検索キーワード： 著者 "Mike McGrath" すべてのカテゴリー

Birds can be excellent garden pest controllers. And sometimes they can BE the pests! This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will help you keep those flying friends where you want them!

Are you looking to brighten up your house with some ravishing tropical plants? House plant expert Ellen Zachos joins us to talk about colorful tropical beauties that are not difficult to care for. Her new book is Tempting Tropicals: 175 Irresistible Indoor Plants. During the Question of the Week, Mike will discuss pruning summer-blooming plants. He'll go over the easy but terrifying advice for butterflybush, and more.

Do you feel like growing some unusual offerings in your garden this year? Exotic flowers, heirloom varieties, or strangely-colored vegetables maybe? We'll hear about the eclectic selection in the quirky J. L. Hudson seed catalog. And to make sure your seed-starting endeavors are off to a good start, Mike will go over his Seven Secrets of Successful Seed Starters. He'll also reveal a cure for the dreaded disease that often claims over-watered seedlings.

Mushroom expert Paul Stamets joins us to explain how seemingly humble fungi can be used to filter water, destroy pest insects like termites and fire ants, and create new medicines. Paul is the owner of the mushroom company Fungi Perfecti and his new book is Mycelium Running. During the Question of the Week, Mike will explain how gardeners can safely use wood ashes in their landscape.

Ever wonder if you have those insanely expensive truffles growing under your soil? This week on You Bet Your Garden with host Mike McGrath, mushroom expert Paul Stamets will reveal the delicious answer!

Have you received the email warning about termite-infested mulch heading our way from Katrina damaged trees? Mike McGrath will reveal the truth behind those rumors, and explain how your current mulch may already be inviting local termites to dine on your domain. Plus: Mark Tebbitt from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden joins us to discuss the amazing diversity in the surprisingly wide world of begonias. Tebbitt has written Begonias; Cultivation, Identification and Natural History.

Have you ever wondered how they get all those Spring bulbs, flowering trees, shrubs and other plants to burst into bloom weeks and even months ahead of schedule for Springtime Flower Shows?

Morning glories are beautiful, and while they tend to spread quickly, they are easy to control. But they have an invasive, weedy perennial cousin, which can really get out of hand. Mike McGrath will explain the difference between morning glory and bindweed, and give detailed information on how to handle both.

Do you want to grow tomatoes, but have no actual land to do that growing in? This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath reveals the secrets of getting those home-grown favorites to flourish in containers. Plus: chemical-free answers to all your garden questions.

This is the time of year when many people hear the tap-tap-tapping of woodpeckers on their chamber wall. What are they doing there? "Probably not eating bugs" says woodpecker expert Dr. Jerry Jackson, biology professor at the Florida Gulf University in Fort Myers, Florida. He explains that the birds are tearing up your siding to build a nest. He'll discuss how you can protect your home and create other habitats for these beautiful and beneficial birds.

Have you tamed every weed in your lawn except those exasperating wild violets? They may be tough to get rid of, but they are really pretty! Mike McGrath will explain what makes them so close to invulnerable, and he'll reveal the surprising violet advice of a distinguished university turf-grass professor. He will also discuss the health benefits of these purple beauties.

There's very serious, late breaking bad news for tomato and potato growers sweeping the country. This week will be a special edition of You Bet Your Garden, where host Mike McGrath will discuss the recent outbreak of "late blight"; perhaps the most devastating of all plant diseases. Plus: Your protection options; and of course, chemical free answers to all your garden questions.

We'll hear about a new product called "Messenger" that's designed to boost the productivity and immunity of your plants, and to protect them from pest and disease. Then, during the Question of the Week, Mike McGrath will discuss the conditions that cause clover to appear in your lawn, and explain both how to get rid of it and how to make use of its fertilizing and healthy eating attributes.

Looking for a holiday gift for the gardener in your life? Mike McGrath will reconstruct the classic "Twelve Days of Christmas" to present you with a dozen unique, useful, and ecologically sound options. There's something for everyone, from the hard-core, already chemical-free grower, to newbies you're hoping to coax away from bottles and bags with big warnings on them.

Have you tried to mix up a batch of compost only to end up with a big nasty mess? You probably made a simple and very common mistake! Mike McGrath will reveal what that mistake was, how to fix it, and he�ll explain his dirt-simple plan for compost success.

Think tomatoes are the most different tasting things you can grow as opposed to buy? This week on You Bet Your Garden, host Mike McGrath will reveal why the real answer is potatoes! Plus: chemical-free answers to all your garden questions.

A lot of gardeners get a bit confused when looking for the right soil or soil amendments at the garden store. What do terms like mulch, compost, humus, topsoil, and biosolids really mean? Mike McGrath will help you buy the right stuff with a loquacious lexicon of the language you may encounter on your quest for compost! He will also advise on where to use which type of "dirt". Plus, local activists have put North Carolina on the leading edge of safe farming and gardening practices.

Every garden and landscape needs compost, the rich black super soil that feeds your plants, and prevents disease better than any chemical fungicide. Ergo, every gardener needs a composter! So to kick off our seasonal gift suggestions, Mike McGrath is going to describe several units you can purchase, or make yourself, to get that special gardener of yours on the road to black gold!

What should you say if someone offers you a load of sawdust for your landscape? Host Mike McGrath reveals just what you can and can't do for your lawn and garden with dust of wood.

Do you always think of cranberries at turkey-eating time? On this week's episode of You Bet Your Garden, Mike McGrath will reveal how you can grow a close cranberry cousin-without a bog!