I was honored to be the featured poet in the premier issue of FotoSpecchio, an on-line publication featuring photography, poetry, and other artistry. https://fotospecchio.com/poets/janice-f-booth You may also enjoy this month’s featured poet, Gail Bartlett.
FOTOSPECCHIO.COM
Janice F. Booth | FotoSpecchio.com
Janice F. Booth is a poet of form. See here the grace, the pantoum, the villanelle, an elegy. Nature is her muse. And the muse is better for it.
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It is an honor to have reviewed Caplin’s poetry and to be included among these gifted writers.
What’s Up? Magazine
Another season’s garden put to bed? It’s November; those last roses have shriveled; the mums have dropped their petals; your trowel and gardening gloves are cleaned and stored ’til spring.
But wait! You can still garden this winter. A hydroponic garden lets you grow fresh vegetables, herbs, and flowers indoors any time of the year. You can set up a hydroponic garden to share with children or grandchildren. Someone with limited mobility might enjoy caring for plants growing indoors on a table or counter during the long winter months.
Hydroponic gardening is growing plants without using soil—yup, no dirt involved! All you’ll need are seeds, light, water, and nutrients.
There are a variety of systems to choose from if you’re setting this up yourself rather than buying a kit. The types of systems include: Nutrient Film Technique (NFT); Deep Water Culture (DWC); Wick Hydroponics; Flood & Drain System; Drip System; Kratky Method; and the AeroGarden Hydroponic (a popular ready-to-go system). All the equipment can be purchased as kits from various distributors. You’ll need:
If you buy a kit, you won’t need to follow all these steps:
You’ll usually see sprouting within one to three weeks.
Once the seeds begin to sprout, your work commences in earnest. This is not a project that allows you to go away for two weeks and come back to a happy garden tank. Nope. Rather, there’s a daily routine while your hydroponic garden is flourishing:
The Good News:
The Not-So-Good News:
If you decide to try your hand at hydroponic gardening, you’ll have some interesting experiences, no doubt. Take some pictures along the way; include a little card saying how many days old and what type of veggie. It’ll be fun, maybe even a little photo collage of your new hobby and its successes.
NOV. 2023
Thirty percent of all outdoor lighting in the U.S. is wasted, not serving the purpose for which it was installed. That’s about $3.3 billion in energy cost and the release of 21 million tons of carbon dioxide per year. To offset all this carbon dioxide, we’d have to plant 875 million trees annually. This, according to statistics released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) and the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA). We—homeowners, gardeners, even apartment dwellers—can light our homes, our patios, and our gardens with more attention to protecting the environment. You may want professional help or to make this a Do-It-Yourself re-lighting project. A DIY job will cost approximately $20/fixture, 10¢/ft. of cable, and $200 for a transformer, then the trenching starts. An outdoor lighting specialist’s fees will start around $2,000. Either way, let me offer some helpful information: 1: The main criteria for environmentally responsible lighting, 2: The types of lighting customarily used for residences, and 3: Tips to help you work with your electricians or succeed as a Do-It-Yourselfer. A key resource is the International Dark-Sky Association. They have criteria for ecologically responsible lighting and provide an evaluation and Seal of Approval that is granted to manufacturers of outdoor lighting fixtures and materials. Look for or ask for the IDA Seal of Approval on equipment you purchase or have installed. 
Sep. 18, 2023
The orchid grows where others cannot, enduring the hardships of hunger and thirst, and is loosely tied to the things that support it. And, even with all the difficulty of its life, the orchid graces the world with beautiful colour and rare fragrance.—Confucius, from a translation by Jonathan Steffen
Perhaps you’ve received a lovely spray of orchids as a gift or picked up a tiny, potted orchid on the sale table in the grocery store. Well, if you did, I hope you had more luck than I at keeping that lovely plant alive and blooming. But if you’ve found growing orchids difficult, or if you are simply toying with the idea of adding orchids to your houseplant collection, this article may be of help.
I interviewed Carol Allen, the Orchid Lady, a regional authority on growing orchids (orchidlady.net). Allen teaches, lectures, records videos, and does clinics where gardeners bring their ailing orchids for diagnoses and treatments. She is funny and wise, and truly enjoys plants and people of all varieties.
The Orchid Lady assures me that growing orchids is easy. The pointers below will apply to most orchids, but Allen suggests gardeners just getting started try Moth Orchids (phalaenopsis). They’re pretty and forgiving if their growing needs are not always perfectly met. There are three basic requirements. If you get these right, your orchids will delight you for years to come; they can live to be 100.
In our mid-Atlantic region, two to three hours of fairly direct sunlight through a window should keep your orchids happy. If your windows are the new UVA or UVB high-efficiency light-filtering glass, longer sunlight exposure may be necessary.
If we remember that orchids are bromeliads, we can follow the same schedule and use the same techniques. Water thoroughly and let the plant drain. Do not allow the roots to sit in standing water. Water again when the plant’s soil feels dry. If the leaves are dusty, gently wipe them with a damp cloth. If your home is dry, create a shallow evaporation dish; let the orchid’s pot sit on the gravel or stones above the water.
Although there is some controversy on this topic, Allen urges plastic pots for orchids. The plastic pot holds the dampness. The clay pot dries out quickly—perhaps too quickly for the orchids. Do not allow mineral salts to build up in the soil. If you see chalky powder collecting, remove the plant from its pot, clean the pot and replace contaminated soil. Carol recommends a peat-based potting soil, for example Premix or ExPona. The planting medium should be light, allowing air to get to the roots.
Okay, you’re still with me on this? Let’s move on to selecting a healthy orchid specimen to buy.
Moth Orchids (phalaenopsis)—habits similar to African Violets.
Corsage Orchids (cattleya)—they’re more forgiving of very sunny locations.
Dancing Lady Orchids (oncidium)—lovely blooms and comfortable with temperatures below 80° F.
Choose a plant with many buds and only a few open flowers. You’ll have the pleasure of watching these closed buds unfold.
Check for firm, bright green leaves; be sure there are no dried or squishy leaves near the soil. Also, check that the visible roots are not brown or shriveled.
Unless you can move your plants in-and-out every day, orchids do not work as outdoor plants in the mid-Atlantic region. Avoid leaving an orchid in a hot or cold car, even for a short time. The plant is extremely sensitive to temperature and can be damaged or killed.
Since water is such a vital part of caring for orchids, there are differences of opinion on technique.
I spoke about the plastic vs. clay pot debate – which best controls the moisture level in the planting medium. Plastic pots allow the water to evaporate more gradually. But, clay pots allow for better aeration of the growing medium.
There’s a watering debate around ice cubes. For a 7–8 inch pot, there is a consensus that three ice cubes per week will provide sufficient water. Just lay the cubes under the leaves, on the soil or stag moss. You can check moisture level by observing the roots. If the roots are silver, the orchid needs water. If the roots are green-ish, the plant is fully hydrated.
You will want to repot your orchid annually. Remove the pot and gently clear the soil from among the roots. Look for any softening or rot among the roots. Also check that there is no salt buildup, those chalky particles I mentioned previously. Use a pot that is just big enough to give the roots room to spread; do not overdo it on the size. Make sure the drainage holes are open and clear, then add growing medium and the orchid.
Don’t worry. This may all sound like a lot of work, but once you’ve begun to enjoy the lovely blossoms on your orchid’s stem, all the work and worry will fade. Orchids really are quite hardy. They’ll be content with very little attention, once you have the right windowsill and a watering routine.
Opening Lines 