| How to Grow Citronella Posted: 21 Jul 2020 05:00 PM PDT The citronella plant, also known as the mosquito plant or pelagonium, is actually a type of geranium. Interestingly enough, it does not produce citronella oil, which actually comes from lemongrass. The citronella plant is often touted for its ability to repel mosquitos, there's no actual evidence that it keeps them away.[1] However, the citronella plant's lovely lemon scent makes it an excellent addition to your garden. It's also a perennial, which means you'll be able to keep it around for years to come! [Edit]Planting Your Citronella - Pick up some potted citronella cuttings to keep things simple. You can grow citronella from seeds or juvenile plants, but it takes much longer to grow. Without a doubt, the most popular way to grow a citronella plant is from a cutting. You can either buy a pre-potted cutting, or clip a healthy branch off of an adult citronella plant to take a cutting yourself. If you do this, be sure to take at least of any branch with a leaf on it.[2]
- The potting process is the exact same for juvenile citronella plants if you really want to go that route. Citronella is one of the easiest plants to grow from a cutting though, so it's the best choice if you don't want to wait a year or two for you plant to grow.
- Find a sunny part of your yard with no shade cover or obstructions. Citronella requires a lot of direct sunlight, so you can't plant it near any trees or overhangs. Choose an area at least away from other plants if you're growing it directly in your yard. Otherwise, choose a sunny location to place your potted plant.[3]
- Citronella plants tend to grow more vertically than horizontally, and they aren't particularly competitive with other plants. Still, it's better to plant it at least away from other plants.
- It's exceptionally difficult to grow citronella indoors, strictly because it requires so much sun. You can try if you'd like, though. Pick an east-facing window that gets plenty of sunlight if you're going with this option.
- Plant your citronella in the spring when it's around . After the last frost has passed, wait 1-2 weeks for the soil to warm up. Wait for a day when it's a little warmer to pot or plant your citronella. Citronella is a perennial, but it still needs to be planted in the early spring so that the roots have time to develop before the growing season.[4]
- You can plant or pot your plant in the autumn or late summer if you live in an area with especially warm winters if you prefer.
- Plant your citronella in a deep pot if you're growing it in a container. Citronella will grow up to in a pot, so it's important to grab a pot that's at least deep and in diameter. Choose a pot that has plenty of drainage holes at the bottom. It doesn't matter if your pot is plastic or ceramic.[5]
- If you do want to plant the citronella in an indoor pot, do it early in the spring to give it a lot of light in the early growing stages. It's really better if you can plant it outside, though.
- Use a well-drained soil comprised of loam and chalk or sand. Any neutral or slightly alkaline soil will work so long as it is peat-free and has a pH of 6-7. Either mix 2-parts loam with 1-part chalk or sand, or pick up a premixed bag of soil at your local gardening store.[6]
- You can tell if a soil is well draining or not by pouring a little water on it. If the water takes a few seconds to drain and there's a small pool on the surface, it's not well-draining. Well-drained soil will immediately drain when you pour water on it.
- Don't use anything with peat. Citronella won't grow well in soil that has peat in it.
- Dig a potting hole if necessary and add a thin layer of soil-based compost. Take your empty pot or dig out a hole in your garden. Add a layer of soil-based compost to the bottom of the hole or container. You can use a store-bought compost that lists soil as on of its main ingredients, or make your own compost using a peat-free soil as the base.[7]
- Fill in the remainder of the hole with soil and add your citronella plant. Pour your loam-based soil directly into the container or hole. If you're planting a cutting, simply fill the hole or container all the way and push the cutting into the soil. If you are potting a juvenile citronella plant, leave a hole in your container or garden and gently lift the plant out of the original pot. Place it in the center of the hole.[8]
- Fill in any gaps with additional soil. You do not need to compact the soil or anything.
- Give the plant a gentle spritz of of water. It doesn't need a lot of water to get going.
[Edit]Watering and Caring for Your Plant - Water your citronella every 1-2 weeks in the summer months. Citronella does not require a lot of water. Starting a few days after you first plant them, water the soil surrounding the plant for 5-6 seconds until the surface of the soil is damp. Do this once every 1-2 weeks depending on whether your plant appears healthy or not.[9]
- If the leaves are dried out or the plant isn't growing, stick with watering once a week. If the plant is doing fine with less frequent watering, only water the soil sparingly. Citronella doesn't tend to need a lot of water.
- Give the citronella fertilizer every 10-14 days in the spring. Pick up a balanced liquid fertilizer with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on the container to give the citronella a healthy dose of nutrients and minerals. This will encourage growth as the plant develops its root system. Any [10]
- Any fertilizer with a near-equal distribution of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium will work just fine.
- Switch to a high-potassium fertilizer after flowers start to form. Once the plant begins flowering, switch to a high-potassium fertilizer. Tomato fertilizer works great for this, but any mixture around 15-20-28 will work. Follow the directions on the label to continue feeding your plants every 10-14 days.[11]
- Stop using the fertilizer in the fall.
- If you don't have a flowering variety of citronella, swap to the potassium fertilizer in mid-summer when the plant has grown considerably.
- Cover the citronella in compost or take cuttings before winter starts. Citronella is a perennial, meaning that it will live for more than 2 years. If you live in a tropical climate or an area with warm winters, you can simply cut it back and cover it with a thin layer of compost. Alternatively, you can trim the plant down and take some cuttings. Repot your cuttings indoors using the same method you used to plant your citronella originally.[12] under the soil. You can re-plant the cutting in the early spring and continue this process all over again. This is also a great way to turn a single citronella plant into an entire garden!}}
[Edit]Controlling Pests and Protecting Your Plant - Prune the citronella flowers and leaves whenever they begin to wilt. If any of the leaves or flowers begin to lose color or wilt, trim them off. Trim any branches that begin losing color or drying out entirely. This isn't typically an issue during the summer months, but you may need to prune the plant in the autumn when the plant is ready to go dormant.[13]
- If your plant requires constant pruning in the summer, you're likely not watering it enough.
- Cut back on water if you notice dark spots on the tops of leaves. If you see dark dots popping up all over the tops of your leaves, your plant is likely developing leaf spots. Don't worry, this is manageable. Remove any destroyed leaves or branches, begin watering the soil every 2-3 weeks, and avoid directly watering the leaves until the condition clears up.[14]
- This is a common issue for citronella. The plant is pretty resistant to disease, but it can attract bacteria.
- Discard the citronella and wash the soil if you find black spots under the leaves. If you see spots on the undersides of the leaves, you're running into blight. This condition is unrecoverable, so you must cut your plants down, throw them out, and wash the soil thoroughly with water. Wash all of your tools, hands, and clothes with soap and water to avoid spreading the blight.[15]
- Use an organic insecticide oil to protect your plants from pests. Citronella is an attractive target for whiteflies, caterpillars, mealybugs, and other pests. To keep them off of your citronella, fill a spray bottle with neem or horticultural oil and gently mist your plants every month during the growing season. This oil will keep annoying bugs off of your plants and do a great job of treating any current infestations.[16]
- Neem or horticultural oil will coat the plant in an organic oil that will suffocate any bugs already on the plant. If a pest does land on a treated plant, it won't stick around for long since the oil will dissuade them from settling down there.
- These oils won't harm your plants since they're organic and don't impact the growing process. Avoid synthetic insecticides whenever possible.
- There are plants that repel mosquitos, but citronella isn't one of them. Lemongrass, lemon thyme, and eucalyptus are much more likely to scare the mosquitos away.[17]
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Loamy soil
- Trowel or spade
- Fertilizer
- Water
- Compost
- Neem or horticultural oil
[Edit]References |
| How to Use a Magic Eraser Posted: 21 Jul 2020 09:00 AM PDT Magic erasers are a powerful cleaning tool that you can use to remove stubborn marks from hard surfaces all around your house. Magic erasers are actually blocks of non-toxic melamine foam that act like super-fine sandpaper, making it easy to scrub away dirt and other stains.[1] [Edit]Getting the Basics Down - Perform a spot test before you use the magic eraser on a surface. The sandpaper-like surface of a magic eraser can damage the finish on some surfaces, like varnished wood or glossy paint. Wet the magic eraser, then test it on a small spot before you start your project to make sure it won't leave any damage.[2]
- Wet the magic eraser when you're ready to use it. Magic erasers can actually be used dry, but adding a little water to the sponge will help it absorb dirt more easily, much like wetting a towel before wiping down counters.[3]
- After you wet the eraser, squeeze out any excess water, just like you would with a regular sponge.
- Wipe down the surface you want to clean. For most dirt and grime, you'll see a noticeable difference just by wiping the sponge across the surface. However, you might have to scrub stubborn stains like rust or mildew.[4]
[Edit]Cleaning Items around the House - Use a magic eraser to make shoes look like new. It can be hard to remove scuff marks and other stains from shoes, but a magic eraser can remove signs of wear from your favorite sneakers. Gently buff materials like suede with the sponge, then wipe down the rubber around the soles.[5]
- Clean your refrigerator inside and out with a magic eraser. Magic erasers are great at removing the grimy fingerprints that build up on the outside of your fridge, as well as food spills, mildew, and other stains that can accumulate over time.[6]
- Try using a small piece of magic eraser on the gasket around your refrigerator door to see a surprising difference!
- Remove paint or nail polish stains once they've dried. Dried paint and nail polish can be really stubborn, but a little scrubbing with a magic eraser will usually remove them completely. This is especially effective for paint that has dripped on hard floors and hinges.
- A magic eraser is a great way to remove nail polish stains from surfaces that might be discolored by nail polish remover, like carpet or linoleum.
- Clean up wall art left by kids around the house. If your little artists have drawn with crayons or markers all over your walls, use a magic eraser to wipe them away. Just remember to do a spot test, since the sponge may dull the glossy finish on some paints.[7]
- Magic erasers can even remove permanent marker stains! Just scrub a little extra until it's gone.
- Scrub away dried-on food from your stove or microwave. Once food splatters have dried on your stovetop or inside your microwave, they can seem impossible to clean, but if you scrub them with a magic eraser, your cooking surfaces will seem like new again.[8]
- Use a magic eraser to clean the drip trays under your burners to get your stovetop looking like new again!
- Remove mildew, mineral buildup, and soap scum from your bathroom. Whether you're tackling a stubborn ring around the toilet or a residue you can't seem to clean from your shower walls, using a magic eraser in the bathroom will make everything sparkling clean, without the harsh chemicals used in most other cleaning products.[9]
- Cut the magic eraser into smaller squares if you want it to last longer. As you clean with a magic eraser, it disintegrates, much like a pencil eraser. Using a smaller piece will give you the same cleaning power, but it will keep the whole eraser from wearing down.[10] Plus, it is useful when cleaning a tiny portion of walls, showers, microwaves, etc.
[Edit]Warnings - Even though magic erasers are nontoxic, they can still cause abrasions on the skin, and can still cause suffocation in toddlers and pets. Keep them out of reach of children.
[Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Make Your Candles Last Longer Posted: 21 Jul 2020 01:00 AM PDT If you're looking for ways to prolong your candle's burn time, there are several easy ways to do so. Before lighting the candle, try doing things like trimming the wick or placing the candle in the fridge so the wax hardens. Once the candle is lit, keeping the flame out of drafty areas and melting the entire top layer of wax will keep your candle glowing for days. [Edit]Prolonging the Life of the Candle - Place your candle in the fridge or freezer to harden the wax. When the wax is harder, it will take more time and effort for it to melt. Place your candles in the fridge for a day or two, or set them in the freezer for 1-8 hours, depending on their thickness.[1]
- For thin candles, they will likely only need an hour or less in the freezer, while thicker pillar candles will need 6-8 hours.
- If you have more than one candle, test just one in the freezer before adding the others—some candles have been known to crack when frozen.
- Mix table salt into the wax to slow down the melting rate. Light your candle and let it burn until there's a puddle of melted wax around the wick before blowing the candle out. Sprinkle in a small palm-size measurement of salt, using a spoon or toothpick to mix it around so the salt isn't just on the top.[2]
- You'll need to work quickly once you blow out the candle so the wax doesn't harden before you're able to sprinkle in the salt.
- Trim the candle wick to help ensure a longer burn time. Long candle wicks tend to speed up the burn process, so it's best to have a shorter wick. Use a pair of scissors or nail clippers to snip off the top section of the wick, leaving the wick roughly tall.[3]
- Always wait until the wax and wick have cooled before trimming it.
- Recenter the wick if it moves out of place. If you notice the wick of the candle is lopsided or has shifted spots, blow out the candle and wait for it to cool. Carefully use your fingers or a pair of tongs to move it back in its original position.[4]
- If your candle is burning with the wick uncentered, it will burn unevenly.
[Edit]Caring for a Lit Candle - Avoid placing the candle in a drafty area so it burns evenly. If you put your candle in front of a vent, fan, open window, or other source of air flow, it may not only extinguish it, but cause the candle to burn unevenly. Try to find a spot for your candle where it can burn without being inhibited by any type of wind.[5]
- If you're not sure whether the area is drafty, look at the flame of the candle—if it's flickering or moving to one side, it's being affected by the air.
- Melt the top layer of wax when the candle is first lit to prevent tunneling. Tunneling is when a candle burns the wax right around the wick, but the outer edges of the candle never melt, creating a tunnel-like appearance. The first time you light a candle, let the entire top layer of wax melt completely, creating an even pool across the surface, before extinguishing it.[6]
- This may take roughly 2 hours for a thick candle, and much less time for a thinner candle.
- Burn a candle for no more than 4 hours at a time. Burning a candle for more than 4 hours at once can cause a buildup of super hot wax, which is harmful to the candle's scent. After 4 hours, let your candle take a break before lighting it again.[7]
- Allow the candle to cool completely before lighting it again. Once the candle is extinguished, let the wax cool and harden before starting to burn it again. This is to make it safer for you to trim the wick and clean off any wax, if necessary. Most candles will take roughly 2 hours to cool.[8]
[Edit]Extinguishing and Storing Your Candle - Blow out the candle gently to avoid spraying melted wax. You can do this by blowing on the flame with a small puff of air, or by using a snuffer to extinguish the flame. This will help make sure the wax isn't blown all over the place and there isn't any debris in the melted wax.[9]
- Let the candle cool before putting it away. This is especially important if your candle has a lid—you want to wait until the smoke has disappeared before placing a top back on the candle. Wait a few minutes, letting the wax start to harden, before storing your candle in a safe spot.[10]
- Store your candle in a cool, dark place. This is so that your candles won't melt or warp due to higher temperatures. Pick out a dry, cool place for your candles, such as on a shelf in a closet or in a drawer, placing them carefully in their storage spot so they don't become damaged.[11]
- Avoid letting your candle sit out in the sunlight for extended periods of time.
- Wipe away any burn spots from the candle holder, if necessary. If your glass candle holder has black burn marks on it from the candle's flame, find a cotton pad or paper towel and dampen it with soapy water. Rub the burn marks gently with the wet cotton pad, scrubbing until the marks are gone. Dry the glass thoroughly before lighting the candle again.[12]
- Burn marks usually only happen when your candle has burned for too long, so try to blow out the candle within 4 hours of it being lit.
- Put the lid on your candle when you're not using it, if applicable.
- Read any instructions that come with your candle so you know how to properly care for it.
[Edit]Warnings - Supervise young children around candles.
- Always stay with a burning candle—if you're leaving the room or house, blow it out.
- Avoid placing a candle near anything flammable.
[Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
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