloom and Grow Mailing List: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Buy some Bloom and Grow Radio Merch! http://bit.ly/BAGRPFA

Instructions for being on the Indoor Plant Appreciation Episode!

1) Call (267) 478-2521

2) Please spell your name and email at the beginning of the message so I can contact you!

3) Share your story in the voicemail! Share your favorite story regarding an indoor plant: whether its a fail, a win, a humble brag, or a story of #plantfriendsIRL- your choice!

**Tip: The google voice only allows for a 3 minute message, so you might want to write out your story, or jot some thoughts down on paper to allow for you to effectively tell your story without getting cut off. If your story requires more than 3 minutes, you can call back and leave back to back messages.

Chicago Plant Friends! We are having a FREE BAGR listener meet up THIS Saturday August 3rd from 10 am - Noon at Sprout Home Chicago!  

RSVP Here! https://app.getoccasion.com/p/n/M8FrfGb2

Season 4 of Bloom and Grow Radio Podcast is hitting the airwaves later THIS August, Plant Friends! Get excited!

I’m thrilled to finally connect with Christopher Griffin who you might know at the the @plantkween on Instagram. Christopher’s feed is filled with his “green gurls” and himself- radiating joy and positivity. If you tune into his Instagram stories, you’ll also see that he orchestrates days filled with planty adventures, hopping from plant shop to plant shop with friends or on his own as part of his self care routine. Today Christopher joins me to discuss his those epic planty days and how he goes about structuring and planning them, and how he uses plants as self care. This conversation is all about plants, and nothing about plants, as we step into a discussion on inclusivity and representation in the plant world. I’m a changed person from this conversation and am so thankful to Chris for being open to sharing his journey and mission for more inclusivity with us.

In this episode we learn

• How Chris because the "Plant Kween" that he is today
• Why he chooses to include photos of himself in all of his photos
• The importance of representation in the plant community
• 5 steps to planning your perfect plant shopping day
• Christopher’s approach to self care
• The importance of representation and inclusivity in the plant space

Christopher’s resources mentioned in the episode:

ÉduQue|e|r Trainings

(My diversity consulting company)

http://www.eduqueer.com/about

GLSEN

https://www.glsen.org/

The NY LGBTQ Center

https://www.glsen.org/

GLAAD LGBTQ resource list

https://www.glaad.org/resourcelist

Support Bloom and Grow Radio on Patreon!

Thank you Bloem Living for Sponsoring today's episode! Bloem Living makes flower pots and garden accessories in the USA that are clever, efficient and fun! They have a garden accessory or container for every garden! Discover their products at www.bloemliving.com - there you can find your local Bloem Living dealer, or see the many websites you can order their products from! You can also check out my amazon storefront for a selection of my favorite Bloem products!

Follow Christopher

Instagram: @plantkween

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

We are so lucky to be joined by Mickey from Mickey Hargitay Plants- THE go to plant institution in Los Angeles for Plant People. Mickey has been in the business of selling plants for 39 years: long before the recent trend has taken over Instagram and millennials. He had his shop in the 70s during the last houseplant craze, and gives us insight into his experience selling plants through several decades. We chat today not only about his long career, but what it takes as a plant shop owner to get a plant from a grower and into their customer’s hands: sourcing, transportation, pricing, inventory and more. Mickey is such a special human and gives us such wonderful insight into his career and his shop.

In this episode we learn:

• Mickey’s journey into plants and his 39 year career owning a plant shop
• How houseplant trends have changed over the last 30 years
• Mickey walks us through his process for running his shop: from sourcing plants, to storing and selling them and ensuring their happiness in your home
• Best practices for helping your plant adjust to your home

Watch the youtube tour of Mickey Hargitay Plants with Mickey! 

Join us in Philly for a live taping extravaganza at Urban Jungle Philly on June 24!

Thank you Bloem Living for Sponsoring today's episode! Bloem Living makes flower pots and garden accessories in the USA that are clever, efficient and fun! They have a garden accessory or container for every garden! Discover their products at www.bloemliving.com - there you can find your local Bloem Living dealer, or see the many websites you can order their products from! You can also check out my amazon storefront for a selection of my favorite Bloem products!

Visit and Follow Mickey!

1255 North Sycamore Avenue

Los Angeles CA 90038

www.mickeysplants.com

Instagram: @mickeysplants

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

So thrilled to be joined again by Leslie Halleck after the wildly successful two part episode on Understanding Natural Light (Episodes 46 and 47) last season. After the success of her recent book, Gardening Under Lights, Leslie published a new book this month on propagation called Plant Parenting. Today Leslie joins me to discuss not the techniques for propagation, by how plants actually multiply. Today’s episode is meant to help us zoom out and understand the overarching reasons for why the propagation projects we know and love are so successful. It is the perfect conversation to enrich our understanding of our plants and how intelligently designed they are.

Leslie Halleck is a Horticulturalist by education and profession with a passion for plants and gardening. She has worked in many sectors of the gardening industry, from nurseries, to being the Director of Horticulture Research at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden to founding Halleck Horticultural, a consulting service for Green Industry businesses. Her book, Gardening under Lights; The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers, is the ultimate guide to understanding artificial lighting for indoor growers of any experience level. Her new book Plant Parenthood

In this episode we learn:

• what is Totipotency
• the different types of cuttings for propagation
• roots vs shoots
• How to properly propagate a Fiddle Leaf Fig tree- and what not to do
• the most common way to propagate
• the science behind how plant cuttings instigate root growth (and dos and don'ts you need to know)
• best practices for taking great cuttings
• best cuttings to start with for beginners

Mentioned in the episode:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Come to our Bloom and Grow Radio Happy Hour/Plant Swap and Live Taping in Philly! Details Here

Leslie's books: Gardening Under Lights and Plant Parenting: Easy Ways to Make New Houseplants (Bloom and Grow Affiliate Links)

GIVEAWAY! To participate in the giveaway of one signed copy of Leslie's new book, visit the @bloomandgrowradio instagram account and check out the post about today's episode. Instructions for the giveaway are there! Giveaway ends June 18th, 2019.

Thank you Bloem Living for Sponsoring today's episode! Bloem Living makes flower pots and garden accessories in the USA that are clever, efficient and fun! They have a garden accessory or container for every garden! Discover their products at www.bloemliving.com - there you can find your local Bloem Living dealer, or see the many websites you can order their products from! You can also check out my amazon storefront for a selection of my favorite Bloem products!

Follow Leslie Halleck:

Book: Plant Parenting and Gardening Under Lights

Instagram

Twitter

Pinterest

Facebook

Website: https://lesliehalleck.com/

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Thrilled to be sharing this planty conversation with my #plantfriendIRL, Kevin Espiritu from Epic Gardening! Kevin and I recently met IRL in San Diego and clicked immediately. He is a wonderfully curious Botanical Bro who has the most incredible Urban Gardening set up in his home in San Diego. Our journeys to plant parenthood are very similar, but revolve around different passions: indoor (mine) and outdoor (his).  Today we talk our different interests, the similarities and differences between indoor and outdoor gardening and container gardening for those of us who might want to try gardening outdoors! I hope you find it inspiring to grow your own food in your outdoor space! Kevin's book, Field Guide to Urban Gardening, was just released and would be the perfect companion for anyone curious to learn more about urban gardening and growing your own food!

In this episode we learn:

• Kevin's somewhat unsuccessful intro to growing food, and how he became the amazing gardener he is now
• Differences in our experiences growing indoor and outdoor plants
• Outdoor container gardening 101- it's the growing season Plant Friends! Let's learn this together!
• Best pots, soil and fertilizer to use as a newbie
• Best plants to start with
• How to take your first step towards container gardening

Mentioned in the Episode

Buy Kevin's new book: Field Guide to Urban Gardening! (Bloom and Grow Amazon Affiliate Link):  https://amzn.to/2HOdufi

Visit my Amazon Storefront for the items mentioned in today's episode! https://www.amazon.com/shop/bloomandgrowradio

Check out Maria's favorite Bloem Living pots and gardening accessories! http://bit.ly/bloemBAGR

Thank you Bloem Living for Sponsoring today's episode! Bloem Living makes flower pots and garden accessories in the USA that are clever, efficient and fun! They have a garden accessory or container for every garden! Discover their products at www.bloemliving.com - there you can find your local Bloem Living dealer, or see the many websites you can order their products from! You can also check out my amazon storefront for a selection of my favorite Bloem products! 

Follow Kevin and Epic Gardening

Website

Podcast

YouTube

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Instagram

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Thrilled to be bringing you the live taping of Bloom and Grow Radio in Tucson on “Living with Plants in the Desert”. I am joined by Brendan the owner of Eco Grow, a local aquaponics and rare plant shop and grower and also Prococo Products, premium coco coir supplier, Akiko from Tucson based flower and plant shop Bloom Maven and Becca, a Tucson native and the Plant Lady behind the De La Plants Youtube channel. We have a wonderful discussion on the desert climate, the Saguaro Cactus, and how to have a thriving plant collection while living in the desert, and how to incorporate desert style into your home and plant collection.

In this episode we learn:

• What a desert biome is
• The history of the Saguaro Cacti
• Houseplant Care in the Desert 101 with Brendan from Eco Gro and Prococo
• Desert plant styling tips with Akiko from Bloom Maven
• Hot tips on living with Plants in the Desert from Becca of Becca De La Plants

Thank you to our Wine and Gift Bag Sponsors (all female owned and run companies)!

Sand Reckoner Vineyards is a local vineyard growing their own grapes in the desert and making delicious wines including the Vermentino we drank a ton of at the live taping! If you are in the area, their Tucson tasting room is open Wednesday through Sunday! Check them out at https://sand-reckoner.com/ 

Solace Macrame for the GORGEOUS mini macrame plant hangers- for any and all of your macrame dreams visit: https://solacemacrame.com/ and Instagram: @solacemacrame

Annotated Audrey for the fabulous Plant Pins and Stickers from her shop which is all about desert inspired art, gifts and accessories! Check out her prints and more at http://shop.annotatedaudrey.com/ and Instagram @annotatedaudrey

Check out some Cacti IRL on Maria's Youtube Video tour of her hike in Sabino Canyon in the Sonoran Desert!

Follow Akiko and Bloom Maven:

Follow Brendan and Eco Grow and ProCoco:

www.ecogro.com

www.prococo.com

Follow Becca and De La Plants:

Instagram: @delaplants

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Today Maria shares a mini episode on why Bloom and Grow Radio is now on Patreon.

Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/bloomandgrowradio

Maria and members of the Bloom and Grow Radio Community give tips on how to move homes with houseplants! 

In this episode we learn:

- the various ways to pack plants for moving

- practical tips from listeners who have moved successfully with their houseplants

- suggestions from Maria for moving in a car, truck, plane or countries!

For a blog with all of the tips provided in this episode visit: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/moving

For a youtube video where Maria shows you how she packs her plants to take on the plane visit: https://www.youtube.com/c/bloomandgrowradio

Support Bloom and Grow Radio on PATREON! https://www.patreon.com/bloomandgrowradio

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio:

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow YOUTUBE show! https://www.youtube.com/c/bloomandgrowradio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Support Bloom and Grow Radio on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bloomandgrowradio 

Rachael is the plant lady behind Infinite Succulent and the author of the succulent crafting book Infinite Succulent: Miniature Living Art to Keep or Share. The book is filled with incredible and easy succulent crafts for any skill level. I have been obsessed with succulent crowns ever since I found them on Instagram over a year ago and got one for myself on my last trip to San Diego. I’ve wanted to do an episode on DIY Succulent Crowns for a year and I’m so excited to have had the opportunity to finally be bringing an episode to you because I just always feel so special and giddy whenever I’ve worn one in the past. They are such a fun craft to do with friends or your kids. I hope you enjoy our wonderful conversation!

At this live taping, Rachael walks Maria (and guests) through making their own succulent crowns from start to finish and teaches us how to replant our crowns to have them live on forever.

A few heads up about this episode

1)   the nursery and space for this event was so perfect, we were surround by every dream plant you couldn't imagine in this little green house on the property, but you can hear some shoppers milling about in the background at times, and might hear some cars or sirens passing on the local roads. Don’t let it deter you- they will pass.

2)   Rachael and I do our very best to explain what we are doing while we were doing it- but real talk, this was the first time trying to do a live taping/DIY event like this. Our amazing photographer Gabaccia, took some amazing companion photos, and made an adorable video as a companion to this episode, so head to the show notes at bloomandgrowradio.com/succulentcrowns to see the photos of what we were talking about. I also do a general overview of all of the instructions at the end of the episode.

3)   Incase it isn’t clear in the start of the episode- Rachael has two different types of succulent crown crafts that she offers in her book- I did the tie back version, which is basically the succulents attached to the lace on leather string that ties around my head (because my head is huge and normal crowns don't fit it) and then she does the actual headband versions. There are photos of both, but when you hear us talking about the differences, that’s what we are talking about.

In this episode we learn:

• How Rachael began crafting with plants and why she feels they are important activities for children and adults
• What materials you need for a succulent crown
• How to take a proper clipping for a succulent craft
• Step by step process for crafting you very own succulent crown
• How to care for the crowns once they are completed
• How and when to separate and root your cuttings
• Best practices for rooting your cuttings once they are done
• Everything about the creation of Rachael’s new book Infinite Succulent: Miniature Living Art to Keep or Share

Thank you so much to Rachael again for making my dreams come true by helping me bring a succulent crown tutorial to life. Plant friends… they are so fun to wear. I feel like I will be doing this craft at every bachelorette party I ever go to again. Also Rachael's book Infinite Succulent: Miniature Living Art to Keep or Share is absolutely amazing! You should check it out if you want more support on this craft, or are curious about all the amazing other succulent crafts in there. It's the perfect gift for the crafty person or planty person in your life! Thank you to Barrel and Branches Nursery for hosting, make sure to visit next time you are in San Diego. Thank you to C&L Catering and Decor for providing such yummy snacks!

*Link to this book is the Bloom and Grow Amazon Affiliate link, meaning BAGR makes a small portion of the sale, at no cost to you! So thanks!

I know our conversation flowed a lot, so:

Overview of the craft:

• Start with several cuttings of succulents, cut right up to the leaves or what I call “booty” of the succulent, and let the cut callous. The materials you need are three pieces of sturdy lace, some form of headband whether its an actual metal or plastic one, or string for the tieback version, reindeer moss, craft glue or a hot glue gun, and any other articles you might want to fasten to the crown
• Glue two pieces of lace together, then take that sturdy piece, and place the headband in between the third piece of lace and glue those pieces together. That will be the working surface for your crown.
• Glue reindeer moss onto the crown, and trim it very short to the lace. This will be what you fasten your succulents to.
• Get an idea of the general design of the crown, and then start gluing. Start with your largest succulent. It looks nice to do a large succulent with one or two small ones around it, to kind of mimic what a pup would look like in nature.

Also if you are interested in making your own crowns, the materials are available in my Amazon Storefront under DIY Succulent Crowns (I also have lots of other recommendations for products I like and inspo from other episodes) and Rachael has craft kits with everything you need to make the crafts from her book on her website.

Thank you to Mountain Crest Gardens for sponsoring this episode. If you are looking for high quality succulents shipped to your door, check out mountaincrestgardens.com/bloom to get your discount code for 15% your first purchase. They sell high quality cuttings specifically for crafting on their site, so this would be a perfect fit! Go give them a look at mountaincrestgardens.com/bloom for 15% off.

Follow Rachael and Infinite Succulent:

IG @infinitesucculent

Facebook /infinitesucculent

Pinterest: /infinitesucculent

Website: www.infinitesucculent.com/diy-kits

Book: Infinite Succulent: Miniature Living Art to Keep or Share

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio:

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

I am so excited to share the magic of our first live taping at Folia Collective in Los Angeles with my special guests Danae from Folia Collective and Christine from Work Hard Plant Hard. You will remember them from Episode 24 on How to Start a Plant Shop where Danae took us behind the scenes of how she grew Folia Collective into the Planty mecca it is now and Episode 17 on The Studies Behind Why Plants Make People Happy and Healthy where Christine, who is a practicing physician, walks us through the scientific studies that prove that plants improve the quality of our lives. These two women are such special friends to me, and such pillars in this planty community and I’m so thrilled to be sharing this special conversation with you. We dive into all things plant community: how to first become a part of it, how to grow within it and also how to behave as part of it. I was surprised at how inspiring and helpful the etiquette section of the conversation was, and hope you have some great take aways from it. Special thanks to Ahus Akvavit, Rt1home, Modern Sprout, Bloem Living and Hemleva for partnering with us to make it happen! You’ll hear more about them at the end of the episode.

In this episode we learn:

• How Christine and Danae got started in the Plant Community
• Advice for how to get started in the online Plant Community
• How to start your own plant swap
• How to approach a plant shop to work on an event together
• Some etiquette guidelines for social media in the Plant Community
• How to keep you relationships with plants happy and healthy

Thank you Danae and Christine for such a wonderful conversation. I hope you all feel inspired to continue to contribute to this wonderful community of plant friends we are a part of. If your looking for a way to engage with the community and haven’t already joined the Bloom and Grow Garden Club, that’s a great place to start! https://bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Thank you to Mountain Crest Gardens for sponsoring this episode. If you are looking for high quality succulents shipped to your door, check out mountaincrestgardens.com/bloom to get your discount code for 15% your first purchase. The variety of succulents they have is unbelievable and their shipping packing is incredible! Go give them a look at mountaincrestgardens.com/bloom for 15% off.

Mentioned in the episode:

The Small and Savage Wild Shelves

@delaplants hashtag: Your City + indoor jungle like #tucsonindoorjungle

Airplantman:

Michelle Breau- Holistic Nutritionist @iammichellebreau

Our wonderful gift bag sponsors!

Ahus Akvavit: https://www.ahusakvavit.com/en/

Rt1Home Propagation Cone: https://rt1home.com/collections/accessories/products/prop-cone-white

Modern Sprout Pollinator Push Gardens: https://store.modsprout.com/products/pollinator-push-garden-3-pack

Bloem Living Bloem Bagz: https://bloemliving.com/

Hemleva Planty Pins: https://www.hemleva.com/flair

Follow Danae and Folia Collective:

IG:  @foliacollective  @danaerolynhorst

Website: www.foliacollective.com and www.jungalow.com/plant-o-pedia

To Follow Christine and Work Hard Plant Hard:

Instagram: @workhardplanthard

www.workhardplanthard.com

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio:

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Plant Friends, I’m so excited to welcome Summer Rayne Oakes of Homestead Brooklyn back on the show to talk about an issue we’ve all probably run into: finding a plant you love at a garden shop or nursery that doesn’t have a name tag… and what to do! We’ve learned through out these episodes that one of the most important things we can do as plant parents is to find out what kind of light and humidity our homes get, and to bring plants home that will thrive in our unique indoor environments. So… how are you supposed to be able to do this if you don't know what the plant is!? I know this is an issue I’ve come across and thought Summer Rayne would be the perfect person to chat about the general clues we could get from looking at a plant, that might lead us to get a general idea for the light and care it may need.

Disclaimer: obviously we speak in generalities here, there will always be an exception to the rule, BUT it’s great to arm ourselves with as much general knowledge as humanly possible, to zoom out and understand the bigger picture. Summer Rayne also recently launched an amazing online houseplant master class which I took, and we chat about it at the end of the episode!

In this episode we learn:

• How to handle finding a plant you like in a garden shop but not having a name tag on it
• Understanding how the plants are cared for in the garden center and what that transition is like for them
• How to “zoom out” and look at a plant more holistically, to better empower ourselves to understand plants without being dependent on a care card
• Key indicators to help you under that care a plant requires

Thank you Summer Rayne for a wonderful chat. I hope this conversation might help you plant friends zoom out and understand more general cues we can take to understand plant care, and not rely solely on a care card. If you are looking to take your plant knowledge to the next level, I highly recommend Summer Raynes course! You can sign up using my affiliate code here- that means that a portion of the sale will go to supporting Bloom and Grow Radio!

http://bit.ly/SROmasterclass

Thank you to Mountain Crest Gardens for sponsoring this episode. If you are looking for high quality succulents shipped to your door, check out mountaincrestgardens.com/bloom to get your discount code for 15% your first purchase. The variety of succulents they have is unbelievable and their shipping packing is incredible! Go give them a look at mountaincrestgardens.com/bloom for 15% off.

Check out the Bloom and Grow Plant Friend Apparel line! http://bit.ly/plantfriendsapparel

Join us in SAN DIEGO this week on Saturday April 20th at 10 am at Barrels & Branches Nursery for a DIY Make Your Own Succulent Crown Tutorial as we do a LIVE TAPING! https://www.barrelsandbranches.com/events/diy-succulent-crown-workshop

I’m thrilled to have Dave Hunter, the founder of Crown Bees on the show to talk about pollinators and how important they are for our environment. Dave is a native bee expert that shares so much information about pollination, bees in general, why the honey bee might not be the king of the bee world as we know it, and how we can help pollinators continue to help our local environments literally bloom and grow. Pollinators are something I knew little about and Dave really walks us through everything we need to know about them.

In this episode we learn:

• What pollinators are, and why they are important
• Why the Honey Bee might not be the most effective pollinator
• How many types of bees there are, and what they do
• How do bees pollinator flowers
• What is a native bee
• Why are bees threatened?
• How can we help

- Thank you Dave for all of your incredible information. If you are interested in learning more about pollinators, or possibly installing one of Daves amazing bee kits, I highly suggest heading over to https://crownbees.com/ to learn more!

- Thank you to Mountain Crest Gardens for sponsoring today’s episode. I can’t say enough wonderful things about how impressed I am with Mountain Crest Gardens.  To see the amazing variety of succulents for yourself, visit Mountaincrestgardens.com/bloom to get a coupon code for 15% off your order!

- Check out the Plant Friends Apparel line of shirts, sweatshirts and accessories inspired by Bloom and Grow Radio by clicking here! 

- Join me for a LIVE TAPING of Bloom and Grow Radio in San Diego on April 20th at 10 am at Barrels & Branches! Participants will learn along side me as Rachael from Infinite Succulent teaches us how to craft our own living succulent crowns! Click here to get your tickets!

Today’s episode is a community episode, featuring YOU, the Bloom and Grow Radio Listeners sharing their stories and empowering and educating our community.

            Plant Fails, everyone take a moment of silence to bow our heads for the plants we’ve lost in our plant parenthood journeys. Because plant friends… I don’t care how gorgeously curated your IG feed is…. we ALL have a plant fail in our history. But for some reason, we feel shame when they happen. I think it’s hard to stomach our not so perfect plant parenthood moments, when we are surrounded by perfect photos of gorgeous plants, in our curated IG feeds and in the garden centers that get the perfect amount of light and fertilizer to make them truly thrive.

I had the idea for this episode when I was struggling with this problem last month. I was surprised at how much shame I felt about this plant fail, and knew I wanted to turn to our community for support and help, and this episode is the result of that!

            Thank you to Brie, Eva (@rootboundbotany), Jesse, Larayne (@larrydoom), Mara (@ohimara), Becca (@delaplants), Leanna (@naturalleegreen), Lat (@laura_turns), Leslie (@leslieiswhat), Kelly (@plantmamakelly), Lat (@dr_Badvibes) and Ellie (@Heirloomplantsisters) for their vulnerability, humor and honesty in sharing their plant fails! I learned from each and every one of you!

Check out the new Bloom and Grow Radio Plant Friends Apparel Line of Shirts, Sweatshirts and Accessories! Express your inner Plant Lady or Botanical Bro and Support Bloom and Grow Radio! Click here!

Thank you to Maria, (@_forestfloor) for co-designing this line with me! 

RSVP HERE 

So excited to have a "Botanicals and Brunch" Bloom and Grow Radio Listener Meet up at Cultivate Propagate in SEATTLE this Saturday March 30th from 1030-noon!

Join us for Brunch Cocktails, Coffee, Raised Doughnuts and more! It will be a wonderful way to meet your local planty community members and make new #plantfriendsIRL!

I'll be hosting informal interviews about what your favorite Seattle Planty Places are! 

Chelsea (the shop owner) will be saving some Philodendron Pink Princess and Painted Lady and Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma to go on sale in shop during the event!

Please RSVP by clicking this link so we know how much stuff to get!

Botanicals and Brunch Partners:

Cultivate Propagate

Raised Doughnuts

Marseille Food and Wine 

Today's episode is a short and sweet nugget of love about my trip to the Redwood Forest. Tune in for some mushy feel good vibes and inspiration.

Use #bagplantlatinchallenge and post a photo of one of your plants with the latin name! Educate our community!

Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club for exclusive access to early offerings for events, episodes, the free download of the Molly Mansfield Keep Blooming Print and the password to our private facebook group! 

https://bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio on Instagram for behind the scenes shots and... plants!

Plant Friends! I’m so excited to have my dear friend and Botanical Bro Chris Satch back on the show, to help demystify the latin names of our houseplants we love so dearly. Today we dive into plant latin, some history, troubleshooting, and learn LOTS of nerdy latin words. We hope this episode helps you better understand your houseplants, what families they come from and maybe just gives you some fancy words to pull out at parties and sound fancy with. Stay tuned till the end of the episode because we’ve come up with a fun challenge for our community to participate in, you wont want to miss it- I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

In this episode we learn:

• Why Plant Latin is so important to know for our houseplants
• Who Carl Linneus was why he’s important to Plant Latin
• General Pronunciation guidelines
• Kingdom, division, class, order, family, genus, species- how these names apply to our plants
• How houseplants are broken down in Plant Latin
• What the cultivar and special exceptions for Plant Latin are
• Resources

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Mr Plant Geeks Rude Botany Line 

ICBN 

USDA Plants Database 

Kew Gardens Resource 

Post your #BAGPlantLatinChallenge by taking a photo of your plant and telling us the latin name, translation and care instructions for it! Let’s learn as a community!

 Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club for exclusive access to early offerings for events, episodes, the free download of the Molly Mansfield Keep Blooming Print and the password to our private facebook group! 

https://bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Join me on March 18th at Folia Collective for a Botanical and Booze Happy Hour and Live taping with Work Hard Plant Hard! 

https://foliacollective.com/products/botanicals-booze-bloom-grow-radio-live-at-folia 

Follow Chris on Instagram 

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio on instagram 

Today’s guest caught my eye on social media because of his incredible travel itinerary and his obvious passion for finding the plants we know and love as houseplants, in their natural habitats around the world. Michael Mittermeier is a passionate plant professional who has traveled the world and documents his findings of rare and unusual plants on his instagram account @mickmitty. He also has one of the largest private collections of Monstera, Syngonium, Scindapsus and Raphidophora in the country. I invited him on the show today to discuss his experience with our favorite houseplants in nature, but the conversation blossomed into a fun chat about how to plan trips for plant sightseeing, how to take your plant obsession to the next level, what these plants are like in nature and lots and lots of information about Monstera in the wild and he even teaches us a thing or two about Adansonii vs Obliqua. I hope this conversation encourages you to learn more about where these plants we love to keep indoors actually come from and inspires you to bring a new type of plant home!

In this episode we learn:

• how Mick gets to travel and experience the plants we love as houseplants out in the real world
• travel hacks to help get you to see plants IRL
• Micks experience seeing houseplants in the Wild
• Mick’s experience with Monstera Xanthospetha (and also what that is)
• Monstera Adansonii Vs Obliqua
• Why it’s hard to identify rare plants as a houseplant parent
• Micks hack for making the best moss poles

Visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com/mick for photos of the plants we discussed in today's episode!

Come Hang with me in LA at Folia Collective on March 18th! https://foliacollective.com/products/botanicals-booze-bloom-grow-radio-live-at-folia

Follow Mick: Instagram  facebook  

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Instagram 

Join the (free) garden club: https://bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Thank you to Wallygro for sponsoring this episode and month of Bloom and Grow Radio. Head to Wallygro.com to see all of your indoor and outdoor options for your own green wall and use code BLOOM20 at checkout for 20% off.

Today I’m joined by my plant friend Darryl of Houseplant Journal to discuss the importance of soil aeration and having plants in low Light environments. Houseplant Journal is known for it’s amazing instagram account, blog and now watering can and his forthcoming book! Darryl's instagram bio says “an engineers approach to plant care” and I think that sums Darryl up so well, he has the clinical, thoughtful, inquisitive brain of an engineer, and the passion and enthusiasm of the best of the best plant parents. Darryl is passionate about helping people understand their lighting environment so I thought he would be the perfect guest for this episode on what to do if you are a Plant Person living in a low light home. Plant friends, we get real in this episode. We might say things you don't want to hear, but it's important information to understand how to best set our plants up for success!

In this episode we learn:

• What’s new with Darryl as he’s built the Houseplant Journal brand and what exciting things he’s up to
• Aeration, what it is and why it’s important for our houseplants
• Thriving vs surviving in a low light environment
• Why understanding our light environment is so important and how Darryl measures his light in his apartment
• The tough truth about low light apartments, whether you want to hear it or not :)
• Darryl’s lighting hacks for his low light office
• Strategies and plants to choose if you live or work in a low light space
• Low light Hacks

Mentioned in the Episode:

Episode 08: Dirty Talk with Darryl 

Darryl’s watering can 

Episodes on Natural Light with Leslie 

Bloom and Grow Radio Resources Page  (Maria has her grow lights with discount codes on the resource page!)

Bloom and Grow Radio Amazon storefront  (Maria has a section on low light plants in the storefront!)

**Join us for our first LIVE taping at Folia Collective on March 18th in Los Angeles! **

https://foliacollective.com/products/botanicals-booze-bloom-grow-radio-live-at-folia

Follow Darryl and Houseplant Journal:

Preorder Darryl's New Bool! The New Plant Parent: Develop Your Green Thumb and Care for Your House-Plant Family

*BAGR amazon affiliate code*

Instagram and Facebook: @houseplantjournal

Twitter: @houseplantjrnl

Website: www.houseplantjournal.com

Patreon: www.patreon.com/houseplantjournal

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio:

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Plant Friends, you’ve heard me talk about my “Plant Co Parent” on this podcast, you’ve seen in him in our Botanicals and Booze Happy Hour Insta-stories, or maybe in our most recent Wallygro Install insta-story, and now, it’s time for me to officially introduce to the love of my life, and “partner in plants,” Billy Morrissey, to you.

This past year and a half has been big for me with leaving my Plant Killer Ways and becoming a Crazy Plant Lady, but it’s also been a whirlwind for my live in boyfriend, Billy. He has been there every step of the way as I’ve built our Urban Jungle, and this podcast, and let me tell you… although the process has been magical and I wouldn’t change a thing, it hasn’t been the easiest. He has had this intense hobby thrust upon him, and over this past year or so, we’ve learned a lot about how to manage my new found passion while still having a healthy relationship and a happy (and uncluttered) home.

So plant friends… this episode isn’t necessarily for YOU… it’s for your partners, your friends, your roommates, the people in your lives that indirectly benefit (I hope they think benefit, they might think suffer) from our planty hobby. Billy prepared a bunch of tips he’d like to share that he’s learned along the way in dealing with my 0-60 planty explosion in our apartment. I’d love for you to share this episode with those “plant co-parents” in your life, but also I hope this episode inspires you to take a minute and admire and respect those who embrace our hobby with open arms, and maybe inspire some ideas for projects for you and your partners in the future!

Quick reminder that today is the deadline for submission for the Plant Fail Lessons episode that I want to feature YOU in. Details and instructions below.

In this episode we learn:

• the secret behind the Bloom and Grow Radio themesong
• how Billy first reacted when I went crazy about plants
• how we’ve grown and learned to communicate about my new hobby
• tips from Billy on how to live with a Crazy Plant Person

For discount codes to the products mentioned in today's episode (Modern Sprout Grow Bar, Soltech Solutions lights, and more) check out https://bloomandgrowradio.com/resources

Instructions for participating in the upcoming Listener “Plant Fail Lessons” episode of Bloom and Grow Radio

1) Call (267) 478-2521

2) Please spell your name and email at the beginning of the message so I can contact you!

3) The google voice only allows for a 3 minute message, so you might want to write out your story, or jot some thoughts down on paper to allow for you to effectively tell your story without getting cut off. If your story requires more than 3 minutes, you can call back and leave back to back messages.

Follow Billy:

IG: www.instagram.com/allagashbilly

Twitter: https://twitter.com/allagashbilly

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio:

Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Plant Friends! We are kicking of Season 3 with your top most requested episode out of any topic, a 101 episode on how to care for the Marantaceae Family, and understanding why on earth they can be so dang tricky to care for! I would say that “why is my calathea or prayer plant browning at the tips” is one of my most frequently DM’d questions on instagram. I think this Marantaceae family has some of the most gorgeously patterned leaves I’ve ever seen and I’m excited to have this episode to help us keep them happy and healthy in our urban jungles! And friends, I have the worlds most perfect guest to walk us through the beauty and complexities of this amazing family of Plants.

Marc Hachadourian is the Director of Glasshouse Horticulture and Senior Curator of Orchids at the New York Botanical Garden. I have been hearing about Marc for over a year. His amazing plant brain, friendly personality and passion for plants is kind of legendary and I’m so excited to introduce you all to him. I’m so thankful to the New York Botanical Garden for lending him to us for this episode.

If you are a New York based listener, Plant Friends, I can’t stress enough how in love I am with the NYBG. The garden is so easy to get to (just hop on the metro north) and is just filled with acres upon acres of plants. No matter what time of year it is, there is always something to do or see there. Last year I made it to their Orchid Show and their Train show. Marc will tell us a little more about this upcoming Orchid Show: Singapore, which is running from February 23- April 28th. If you are in NY, and probably suffering from season affective disorder, run don't walk to the garden for a planty adventure.

In this episode we learn:

- What Marc does for the NYBG

- What plants fall under the Marantaceae Family

- Prayer Plant, Calathea and Stromanthe- their differences and similarities

- Why do the leaves fold up and down as in “prayer”

- Why the bottoms of many Marantaceae are purple

- Why the tips brown and how we help avoid this

- Why humidity is so important for the Marantaceae family

- Marc answers a collection of listener questions

Thank you Marc for joining us to give us so much amazing information about the Marantaceae family. The NYBG Orchid Show: Singapore runs February 23 to April 28th. For more information visit www.nybg.org But the Orchid show is just one of so many amazing installations that are always happening at the NYBG. Go for a visit and you’ll see all sorts of Marantaceae IRL for yourself!

Thank you again to Wallygro for sponsoring this episode. And thank you Wallygro for also being a company with a huge sustainability pledge: fun fact, all of the eco planters are made in the USA and are made from 100% recycle plastic milk jugs. Head to >wallygro.com to see the endless options of indoor or outdoor set ups you can install in your own home, and use BLOOM20 at checkout for 20% off.

If you want to be featured on the upcoming plant fail lessons episode, see instructions below or listen to last weeks updates and announcements episode.

Instructions for participating in the upcoming Listener “Plant Fail Lessons” episode of Bloom and Grow Radio

1) Call (267) 478-2521 (The Bloom and Grow Google Voice Number)

2) Please spell your name and email at the beginning of the message so I can contact you!

3) The google voice only allows for a 3 minute message, so you might want to write out your story, or jot some thoughts down on paper to allow for you to effectively tell your story without getting cut off. If your story requires more than 3 minutes, you can call back and leave back to back messages

Updates and exciting announcements about Season 3 and an invitation (and instructions) for YOU to be featured in an upcoming episode! 

If you want to be featured on the Plant Killer Lessons episode- call  (267) 478-2521 and leave your story! The voicemail allows for 3 minute max, so it will help to write your story out ahead of time. I can't wait to hear from you and learn what you've learned!

Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow on the Road on Instagram

Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club (for free) https://www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Happy News Years! Today I’m reviewing the lessons I’ve learned in all of the incredible conversations I’ve had over the 49 episodes of Bloom and Grow Radio. Man, I have learned so much!

In the episode we discuss what I’ve learned about:

• Drainage
  • Episode 08: Dirty Talk with Darryl from Houseplant Journal
•  Succulents
  • Episode 3: How to Not Kill You're your Succulents 
  • Episode 35: How to Grow Desert Plants and Succulents Indoors
• Artificial and Natural Light
  •  Episode 12: Everything You Need to Know About Indoor Grow lights 
  •  Episode 45, 46: Understanding Natural Light
• Specific Plant Care
  • Episode 33: Monstera 101
  • Episode 25: Fiddle Leaf Fig 101 
  • Episode 14: Pilea Peperomiodes 101 
  • Episode 29: Indoor Citrus 101 
  • Episode 32: Airplants 101 
  • Episode 44 and 45: Aroids 101 (2 parts)
    1. Episode 44 Part 1 
    2. Episode 45 Part 2

• DIY (which are fun and not hard and scary!)
  1. Episode 16: Mounting Epiphytes
  2. Episode 19: Terrarium 101
  3. Episode 22: Windowsill Herb Gardening 
  4. Episode 42: How to Make a Moss Pole 
  5. Episode 36: Growing a Large Urban Jungle in a Small Space 
• Heart warming and informative episodes that aren’t directly about plant care, but teach important lessons and information
  1. Episode 27: Plants in the Classroom 
  2. Episode 37: Horticultural Therapy 
  3. Episode 43: Your Brain on Plants
• Plant Side Chats: Life Lessons Learned in the Garden
• 1. Episode 10: Bloom and Grow at Your Own Rate 
  2. Episode 21: The Changing of the Seasons
  3. Episode 28: The Tale of the Tomato
  4. Episode 40: Pruning (in life, and with plants)
  5. Episode 48: You’re Doing Great

Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Interested in what grow lights and planty products I use? Check out my resources page: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/resources

Plant Side Chats are a series on the Bloom and Grow Radio podcast where Maria (host) muses on life lessons learned in the garden or from plant parenting. 

I’m joined again by my new plant friend and horticulturalist and lighting expert, Leslie Halleck, for part two of my quest to understand what “bright indirect light” really is. If you haven’t yet, listen to last weeks episode where Leslie and I dive into the basics of understanding natural light, and hacks and tricks for measuring your personal lighting environment without any type of app or meter.

Leslie is a Horticulturalist by education and profession with a passion for plants and gardening. She has worked in many sectors of the gardening industry, from nurseries, to being the Director of Horticulture Research at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden to founding Halleck Horticultural, a consulting service for Green Industry businesses. Her book, Gardening under Lights; The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers, is published by Timber Press and is the ultimate guide to understanding artificial lighting for indoor growers of any experience level.

Today, we dive into learning the basics of how to measure light and how to use simple measurements to better understand exactly what light we are personally working with. Leslie gave me a homework assignment which involved me measuring the light in my apartment with a free app, and we walk through what I learned from it. As you’ll find out, my results were surprising and I learned so much from the experience of actually taking measurements of my surroundings. Leslie and I then challenge you to take your own measurements with a free download we provide so you can have all the aha moments I had throughout this process!

In the episode we learn:

• What the most important colors of light are for growing plants
• How to use a free app to get a better understanding of your indoor lighting environment
• What is the difference between LUX, Footcandles and PAR
• What micromoles are
• What DLI (Daily Light Intergral) is
• The results of my homework and how many “aha” moments I had about the ACTUAL light in my apartment
• How drastic the difference in light is within only a few feet from your window
• What area of your apartment is probably low light that you never knew about
• Whether or not you can put plants in a bathroom with no windows
• Whether or not you can put plants in an office with no windows
• Citrus under lights, pests

GET THE FREE DOWNLOAD! Get the free measuring light overview, worksheet and Leslie’s Plant Geek Glossary by subscribing here https://bloomandgrowradio.com/resources

Mentioned in this episode:

- Lux Light Meter 

- PAR meter

- Soltech Solution Aspect Light (link has BAGR 15% off Affiliate Code) 

- Leslie’s Book, Gardening Under Lights; The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers 

Follow Leslie Halleck: https://lesliehalleck.com/ @lesliehalleck

https://twitter.com/@LeslieHalleck

https://www.pinterest.com/lesliehalleck/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgVSrcFLIllF6fDhu1_8XDw

https://www.facebook.com/HalleckHorticultural

facebook groups: gardening under lights and plant parenting

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio www.bloomandgrowradio.com

https://www.pinterest.com/bloomandgrowradio

https://www.instagram.com/bloomandgrowradio/

I’m excited to bring you another two part episode on a topic that has plagued me in my first year as a plant parent: understanding natural light, and what the heck “bright indirect light” actually means. When figuring out how to do this episode, I knew I needed a lighting and plant expert who would give me the space to ask the simple questions to understand this complex topic. Enter Leslie Halleck.

Leslie is a Horticulturalist by education and profession with a passion for plants and gardening. She has worked in many sectors of the gardening industry, from nurseries, to being the Director of Horticulture Research at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden to founding Halleck Horticultural, a consulting service for Green Industry businesses. Her book, Gardening under Lights; The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers, is the ultimate guide to understanding artificial lighting for indoor growers of any experience level.

Leslie joins me to share her years of experience with houseplants and indoor gardening to ironically not discuss her vast knowledge of indoor grow lights, but to teach us about the basics of measuring our natural indoor light, to better understand out indoor environment, and whether we need to supplement with lights. Today’s episode is titled General Rules, next weeks episode is titled Measuring Tools. General Rules will consist of my lengthy conversation with Leslie about lighting basics, and how we can understand our indoor lighting environments without special or expensive meters. She also just imparts piece after piece or plant parenthood wisdom, and honestly teaches us a lot more than just how to understand light. Next week, in “Measuring Tools”, we will dive into the homework assignment she gave me, which involved me using a light meter on my phone to actually measure my surrounds, which gave me shocking “aha” moments. I hope this two part series helps uncover this tricky problem and helps you be more at ease and empowered about your personal indoor environments.

In this episode we learn:

- How Leslie came to be the lighting expert she is now

- Measuring and understanding NATURAL light 101

- The difference between the volume of light vs the brightness of light - What PAR is and why it is important for understand our natural light in our apartments

- The most brilliant metaphor for light that will make even the science inept person understand light, photons and photosynthesis

- How the direction your window faces affects the amount of light in your apartment, and a good rule of thumb to live by

- What the heck “bright indirect light’ actually is!

- Practical steps to understanding “bright indirect light” for your specific surrounding

- How many feet away from your windowsill does “bright light” turn to “medium light” and then turn to “low light”

- Why we overwater our plants (spoiler alert… it’s often because of your lighting conditions)

- If sunbeams that move throughout your apartments make a different for your plants

- Why experimenting with plant placement and light is crucial

Mentioned in this Episode: - Soltech Solutions Light, use bloomandgrow15 for 15% off on any of their lights at www.soltechsolutions.com

- Lux Light Meter Pro App

- Leslie’s Book, Gardening Under Lights; The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers

Follow Leslie Halleck: https://lesliehalleck.com/

@lesliehalleck on twitter, pinterest, youtube, facebook

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio @bloomandgrowradio on Instagram, www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club to join the (free) online garden club!

Welcome back to part 2 of the Aroids 101 series. I hope you enjoyed last weeks Part 1 on the general information and care for the amazing Araceae family. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet, I would suggest hitting pause here and listening to that episode first, as it lays the groundwork for the information we dive into today.

We are joined again today by Enid, the founder of NSE Tropicals. NSE Tropicals is an online plant shop that has some of the most rare and unusual plants on the Internet. Enid founded NSE Tropicals 18 years ago as a hobby and it has turned into one of the go to resources for rare and exotic plants. She is an avid collector of aroids and other hard to find plants and even served as the President of the International Aroid Society.

Today’s episode is all about the different species that make up the Araceae family, and the popular Aroids we know and love. Enid walks us through what we need to know about Philodendrons, Alocasia, Anthuriums, Rhaphidophora, Monstera and more and suggests great plants to start with when dipping our toes into the Aroid pool… not to be confused with the aquatic plants we also discuss! This talk is full of fun facts that I hope help you bloom and grow your indoor jungles. I know I am super inspired to bring some more aroids home after this conversation! Plant Friends… I feel like I owe it to you to just own how much I butcher the Latin language in this episode. Don’t worry… I’m working on finding the perfect guest for Plant Latin episode to be airing in your earbuds soon.

In this episode we learn

- Specific care instructions for the various genus of aroids: Philodendrons, Alocasia, Anthurium, Rhaphidophora, Monstera,

- Why Philodendron Pink Princess is so popular

- How Enid keeps tracks of all of the varied species of plants

- How these plants get divided and their names get determined

- Watering hacks for bulbs

- The history of the Alocasia Polly

- Enid’s trick to help with proper aeration of soil and healthy root systems

- What size pots go best with these plants with large leaves that don’t necessarily have large root systems

- How to harvest seeds from your Aroid Inflorescence

- What the “toughest” aroids are to try indoors

- Aquatic aroid basic recommendations

- Enid’s fertilizing practices

Mentioned in today’s episode:

- Please visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com/aroid101_2 for photos of the plants discussed

- International Aroid Society www.aroid.org

- Article by Episode 07 Guest, Olena Shmahalo on change of taxanomy for Thaumatophyllum Bipinnatifidum

Find Enid and NSE tropicals @NSETropicals on Instagram and Facebook and www.nsetropicals.com

Find Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio @bloomandgrowradio on instagram and www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the Garden Club for free! www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Thanks again to Modern Sprout for sponsoring today’s episode. To get yourself some of their hydroponic planters with organic non gmo herbs and flowers or one of my beloved growlights, visit modernsprout.com and entire code BLOOM to get 15% off.

Today’s episode is the first of a two part series on Aroid 101. Aroids are all over Instagram, with their great variety of sexy, prehistoric looking leaves, and many Aroids make great houseplants because of their low light tolerance and their large and beautiful foliage. I’m excited to welcome Enid, the founder of NSE Tropicals, the online mecca for Aroids and unusual plants, to enlighten us about the wild and wide world of Aroids. You will be shocked at how many common plants fall under this family!

NSE Tropicals is an online plant shop that has some of the most rare and unusual plants on the Internet. Enid founded NSE Tropical 18 years ago as a hobby and it has turned into one of the go to resources for rare and exotic plants. She is an avid collector of aroids and other hard to find plants and even served as the President of the International Aroid Society. She gives us so much wonderful information over this two part series.

Today’s Part 1 focuses on the general information about the Aroid family, it’s history, what plants fall under the Aroid distinction and general care information and troubleshooting. Part 2 (airing next week) will take a deeper look at the most popular aroid houseplant genera and specific information on our most popular and and drool worthy Aroids. I mispronounce pretty much every plant we discuss, but their proper spelling and photos are in the blog associated with this episode.

In this episode we learn:

- How Enid became the collector and purveyor of rare plants

- How she grows her plants onsite

- The top 5 most requested plants at NSE Tropicals

- How to pronounce Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma (spoiler alert, Maria’s been pronouncing it incorrectly).

- How Enid became the experienced grower she is now

- The definition of an aroid

- What an inflorescence is

- Some plant latin guidance

- General thoughts and care tips for aroids

- How to prepare aroids for dormancy and which aroids go dormant

- The difference in root system across various Aroids

- General troubleshooting answers

- Why poles or climbing structures are important for Aroids that climb in nature

Mentioned in the episode:

- Please visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com/aroid101_1 for photos of the plants discussed

- International Aroid Society www.aroid.org

Find Enid and NSE tropicals @NSETropicals on Instagram and Facebook and www.nsetropicals.com 

Find Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio @bloomandgrowradio on instagram and www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Join the Garden Club for free! www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Thank you Modern Sprout for sponsoring today's episode. To learn more about their amazing grow lights and hydroponic planters, visit www.modernsprout.com and use code BLOOM at checkout for 15% off.

Are you getting a Christmas Tree this year? Listen to the episodes mentioned here to

1) Learn best practices for cut christmas trees and how to have a locally sourced tree that you compost after the season #responsibleplantparent

2) have a LIVING, potted indoor christmas tree that you can replant after the holiday season! 

Episode 05: Cut Christmas Trees with Mary Jeanne Packer from the Christmas Tree Farmers Association of NY 

Episode 06: Living Christmas Tree withs Joe Lampl from Growing a Greener World 

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio on Instagram

Join the Garden Club (for free): https://bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Today’s episode is about exactly what the title says… our brains… on plants. And what happens in our brains, when we become Plant People. When I was starting to move from plant killer to crazy plant lady, I noticed, there were a few months in the beginning of my plant collection where I feel like the love for plants kind of took over my life. I’ve always thought about that particular phase in my life when I felt like I almost couldn’t stop buying more plants.

Enter Dr Caitlin Vander Weele, the answer to my plant-iest and expert-iest of dreams. Caitlin is not only an awesome listener of BAGR but a neuroscientist and author with over 10 years of expertise in understanding how emotions and brain chemistry influence decision making. She is also the founder of Interstellate, a movement that blends science and art with visual imagery to promote science education. Plant friends… Caitlin is like…. really really really smart. And she is also a crazy plant lady, and this conversation blew my mind.

Two quick notes on today’s conversation:

1) Caitlin and I talk about some grown up topics in this episode- I know lots of you listen with your children (which makes me so happy) but I might give this a listen on your own before you enjoy it with your kids. Let’s say while all my other episodes are pretty much G rated, we will call this one PG-13.

2) We are not licensed psychologists, just two plant friends talking neuroscience. If you think you have a compulsive spending problem, please consult a professional. And now before we dive into that conversation I can’t wait to tell you about today’s sponsor, Modern Sprout.

In this episode we learn:

- How Caitlin became a crazy plant lady

- Maria gets real with Caitlin and explains the addictive behaviors she experienced when she began her journey into plant parenthood. Caitlin breaks down what exactly was happening in Maria’s brain in those first few months of buying as many plants as possible

- What causes our brain to release dopamine 

- What a compulsive behavior is

- What our brain on dopamine does

- What neurotransmitters, synapses and receptors are

- The difference between endorphins and dopamine

- Why we feel bonded to our plants

- How these things are measured in our brains

- 4 phases of compulsive behaviors to look out for

- How to cope with compulsive urges when growing your urban jungle

Thank you Modern Sprout for sponsoring today's episode! Visit https://www.modsprout.com/ to learn more about their lines of hydroponic planters and AMAZING grow lights and use code BLOOM at checkout for 15% off. 

Follow Dr Caitlin Vander Weele on Twitter and Instagram and Interstellate @interstellate and www.insterstellate.com

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio on Instagram

Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Donate to Bloom and Grow Radio to support the show in Year 2! http://bit.ly/2TnMwiy

I’m so excited to share this tutorial with you, because the idea for this episode came from me being inspired to make my own moss poles after watching a video Tylor made on Instagram. The process was so easy (especially because Tylor’s video was so helpful) and I knew this was something I wanted to share with you guys, because these poles not only look cool, but help replicate our plants natural environment.

So, our guest today, Tylor Rogers is the founder of Arium Botanicals and the #botanicalbro behind the instagram account @urlocalplantboy. Two months ago, when we did this interview, Arium Botanicals was just an online shop that kept selling out of planty product. But Tylor opened the doors to his brick and mortar Plant and Coffee shop, Arium Botanicals X Intent in Portland Oregon in October. They sell unusual plants, specialty coffee and tea and handmade ceramics. And they are Oregon's first specialty coffee bar and plant shop- how cool is that? We are so lucky to have Tylor walk us through this super easy and fun DIY project and I hope it helps your plant collections keep blooming and growing!

In this episode we learn:

- How Arium Botanicals came to be, and the inspiration for the new Brick and Mortar in Portland, Oregon

- How Tylor became a moss pole expert

- What plants are best suited for moss poles

- What an Aroid is

- DIY Moss Pole Tutorial

- What materials you need (and how shockingly easy it is to make)

- How to prepare the sphagnum moss for the pole before you work with it

- How to put the pieces together to make the pole

- How to pot up your plant and moss pole together for the best result.

To follow Tylor: https://ariumbotanicals.com/ @ariumxintent on Instagram and @urlocalplantboy for his personal account (and where the instalive moss pole video is)

To follow Bloom and Grow Radio: www.bloomandgrowradio.com @bloomandgrowradio on Instagram and Facebook

Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club (for free) at www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Thank you Modern Sprout for sponsoring today's episode. Visit www.modernsprout.com and use code BLOOM at checkout for 15% off.

Maria walks you through a “few of her favorite things” aka planty products that she has enjoyed this year. This episode is for anyone who might be curious about plant related products out there for their urban jungles or for possible gifts for planty friends or relatives.

All discount codes, links and product reviews and photos can be found at www.bloomandgrowradio.com/favoritethings

Time stamps for the different planty categories:

Bloom and Grow Radio Merch at 5:15

Planty Jewelry at 7:10

Planty Accessories 12:00

Planty Pins: 20:10

Planters: 24:33

Grow Lights: 29:49

Planty Books: 34:10

Resources for sending plants 38:25

The Plant Side Chat Series is Maria's love letters to the life lessons she learns in the garden. Today, Maria shares a story about the importance of pruning in your garden and life through the tale of her balcony strawberry plant.

Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club for free at www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club 

Donna Letier of Gardenity joins me today as the second guest of my Planty Business Series to jam on the topic of growing a business like we tend a garden. Gardenuity creates custom gardens of herbs and vegetables delivered to your door, tailored specifically to your zip code. From the minute I started working with Donna several months ago, I knew this woman was a powerhouse with a story to tell with piece after piece of fantastic advice and a lot of passion for growing. The thing I love about this conversation is that there are nuggets of wisdom in here for people in profession because we talk business, managing people and customer service but through the language of plants.

In this episode we learn:

- How she came to found a company on teaching people to grow

- Her best lessons learned from beginning a business

- Garden analogies to inspire building your own plant business

- The correct definition of hustle

- How important customer service is to building a planty business

Follow Gardenuity: www.gardenuity.com Use code “BLOOM” to receive a free garden inspired sea salt with purchase.

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

@bloomandgrowradio on Instagram and Facebook

For those of you lucky enough to have outdoor space that you put your houseplants in for the warm summer months, this episode is for you! There comes the time with that first snap of fall weather, when we realize the lovely Summer is over and it’s time to bring our plants back indoors, to protect them from the upcoming cold months. But there is an art to this transition. It isn’t as simple as just grabbing the pot and sticking it on your kitchen table. So Chris from The Sill joins me to break down exactly what the two week process of transitioning your plants back indoors looks like. This has been a highly requested episode, and I’m so excited to bring it to you!

Chris is the Plant Scientist at The Sill and a dear Plant Friend of Mine. If you don’t know already, The Sill is a plant brand with two brick and mortar shops in NYC and an online shop that delivers nation wide. Their quality of plants, and the way they ship plants is unparalleled. They have a huge focus on education with awesome online classes and in person classes in their stores. The also just launched the Plant Parent Club! Which is their monthly plant subscription service! Visit www.thesill.com to learn more.

In this episode we learn:

- When exactly it’s time to bring your plants indoors for the cold months

- How to prepare your plants before you bring them inside

- How to manage pest outbreaks that might come from the outdoors

- Should we worry about fungus?

- How you need to trust yourself to create your own care guide

- How to prepare your apartment for winter

- How you will care for your plant differently in the winter than the summer

- How to trust the dormancy

- Annuals vs Perennials

- What to do with the plants we leave outdoors for the winter

To check out the products and lights I use in my apartment, visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com/resources

If you are interested in using grow lights to help your plants stay happy this winter, listen to Episode 12 of Bloom and Grow Radio, where Chris joins me to discuss the science of light and everything we need to know when choosing the right light for your apartment.

Follow The Sill: @TheSill on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook

Tumbler  and www.thesill.com  

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio:

@BloomandGrowRadio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

I have been so moved by many of you who have reached out to me sharing how caring for your plants has helped you walk through or live with a variety of tough things, whether its loss of a loved one, post partum depression, PTSD or other issues. As someone who has dealt with depression, I just want to say that I’m here with you and your messages resonate so much with me. It’s made me think a lot about Horticultural Therapy, the practice of it, what it actually is and the people that use it today. I’m so thankful to have had not one but TWO wonderful guests for this episode to shine a light on Horticultural Therapy and the practices that help heal through plants.

Barb Kreski is the Director of the Horticultural Therapy Department at the Chicago Botanic Garden and she joins us to discuss the ins and outs of what Horticultural Therapy actually is, how to get certified in it and how it is practiced at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The Chicago Botanic Garden has the oldest Horticultural Therapy program in the country and was founded by Barb’s mentor, Gene Rothert, who was a pioneer of the Horticultural Therapy practice.

Eve Minson is the Healing Gardens Coordinator at The Center for Discovery. The Center for Discovery is a major research and specialty center that offers residential, medical, clinical and special education programs. I personally know about the amazing work they do at Center for Discovery because my best friends sister was born with Cerebral Palsy and has been a full time resident at the facility for most of her life. The work they do at the Center is truly remarkable. They take horticultural therapy to the next level, with their “Food as Medicine” belief and their healing gardens that are an integral part of their guests treatment. Eve joins us to talk about how they use plants to heal at the Center.

In the episode we learn:

- How Barb found Horticultural Therapy

- What Horticultural Therapy actually is

- The three theories of Horticultural Therapy

- How the stress reduction studies are actually measured

- How horticultural therapy is used and who can benefit from it

- What a horticultural therapy session at the Chicago Botanic Garden could look like

- The various HT programs at the Chicago Botanic Garden on and off site

- About The Center for Discovery and how they use plants to heal

For more info about The Chicago Botanic Garden Horticultural Therapy Program visit https://www.chicagobotanic.org/therapy

For more info about The Center for Discovery visit https://thecenterfordiscovery.org/

Listen to the Pause with Plants Podcast  for short, guided, plant based meditations.

Thank you to Gardenuity for sponsoring this episode! Gardenuity creates custom garden kits for you and your particular environment.They pair you with herbs and vegetables you can grow successfully in your zip code through their matching system and sets you up for success with their Gro Pro Service that gives you growing tips and advice to ensure you have a fantastic harvest. To see what seasonal herbs and vegetables you can grow right now, visit www.gardenuity.com and enter your zip code! Bloom and Grow Radio listeners can use code "BLOOM" at checkout to redeem a free gourmet Garden Inspired Salt to pair with your grow kit!

Thrilled to be joined by Alessia of @apartmentbotanist to discuss growing a large plant collection in a small space and using humidity indoors to help your plants thrive! So if you have been listening to the podcast, you’ll know that I met Alessia  online when I was fawning over her pilea peperomiodies and the rest is history. What was initially an online friendship through DMs (mostly of her helping me with my beginning stages of my plant collection) has blossomed into a really beautiful IRL friendship. Alessia is a really important part of this plant community, because this girl has one of the most generous hearts I know out there. Even though her account has grown and grown, I know she takes time to talk to whoever needs help, and she also supports so many people in the plant space. She is the first to preorder someones new plant book, order a plant pin, support a planty go fund me- this girl just shows up for people, and I think she’s a great example of what this community can be for people, and I’m lucky to call her my friend. This conversation might have more giggles than some of my other episodes because we are having an educational conversation, but we are also just plant friends sitting on a couch talking about our plants but in this conversation she provides so much insight and so many tips on how she has a LARGE collection of plants in a small space, humidity hacks and lots more.

In this episode we learn:

- How Maria and Alessia became #plantfriendsIRL

- Why Alessia was inspired to create her Celestial Monstera Pin

- All about Alessia’s personal collection

– transitioning from mostly desert plants to mostly tropical plants

- The magic of a disco ball

- How Alessia grew her indoor plant collection in her small NYC one bedroom apartment

- How to use your windows to organize the layout of your plants in your home

- Alessia’s thoughts on Begonias

- How to expand your collection beyond your crowded windowsills

- Tips for finding and utilizing great plant shelves

- Plant Fails - they happen to everyone. Learn about Alessia's with the tale of “the Foot”

- Alessia’s humidity hacks: what humidifiers she uses and how she uses them to help her plants thrive in her space

- Her daily/weekly/monthly plant care routine

Take my Listener Survey so I can get to know you and better understand what episodes to create in Season 3! It will only take 5 minutes of your fabulously planty life! http://bit.ly/2NyJrsw

For links to equipment, people and places we discussed and tons of photos of Alessia's place, visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com/apartmentbotanist

Thank you to Gardenuity for sponsoring this episode! Gardenuity creates custom garden kits for you and your particular environment.They pair you with herbs and vegetables you can grow successfully in your zip code through their matching system and sets you up for success with their Gro Pro Service that gives you growing tips and advice to ensure you have a fantastic harvest. To see what seasonal herbs and vegetables you can grow right now, visit www.gardenuity.com and enter your zip code!

Bloom and Grow Radio listeners can use code BLOOM at checkout to redeem a free gourmet Garden Inspired Salt to pair with your grow kit!

Follow Alessia:

IG: @apartmentbotanist

Other IG accounts Alessia is behind: @furrybotanist @philodendronfanatic

For Alessia's Planty Amazon Recommendations visit: amazon.com/shop/apartmentbotanist

Etsy Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/ApartmentBotanist

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/apartmentbotanist/

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio:

Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

IG: @bloomandgrowradio

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bloomandgrowradio

www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Let's get to know each other! Please take 5 minutes to fill out this Listener Survey, so I can best survey you in the upcoming episodes! Thanks plant friends! http://bit.ly/2NyJrsw

Very excited to be joined by Ryan from Dig It Gardens in Phoenix, AZ for a great discussion on Desert Plants: what they are, how they thrive outdoors, and how we can set them up for success in our Urban Jungles. Ryan has almost 20 years experience working in the gardening industry specifically with desert plants and shares all of his tips and advice on succulent and cactus care.

In this episode we learn:

- How Ryan became a specialist in desert plants

- Why we should be careful around the friendly Prickly Pear Cactus

- What the characteristics of a “desert plant” actually are

- What Cacti and Succulents have developed to survive in the desert

- A fun project to do with kids to show how cacti absorb water

- Succulent Care 101

- A great hack to recognize what a plants natural surroundings are, just by looking at the leaves

- Not all succulent/cacti is created equal when it comes to light: how to tell how much light or lack of light a plant can tolerate

- Best watering practices for succulents

- How to handle drainage

- When and how to fertilize your succulent/cacti

- Etioliation, what it is, and how to address it (and how to pronounce it)

- What gravitropism

- How to propagate your succulents

- Best indoor starter cacti/succulents for a reformed succulent killer or beginning plant parent

- Tips for picking the best succulent

Thank you to Gardenuity for sponsoring this episode! Gardenuity creates custom garden kits for you and your particular environment.They pair you with herbs and vegetables you can grow successfully in your zip code through their matching system and sets you up for success with their Gro Pro Service that gives you growing tips and advice to ensure you have a fantastic harvest.

To see what seasonal herbs and vegetables you can grow right now, visit www.gardenuity.com and enter your zip code! Bloom and Grow Radio listeners can use code "BLOOM" at checkout to redeem a free gourmet Garden Inspired Salt to pair with your grow kit!

Follow Dig It Gardens: www.digphx.com

IG: @DigPhx

Facebook: @DigPhx

Pinterest: @DigPhx

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio:

Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

IG: @bloomandgrowradio

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bloomandgrowradio

www.bloomandgrowradio.com

I’m thrilled to be welcoming Hilton Carter, or what I like to call him, the “King of Jungle by the Falls” to the show! Hilton is a huge part of the online plant community,  with over 120,000 followers who love his photos of his insanely beautiful and curated collection of plants in his home, and his event space, Jungle by the Falls. In addition to his successful personal Instagram account and acting as the “Plant Doctor” for Apartment Therapy’s new plant themed Instagram @iplanteven, Hilton also has an online store where he sells his personally designed propagation vessels or “cradles,”, and other various plant prints and accessories. AND he just launched his “Service at the Jungle” series, which is a dinner service in his planty Jungle by the Falls event space, that showcases the talents of local chefs along side his incredible plant collection. Hilton has his soil covered hands in many different planty pots and we discuss all of them today, in addition to his tips on styling plants for your personal design aesthetic. 

In this episode we learn: 

- Hilton’s upbringing and how he got inspired to collect plants

- The differences in his plant collection as he has lived in various cities across the country

- His current collection

- How he approaches styling his home with plants

- How different “vibes” bring different plants into a home

- How it’s important to find your number of plants that thrive for your space and not go over it

- How Hilton and his lovely wife divide the plant chores

- Pots, pots and more pots

- The scoop on his propagation cradles

- How to propagate a Fiddle Leaf Fig leaf properly

- How Jungle by the Falls was created 

- The genius idea of “Service by the Falls”

Follow Hilton: @hiltoncarter @junglebythefalls @serviceatthejungle www.thingsbyhc.com

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: @bloomandgrowradio and join the Garden Club! www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Thank you to this episodes sponsor, Gardenuity! Gardenuity creates complete custom gardens for your particular location. They match you with the best DIY herb and veggie kits that will thrive in your location (down to your zip code) and send you all the instructions and follow up support you need to have a home grown harvest. For more information visit www.gardenuity.com and use code BLOOM at checkout to receive a free Garden Inspired Salt with your grow kit!

I’m so excited to welcome my first Australian guest to the show, Scott Cain of the popular Instagram account @Tropicaloco (and another account that gets revealed at the end of the episode). Scott is a graphic designer in Australia (www.monkeyfern.com) with an incredible indoor jungle of about 200 houseplants. He shares gorgeous photos of his collection and dreamy balcony on his account @tropicaloco and has a large collection of various Monstera. Since the Monstera has taken over Instagram with #monsteramonday and Scott is such an avid collector of them, I knew he’d be the perfect planty guest to discuss the ins and outs of making this coveted plant thrive in your home. Scott happens to also be the brain behind another drool worthy “plant-stagram” but it’s not only the plants that make you drool on this one… stay tuned till the end of the episode to hear all about it.

In this episode we learn:

- How family traditions inspired his current collection

- Scott breaks down the 200 plants that fill his apartment that are featured on his Instagram account, @tropicaloco

- How Scott has turned Instagram friends into #plantfriendsIRL

- His care secrets for dealing with the Australian summer/winter

- Why people who work from home should have plants

- Monstera care 101: light, watering, fertilizing

- Moss poles, what they are and why/if we need them

- Aerial roots, what they are and can we trim them?

- What fenestrations are - What the difference is in deliciosa/borsigiana/adansonii/obliqua

- Scotts pruning practices for his Monstera collection

- How to take cuttings of your Monstera to make your plant look more full

- Troubleshooting for yellow and brown leaves

- Why the Monstera is such an sought after plant

- What’s up with variegation

- How and why he created @boyswithplants and why he is letting us know that he is the creator

- How to get featured on @boyswithplants

- The scoop on the new Boys with Plants Book!

Mentioned in the conversation:

Australian Houseplant Community Facebook Group

https://www.stackwood.net.au/

@mickmitty https://www.instagram.com/mickmitty/

@jamesipy https://www.instagram.com/jamesipy/

Follow Scott:

Personal IG: @tropicoloco 

 IG:@boyswithplants

Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BoysWithPlants?ref=shop_sugg

www.boyswithplants.com 

Scott's Graphic Design Company: www.monkeyfern.com

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio:

Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

IG: @bloomandgrowradio

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bloomandgrowradio

www.bloomandgrowradio.com

I’m thrilled to be joined by the “Airplant Man” himself, Josh Rosen to discuss all things airplants. Airplants, or Tillandsia, are another popular houseplant you see in many magazines and on social media, but the care instructions online can be very varied and sometimes confusing. Having a small collection of airplants myself (and having killed a couple!) I knew this was a topic I needed the airplant expert for. Enter Josh! Josh is a licensed landscape architect who also is the founder of the company Airplantman: a company focused exclusively on custom installations and California-made products designed specifically for tillandsia. Airplantman installations can be seen throughout Southern California and the world and has been featured in numerous publications. He also has a whole line of airplant frames and vessels that are beautiful to look at and intentionally made. In our conversation he gives us so much useful information on Airplants, from what they actually are to how to care for them. I know that I am a much better Airplant parent after my conversation with him!

In this episode we learn:

• Josh’s upbringing and how he connected with plants initially
• Why outdoor gardeners say they can’t keep houseplants
• What an airplant is, genus, family, and why it is special
• What are trichomes
• How Airplants get their nutrients
• To fertilize or not to fertilize?
• What airplant “blushing” is
• How airplants bloom and how to care for them when they do
• How to propagate airplants from their seeds
• Airplant Care 101
• Debunking watering plant myths
• Everything we need to know about Airplant pups
• How to separate pups from their mother plant
• What to know about the sexy and instagram friendly Xerographica
• Josh’s top 5 recommendations for more uncommon airplants for the planty collector

Follow Josh and his airplant installations:

www.airplantman.com

IG: @airplantman

Twitter: @airplantman

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio:

Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

IG: @bloomandgrowradio

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bloomandgrowradio

www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Today I welcome Molly Mansfield to the show to talk about something I have no experience with- raising babies around a plant collection! Molly is the perfect person to talk about this with, as she grew up with parents who owned a Garden Center and plants played a huge part in her childhood. Now she gets to have plants in her two young boys life! Molly is also the very talented artist behind @mollymansfieldartist and does the most beautiful botanical watercolors. She is a self taught artist living in Austin, Texas with her family. She paints watercolor botanicals inspired by her childhood in garden centers and botanical gardens. She is the brain behind the Bloom and Grow Radio “Keep Blooming” print that is a free download to all of the garden club members.

In this episode we learn:

• What is was like for Molly to grow up in a Garden Center
• How Molly’s business transitioned with her first child being born
• Her journey to finding botanical watercolor as her calling and why it inspires her
• The inspiration behind the Bloom and Grow Radio “Keep Blooming Print”
• Her experience with plants in the different stages of her toddler’s life
• Her special parenting life hack for teaching her kids not to dig around in her plants
• Safety with plants and kids
• Plant that are fun to grow with kids
• How to grow swallowtail caterpillars with your kids
• If fertilizer types/brands are important when you have kids
• How to get your kids to eat their vegetables!

Mentioned in the episode:

Molly’s Parent’s Nursery: https://www.bloomerselgin.com/

The Great Outdoors Nursery: https://gonursery.com/

Special thank you to the Bloom and Grow Radio Media Plant Lady Intern Chelsey Zaplachinski for editing this episode! Check out her incredible planty photos at @plants_vs_cats and @chelseymeganmedia

Follow Molly Mansfield:

IG: @mollymansfieldartist

www.mollymansfield.com

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio:

Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

IG: @bloomandgrowradio

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bloomandgrowradio

www.bloomandgrowradio.com

We are joined by Chris today for another installment of our Plant Science Series featuring The Sill. Orchid 101 is near and dear to my heart because I STRUGGLE with Orchids and Chris has been my go to resource for personal orchid care. So I knew he would be the perfect guest to have come on the show and answer your orchid questions!

If you don’t know already, The Sill is a plant brand with two brick and mortar shops in NYC and an online shop that delivers nation wide. Their quality of plants, and the way they ship plants is unparalleled. Their pots are some of my most treasured pots that I own and are locally sourced. They have a huge focus on education with awesome online classes and in person classes in their stores and they just started the Plant Parent Club! The PPC is their monthly plant subscription service. When you join their club you get a monthly surprise plant delivery and included in the membership is also access to all of their online workshops and free shipping on any other plants. So if you are interested in anything I’ve just mentioned, visit www.thesill.com and use the code BLOOM5 to get 5 dollars off your order and to let them know I sent you!

In this episode we learn:

- Why Orchids have a reputation for being difficult, and why they can be intimidating

- What an orchid is, where we find them in nature

- The anatomy of an orchid - Myth Busting on ice cubes, level of difficulty, fertilizer

- Orchid care- light and watering

- Orchid bark- how necessary is it? What is it?

- Is it ok to buy orchids at your local grocery store or Trader Joe’s/Whole Foods

- What does a year as a new orchid parent look like (from buying an orchid in full bloom to then having the blooms die and getting the plant to rebloom)

- Fertilizer- to use or not to use

- Myth busting- are ice cubes a good idea for watering?

- Listener questions

- Why everyone should try growing an orchid

Bloom and Grow Radio is an affiliate partner of The Sill. www.bloomandgrowradio.com www.thesill.com

 Today we are joined by Luke Marion of MI Gardener to talk all things indoor citrus! You might know Luke from his MI Gardener youtube channel (which I’m a huge fan of!) which has become one of the fastest growing gardening channels with over 250,000 subscribers on YouTube alone. Founded in 2011 MIgardener aims to help gardeners all around the world. Luke & Sindy Marion are the brains behind MIgardener and strive to help people “Grow Big”. I found Luke when I was searching youtube citrus care online and love his videos about his indoor citrus collection and knew he would be the perfect guest for this episode.

I bought Limey, my first citrus tree, when I was still a complete novice with very little knowledge on plant care, so my journey learning how to care for Limey has had it’s ups and downs (as you’ll learn throughout my conversation with Luke). But citrus are amazing plants to learn to care for because they are so communicative and so fun to grow!

Enjoy our plant chat!

In this episode we learn:

• Luke’s journey from botany to business school to creating a gardening brand
• What being a Master Gardener really means
• Lukes citrus forest
• What trends the younger generation is moving towards with indoor plants
• Basic Citrus Care 101 – water, pot size, soil,   light
• Citrus care hacks!
• Pruning 101
• Fertilizing basics
• Pollinating citrus
• Pest Control
• Conditioning your plants to go outdoors in the summer

Mentioned in the episode:

Bloom and Grow Pop Socket! 

Trifecta plus fertilizer:

Soltech Solutions Light: use code 'bloomandgrow15' for 15% off at https://soltechsolutionsllc.com/products/

Via Citrus lemon, lime and calamondin tress: use code 'BloomCitrus' for 15% off at Viacitrus.com

Espoma Organic Cactus/Citrus Soil (This is what I repotted Limey in after my chat with Luke)

*Bloom and Grow Radio is an affiliate partner with these companies, so a portion of the sale will go to Bloom and Grow at no extra cost to you. Using the codes is a fun way to support the show for free while growing your indoor jungle!*

Follow Luke and MI Gardener:

Instagram: instagram.com/migardener
Youtube: youtube.com/migardener

Website: migardener.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/MIgardener

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: 

Instagram: @bloomandgrowradio

Facebook: @bloomandgrowradio

Join the Garden Club! www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com 

Today’s short and sweet Plant Side Chat is honoring my first balcony herb garden and the lessons I learned, since I just planted up my new garden for this upcoming season. One of my favorite stories to tell is the story behind our first Tomato Plant, why it was kind of an epic #plantfail, but how it was the most important plant in the garden to learn from that summer. Tune in to learn why and how the lesson I learned from it applies to so many facets of life.

www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

@bloomandgrowradio

Joe “Mr. D” Dombrowski is a 3rd (5th next year) grade teacher from Chicago, IL. His passion for education and lighthearted approach to engaging with students has captured the hearts of millions with his viral videos and instagram accounts @mrDtimes3. He has been featured on The Ellen Show, The Kellie Pickler and Ben Aaron Show and many more. He is a young, passionate teacher that is changing the game for how young students learn. AND he is a plant person! Joe and I became friends on instagram and he let me know how he is using plants in the classroom and I instantly knew we needed an episode together. Plant People span all sorts of professions and Joe is a perfect example of how to take you plant passion and let it elevate whatever you’re doing and impact people around you. Also, since I know some listeners are teachers, but also many listeners are mothers or fathers, I know this episode is going to have a ton of fun, inspirational projects for you to do with kids in your life!

In this episode we learn:

- Joe’s journey into the classroom

- Joe’s journey as a green thumb and how it’s influenced his teaching

- Joe’s personal collection vs his classroom collection and how they differ - How to use a petting cactus to encourage presence and stress relief in the classroom

- How the #embraceyourself (#embraceyourweird) movement started - How Joe uses plants to teach discipline and kindness in class

- What the “botanist” of the classroom does each week

- How he’s used growing food to help learn problem solving

- How to problem solve a low light classroom

- Best recommended starter plants for the classroom

- How to use plants to teach various subjects

- Favorite plants of the classroom

Mentioned in the episode:

www.donorschoose.org

Thai Cook Friendship Garden @cook_in_the_classroom https://linktr.ee/cook_in_the_classroom

Aerogarden links

Aerogarden (6 plants) https://amzn.to/2LbQR3u

Aerogarden Sprout (3 plants) https://amzn.to/2xsTufm

Aerogarden Cherry Tomato Kit https://amzn.to/2IZk5FW

Aerogarden Lettuce Kit https://amzn.to/2J3bmhT

*Bloom and Grow Radio is an amazon affiliate partner and may receive a portion of the sale with no extra cost to you*

Follow Joe and his Planty and classroom adventures!

Instagram: @mrdtimes3

Facebook: Joe Dombrowski

Twitter: @mrdtimes3

Youtube: Joe Dombrowski

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: 

Instagram: @bloomandgrowradio

Facebook: @bloomandgrowradio

Join the Garden Club! www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

I’m so happy to have Summer Rayne Oakes of @homesteadbrooklyn back on the show for a second time. You might have heard her back in the day in episode 04 of Bloom and Grow Radio, when we talked about Advanced Plant Parenthood and the joy of Plant Swaps. Speaking of Plant Swaps- Summer Rayne is hosting another plant swap in NYC on Sunday July 15th. The link to get your ticket will be in the show notes.

Summer Rayne is a model/activist/entrepreneur who is famous for her Brooklyn apartment in which she has over 670 plants. She has dedicated the last decade of her life to being a champion for sustainable practices in the fashion, beauty and food industries. She is the founder of Homestead Brooklyn, a blog and Youtube channel created to help bring more nature to urban living. Her youtube series, Plant One on Me is one of my personal go to resources for learning more all things house plants.

When I realized I wanted to do an episode on pest control, I knew I needed to ask Summer Rayne to come back on because she has degrees in both environmental science and entomology. Yes… that’s a degree in insects. So how lucky are we that she joined me for an epic conversation on pests, what they are, why we get them and how to control them.

Summer is not only a plant mom, but is well known for her pet chicken, Kippee, who you can hear clucking throughout the episode is you listen closely.

In this episode we learn

• What an insect actually is
• Why bug activity spikes in spring/summer
• General practices for preventing pests in general
• How to properly wash an infected plant
• The skinny on east pest: fungus gnats, scale, mealy bugs, aphids, spider mites, root pests, white fly
• Best practices when treating bug infestations
• How to use beneficial insects to actually cure your pest problem (yes that’s a thing and Summer Rayne makes a great case for it!)
• Lacewings vs lady Bugs
• How do nemotodes work
• • Bringing plants indoors
  • Can pets transport bugs.

  Follow Summer Rayne:

  IG @homesteadbrooklyn

  Facebook @homesteadbrooklyn

  YouTube @summerrayneoakes "Plant One On Me"

  Website: www.homesteadbrooklyn.com

  Twitter: @sroakes

   Plant Swap info here

  Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: 

  Instagram @bloomandgrowradio

  Facebook @bloomandgrowradio

  Join the Garden Club! www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

The Fiddle Leaf Fig, also known as Ficus Lyrata, has been steadily taking over our instagram, pinterest and drool worthy magazine spreads for some time now. It seems to be many interior designers favorite planty accent to a room. Although it may be a plant that’s a go to for design, it isn’t a recommended “beginner” plant, as it’s been known to be somewhat finicky or high maintenance. Today, Erin Kobayashi, of the instagram account @leighkiyoko, joins us to talk all things Fiddle Leaf Fig. Erin is the proud plant mom of TWO fiddle leaf fig trees: Figgy Spice and Notorious F.I.G. and she joins us to discuss her journey caring for these plants and what she’s learned along the way. She is also the cofounder of the #FLFFriday hashtag with @alina.fassakhova and shares the reason for creating the #flffriday movement.

In this episode we learn:

-The story behinds Erin’s personal collection and what plant she is loving these days

-The stories behind her two insta famous Fiddle Leaf Figs- Notorious FIG and Figgy Spice

- Fiddle Leaf Fig Care 101- water, light, fertilizing, pruning Types of Fiddle Leaf Plants Why they are so appealing

- Why Erin created #FLFFriday with Alina

Mentioned in the conversation: Fiddleleaffigplant.com Black Coral Taro (Colocasia Esculenta)  

Follow Erin and Figgy Spice and Notorious FIG IG: @leighkiyoko

Use #FLFFriday to connect with other Fiddle Leaf lovers in the world! and follow the other founder @alina.fassakhova  

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club IG: @bloomandgrowradio Facebook: www.facebook.com/bloomandgrowradio www.bloomandgrowradio.com Special thank you to the Bloom and Grow Radio Media Plant Lady Intern Chelsey Zaplachinski for editing this episode! She is another Canadian on the Bloom and Grow Team! Check out her incredible planty photos at @plants_vs_cats and her gorgeous photography portfolio @chelseymeganmedia

Plant Friends... this could be the most epic interview on Bloom and Grow Radio yet. Clocking in at about 1 hour and 45 minutes, this one is a doozy and chock full of so much fun planty information. I sat down with Danae Horst three separate times to talk about how she created and grew her incredible Plant Shop, Folia Collective. Danae is an incredible plant lady/ boss lady who I’ve become friends with over social media, and now IRL, and has an incredible story behind the success of her Brick and Morter Shop in LA, Folia Collective. She shares her story and tips for budding planty entrepreneurs interested in creating their own businesses around plants. I know that diving into more of a business focused show is a bit of a departure from our usual plant care tips, but I know many listeners are actually in the plant business space in their day to day lives, or if you aren’t- we all plant shop and I thought this episode will give us a great appreciation for the hustle and passion that goes behind the makings of a planty empire.

Plant Friends, this is a juicy episode for you to enjoy all throughout the week (as it might take a couple of listens to finish it) but I am just so thankful to Danae and her beautiful energy, helpful advice and her patience with me asking very specific and neurotic questions about business- you don’t want to miss it!  

In this episode we learn about:

- Danae’s personal plant collection and journey to plant parenthood - Her time at The Jungalow

- The behind the scenes view of the beginning of Folia Collective

- How she started the Folia Collective Pop Up shops

- The transition from Pop Up Shop to Brick and Morter Store

- How to use Instagram and IRL to build community

- How to find plants to sell - How Danae managed the growth of the first year of Folia Collective Brick and Morter

- Danae’s top lessons she learned from a year in business

- How to be thrify to create buzz about your business

- How to use social media to grow your business and community

- How important community is for a business

- Tips on how to source planters and merchandise

- Budgeting tools and tips

- The downsides to owning a plant shop

Links Danae mentioned in our conversation: Waveapps.com Liveplan.com

Follow Danae and Folia Collective:

IG:  @foliacollective  @danaerolynhorst Website: www.foliacollective.com and www.jungalow.com/plant-o-pedia

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio:

Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

IG: @bloomandgrowradio

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bloomandgrowradio

www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Today’s episode is inspired by our mothers. During my most recent giveaway I did on my birthday, I asked you guys to tell me stories about your #plantfriendsIRL. I was totally ready for fun, heart warming stories about your planty friendships, but what I was not ready for was how many of you wrote about your Mothers and Grandmothers. This warmed my heart so much, because it’s been a very important part of my relationship with my Mom and Grandmothers as well. When I realized this, I knew I needed to shine some light and love on it. So here we are with this Mother’s Day Special Episode.

I sent a prompt on instagram asking you if you’d call in your stories so we could hear them in your voice, and you did. Making this episode was somewhat emotional for me, and felt like such a privilege to hear your stories and celebrate the women who made you. You guys have already met my incredible Mom on Episode 20, when she gave us her advice on growing tomatoes. My Mom has been such a huge part of my relationship with plants… I honestly don't think Bloom and Grow Radio would even exist if it wasn’t for her encouragement and help with my brown thumb at the beginning of my plant journey. She picked up every phone call, answered every question, and always reminded me to calm the hell down, that plants are resilient things, and that “its really not that complicated, water and give them light and you’ll be fine.” I’m also so excited that it is now outdoor gardening season in NY so that I’ll be able to watch my Mom marvel at her pride and joy, Failla Farm, and promise to keep you all posted throughout the season.

Thank you to the following listeners who called in with their beautiful stories (In order of appearance):

My Mom J

Vida of @booyoohorticulturalist

Morgan of @plantingpink

Erika of @blackgirl_plantmagic

Alessia of @apartmentbotanist

Melanie of @pnwonderplants

Rachel

To check out my Mother's Day Gift Guide visit: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/mdgiftguide

To join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club visit: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club

Welcome to Season 2 of Bloom and Grow Radio Plant Friends! I’m so excited that with Season 2, I am launching the Bloom and Grow Garden Club. The Garden Club is my mailing list on steroids with an online community extension. By joining the club (www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club) you’ll get access to the exclusive Bloom and Grow Garden Club Facebook Group, an online community of plant people and a free download of the special Bloom and Grow Radio “Keep Blooming” Print created by Molly Mansfield. I created the Garden Club to streamline my ability to share Bloom and Grow content and offers to you and to make a space for my plant people to empower and help each other with their plant knowledge and plant babies. For more info visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club. Today we are joined by Mariane Garceau, the Associate Director of the Garden Shop at the New York Botanical Garden. Mariane is a horticulturalist who has spent time in several different aspects of the garden world, from working in landscaping, to owning her own orchid business, to now managing the shop at the NYBG. She gives us a great tutorial on how to keep a windowsill herb garden and best practices for everything from setting it up to properly harvesting the growth. If you live in or around NYC, this weekend is the Specialty Plant Sale at the NYBG and I’m so excited to be participating in it this year. The sale is actually part of an epic weekend which features a demonstration from The Sill on Friday, Saturday I’ll be there in the house plant section from 12-4 and hope you’ll join me for some plant shopping, and Saturday is also the Third Annual Plein-Air Invitational which will feature 20 artists set up around the park painting in real time. I’m so excited for the large array of houseplants that will be at this sale, in addition to a ton of locally sourced herbs, that we can use for our herb gardens after listening to this episode! After my chat with Mariane, stay tuned because I dive into some lighting hacks I used to set up my herb garden, even though I don't have the proper light in my kitchen. In this episode we learn about: - Mariane’s journey to managing The Shop at NYBG - The skinny on what will be at the NYBG Plant Sale this May 5-7 - How to start a windowsill herb garden - Assessing light and what to do if you don't have enough - How to set up your garden - Pots and how their size and material are important - How to care for your herbs once they start growing - Best watering practices - How to properly prune your herbs - Suggested herbs for windowsill specific gardens - My lighting hack I used to put a high light herb garden in my low light kitchen - Special Bloom and Grow discounts for lights to help your herb gardens in low light apartments - For more information www.nybg.org to find out about all the events throughout the year Here is the information for the lights I use: Visit www.modsprout.com and use code B&G10 for 10% off their Growhouse (what I use in my kitchen) or growbar (what I use in my bookshelf) to create your herb garden in a low light apartment Visit www.soltechsolutionsllc.com and use code bloomandgrow15 for 15% off a grow lamp for larger plants, like indoor citrus (I use their 40 W lamp on my indoor lime tree) Bloom and Grow Radio is an affiliate partner with these companies and receives a portion of this sale at no extra cost to you. Use the discount codes to support your planty dreams and Bloom and Grow Radio all at once! To join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club For my Planty Mother’s Day Gift Guide, visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com/mdgiftguide For More information about the New York Botanical Garden and the Plant Sale, visit www.nybg.org

Plant Side Chat # 3, a short and sweet episode about the changing of the seasons in our external world, and what that can mean for us internally.

I’m so excited to celebrate my TWENTIETH episode with some very special guests today. Craig LeHoullier is THE Tomato man (@nctomatoman to be exact). After a successful career as a chemist in Pharmaceuticals, Craig began a new career as being one of the leading experts on growing tomatoes and celebrating the many varieties that exist. He is an advisor for the Seed Savers Exchange and the World Tomato Society, the co-leader of the Dwarf Tomato Breeding Project, and the author of Epic Tomatoes and Growing Vegetables in Straw Bales. He is responsible for naming and popularizing many well known tomatoes, such as Cherokee Purple. He joins us today to discuss how we, as urban jungle dwellers, even in the smallest of apartments, can grow tomatoes from seed on our windowsills. After my chat with Craig, my Mom joins us to chat a little about what being Italian and growing tomatoes means to her. My Mom is the head farmer at “Failla Farm”, otherwise known as our family home’s front yard, which she transforms every summer. Like her parents, and their parents, she utilizes her space to grow as much of her own food as possible, and the whole family benefits from her produce. It feels very special to have my Mom join me on my twentieth episode, as when I started the show, not knowing whether it would take off, I would often say “worst comes to worst, me and my mom listen to a couple of great episodes”. So 20 shows later, I’m excited to finally share some of her expertise with you. In this episode we learn: - From Craig LeHoullier, author of Epic Tomatoes o Which varieties of tomatoes to choose for indoor apartment gardening o Where to buy seeds o How to start tomatoes from seed o How to germinate and transfer to pots o Best practices for growing tomatoes o His tips and tricks for your best tomatoes yet - From my Mom o What tomatoes mean to us in our Italian culture o How to choose the best pre grown plants at the big lot stores o Tips from an Italian on her experience growing tomatoes Follow Craig LeHoullier: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/craiglehoullier Twitter: https://twitter.com/nctomatoman Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nctomatoman/ https://www.craiglehoullier.com/ Buy Craig’s Books: Epic Tomatoes: https://amzn.to/2pHJSqI Growing Vegetables in Straw Bales: https://amzn.to/2DWh7L6 *Bloom and Grow Radio is an Amazon Affiliate and earns a portion of the sale of these links at no extra cost to you. This is a great way to support the show!* Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: IG: @bloomandgrowradio Facebook: www.facebook.com/bloomandgrowradio www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Toronto based Jesse Goldfarb is making a name for himself in the plant world with his creative terrarium designs for his company, Teeny Tiny Terra. You can find him on instagram @teenytinyterra and at www.teenytinyterra.com He has worn many professional hats from  corporate florist to DJ to managing salons but he is currently establishing quite the creative niche for himself as the go to terrarium artist, with a long waitlist of people waiting to bring his creations into their home. You can find him teaching Terrarium tutorials all over Toronto (say that three times fast!) and he is currently working on an online course to reach the masses. We are so lucky that Jesse is joining us today to give us an introduction to terrarium assembly. I’m so excited to get started on my own after learning the basics from him! In this episode we learn: How Jesse’s plant obsession began Jesse’s two most memorable terrariums he was commissioned to make Jesse’s journey from having just two bonsai trees to becoming a full fledged terrarium expert Build your own terrarium 101!!! An insider peak at what’s up next for Teeny Tiny Terra   Check out my kit with all  you need to make your own terrarium  https://kit.com/BloomandGrowRadio/make-your-own-terrarium Follow Jesse and Teeny Tiny Terra: IG: @teenytinyterra Twitter: @teenytinyterra Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teenytinyterra www.teenytinyterra.com https://linktr.ee/teenytinyterra Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: IG: @bloomandgrowradio www.bloomandgrowradio.com

I’m always excited to welcome Chris Satch from The Sill back to the show for our Plant Science Series. This week we discuss what we need to do to prepare our plants for Spring! Chris gives us the lowdown on pruning, trimming, fertilizing and repotting. We cover a LOT so get your pens out and take notes! This episode is for you if you want to make sure you set your plants up for success to bloom and grow in the springtime!

In this episode we learn: - How and why to prune to promote growth - How to properly wipe and care for leaves that are hurting from the dormancy of winter - What is deadheading and why we do it? - How to prune citrus - How and when to repot your plant - To trim the roots, or not to trim the roots? - The Science behind Fertilizer - Why it’s necessary and when to use it - Chemical vs Natural Fertilizer - What you should do if you want to make #plantfriendsIRL

Here is a link to purchase When Green Becomes Tomatoes by Julia Fogliano : http://amzn.to/2HrdDm5

Follow The Sill @thesill and www.thesill.com

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio @bloomandgrowradio and www.bloomandgrowradio.com

We are so lucky to be joined by Christine from @workhardplanthard (www.workhardplanthard.com) today to discuss various studies behind how and why plants actually help improve your indoor environment. I have always been intimidated by the actual studies behind how plants clean air and improve people’s mood, since I have no science background. Christine is a full time physician and has done an amazing job compiling these studies and breaks them down into layman’s terms for us today! Christine is also a new plant friend IRL of mine after she opened her home and plant shop knowledge to me on my recent trip to San Diego. We met over Instagram and when I was in San Diego, she picked me up and took me on a plant tour of her favorite local plant shops. I got to see her personal collection, meet her kids and family and it was just the perfect example of human kindness and how we can use instagram to actually get off line and make real life memories. So she is the perfect guest to have on the show as we transition out of Friendship February! In this episode we learn about: - How Christine used plants to heal her stress - Christine’s personal collection - What to look forward to on workhardplanthard.com - The dangers of houseplants - Summaries of various studies proving how plants clean the air and eliminate VOCs - Summaries of studies measuring how plants improve peoples lives in various ways To Follow Christine: Instagram: @workhardplanthard www.workhardplanthard.com Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Instagram and Facebook: @bloomandgrowradio www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Rounding out our two-part House Plant Club Series today is second half of the dynamic duo, Erin Harding of the popular blog and Instagram account @cleverbloom! In addition to running Cleverbloom.com, House Plant Club and working for a Pinterest Management Company, Erin is also a mom of two young, adorable boys and plant mom to a collection of plants that she has been growing over 20 years. www.cleverbloom.com is her blog dedicated to houseplant related care, DIYs and décor. She has great blog posts ranging from gift guides for Valentine’s Day, how to ship plant cuttings, and her top picks for stylish planty interiors. She now also hosts and teaches plant mounting classes in Portland, Oregon. We are so lucky to have her on the show today to give us a step by step guide to mounting our own Epiphytes, or plants that grow on or around another plant, such as ferns, bromeliads, air plants and orchids. This episode is for you if you are interested in learning about the mind behind cleverbloom.com and @houseplantclub. This episode is for you if you want to learn how to mount your own epiphytes! In this episode we learn: - Erin’s side to the story of how her and Morgan from @plantingpink took their Instagram friendship into real life - All about Erin’s personal collection of plants, starting from plant # 1 - Different ways to have and enjoy plants - Mounting Epiphytes 101! - How to care for your newly mounted plant! Follow Erin: IG: @cleverbloom @houseplantclub www.cleverbloom.com Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: IG and Facebook: @bloomandgrowradio www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Friendship February for Bloom and Grow Radio will be rounded out by a two part series featuring the two founders of the enormous Instagram account and Etsy shop: @houseplantclub . The two founders of this planty powerhouse, Morgan of @plantingpink (in this episode) and Erin of @cleverbloom (on next week’s episode) actually met and became friends through sharing a Pilea Peperomioides. How perfect to feature them and their plant friendship IRL during Friendship Feb!

First up this week we get to know Morgan of @plantingpink and learn how her personal collection and account came to be. Morgan, an expert in growing popular planty Instagram accounts, with @houseplantclub circling around 300K followers and @plantingpink with 62K followers, gives us a tutorial on her top 5 tips for curating and growing the best planty Instagram account. I am also so excited that they have trusted Bloom and Grow Radio to host a major announcement for their brand and company. So listen in for her tips and this exciting announcement!

This episode is for you if you want to get to know the amazing woman behind @plantingpink and learn her tips on how to curate the best Instagram account and grow your following. This episode is for you if you are interested in knowing Houseplant Club’s newest project! In this episode we learn:

- How Morgan’s collection came to be and changed as she moved South

- How sharing a Pilea Peperomioides (The Friendship Plant featured in last weeks episode!) started her friendship with Erin from @Cleverbloom and @houseplantclub was created!

- The beginnings of @houseplantclub - A very special House Plant Club announcement!

- How to get your photos featured on @houseplantclub

- Morgan’s top 5 tips to having and growing the best planty Instagram account

Follow Morgan and House Plant Club: @plantingpink @houseplantclub houseplantclub.etsy.com

Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: @bloomandgrowradio www.bloomandgrowradio.com

We can’t have a month devoted to Friendship without having an episode on the Friendship Plant, the Pilea Peperomioides! We are so lucky to be joined by the founder of PIEP – the first commercial grower of Pilea Peperomioides in the US to discuss all things Pilea today! www.piep.co is the go to resource for all things Pilea. It ships nation wide and carries not only Pilea but also other drool worthy plants and accessories. Mackenna, the founder of PIEP, is a Pilea specialist and has had such an interesting journey learning to grow this plant. She joins us today to go through not only care basics but also troubleshooting issues and how to care for your Pilea babies correctly! We are so lucky for not only the knowledge she is sharing with us, but she is also offering a special discount to Bloom and Grow listeners so we can all enjoy this happy plant for ourselves! Stay tuned till the end of the episode to learn more! I also want to give a quick shout out to some listeners that came to my rescue this week. I had one listener write in and ask me how to care for his indoor pineapple plant, and to be frank, I had never even heard of a Pineapple plant before! I put a post on Instagram asking any of you if you could be a good plant friend, and help me out with some information to hook this new pineapple plant dad up with, and several of you got back to me within hours! We’ve started a little Pineapple Plant Care email thread and I’m very excited about learning how to care for it. I’m so thankful to @theeden, @homebyfaith, @dirtydtales and @acrazyplantlady10b to stepping up and offering to help! Now without further ado! If you are interested in learning how to care for a Pilea Peperomioides plant, this episode is for you! If you want some yummy discounts to help get yourself a Pilea of your own, this episode is for you! In the episode we learn: - How the heck to actually pronounce Pilea Peperomioides (Pie- Lee-uh Pepper – o – mee – oy- dees) - How Piep was created - The original story behind how the Pilea spread across Europe - Pilea Care 101! - How to properly care for and separate a Pilea pup from it’s mother plant - Troubleshooting issues with caring for Pilea - How and when to fertilize Pilea - What to look forward to seeing Piep carry in the future - Discounts for Bloom and Grow Radio Listeners! (10 % off using the code Bloom10 on www.piep.co) Follow PIEP: Insta: @piep.co, @pilea.lovers, @plantunicorn Facebook: facebook.com/shop.piep Pinterest: pinterest.com/shoppiep www.piep.co Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Insta: @BloomandGrowRadio Facebook: Bloom and Grow Radio www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Plant Side Chat #2 - Planty Friendships for Friendship February on Bloom and Grow Radio! We dive into the beauty of plant friendships and why they are so important!

I’m very excited to welcome back Chris Satch to the show! Chris is the Plant Scientist and Head of Education at The Sill (www.thesill.com) and is my go to guy for any plant issues I have with my personal collection. The Sill is an amazing plant shop located in Chinatown, NY that not only sells plants, but also hosts monthly educational events and ships potted plants nationwide. I got a lot of requests this winter for an episode on grow lights, and took some time to think about who I wanted my guest to be. I knew that Chris was the perfect person to help break down the science of grow lights because… I don’t really know anything about them! If you listened to Episode 07 with Olena from @TheOperatingSystem when she mentioned her grow lamps, I actually had to ask her what they were because I had no idea you could use light bulbs to help your houseplants grow. How far I’ve come in such a short time! This is a very special episode for Bloom and Grow Radio because it’s the first episode I’ve crowd sourced my listeners for their recommendations on which grow lights THEY use. The first half of the episode is my interview with Chris and the second half is my roundup of all of the recommended bulbs and companies that you all have found success with. Also… DISCOUNTS! I was able to reach out to several of your recommended companies and they have offered special exclusive discounts for Bloom and Grow listeners- so stay tuned till the end to hear about these special offers! If you are interested in learning more about photosynthesis or indoor grow light… this episode is for you! If you want to know what lights other successful plant parents are using and are interested in discounts on some of them… this episode is for you! In this episode we learn: - What photosynthesis is - Why photosynthesis is necessary for a plant - How light appears to the human eye and what it is broken down into - Difference between red, blue, yellow, orange green light and why plants need each type of light - What can happen to a plant if it’s not given a full spectrum of light - Is the Kelvin scale actually important? - The different types of grow lamps and which work best - Crowdsourcing! Which lights and companies you Bloom and Grow plant people are loving! - Discounts! Special discounts for Bloom and Grow Radio listeners from companies you guys have recommended! List of plants that YOU are loving! Modern Sprout (www.modsprout.com) is offering 10% off for Bloom and Grow listeners with https://www.modsprout.com/discount/B&G10 or using B&G10 at checkout. They have two grow light products, the Growbar (which I am currently installing in my bookshelf!) and their Grow House. Their LED lights are full spectrum and have a soft white light and at its highest light, because you can adjust how strong it is, it’s 4500 lumens! The lifespan of their lights runs up to 12 years and the lights produce little heat and are water resistant. My favorite thing about them is they have a 3 setting timer that dims to mimic dawn and dusk and you can set to 8, 12 r 16 hours. Soltech Solutions (https://soltechsolutionsllc.com/) is offering 15% off for Bloom and Grow Radio listeners with the discount code BloomandGrow15. (They are currently having a 30% sale on their website and the Bloom and Grow discount can be applied ON TOP of ther 30%- so that’s 45% total!). They use wide spectrum LED lights that range from 2100 to 4200 lumens (depending on size) and appear soft white and mimic the sun. The lights look real sexy and have a modern, minimalist design that you can install in a variety of ways and come in two sizes. The feature that excites me the most about Soltech Solutions is their beautifully designed industrial floor lamp stands that are adjustable in height. They are perfectly suited for an indoor tree, like my lime tree I'm always talking about, or a fiddle leaf fig or other popular taller indoor plants. Diane from @howtosucculents who was on Episode 3 of the show, @walt_1990, @thelittlestpinecone and @fuccing_succs all say they use the t5 florescent tubes. Olena of @theoperatingsystem who was on Episode 07 shared the lights she uses with me: http://amzn.to/2rOewC2 (she likes the following two bulbs for the arc of they light they provide) http://amzn.to/2DIAesF http://amzn.to/2FuAY5f http://amzn.to/2rSpRRw Alessia of @apartmentbotanist who is one of my #plantfriendsIRL also sent me her list of lights she loves: http://amzn.to/2rTTXo6 (she uses these in her grow tank she created) http://amzn.to/2DOrKEN (she likes these because they easily clip to various surfaces around her apartment) Go forth and illuminate your worlds as you see fit! #keepblooming and #keepgrowing

Michael Perry is the entrepreneur and self titled “geek” behind the “Mr Plant Geek” empire. But he is, in no way, a tradition “geek”. I like to call him the “bad boy of the plant world." You might know Michael from his Instagram account (@Mr_PlantGeek) or www.mrplantgeek.com which have photos and blogs about the worlds most interesting plants. But they also have a collection of selfies showcasing his rugged good looks, impressive collection of tattoos and ever changing hair color. You also might recognize him from his “Rude Botany” line of t-shirts which have sayings like “Philadelphus erectus” or “Rubus cockburnianus” in bold lettering across the chest. Michael approaches plants with a light hearted, fun approach that is completely unique and absolutely fun to follow along with. But don’t be fooled, although his approach to plants is lighthearted, Michael seriously knows his plants. He spent years developing and creating new creations like the “TomTato” and “Egg and Chips” plants for Thompson & Morgan, England’s largest mail order plant company and has a vast knowledge of all aspects of horticulture. After a long and successful career there, he took the leap to become a full time freelancer as “Mr Plant Geek”. He now travels the world lecturing at different garden clubs, trade shows, and can be seen on QVC, BBC’s Great British Garden Revival and The One Show. His website is the go to blog for topics ranging from plant care, introducing new plants and gardening trends, and even travel tips about his constant travels. Today we have a lovely “plant chat” about many things: from how he built his Mr Plant Geek Empire to his tips for traveling Plant Parents on caring for your plants when you are out of town. Michael is a unique and interesting guy with a lovely point of view and I’m thrilled to share our chat with you! In this episode you’ll learn: Michael’s start at Thompson & Morgan designing the “Tomtato” and “Egg and Chips" plant What new types of houseplants Michael is excited about His predictions for the new hot houseplants to come onto the scene All about Michael’s constant travels and finding houseplants in the wild How he grew the “Mr Plant Geek” empire after leaving his longtime custom created job at Thompson & Morgan Michaels list of his favorite houseplants Tips for caring for your houseplants when you leave for vacation Follow Michael: Instagram: @mr_plantgeek Facebook: @mrplantgeek Twitter: @mr_plantgeek Website: www.mrplantgeek.com Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

First part of the Plant Side Chat series where we will explore the lessons learned from caring for plants. Today's topic: Bloom and Grow at Your Own Rate.

Meagan Rosson is the creator behind the Instagram account: Plant_Lady_is_the_New_Cat_Lady. Her two gorgeous cats: Mack and Brooklyn, are quickly becoming “Instagram Famous“ due to Meagan’s hilarious Instagram stories of their impressive acrobatics around her one bedroom apartment and their relationship with her growing collection of 60+ plants.

Meagan and I met early on in both of our plant journeys and have watched each other’s love for plants grow. Since I have no pets, I knew Meagan would be the perfect person to discuss the ups and downs with living with cats and plants and the toxic plants to avoid if you have Cats. We have a fun conversation about her hilarious stories of joining her two loves. She also gives some advice and her perspective on how to live successfully with cats and plants, and how to avoid choosing plants that could be toxic if ingested.

Disclaimer: we are not Veterinarians, plant toxicity specialists or plant scientists. If you have questions about plant toxicity we encourage you to check out ASPCA’s website (link below) and make decisions you are comfortable with for your Urban Jungle.

In this episode we learn: - Meagan’s journey from no plants to 60 + plants and the creation of @Plant_Lady_is_the_New_Cat_Lady

- How her love for plants started in a Plant 101 class with Bloom and Grow Radio Alum, Summer Rayne Oakes of Homestead Brooklyn!

- How to make sure your plants in your apartment are non toxic for your cats

- Tips for having cats and plants live harmoniously together - Natural deterrents for keeping your pets away from your plants (links to purchase below) - How to band-aid your plant when your pet nibbles or plays too aggressively with it - A basic guide for how to find out what plants are toxic, different levels of toxicity and where to find solid information to set you up for success - Signs to look for incase your cat has ingested a poisonous plant - Why Meagan thinks everyone should have houseplants

To Follow Meagan, Mack and Brooklyn find them on Instagram @plant_lady_is_the_new_cat_lady

To Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Instagram: @BloomandGrowRadio www.bloomandgrowradio.com Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio iTunes and Stitcher

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants

http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/pet-owners/basics/top-10-plants-poisonous-to-pets/

To purchase the all natural deterrent sprays Meagan mentions click here:

Nature's Miracle Just for Cats No Scratch Spray: http://amzn.to/2CAcnKW

Grannick's Bitter Apple Spray: http://amzn.to/2yUtpRH

By day, Toronto based Darryl Cheng is a Business Analyst for a Tech Company. By night, he is the creator of the incredibly popular blog and Instagram account - Houseplant Journal. Darryl’s commitment to excellence and his passion for plants and thirst for knowledge have turned him into the king of the internet houseplant world. What was initially a hobby Tumblr page has turned into an Instagram account with over 200,000 followers, a go to blog for anything plant related (www.houseplantjournal.com), the beginnings of his very own houseplant care book and plant time lapse videos that have gone viral around the world. Get ready… this is an epic episode for Bloom and Grow Radio. We cover a variety of topics, have deep thoughts about our plant friends, a little “dirty talk” and learn some secrets behind his collection. And if you stay tuned through the end of the show, Darryl gives us a sneak peak of another talent and passion of his, that is equally as impressive as his houseplant collection- but you’ll only find out if you stay tuned! If you are interested in learning more about different aspects of soil for your houseplants, this episode is for you! If you are interested in learning more about Darryl’s journey as a Plant Parent- tune in! In this episode we discuss: - The beginning of Darryl’s interest in houseplants and the creation of Houseplant Journal - The journey from a small Tumlr hobby account to an Instagram account and blog with over 200,000 followers - The story behind his “insta-famous” Monstera - The story behind his famous time lapse videos - “Dirty Talk” with Darryl! Darryl breaks down all you need to know about soil for your houseplants - Organic vs Chemical Fertilizers - The importance of soil aeration - The reasons behind his Houseplant Care Book he is working on and how it will differ from the tradition Houseplant Books - Any houseplant’s “subjective lifespan” Follow Darryl on: Instagram and Facebook: @houseplantjournal Twitter: @houseplantjrnl Website: www.houseplantjournal.com Patreon: www.patreon.com/houseplantjournal Follow Bloom and Grow Radio on: Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com

Olena Shmahalo, otherwise known as TheOperatingSystem on Instagram is the Art Director of Quanta Magazine by day, and has an Etsy shop where she sells her plant cuttings and plant themed merchandise by night. Originally from the Ukraine, Olena has been growing her Urban Jungle of over 150 plants over the span of several apartments. Her current apartment is a masterpiece of Urban Jungle artistry, and her photos that are envied on Instagram are not to be missed (give her a follow at @TheOperatingSystem). We dive into how she created her Urban Jungle, tips for having a successful relationship with so many plants and she walks us through how to propagate plants for ourselves! If you are interested in learning the stories behind her amazing Instagram Photos or curious about how to propagate your own plants, this episode is for you! In this episode you will learn: - The evolution of Olena’s Urban Jungle - Tourism tips for Plant People - The secret to how Olena keeps her plants happy - Relationship advice for Plant Parents - Information about the joys of her Etsy shop and the process of buying and sending her cuttings - Propagation 101 Follow Olena on: Instagram: @TheOperatingSystem Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheOperatingSystem?ref=shop_sugg (temporarily closed because Olena is on vacation, but she will be back ASAP!) Here is the amazon link to the Propagation Book Olena mentions in today’s episode: http://amzn.to/2ibQNUW Visit the blog for photos mentioned in the interview: http://bloomandgrowradio.com/2017/12/04/episode-07-theoperatingsystem/

Part two of my Christmas Tree extravaganza is all about celebrating you houseplants enthusiasts who want to take the leap, and jump into the joys of having a LIVING, potted Christmas Tree. This trend has become more popular over the years, and as I was researching it, I came across an amazing article by Joe Lamp’l about this intriguing idea. After reading it, I knew he would be the perfect guest for this episode and I am BEYOND thrilled to have him!

Joe is a podcaster himself with his amazing gardening podcast, The Joe Gardener show. He is also the Creator, Host and Executive Producer of the award-winning national PBS series, Growing a Greener World® and Founder of joegardener.com. He is also the previous host of Fresh from the Garden on DIY Network, as well as on-air contributor to The Today Show, Good Morning America and The Weather Channel.

He is a gardening and podcast veteran who takes us through everything we need to know about jumping on the Living Christmas Tree Trend and the joys of replanting your tree and cherishing it forever. If it’s something that interests you, this episode is for you!

In this episode we discuss:

• What a Living Christmas Tree actually is
• What the options are for using your tree after the holiday season
• The entire process from selection to replanting of a Living Christmas Tree
• Average length of time for a Living Christmas Tree to be indoors
• The secret to preserving moisture in your Living Christmas Tree
• The experiment that might cause me to get two trees this year…
• The importance of mulch
• Proper technique for replanting your tree
• Using your tree as an heirloom

Follow Joe on:

Here is the blog I mentioned!

https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/live-christmas-trees/

 Are you inspired? I hope so! Make sure to check out Episode 5 about cut Christmas trees if Living Christmas trees don’t fit into your Holiday this year!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas trees are on every corner of NYC and it’s time to pick one up and bring it into your home to celebrate the holidays. Although a cut Christmas Tree isn’t exactly a living houseplant… Christmas Trees could be argued to be one of the oldest indoor plant traditions around which is why I thought it would make a fun and interesting episode! Mary Jeanne Packer, Executive Director of The Christmas Tree Farmers Association of New York, takes us through the best practices for caring for a cut Christmas Tree.

Founded in 1953, the mission of the Christmas Tree Farmers’ Association of New York (CTFANY) is to empower its members in the development of the real Christmas tree industry.  CTFANY provides information and opportunities for its members that include national visibility and stature, quality production, preservation, education, pride in their products and customer satisfaction.  They provide education to the public about the real tree industry, enable the public to purchase and enjoy the benefits of farm fresh and fragrant real Christmas trees and evergreen products.  At the same time, they protect the environment that surrounds us and enhance the contributions of the Christmas tree industry to New York’s economy.

If you are interested in learning the best ways to care for your cut Christmas tree this season- this episode is for you! If you are interested in learning about having an actual potted, LIVING Christmas tree this year… check out Episode 06!

In this episode you we discuss:

• Why a cut Christmas Tree is actually better for the environment than an artificial tree
• The various ways to recycle your cut tree after the holidays
• Best practices for having a Cut Christmas Tree, from selecting it, to taking it home, how to position and properly care for it and how to properly recycle it after the season.
• Myth Busters! Are chemicals and Sprite needed to feed your Christmas Tree? Listen to find out!
• Shopping local to celebrate the holiday spirit.

For more information on The Christmas Tree Farmers Association of NY visit http://www.christmastreesny.org

For more information on Bloom and Grow Radio visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com and following us on Instagram @bloomandgrowradio

I learned about Summer Rayne Oaks when I first started researching “Urban Jungles” in NYC. She is a Model/Activist/Entrepreneur who is famous for her Brooklyn apartment in which she has over 670 plants. She has dedicated the last decade of her life to being a champion for sustainable practices in the fashion, beauty and food industries.

She wears many hats including being named the first “eco model”. She has a sugar detox program (sugardetoxme.com), a cookbook, a style guide, a podcast (Idea Nosh), and founded Le Souk, a global materials marketplace. She is a serial entrepreneur with a degree in environmental science from Cornell and a passion for plants.

She is the founder of Homestead Brooklyn, a blog and Youtube channel created to help bring more nature to urban living. And to top it all off… she was even the muse and inspiration for the Toyota Prius C! What can’t she do? Her Youtube channel, Plant One On Me is packed with informative videos about plant care and fun DIY projects.

If you are curious about Summer Rayne’s journey to 670+ plants in her NYC apartment, this episode is for you! If you are an advanced Plant Parent looking to nerd out, this is the episode for you!

In this episode we discuss:

• Plant Swaps as a way to connect behind the Instagram photos
• Her plant collection of 670+ in her Brooklyn apartment
• Preparing houseplants for Winter months
• Bringing Plants in the shower
• The appealing qualities of Peperomia
• Best Plants for the Advanced Plant Parent
• Summer Rayne’s time as an “undercover activist” in the Fashion Industry as an Eco Model
• Homestead Brooklyn’s mission and purpose
• The Power of Showing up
• Practicing patience and going beyond perfection

Follow Summer Rayne at

Instagram @homesteadbrooklyn

Facebook @homesteadbrooklyn

YouTube @summerrayneoakes "Plant One On Me"

Website: www.homesteadbrooklyn.com 

Twitter: @sroakes 

Diana Zarins is the mastermind behind the Instagram account and Youtube channel How To Succulents. She is a “black thumb” turned #succulentwhisperer with a following of over 70,000 followers who turn to her for succulent inspiration and education.

If you want to learn how to better care for your succulents, this is the episode for you!

In the episode you will learn:

• Diana’s journey from “black thumb” to succulent lover
• Her extensive collection of 300 indoor and outdoor succulents
• Why succulents are great houseplants
• 5 things to know to NOT kill your succulent – drainage, water, light, temperature, infestation
• The secret to knowing how dry your soil really is
• Transitioning plants from indoors to outdoors for the changing of the seasons
• Best “starter succulent”
• How to use her hashtags to learn more about succulent care #propagationweek #howtobeasucculentwhisperer
• Using succulents to inspire hardiness and grit in your everyday life

Follow How To Succulents:

Instagram: @howtosucculents

Youtube channel: How to Succulents https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7oOq8BmqaDCUpKxdpZ_SBQ

Today’s episode is with one of my most favorite Plant People I have met yet… Christopher Satch! He is the Plant Scientist and Head of Education at The Sill. The Sill is an amazing plant shop located in Chinatown, NY that not only sells plants, but also hosts monthly educational events and ships potted plants nationwide. They also have created a somewhat cult following on Instagram with over 150,000 followers who drool over their urban jungle inspirations and informative plant care stories.

I’ve had the pleasure of going to one of Chris’s Plant 101 classes at The Sill, which was not only informative, but wine filled, so fun and a great way to meet other Plant Parents in NYC. His wealth of knowledge about every plant under the sun is unparalleled, but what makes him so special is his humor, perspective and openness. I couldn’t be more excited to have him as my first guest!

If you are looking for an amazing, concise overview of the top 5 plant care basics, this is the episode for you!

In this episode you will learn:

• A little about Chris’s personal journey with plants
• How houseplants help you reconnect to nature
• The Sill, it’s mission and how #PlantsMakePeopleHappy
• Plant 101 courses at The Sill
• Top houseplants for beginners
• All beginners are not created equal! Are you a low maintenance or high maintenance Plant Parent- and how that informs which plants you pick.
• Fun trick to save your plants from your radiators in the winter
• Houseplant care 101
• The difference between low, medium, bright light
• Using plants to expand your mind and practice kindness and understanding

Visit Chris and the team at The Sill at 84 Hester Street in Chinatown or visit www.thesill.com to order some of their plants or register for a plant workshop!

Follow @TheSill on Instagram, Twitter and Tumbler

Bloom and Grow Radio is a weekly Podcast designed for the Urban Jungle Dweller, Houseplant Enthusiast and Succulent Killer alike. Maria Failla interviews different “Plant Parents” in the Urban Gardening community to source houseplant care tips, stories and lessons they’ve learned from caring for their plants along the way. Each episode has a practical and spiritual tips and stories that empower and inspire the listener to have their own houseplant collection.

In this episode you will learn:

• Bloom and Grow Radio’s mission
• What inspired the creation of Bloom and Grow Radio
• Founder, Maria Failla’s journey from Succulent Killer to Crazy Plant Lady

Instagram: @BloomandGrowRadio

Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com