Cacti & Succulents Garden

The raining season has finally gone. It is nice to try some DIY projects. Here is a plan to build a mini bathroom bench in 4 steps. You may choose to build whatever size you want. It could be bathroom bench, outdoor bench, or for your dining table. I decide to build the size: Height 13", Longth 22", Width 10.5". I use 1x3" and 2x3" lumbers. It is easy to add more width. For instance, use 6 pieces, the width becomes 12.75", 7 pieces for 15". If you decide to build longer bench, you may choose 2x4 for top. Step 1: Cut Lumber I prepared the following cuts by Miter saw (Hitachi 10" is good choice, Dewalt is better, but more pricy). You may also use circular saw (7" will do the work). You can easily find these sizes in Home Depot. I have recycled the lumbers from other projects, so that they are not very uniform --- a little bit more work on sanding. 2x3"  22" long, 5 pieces for top 2x3"  10.5" long, 10 pieces fo

There is a little bit time for Xmas decorations. Here is one idea to make an environmental friendly Xmas tree from pellet wood in minutes. Materials 1. Pellet 2. paint 3. LED lights 4. tools: marker, circular saw, hammer & nails, sand paper, paint brush Procedure 1. draw the tree shape on pellet 2. cut the tree shape 3. enforce (optional) adding two 2x4 to the sides to make the tree strong 4. sand and paint, use whatever color you like 5. put in the yard and put on the lights

Air plants (Tillandsia) for interior decoration have been popular for a while. They are evergreen, perennial flowering plants, which are native to Central and South America, the southern US. There are around 650 species, which naturally grow in diverse environment, from forests to deserts, from coasts to mountains. The name "air plant" comes from their capability to grow without soil. Most are epiphytes, which attach to other plants. However, they do not steal nutrients or water from their host, only using it as a home to grow on. And some are aerophytes, which have no roots and grow on shifting desert dirt. Most species absorb moisture and nutrients through the leaves from rain, dew, dust, decaying leaves and insects. Air plants photosynthesize through a process called CAM cycle, where they close their stomata during the day to prevent water loss and open them at night to fix carbon dioxide and release oxygen. This allows them to preserve water, because they can only

Ann and I just came back from a vacation trip in Grand Canyon and Glen Canyon. It was 2006 when we visited Grand Canyon last time --- has been quite some time. For the first time, we tried campervan (Escape Campervans), which has bed and kitchen (including a tiny fridge). It gets chilly (around freezing point) at night these days. Staying in the van is definitely warmer and more comfortable than tent during camping. Schedule: Day 1: fly to Las Vegas Day 2: pick up the van, drive to Grand Canyon south rim. Day 3: hike South Kaibab Trail, free shuttle can take you around Day 4: spend the morning in grand canyon, drive to Lake Powell in the afternoon Day 5: hike Wiregrass Canyon Trail, Horseshoe Bend Day 6: Hanging Garden Trail, Antelope Canyon Tour Day 7: drop off the van, fly back I would like to share a few pictures Grand Canyon South Rim Grand Canyon South Rim  Elk Abert's Squirrel Glen Canyon Dam I call this 'ghost ship' Ho

Materials: 1. Sandstone with holes In a hot summer day, Ann and I drove to Monterrey Bay and spent an afternoon on the beach. When I tried treasure-hunting for pretty shells, I was out of luck. Instead I picked some smooth sandstone with holes. I figured they should go well with cacti and succulents for decoration. 2. fine soil: since the holes are small, pick the coarse pieces, including pebbles and wood chips, out of the soil 3. baby succulents 4. small spoon and tweezers Procedure: It will literally take less than 1 minute. Use spoon to put a thin layer of soil inside the hole. Then carefully transfer the baby succulents in. Fill the hole with a little bit more soil. In the first two pictures, the sandstone is attached onto a coaster with living edge feeling. This requires a few more steps: 1. mill the bottom of sandstone on concrete surface to make it flat; 2. clean the bottom surface with polyester cloth --- all the dusts will be cleaned;

Soil is a mixture of minerals, organic matter, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. If you have watched the movie "the Martian" (2015), you may remember Matt Damon used Martial dirt (minerals)  fertilized with human waste, which contains bacteria, and water to grow potatoes on Mars. Let's look at the components to have better idea of soil. Typical Soil Profile 1. Minerals Minerals include sand (size > 63 µm), silt (size > 2 µm) and clay (size < 2 µm). Generally, sand helps to drain water, and clay helps to retain water. The ratio of them will determine the soil texture. You may have heard "loam soil". Loan has sand-silt-clay of  40–40–20% by weight. Loam is considered ideal for gardening and agricultural uses because it retains nutrients well and retains water while still allowing excess water to drain away. And typical loam soil constitutes: Water (25%), Gases (25%), Sand (18%), Silt (18%), Clay (9%), Organic matter (5%).