So, this year, I’ve created a small garden just for hummingbirds and butterflies.  Deer, rabbits, and bear don’t like the plants that I’ve chosen and that’s what I wanted.

I began by looking at catalogs from my favorite nursery, High Country Gardens in Santa Fe.  They grow their plants at an elevation similar to mine, so I prefer to buy their stock.  They have a lot of choices for hummingbirds and butterflies including agastache and salvia plants. 

As I measured the footage in my new garden, I then drew out a plan to a have a nice, xeriscape garden that will be mainly carefree once the plants have been established.  There will be almost 35 plants in this garden.

The picture is just one of many that I’ll be adding as time goes on and my garden grows.  It’s not pretty right now.  This picture is before I added the drip system and mulch.  A picture will follow showing that.

Know Your Plant

First of all, it’s good to know your plant; what type of soil it prefers, whether or not it likes being repotted, and the type of plant food it likes. Some plants, especially succulents and cactus, are fine for several years or more in the same pot. There are some cactus and succulents that actually need cramped potting conditions in order to flower. Other houseplants need to be repotted almost every year. Check your local bookstore, nursery, or hardware store for a good reference book that has your specific houseplants in it. There’s also good websites such as www.GardenGuides.com.

Most plants are happy with a regular feeding of the generic houseplant foods available in many stores. African Violets, Cacti, and Succulents require specialized food that is found in nurseries and some hardware stores. Feeding your houseplants the proper food is best for healthy looking plants.

Choice of Pots

There are two things to consider for your pot choice before you repot your houseplant; size and type of pot. Both are important and not all pots are the same.

Whenever you have to repot a houseplant, the new pot should not be more than two inches deeper and wider. This allows the roots to spread and keeps the plant from becoming too straggely-looking.

There are so many decorative pots on the market today, that sometimes it seems difficult to choose one. Not all pots are the same. If you live in a dry climate with little humidity, you’ll need a different pot than someone who lives in a wet, humid climate such as the South, Northeast, and Midwest.

If you live in a wet climate, then clay pots are better suited for your area. Clay pots are porous and allow the soil to “breathe” as evaporation will occur through the clay pot. This is great for your houseplants as it gets moisture from the humid air and doesn’t need all that pent-up moisture in your pot. Too much moisture can cause root rot and leave your houseplant susceptible to pests, mold, and diseases.

Plastic pots and enameled clay pots are great for houseplants in dry climates such as the Southwest, and West. These pots don’t “breathe” as they are not porous. They hold the water better and will give your indoor houseplants more moisture which they don’t get from dry air conditions. You can use the regular green or black plastic pots you get from the nursery and then place this pot inside a decorative pot holder. Pot holders do not have any holes in the bottom of the pot for drainage; they’re just a nice decorative touch for your home.

Tip: When watering houseplants, water thoroughly letting the excess water drain through the bottom of the pot. Let the plant sit in this excess water for just one hour so the roots can soak up what they need. Always empty out any excess water after one hour to prevent root rot.

Soil Choices

If your plant does need to be repotted, you need to know what kind of soil your plant prefers. Most houseplants accept the generic potting soils on the market today, however, there are some plants such as African Violets, Cactus, and Succulents that need a special soil which is available in nurseries, hardware, and department stores that sell plants. Repotting your houseplant in the correct soil will make your houseplant happy, live longer, and look healthy.

Some potting soils have plant food mixed in with the soil, while others don’t. Both are just fine for repotting houseplants, but if you purchase the soil with the plant food, you’ll need to read the directions and not feed your plant until the required time stated in the directions, otherwise, you could overfeed your houseplant and cause root damage.

Water the houseplants that you’re going to repot about an hour before repotting them. This will help the plants from shock.

Tip: Never use soil from your yard. Yard soil may contain pests and bacteria that will thrive indoors and damage, if not kill, your houseplants. Commercial potting soils are free from pests and bacteria.

Tools You’ll Need

Now it’s time to get ready to repot the plant. If it’s a nice day with temps above 50 degrees, you can repot your houseplant outside and there’ll be less mess to clean up afterwards. Otherwise, the best way to repot your houseplants is to place newspaper down on the floor and have all your items on the newspaper; the new pot, potting soil, watering can, and old fork, hand spade, garden gloves if you use them, and plant food if it’s not in the soil.

You’ll also need some small rocks or pebbles that you can purchase from a store. These purchased rocks are already cleaned and free of bacteria. They will be placed in the bottom of the new pot to allow drainage for your houseplant. An inch of these small rocks or pebbles is advised. You can also use styrofoam “popcorn” instead of the rocks. Styrofoam is lighter in weight and will not harm your houseplants. Many gardeners keep styrofoam handy for this type of use. It’s inexpensive and most of us have it readily available from purchasing appliances, etc. Just break up the styrofoam into small pieces and layer an inch or so in the bottom of the pot.

Tip: Never use rocks from your yard as they may contain pest larvae and bacteria. Purchase rocks from your nursery or hardware store.

Repotting

Place the styrofoam pieces or rocks in the bottom of the new pot covering most of the bottom of the pot. Allow one inch of these materials for drainage. Add the new soil to the pot and fill the pot about one-third.

Using your hand spade or fork, tap the sides of the pot your houseplant is in. This will help loosen the soil around the edges. Place the fingers of one hand over the soil surface with the trunk of the plant between your fingers, and invert the pot. Slip the pot off gently with your other hand. If the pot does not come off, slide a knife between the soil and the edge of the pot to gently loosen. Tap the pot again, and gently remove the pot from the plant.

Using the old fork, gently loosen any potbound roots so that they will spread more easily in the new pot. Place the plant in the new pot and add more soil around the sides and top of plant. Press the soil down firmly with your thumbs and add more soil if needed.

This is the time to feed your plant and help ease the shock. If your new soil has plant food in it, just water the plant. If it doesn’t have plant food, then feed your plant.

Place your newly potted houseplant away from direct sunlight for a few days to let it rest. After several days, place the houseplant back in its normal growing spot.

Many experts still believe that the level of Omega-3 in the average American diet has plummeted in recent years. Experts believe that just about all of us could use more Omega-3 in our diets. Studies show that the U.S. has one of the lowest levels of DHA consumption in the world and DHA is the most important nutrient in Omega-3.

So, what is Omega-3 and how can you add it to your diet? Who should take it, who should not take it, and what are the health benefits?

What is Omega-3?

Omega-3 consists of three fatty acids that are needed by our bodies to function normally. Our bodies do not make any of these three essential fatty acids, therefore, we have to provide these nutrients to our bodies through foods and supplements. Here’s a description of each of the three fatty acids and what they do:

DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) plays the most important role of the three fatty acids. DHA benefits our bodies in visual and mental development throughout life. It is the most abundant fatty acid found in the brain and the retina. It’s a very important structural component of the nerve cells in the brain and eyes and also a key component of heart tissue. Numerous studies have shown that everyone at any age, including children, will benefit from an adequate supply of DHA. DHA is found in fatty fish and organ meats.

EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) plays a role in good cardiovascular health. It helps reduce chronic inflammation and is recommended by the American Heart Association and the USDA Dietary Guidelines for good cardiovascular health. EPA is found in fatty fish.

ALA (alpha-linoienic acid) serves as a source of energy, is needed for skin health, and is a building block for EPA. ALA can be found in flaxseeds, walnuts, and canola. ALA is broken down by our bodies into DHA and EPA although not efficiently. Approximately 5-10 % is converted to EPA and less than 1% of ALA is converted to DHA.

Health Benefits of Taking Omega-3

Research shows numerous health benefits of taking Omega-3. Strong evidence exists showing these essential fatty acids to boost heart health and lower triglycerides. Fish oil can cut triglyceride levels 20-50%. There are ongoing studies on other aspects of health benefits from Omega-3.

Supporting studies show that Omega-3 can lower blood pressure and possibly cholesterol.

Eating fish once or twice a week seems to significantly lower the risk of stroke.

Studies show that DHA and EPA boost the health of pregnant women and the development of their children. DHA appears to be important for visual and neurological development in infants.

There is ongoing research with Omega-3. Some of the research involves Omega-3’s effect on Alzheimer’s disease, ADHD in school-age children, diabetic kidney damage, skin conditions, Crohn’s disease, lupus, and some cancers. We will have to wait for the end results.

How To Add Omega-3 To Your Diet

Since our bodies don’t produce Omega-3, we need to eat the right foods which contain Omega-3 and/or take the right vitamin supplement to gain the health benefits offered by Omega-3. Fish is the most important source of Omega-3, however not everyone likes to eat sardines, salmon, anchovies, herring, mackerel, trout, oysters, dark tuna, or halibut. Experts say that we need to eat fish two or three times a week to gain the health benefits.

Experts agree that it’s always best to get nutrients from food sources as opposed to supplements. In addition to the above mentioned fish, Omega-3 is also found in organ meats such as liver. Free-range beef and poultry have high levels of Omega-3 as opposed to grain-fed animals.

Because of the importance of Omega-3 to our health, there’s a lot of foods that are now fortified with Omega-3. Just take a stroll through your local supermarket and you’ll see foods from juice to pasta now enhanced with Omega-3. The list of foods enhanced with Omega-3 is increasing all the time. Here’s a list, although not comprehensive, of some of the food items that you’re most likely to find fortified with Omega-3:

Bread, cereal, cookies, crackers, flour, flaxseed, granola, oatmeal, eggs, margarine, milk, soy milk, yogurt, juice, pasta, pancake and waffle mixes, peanut butter, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and waffles.

Some fresh produce items contain ALA, especially green leafy vegetables. Although ALA is the least powerful fatty acid in Omega-3, these vegetables offer other benefits from fiber to antioxidants. Look for spinach, parsley, mint, brussel sprouts, watercress, and kale for your best sources of ALA.

Omega-3 Vitamin Supplements

Fish oil supplements for Omega-3 is the second best way to add Omega-3 to your diet. Make sure any Omega-3 supplement you purchase has at least DHA and EPA in it. They’re the two most beneficial fatty acids for your body. Omega-3 supplements are very inexpensive compared to a lot of other supplements which is good news for the consumer.

Experts agree that we need at least 1,000 mgs a day of Omega-3 to gain the health benefits offered by this nutrient. Omega-3 is a safe supplement to take, however, you should always check with your doctor before adding any supplement to your diet.

There are three types of of Omega-3 supplements to consider. First and foremost, is fish oil which usually contains both DHA and EPA. Fish oil is usually derived from anchovies and sardines. This supplement can be in capsule form or as an oil. Capsules are usually recommended as swallowing fish oil is not always pleasant.

Secondly, there are plant sources such as flaxseed oil. This is very appealing to vegetarians. The drawback of flaxseed oil is that it contains only ALA and not the very important DHA.

Last, but not least, there’s algae oil capsules. This supplement is also appealing to vegetarians and it does contain the highly benefical DHA fatty acid.

Risks of Taking an Omega-3 Supplement

The benefits of Omega-3 supplements are numerous and the risks are very low, however, check with your doctor to see what he/she recommends for a dosage. Fish oil supplements may thin the blood so if you’re already taking an anticoagulant medicine like Coumadin or Plavix, then you need to check with your doctor before taking Omega-3 supplements.

The most common side effects may include indigestion, heartburn, or gas.

Choosing An Omega-3 Supplement

Ask your doctor or pharmacist for a recommendation. They may have a favorite brand that they use, or they may suggest a brand or two that their patients do well with.

Take the right dosage amount. It’s easy to become confused about the dosage of Omega-3 so make sure you read the label. The front label may state that it’s 1,000 mg of Omega -3 fish oil, however, when you look at the ingredients it may state that it contains 1,000 mg of natural fish oil concentrate and the total Omega-3 fatty acid is 300 mg. If your doctor recommends that you take 1,000 mgs of Omega-3 (DHA & EPA combined), then you’ll need to take 3-4 capsules daily to meet that recommendation.

Omega-3 is available by prescription and it may be covered by your health insurance. Ask your doctor about prescription Omega-3 and then check with your health insurance to see if they cover the cost. This could save you money.

Purchase capsules with an enteric coating. This may help with indigestion.

If you have indigestion or gas from one brand, try another brand. Not all brands or generics are the same. Some brands just work better in certain people.

Always take Omega-3 supplements with food. This may help reduce the risk of stomach upset.