Dendrobium orchid care is no more involved than caring for any other species of orchid. They are a common choice to use as cut flowers because they have a very beautiful and distinctive color and a very string stem. Making the a little Dendrobium orchid perfect for occasions like weddings or a good romantic gift.

But enough with all the waffle, you want to learn how to take care of Dendrobium orchids right? Well, you can't fail with the following tips:

Lighting

These particular orchids love light, and it is important so that they can maintain healthy growth. Provide Bright light, to 50 percent sun. In the home, an east, west or lightly shaded south window. In a greenhouse, about 30 to 50 percent of full sun. Under lights, four 40 watt incandescent bulbs directly over plants. Plants should be naturally erect, without need of (much) stalking, and of a medium olive-green color.

Temperature

The temperature for your Dendrobium orchid care is important as well. Temperature is directly proportional to the amount of light so both should be looked at carefully. As a guide temperature below 50F and above 90F are not a good idea. Ideally there will be a difference of about 10 degrees between night and day.

Watering

Keep evenly moist while in active growth. Allow to dry between waterings after growth is mature (indicated by terminal leaf). The trick is to keep in wet, but not too wet. For adivce on how to do this visit the site mentioned at the end of this article

Humidity

Dendrobiums need 50 to 60 percent. In the home, place on trays over moistened pebbles. In greenhouse, use a humidifier if conditions are too dry. Humidity trays can be purchased from gardening stores but its much better and cheaper to just make your own.

Potting

Should be done every two to three years before mix loses consistency (breaks down). Pot firmly in medium, giving aeration and ample drainage, allowing enough room for two years' growth. Dendrobiums grow best in pots small for the size of the plant. For the best Dendrobium orchid care though, don't repot unnecessarily as this will do more harm than good.

By: Jeremy Sleigh
There is much more to learn about Dendrobium orchid care and this article is just the beginning. There are factors such as fertilizer, humidity and general orchid care to be considered. To discover all the secrets about caring for you Dendrobium orchids just click here.

Growing chilies is relatively simple and can be achieved by anyone, no matter how small a space you have even if you only have a small balcony or even only a windowsill. Below are a few tip to help you increase your crop.

1. Extend the growing season

Chillies need time, especially if you are growing in a relative cool climate. In order to get a head start on what can be a short growing season all you need to do is plant your chillie seeds and germinate them indoors. By doing so you're able to plant the seeds before the risk of frost passes as Spring arrives. By the time you can put plants outside, you should already have seedlings a few centimeters tall, giving them a good head start on the summer.

2. Use artificial lighting

Chillies love light. Again while you wait for summer to fully kick in you may find that your chillie seedlings get rather leggy (tall and spindly). This is very common amongst chillies planted too early as they grow tall and thin while trying to stretch for light. To combat the problem you could try using artificial lighting to boost their growth until you can put the plants outside.

3. Pinch out young seedlings

It is well known amongst gardeners that pinching the tops off small plants (about 15cm tall) encourages them to grow more bushy and focus less on growing tall and slim. This may seem a harsh act to commit however in the long run a bushier plant will generally produce more flowers, and that will lead to the plant producing more fruit.

4. Feed the chillies

There are many weird and wonderful feeds on the market. Though none of them are essential you may find they help. In general growing chillies can be thought of as very similar to growing tomatoes. When your plants start to fruit, feeding the with a tomato food (high in nitrogen) will help the plant increase its yield.

5. Pick the chillies

It may seem obvious but you should pick the chillie fruit as soon as they are ripe, or even just before to allow them to ripen off the plant. Picking the fruit will encourage the plant to produce more.

By: James C Kerr
For further information click here for growing chillies, grow lights or any other chilli pepper information, please visit the author's website.

What can be better than picking a fresh tomato for your salad? Or maybe picking a fresh tomato and stuffing it with something fresh and lively? Many people would say nothing!

Fresh fruits and vegetables are incredible in both color and flavor, and none are better than a tomato. In the past, people who lived in apartments found it impossible to plant or maintain a garden because of lack of space.

Creative people discovered a way to grow tomatoes in limited space, and tomato container gardening became an instant success.

Growing tomatoes in a container means , planting tomato in a containers of any size. They are especially handy when space is limited. You can plant a tomato container garden in small buckets, or large containers, it depends on how much space you have.

If you have a balcony, a tomato container garden would grow very well, the only thing you have to remember to do is water it and turn the container so all of the plants receive the benefit of sunlight.

To plant a tomato container garden, all you need is a container, preferably non-metal, potting soil, and a few small rocks to insure proper drainage.

The soil can be purchased at any home improvement store, or even in department stores. Spread the rocks over the bottom of the container and add the soil. Poke holes with your fingers and plant the seeds. Water and you are done. Your tomatoes will start growing and in a few weeks, you will have delicious, nutritious tomatoes.

One of the greatest benefits to planting a tomato container garden is that they are portable. If the weather turns cold or it is raining too much, you can bring your tomato container garden indoors to protect it from the elements.

You do not have to have a balcony to plant a tomato container garden, if you have a large room, or even a sunroom, you can turn it into an instant nursery for your newly planted garden, and the best thing is that you can have fresh, red, ripe tomatoes all year round. For some people, nothing is better.

By: Tracy Ballisager
Tracy Ballisager is stay at home mum. To read more about gardening tips and idea go to http://www.gardening-tips-idea.com

Spring is the time of year when all garden magazines are full of the plans you should be making for the season to come, but very rarely do they cover one of the most basic of gardening techniques. Sowing seeds properly is crucial if you want to ensure a good crop of flowers and vegetables in your garden. We all love to take that small flat packet of seeds and take joy in the vision of what it will produce, but like everything, a good foundation is required to ensure a good crop.

The seed contains everything that is needed to start the growth cycle of the plant and it will keep safe the promise of the future until the time is right. Most basic of those requirements is water, followed swiftly by temperature and appropriate growing conditions in terms of soil and nutrients. Then you must protect that baby plant from pests and diseases until it is strong enough to fend for itself, just as you would any newborn.

The most basic method of sowing is to use good quality seed compost which has not been stored somewhere cold. Place it in seed trays or pots so you can avoid too much thinning or pricking out later. Make sure your seeds are fresh and of good quality before sowing them gently onto the soil, not too close together, and then cover them lightly with a fine layer of compost or vermiculite. As a rule of thumb the depth of the covering should be about twice the diameter of the seed, certainly no more. If your seeds are a little shrivelled you can try soaking them. This is often done with hard coated seeds or where you are expecting a dry spell if you are intending to sow outdoors. It can speed up germination quite noticeably.

Some seeds require a little preparation before they are sown, peas and beans particularly produce seeds with hard coverings that need to be pre-treated if you want them to germinate in our somewhat artificial environments. Generally speaking I try to just chip the surface which mimics nature's action in breaking down the seed coating. If the seeds are too small to do this, like Lupins for example, I put them into a plastic tub, secure the lid and shake them for a while which just breaks up the skin - it has the added advantage of amusing everyone watching me as well!

Sowing seeds outside, especially vegetables, is usually done in rows. I always like to fill the drill with water before I plant anything, and let it drain. Again try not to sow too thickly as this will avoid wasting those precious seedlings when thinning and if you are sowing where you plan to grow, it will save a lot of labour. I must admit I don't sow flower seeds in rows all the time as I do like rather more informality in my flower garden, but where vegetables are concerned I try and sow in such a way that I can tend them easily. It might be rows or it might be in squares depending on how I intend them to grow.

Fine seeds are best mixed with some silver sand or suchlike to spread them more evenly - it can be a nightmare trying to keep all those tiny seeds evenly spread and the effort of mixing them with the sand more than pays off in time saved later. Larger seeds can be individually placed either where you are going to grow them or you could try using a little trick of mine. I save the cardboard centres of toilet paper rolls, fill those with compost and plant the seeds in those. When they are big enough to plant out I just soak the cardboard (which is generally pretty wet anyway) and plant the whole thing. You don't disturb the tender baby roots and they just grow through the wet cardboard as they develop.

Whichever method you use to plant your seeds, make sure you keep them adequately watered, using fresh clean water. Using these simple gardening techniques will ensure that you have a good supply of plants for your garden and vegetables for your table.

By: Lizzie Westerley
Lizzie Westerley has spent many pleasurable years developing her garden and her gardening skills. You can find more of her insights and information on how to make your garden equally magnificent at The Garden Magazine.