Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care

Today Leslie Halleck ("Her Highness of Horticulture") joins me again to talk about the topic I was most excited to cover this season: ROOTS (or as we call it "root-ology". We spend so much time thinking about the “above soil” section of the plant, and often times, disregard the unbelievable root structure underneath the soil that is responsible for keeping the plant alive! So today Leslie walks us through what roots are, why they are important, how they vary, and lots of troubleshooting questions from our Patreon supporters. Make sure to subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show- this week I released a Wallygro grow wall update and this month we will have other videos like a tour of my grow lights and more! Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss anything. In this episode we learn: What roots do for the plant Roots relationship with the “above ground” portion of the plant Water vs soil roots What growing medium does for root development Different types of roots: fibrous, tap, tuberous, adventitious What an aerial root is Is a rhizome a root? Best practices with roots when repotting Listener questions! Mentioned in this episode: Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! Wallygro Greenwall Update and Install Leslie's Books: Plant Parenting (for propagation) and Gardening Under Lights Thank you to today's episode sponsors! Wallygro offers sustainable and ridiculously simple vertical gardening solutions for any plant parent to have the greenwall of their dreams! (Check mine out on the youtube channel this week!) To learn more about their Eco Planters (that come in 12 gorgeous colors!) head to wallygro.com and use code BLOOM20 for 20% off! Plants by Post is a family-owned nursery located in Northern California cutting out the middleman and delivering beautiful and healthy indoor and outdoor annuals and perennials directly to your doorstep, nationwide. I have used them several times and have been blown away by the quality of their plants, intention behind their shipping and love how environmentally friendly they are! Give the gift of PLANTS this season! Head to plantsbypost.com and use code BLOOM19 for 20% off your order! Follow Leslie Halleck: Books: Plant Parenting and Gardening Under Lights Instagram Twitter Pinterest Facebook Website: https://lesliehalleck.com/ Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio: Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today I speak with several people about various aspects of laws around plants- whether it’s importing plants from abroad or seeking to patent plants in the states. First we hear a tale from a friend of the show, Alessia from @apartmentbotanist, about how the USDA seized a plant that was illegally shipped to her. Then I speak to Lydia Colon, Head of the Plant for Planting Policy Unit at the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service or APHIS. We discuss why it’s important to acquire proper paperwork when ordering plants from overseas. Next we talk to Angela Treadwell who is the founder of Plants Nouveau, a company referred to as a “breeders agent” that helps breeders license and develop new plants to be introduced to market. Angela shares why and how plant patents are obtained. Last we hear a word to the wise from our favorite recurring plant lady on BAGR, Leslie Halleck. The overall objective of this episode is to begin to bring awareness to our community of the "back end" of horticulture. Rules and regulations we might not understand when just purchasing plants. This might become a series as we continue to learn about how plants come to market, and how and why they are regulated around the world, as we've barely scratched the surface. In this episode we learn: How and why the USDA regulates plant imports State vs country laws What is APHIS? What do we need to know about ordering plants internationally? What is a phytosanitary certificate? Why are there domestic laws that differ from state to state when it comes to plants? Plant Patents- what are the!? What is Plants Nouveau? Why do people get plants patented What is does it take to get a plant patent? Can you propagate a patented plant? Where to learn more about plant patents Thank you to this weeks episode sponsors! For more information on Modern Sprout's amazing line of indoor grow lights and adorable and innovative hydroponic grow kits, visit www.modernsprout.com and use code "BLOOM15" at checkout for 15% off. For responsibly made, unbelievable indoor and outdoor organic soils, fertilizers, pest control sprays and more visit espoma.com to find your local dealer or check out my amazon storefront of my favorite Espoma products here. Mentioned in the interview with Lydia Colon APHIS Web Page: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/home/ USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is an Agency that regulates the import of agricultural products—such as plants—to facilitate safe trade. Rules for traveler with plants: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/resources/traveler/intl-travel/plants-seeds/plants-seeds This site is a resource for travelers coming from abroad that would like to bring a plant back home. Plants and plant products import permits: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/import-information/permits/plants-and-plant-products-permits This website lists all of the import permits that cover regulated plant and plant products. Plant Permit Help Desk: Telephone (301) 851-2046 or (877) 770-5990 (Toll-Free Automated System); Fax (301) 734-5786; Email: [email protected] The plant permit help desk can help you navigate the permitting process by helping identify the requirements and what you need to do to meet them. Lacey Act information (rare or endangered species): https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/import-information/SA_Lacey_Act The Lacey Act regulates trade in threatened or endangered species. If you are importing a threatened or endangered species there may be additional requirements you need to meet. National Plant Board – State Regulatory Official https://nationalplantboard.org/membership/ This lists the State Plant Regulatory Official for each state with contact information. These contacts will help you determine what requirements are necessary from moving plants across state lines. Contact the official in the destination state to learn the requirements. Follow Alessia from @Apartmentbotanist Instagram @apartmentbotanist Linktree https://linktr.ee/apartmentbotanist Follow Angela and Plants Nouveau Twitter: @plantweenie Facebook: /plantsnouveau Instagram: @plants_nouveau Website: http://plantsnouveau.com/about/ Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio: Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Thrilled to have the OG Botanical Bro of Bloom and Grow Radio, Chris Satch back today to discuss a very hot topic- Variegation. What the heck is it, why does it occur and how can we foster and encourage it in our plants. I love when Chris comes on the show because we always get nerdy, and this episode explains so much. I’m not going to say anything more about it- because the conversation speaks for itself. Before we dive into the conversation, Chris has asked me to share some info about an upcoming event he is involved with and very passionate about. He is deeply involved with the Manhattan Orchid Society and they are putting on their annual orchid show in January. The link to the event is in the show notes- they are looking for donations and volunteers to help with the event. Bloom and Grow Radio has donated! In this episode we learn: What is variegation? Why does it occur in nature? Three different types of variegation: tissue, coloration and pathological What mosaic virus is How variegation occurs in the genes of a plant Variegation vs Variation Can you encourage variegation? How does your plant care routine change for a variegated plant Patreon Plant Friend and Listener questions! Thank you to this weeks episode sponsors! For more information on Modern Sprout's amazing line of indoor grow lights and adorable and innovative hydroponic grow kits, visit www.modernsprout.com and use code "BLOOM15" at checkout for 15% off. For responsibly made, unbelievable indoor and outdoor organic soils, fertilizers, pest control sprays and more visit espoma.com to find your local dealer or check out my amazon storefront of my favorite Espoma products here. Follow Chris Satch Instagram: @botanictonic Website: https://christophersatch.com/ Manhattan Orchid Society January Show! (volunteer and/or donate!) Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio: Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Plant Side Chats are shorter episodes with just Maria as she shares life lessons learned in the garden. Today's topic is: What to do when your orchid or plant doesn't bloom when you want it to. THANK YOU TO TODAY’S EPISODE SPONSORS! SOLTECH SOLUTIONS MAKES LUXURY GROW LIGHTS THAT LOOK LIKE HIGH END MODERN LIGHT FIXTURES WITH CUTTING EDGE GROW SPECTRUM FOR HOUSEPLANTS AND DWARF FRUITING TREES. I HAVE THREE OF THEIR ASPECT PENDANT LIGHTS IN MY APARTMENT AND LOVE THE LAUNCH OF THE NEW HIGHLAND TRACK LIGHT SYSTEM! FOR 15% OFF A LIGHT OF YOUR OWN, VISIT SOLTECHSOLUTIONS.COM AND USE CODE “BLOOM15” AT CHECKOUT. FOLLOW MARIA AND BLOOM AND GROW RADIO: Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Save Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today’s episode is exciting for me to share with you because the topic was something I was completely confused and bewildered by: this “semi-hydro” craze. Semi Hydro- (which is not a correct term, it’s actually called “passive hydro” standing for “passive hydroponics”) is the growing practice of using LECA balls, which are puffed clay balls that look like coco-puff cereal, to grow your houseplants. You’ve probably seen photos of this, where the plants look like they are buried in coco puffs or a bowl of olives). Plant Friends, I did NOT get this trend. Or how it worked. But I started seeing more and more photos from trusted plant friends who use them, and kept getting more and more questions from you guys about it. Enter Kay, of the instagram account @inrootedlove, who has kept over a hundred houseplants thriving in this passive hydroponic system for a year and a half. Plant Friends… I’m slowly becoming a believer. After my conversation with Kay, I transferred my orchid and the top of a pilea peperomiodes that I accidentally broke off into LECA and I can’t believe how happy the orchid has been so far, and the pilea rooted in under a week. I documented my experiment with setting them up in LECA on the Youtube channel if you are interested in checking it out. Like last weeks hydroponics episode, this Passive Hydroponic set up could be a really fun way for someone looking for a planty project for the winter, or maybe for the plant parent that just hates potting soil (or maybe has a partner that hates potting soil). Passive Hydro also seems to be a great option for a plant parent that likes to get their inner mad scientist on- because as you’ll learn, you are totally in control of mixing nutrient solutions for the plant. Whatever you plant parent personality is, this was a really interesting conversation and has been a really fun planty experiment for me that I hope inspires you to continue playing around with your indoor jungle! In this episode we learn: What is "semi hydro" aka "passive Hydroponics" How Kay became the LECA Plant Lady she is today How Semi Hydro works What are LECA balls What materials do you need to have a LECA set up How does a beginner make their first LECA set up How expensive is this hobby? How to fertilize What products Kay uses in her home Pest management for a semi hydro set up Mentioned in this episode: Dallas Live Taping: Herbal Mixology with Gardenuity! http://bit.ly/gardenuityBAGR Bloom and Grow “Passive or Semi Hydro” Amazon Store: http://bit.ly/bagrsemihydro Maria sets up her orchid and pilea cutting in LECA on Youtube: http://bit.ly/BAGRSemiHydroYoutube Thank you to today's episode sponsors! Osea Malibu is the original plant-based, non toxic skincare derived from seaweed plant friends- it doesn’t get more planty than that!!! Each product is infused with sustainably-sourced, organic Patagonian seaweed and active botanicals that leave your skin feeling amazing. I LOVE their Ocean Cleanser, Atmosphere Cream and Argan Oil! Visit oseamalibu.com/bloomandgrow and use code "bloomandgrow" for $10 off your purchase of $50 or more! Soltech Solutions makes luxury grow lights that look like high end modern light fixtures with cutting edge grow spectrum for houseplants and dwarf fruiting trees. I have three of their Aspect pendant lights in my apartment and love the launch of the new Highland Track Light System! For 15% off a light of your own, visit soltechsolutions.com and use code Bloom15 at checkout. Follow Kay: Instagram: @inrootedlove Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio: Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Very excited to welcome Rob from Farm.One to the podcast today for a conversation about beginners Hydroponics. Rob is doing Hydroponic Gardening at an incredibly high level at Farm.One- a hydroponic, vertical farm that grows rare and exotic produce indoors, year-round, pesticide- free in a basement in NYC. I met Rob last year when I was fortunate enough to tour Farm.One and was blown away by the concept of the business and the set up. I think a lot of us are very curious about hydroponic gardening, and experimenting with growing edibles indoors- and as winter is approaching… we might be interested in having an indoor gardening project to ward off the winter blues! In this episode we learn: How and why Rob created Farm.One What is Hydroponic Gardening Hydroponic Vs Aquaponic Vs Semi Hydro Gardening What a basic hydroponic set up looks like for a DIY plant parent Existing systems that one can buy to just plug and grow Materials needed for a basic hydroponic set up Why you need a “bubbler” for your hydro set up Nutrients- what is important and what isn’t Why EC and PH are important for your water supply (and what they are) How to test your water Pre-made Hydroponic Set Ups you can buy Mentioned in today's episode Visit the Bloom and Grow Radio Amazon Storefront for the Hydroponic Materials mentioned in today's episode! http://bit.ly/BAGRhydroponics Thank you to today's episode sponsors! Soltech Solutions makes luxury grow lights that look like high end modern light fixtures with cutting edge grow spectrum for houseplants and dwarf fruiting trees. I have three of their Aspect pendant lights in my apartment and love the launch of the new Highland Track Light System! For 15% off a light of your own, visit soltechsolutions.com and use code "Bloom15" at checkout. Follow Rob and Farm.One Website: https://farm.one Instagram: @farm.one Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio: Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Plant Friends- I'm so happy to have brought you the wonderful conversation this week on The Science of Soil. It's important for us to understand what makes our soils our plant babies grow so happily (or unhappily) in. I realize in this conversation, I stumbled upon a hot topic that I was unaware of: whether or not peat moss is sustainable. I've had conversations with members of our communities and advisors in the horticultural industry, and I've realized this is an incredibly complex conversation, with many layers, angles and sides. Plant Friends, I’m learning alongside you in this journey, and thought I’d provide you with some resources for you to further educate yourselves to make your own decisions. Jane Perrone’s Episode on the sustainability of Peat on On the Ledge Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-103-houseplants-sustainability-part-one-peat/id1211183700?i=1000444873656 Dr Mark kindly sent over two websites to learn more about how Canada is regulating their bogs. https://peatmoss.com/ (Peat Moss Association in Canada) http://www.sungro.com/about-us/sustainable-peat-moss/ Information from the Canadian Peat Moss Supplier Metrolina works with. Other resources passed along from listeners and that I’ve found: http://www.indefenseofplants.com/blog/2015/5/4/the-truth-about-peat They also have a great podcast, but this is a short blog from 2015 https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090904165253.htm A study from 2009 on research for alternative growing media. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/should-sustainable-gardeners-use-peat-moss/2017/05/09/1fc746f0-3118-11e7-9534-00e4656c22aa_story.html- Britain is outlawing it by 2030, big argument against stores a third of the worlds carbon. https://www.rootsimple.com/2010/12/is-peat-moss-a-sustainable-resource/ Two people with opposing views on Peat Moss that make interesting arguments- there are also lots of comments on the blog you can read. https://peatmoss.com/responsible-production/laws-certifications-and-policies-of-the-industry/ There is a Rules and Regulations Section for Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association https://www.gardenmyths.com/peat-peatmoss-true-story/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

So excited about this highly request episode on the science of soil. Finding a “soil expert” was kind of tough, but when I met Dr Mark Yelanich on a recent visit to Metrolina Greenhouse, I knew I had found the answers to my prayers. Dr. Mark has been the Director of Research at Metrolina Greenhouses for the past 14 years. Metrolina Greenhouse is the single-site heated greenhouse in the United States at 162 acres under roof. The Metrolina Research department focuses on working with plant breeding companies to find varieties that will delight home gardeners and help them be more successful. The research department also works on finding improved ways of producing our plants to make Metrolina more sustainable and efficient. Before Metrolina Dr. Mark worked for Scotts Miracle Gro (SMG) where he was the Senior Scientist in charge of research on Miracle Gro branded potting and garden soil (and received three patents on soil products). Dr.Mark received his Ph.D., Masters and bachelors from Michigan State University (The Harvard of Horticulture). He is married to Lisa for 26 years and has two daughters Hannah and Emily (sadly neither are going into Horticulture but he is still very proud!) Today he joins me to break down the different components of soil, and why choosing the right soil is so important for the success of our houseplants! If you are interested in seeing Dr Mark and Metrolina Greenhouse, check out the behind the scenes tour Dr Mark gave me when I was in North Carolina! You see the entire process of what it takes to grow a plant in a commercial greenhouse! In this episode we learn: How Dr Mark became a soil expert Difference between outdoor and indoor soil Why to NEVER use outdoor soil What mixes to use for indoor plants What makes up potting mix: peat moss, perlite, pumice, bark, vermiculite, coco coir, earthworm casings, various “meals”, fertilizer pellets Fertilizing practices (brief overview) Best ratio for indoor potting mixes and what to include (and what not to include) Best way to store soil Is reusing soil ok? What’s up with “baking”soil? How and when to repot your plants When to start fertilizing Pest control Is the white mold on the top of the soil going to kill a plant Mentioned in today's episode! Check out my tour of Metrolina Greenhouse with Dr Mark! http://bit.ly/BAGRMetrolina If you are wondering what soil and fertilizers I use on my plants, here are the links to the Espoma Organic products I use. Thank you to today's episode sponsors! Soltech Solutions makes luxury grow lights that look like high end modern light fixtures with cutting edge grow spectrum for houseplants and dwarf fruiting trees. I have three of their Aspect pendant lights in my apartment and love the launch of the new Highland Track Light System! For 15% off a light of your own, visit soltechsolutions.com and use code Bloom15 at checkout. Osea Malibu is the original plant-based, non toxic skincare derived from seaweed plant friends- it doesn’t get more planty than that!!! Each product is infused with sustainably-sourced, organic Patagonian seaweed and active botanicals that leave your skin feeling amazing. I LOVE their Ocean Cleanser, Atmosphere Cream and Argan Oil! Visit oseamalibu.com/bloomandgrow and use code "bloomandgrow" for $10 off your purchase of $50 or more! Follow Dr Mark and Metrolina Greenhouses: http://www.metrolinagreenhouses.com/ https://www.facebook.com/metrolinagreenhouses/ https://www.instagram.com/metrolinaghs/ https://www.youtube.com/metrolinagreenhouses Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio: Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Thrilled as always to welcome Leslie Halleck back on the show. You will remember Leslie from our two part series on Understanding Natural Light and Propagation 101. She has two books, Plant Parenting- a guide to plant propagation and Gardening Under Lights. Today Leslie joins me to discuss everything we need to know about grow lights. Winter is coming plant friends, and many of us might need to take the plunge with additional grow lights to make sure our plants are happy and healthy. Personally, as my plant collection grew, I quickly realized I did not have the amount of light needed for the amount of plants I had collected. That's when I started bringing grow lights home to help keep all my plants happy. I also got really into using them as part of the design of our apartments, as my go to grow light companies, Soltech Solutions and Modern Sprout make gorgeous lights that actually enhance your homes aesthetic instead of making you look like you are up to something questionable. This is the second episode we’ve done on grow lights. The first one was Episode 12 with Chris Satch. I wanted to do another one because this science of grow lights, and photosynthesis can be tricky and it’s nice to hear it explained by various people. That’s why we have several episodes on succulents, and other topics. So listen to today’s episode, listen to it again, listen to episode 12, just keep listening and absorbing and learning. In this episode we learn: What Leslie’s personal grow light set up is What photosynthesis is Why light is important for plants What the different colors of light do for plants and why “full spectrum” grow lights are so important Lumens vs PAR vs Kelvin = how to measure light What the best choice of grow lights for indoor houseplants are Defining “bright indirect” for a grow light Patreon Plant Friend and listener Questions ! Mentioned in today's episode! Leslie's books: Gardening Under Lights and Plant Parenting: Easy Ways to Make New Houseplants Soltech Solutions: soltechsolutions.com and use "Bloom20" for 20% Modern Sprout: modernsprout.com use code "Bloom" for 15% off Bloom and Grow Amazon Grow light Storefront: http://bit.ly/growlightep *The mentioned codes and amazon links are Bloom and Grow Affiliate partnerships, meaning Bloom and Grow Radio will receive a portion of the sale at no extra cost to you.* Thank you to our two amazing episode sponsors: Espoma Organics and Floating Bed and Breakfast. For responsibly made, unbelievable indoor and outdoor organic soils, fertilizers, pest control sprays and more visit espoma.com to find your local dealer or check out my amazon storefront of my favorite Espoma products here. For the plantiest airbnb experience of your life in the Norfolk, VA area, visit theloiselaine.com and message Nicole for 20% off by telling her Maria sent you! Follow Leslie Halleck: Book: Plant Parenting and Gardening Under Lights Instagram Twitter Pinterest Facebook Website: https://lesliehalleck.com/ Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio: Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Plant friends this is an excited episode for two reasons, #1 we hear from you! This is a community episode in response to it being National Indoor Plant Appreication week and I asked you to call in with a story of you and your plants. We have tales of plant wins, plant heirlooms, crazy plant person moments and even some fails. We we learn from every one of you today, and that fills my heart. What I am more excited is that we are taking plant appreciation to the next level, by diving into what is happening in the Amazon rainforest, and how we can help. Plant friends, these plants that we know and love are mostly all tropical plants, growing in the Amazon. The amazon is home to so many species that are all currentlythreatened by the intentional burning of the rainforests. As plant parents, if we are going to love these plants, we need to respect where they come from, and hopefully participate in the protection of their natural habitats. At the end of the episode I give a brief an overview of what is going on, and we share resources provided by our community which we can educate ourselves and learn about organizations that are fighting the deforestation efforts. In this episode we: Hear stories of plant appreciation from various members of our community Learn about the Amazon Rainforest Fires Learn how we can help from resources supplied by our community Thank you to our listeners who called in and shared their stories! Thank you Mara Zobrist, Catherine Taylor (@plantycatt) , Anissa Nicole, Erika Boyd (@stellas.garden), Maria Brusco (@lemontreesbymariuzza), Katherine Dedine, Veronica Saldana, Katherine H., Lat Jones and Gregory (@plantingability)! Click here to read my blog with all of the resources on the Amazon mentioned in today's episode Use #rainforestplantparent to continue the conversation about the Amazon! Thank you to our two amazing episode sponsors: Espoma Organics and Floating Bed and Breakfast. For responsibly made, unbelievable indoor and outdoor organic soils, fertilizers, pest control sprays and more visit espoma.com to find your local dealer or check out my amazon storefront of my favorite Espoma products here. For the plantiest airbnb experience of your life in the Norfolk, VA area, visit theloiselaine.com and message Nicole for 20% off by telling her Maria sent you! Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio: Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Music used is the property of Youtube Music Library Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I’m so excited to welcome Joe Lamp'l of JoeGardener.com back on the show today! You might remember him from our episode on Living Christmas trees, but he is my outdoor gardening guru who is going to walk us through some fun things for us to do in our outdoor gardens this Fall. Joe Lamp’l is the creator, Executive Producer and Host of the Emmy-award-winning national PBS series, Growing a Greener World®, Founder and “joe” behind joegardener.com, and creator of the new joe gardener Online Gardening Academy™. Have you checked out the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show? Check it out and subscribe for videos on my indoor plant journey, behind the scenes planty tours, and lots of fun home DIY projects! In this episode we learn: How Joe Lamp'l became Joe Gardener Why Organic Gardening is so important If we have to “put our garden to bed” in the fall What to plant in the fall and how Quick results: radishes, lettuce, kale Fun gardening projects for kids: Garlic Onions Grow your own holiday feast! herbs, carrots, brussel sprouts How to organize yourself in the fall to prep for next spring The Apps Joe uses to organize himself and his garden Mentioned in episode: https://joegardener.com/what-to-plant-in-a-fall-vegetable-garden/ https://joegardener.com/podcast/046-garden-organization/ Biggest Little Farm Movie Thank you to our two amazing episode sponsors: Espoma Organics and Floating Bed and Breakfast. For responsibly made, unbelievable indoor and outdoor organic soils, fertilizers, pest control sprays and more visit espoma.com to find your local dealer or check out my amazon storefront of my favorite Espoma products here. For the plantiest airbnb experience of your life in the Norfolk, VA area, visit theloiselaine.com and message Nicole for 20% off by telling her Maria sent you! Follow Joe: Founder: joegardener.com GrowingAGreenerWorld.com joegardener.com Beginning Gardener Fundamentals - my new online course The joe gardener Show Podcast Facebook.com/joegardener facebook.com/GGWTV twitter.com/joegardener twitter.com/GGWTV instagram.com/joegardener Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio: Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today I welcome Lisa Eldred Steinkopf, otherwise known as the “Houseplant Guru” to the show for an enlightening conversation about how to care for plants in low light environments, and what the best beginner and advanced and interesting low light tolerant plant choices we can make. We discuss how to truly understand if we have low light, several hacks to capitalize on the light we have and she suggests some really interesting plants besides your normal pothos, dracaena and snake plants we know so well. Lisa is the author of Grow in the Dark: How to Choose and Care for Low Light Houseplants and Houseplants: The Complete Guide. I love her books and I love her! Have you checked out the new Bloom and Grow Radio Youtube Channel? If you like this content, you’ll love the fun videos I’m making- this week I released a moss pole tutorial video that pairs with episode 42 of the podcast with Tylor from Arium Botanicals. You can also find planty home makeovers, behind the scenes tours of cannabis growers, Airplant 101, my hacks for traveling with plants and more. Click here to watch and subscribe! In this episode we learn: How Lisa became “The Houseplant Guru” How to measure low light with no fancy tools How to “hack” your way to capitalizing on all the hacks you have How low light affects your plant care routing Watering for a low light plant Phototropism How Variegated plants are affected by low light Standard low light plants Lisa’s 5 more rare and unknown low light plants for advanced plant parents looking for something new! Patreon Plant Friends and Listener Questions! If you are interested low light plants or purchasing Lisa’s books, they are linked in the show notes, and you can visit my amazon store where I have put together a compilation of my favorite low light plants and grow lights. Buy Grow in the Dark: How to Choose and Care for Low Light Houseplants (Amazon Affiliate Link) Thank you to our two amazing episode sponsors Espoma Organics and Floating Bed and Breakfast. For responsibly made, unbelievable indoor and outdoor organic soils, fertilizers, pest control sprays and more visit espoma.com to find your local dealer or check out my amazon storefront of my favorite Espoma products here. For the plantiest airbnb experience of your life in the Norfolk, VA area, visit theloiselaine.com and message Nicole for 20% off by telling her Maria sent you! Follow Lisa, The Houseplant Guru Website: thehouseplantguru.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houseplantguru/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/HouseplantGuru/ Recent Blog Posts: Acclimating Plants to Your Enviornment: https://thehouseplantguru.com/2019/07/10/help-your-houseplant-adapt-to-the-light-it-is-receiving/ What to Do with Burned Leaves: https://thehouseplantguru.com/2018/11/06/tuesdaytidbits-too-much-sun/ Cleaning your leaves: https://thehouseplantguru.com/2018/11/06/tuesdaytidbits-too-much-sun/ Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio: Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Thrilled to bring you part two of the Growing Cannabis episode series! In this conversation I’ve sat down with Rooney Bloom, a home grower of cannabis, and Chudy Azuogu, a commercial grower of cannabis, for a “compare and contrast” conversation on growing Cannabis from seed to harvest. Last week, on Episode 69 we discussed set up, seed starting and the vegetative stage, today we discuss flowering, harvesting and curing. This conversation is so much more about growing plants, the unbelievable advances in science that allow indoor growers to replicate outdoor growing, and learning about a very trendy industry! I hope you enjoy! In this episode we learn: How to get the plant to flower in a commercial set up and why growers manipulate grow lights during this process How Cannabis flowers naturally outdoors The process of caring for Cannabis after it flowers day 1, day 7 and day 21 Caring for Cannabis outdoors How to know when to harvest What a trichome is What tool you need to see when it’s time to harvest How to harvest in a commercial grow house How to harvest as a home grower The bud drying process commercially and at home What are terpenes How to “burp” your bud The lifespan of a cannabis plant in a commercial grow house VS outdoors Pest Control How the commercial grower has to comply with the government to grow legally How Chudy feels about being a pioneer in the Cannabis industry Final thoughts on Cannabis from a home grower and a commercial grower Check out the behind the scenes tour of Chudy's commercial grow facility here! Instructions for being on the Indoor Plant Appreciation Episode! 1) Call (267) 478-2521 2) Please spell your name and email at the beginning of the message so I can contact you! 3) Share your story in the voicemail! Share your favorite story regarding an indoor plant: whether its a fail, a win, a humble brag, or a story of #plantfriendsIRL- your choice! **Tip: The google voice only allows for a 3 minute message, so you might want to write out your story, or jot some thoughts down on paper to allow for you to effectively tell your story without getting cut off. If your story requires more than 3 minutes, you can call back and leave back to back messages. Thank you to Highline Wellness for Sponsoring today's episode! Highline Wellness makes premium CBD products at honest and affordable prices. They make CBD gummies, oil and pain cream that has broad spectrum CBD with no THC that have been helping me manage anxiety and sleep in all of the different hotel rooms and beds use as I travel to on tour. For 15% off go to highlinewellness.com and use code BLOOM15 for 15% off your first purchase! Follow Rooney Bloom Instagram:@rooney_bloom Website: www.rooneybloom.com Follow Chudy Instagram: @chew_d Bud Fox Supply Co: @budfoxsupplyco Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio: Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

While I was in Denver, I had the opportunity to tour The Garden, a 7000 square foot commercial Cannabis grower with my plant friend, and cannabis home grower, Rooney Bloom. In that tour, it was incredibly clear to me that I needed to sit down with the founder of The Garden, Chudy Azuogu and Rooney to discuss their different approaches to growing Cannabis, from seed to harvest. Cannabis is obviously a very popular plant these days for indoor growers… for different reasons than our houseplant plant parenthood obsessions, BUT this two part conversation ends up not being about Cannabis, but perspectives from two growers on how they care for a simple plant. What struck me the most is how commercial growers, (of Cannabis or any other plant) use science and technology to manipulate these plants to grow to their best ability and yield. But really, they are trying to mimic what Mother Nature does so easily. I’m so thankful to Rooney and Chudy for being so open to have this conversation and give us so much knowledge! It was an eye opening conversation that I’m so thankful for! Disclaimer: if you plan on growing Cannabis, you absolutely must look up your local laws on growing this plant. This episode is not an endorsement for growing Cannabis, but an exploratory conversation for those who do. Do your own research on the legal side if you intend on growing on your own. Also- you might hear Rooney’s pup walking around and wagging his tail through this conversation, he was a wonderful audience to have in Rooney’s home during this conversation. In this episode we learn: How Rooney Bloom became the professional plant educator he is How Chudy Azuogu became a commercial grower of Cannabis The difference in growing cannabis from a commercial and home grower perspective What do you need to grow Cannabis Commercially What do you need to grow Cannabis as a home grower How to start seeds from home and in a commercial grow house Why it is important to separate Male and Female Cannabis Plants How to tell Male and Female Cannabis Plants apart How and when to feed cannabis commercially and at home The lighting setup in a Commercial grow house How to care for the plants while they are in their vegetative stage Tune in next week for Growing Cannabis Part 2: Flowering to Harvest when Rooney and Chudy lead us through how to watch (or force) a plant to flower, how to care for it in it’s flowering stage, how to harvest and dry the bud and overall thoughts on the Cannabis industry. Thank you to Highline Wellness for Sponsoring today's episode! Highline Wellness makes premium CBD products at honest and affordable prices. They make CBD gummies, oil and pain cream that has broad spectrum CBD with no THC that have been helping me manage anxiety and sleep in all of the different hotel rooms and beds use as I travel to on tour. For 15% off go to highlinewellness.com and use code BLOOM15 for 15% off your first purchase! Follow Rooney Bloom Instagram:@rooney_bloom Website: www.rooneybloom.com Follow Chudy Instagram: @chew_d Bud Fox Supply Co: @budfoxsupplyco Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio: Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hi Plant Friends! I'd love to feature you and YOUR plant stories in an upcoming community episode of the Bloom and Grow Radio Podcast. The theme of the episode is "Indoor Plant Appreciation" for National Indoor Plant Week! Call in following the instructions below and share your favorite story about a plant of yours: it could be a plant parent win, a loss, a lesson learned, a new friendship that blossomed, a funny story or a #plantmomfail or #plantdadfail. Whatever you want! I want this episode to inspire our community to keep blooming and keep growing together :) I can't wait to hear from you! Instructions for being on the Indoor Plant Appreciation Episode! 1) Call (267) 478-2521 2) Please spell your name and email at the beginning of the message so I can contact you! 3) Share your story in the voicemail! Share your favorite story regarding an indoor plant: whether its a fail, a win, a humble brag, or a story of #plantfriendsIRL- your choice! **Tip: The google voice only allows for a 3 minute message, so you might want to write out your story, or jot some thoughts down on paper to allow for you to effectively tell your story without getting cut off. If your story requires more than 3 minutes, you can call back and leave back to back messages. Deadline for submissions is September 3rd! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

So glad to have Nick from @phillyfoliage and Nick Pileggi on Youtube join me for a discussion on Peperomia 101. This interview happened during our Live Taping at Urban Jungle Philly this summer. Peperomia are such a wonderful houseplant variety and such a perfect plant for beginners. We are lucky to have Nick walk us through the history, care and fun facts and troubleshooting tips for our peperomia plant babies! In this episode we learn: How Nick Pileggi began his career in plants with no degree in horticulture and became the houseplant curator for Urban Jungle Philly and the epic youtube planty personality we know today How many varieties of Peperomia Nick owns (you’ll be shocked!) and his favorites Peperomia IRL: where we find them in Nature How many different varieties of Peperomia are known and how they differ Best watering practices for Peperomia Best light for Peperomia Thank you to Soltech Solutions for sponsoring the podcast taping. Soltech Solutions makes luxury grow lights with full spectrum, white, museum quality light designed to keep your houseplants and dwarf fruiting trees happy. They have the hanging pendant Aspect light and now have the Highland Track Light system, designed for grow walls and plants in hard to reach places. They are offering you 20% off your order so head to soltechsolutions.com with the code "Bloom20" at checkout. Special thanks to our event sponsors who made this event unbelievably special! Planty Gift Bag Sponsors Espoma Organics provided my FAVORITE Indoor Fertilizer and Bio Tone Starter Pack for the outdoor gardener. Centurion Garden Snippers provided their stainless steel garden snippers to make every propagation snip count! Local Sponsors who you MUST visit if in Philly! Urban Jungle Philly - a MUST visit plant MECCA in Philly! Barcelona Wine Bar - the most DELICIOUS paella in town! Rival Bros Coffee - Philadelphia natives raising the bar for amazing coffee1 Pollyodd limoncello - the flavors of this limoncello are unbelievable! Essen Bakery - The chef just got nominated for a third James Beared Award- need I say more? Visit the East Passyunk Ave Business Improvement District If you are interested in learning more about this neighborhood Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today I’m just intro’ing you to Season 4 and giving you my off the cuff update on what I’ve learned from being away from my plants for 6th months! Sharing recent life lessons, what’s bringing me joy lately and how I’ve been bringing my passion for plants on the road with me. Season 4 will officially launch Tuesday August 13th. Make sure you are subscribed to the podcast so you don’t miss one episode! Check out the Bloom and Grow YOUTUBE show: http://bit.ly/BAGRyoutube Become a Plant Friend of Bloom and Grow Radio on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bloomandgrowradio Join the Bloom and Grow Mailing List: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Buy some Bloom and Grow Radio Merch! http://bit.ly/BAGRPFA Instructions for being on the Indoor Plant Appreciation Episode! 1) Call (267) 478-2521 2) Please spell your name and email at the beginning of the message so I can contact you! 3) Share your story in the voicemail! Share your favorite story regarding an indoor plant: whether its a fail, a win, a humble brag, or a story of #plantfriendsIRL- your choice! **Tip: The google voice only allows for a 3 minute message, so you might want to write out your story, or jot some thoughts down on paper to allow for you to effectively tell your story without getting cut off. If your story requires more than 3 minutes, you can call back and leave back to back messages. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Chicago Plant Friends! We are having a FREE BAGR listener meet up THIS Saturday August 3rd from 10 am - Noon at Sprout Home Chicago! RSVP Here! https://app.getoccasion.com/p/n/M8FrfGb2 Season 4 of Bloom and Grow Radio Podcast is hitting the airwaves later THIS August, Plant Friends! Get excited! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I’m thrilled to finally connect with Christopher Griffin who you might know at the the @plantkween on Instagram. Christopher’s feed is filled with his “green gurls” and himself- radiating joy and positivity. If you tune into his Instagram stories, you’ll also see that he orchestrates days filled with planty adventures, hopping from plant shop to plant shop with friends or on his own as part of his self care routine. Today Christopher joins me to discuss his those epic planty days and how he goes about structuring and planning them, and how he uses plants as self care. This conversation is all about plants, and nothing about plants, as we step into a discussion on inclusivity and representation in the plant world. I’m a changed person from this conversation and am so thankful to Chris for being open to sharing his journey and mission for more inclusivity with us. In this episode we learn How Chris because the "Plant Kween" that he is today Why he chooses to include photos of himself in all of his photos The importance of representation in the plant community 5 steps to planning your perfect plant shopping day Christopher’s approach to self care The importance of representation and inclusivity in the plant space Christopher’s resources mentioned in the episode: ÉduQue|e|r Trainings (My diversity consulting company) http://www.eduqueer.com/about GLSEN https://www.glsen.org/ The NY LGBTQ Center https://www.glsen.org/ GLAAD LGBTQ resource list https://www.glaad.org/resourcelist Support Bloom and Grow Radio on Patreon! Thank you Bloem Living for Sponsoring today's episode! Bloem Living makes flower pots and garden accessories in the USA that are clever, efficient and fun! They have a garden accessory or container for every garden! Discover their products at www.bloemliving.com - there you can find your local Bloem Living dealer, or see the many websites you can order their products from! You can also check out my amazon storefront for a selection of my favorite Bloem products! Follow Christopher Instagram: @plantkween Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio: Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We are so lucky to be joined by Mickey from Mickey Hargitay Plants- THE go to plant institution in Los Angeles for Plant People. Mickey has been in the business of selling plants for 39 years: long before the recent trend has taken over Instagram and millennials. He had his shop in the 70s during the last houseplant craze, and gives us insight into his experience selling plants through several decades. We chat today not only about his long career, but what it takes as a plant shop owner to get a plant from a grower and into their customer’s hands: sourcing, transportation, pricing, inventory and more. Mickey is such a special human and gives us such wonderful insight into his career and his shop. In this episode we learn: Mickey’s journey into plants and his 39 year career owning a plant shop How houseplant trends have changed over the last 30 years Mickey walks us through his process for running his shop: from sourcing plants, to storing and selling them and ensuring their happiness in your home Best practices for helping your plant adjust to your home Watch the youtube tour of Mickey Hargitay Plants with Mickey! Join us in Philly for a live taping extravaganza at Urban Jungle Philly on June 24! Thank you Bloem Living for Sponsoring today's episode! Bloem Living makes flower pots and garden accessories in the USA that are clever, efficient and fun! They have a garden accessory or container for every garden! Discover their products at www.bloemliving.com - there you can find your local Bloem Living dealer, or see the many websites you can order their products from! You can also check out my amazon storefront for a selection of my favorite Bloem products! Visit and Follow Mickey! 1255 North Sycamore Avenue Los Angeles CA 90038 www.mickeysplants.com Instagram: @mickeysplants Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio: Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

So thrilled to be joined again by Leslie Halleck after the wildly successful two part episode on Understanding Natural Light (Episodes 46 and 47) last season. After the success of her recent book, Gardening Under Lights, Leslie published a new book this month on propagation called Plant Parenting. Today Leslie joins me to discuss not the techniques for propagation, by how plants actually multiply. Today’s episode is meant to help us zoom out and understand the overarching reasons for why the propagation projects we know and love are so successful. It is the perfect conversation to enrich our understanding of our plants and how intelligently designed they are. Leslie Halleck is a Horticulturalist by education and profession with a passion for plants and gardening. She has worked in many sectors of the gardening industry, from nurseries, to being the Director of Horticulture Research at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden to founding Halleck Horticultural, a consulting service for Green Industry businesses. Her book, Gardening under Lights; The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers, is the ultimate guide to understanding artificial lighting for indoor growers of any experience level. Her new book Plant Parenthood In this episode we learn: what is Totipotency the different types of cuttings for propagation roots vs shoots How to properly propagate a Fiddle Leaf Fig tree- and what not to do the most common way to propagate the science behind how plant cuttings instigate root growth (and dos and don'ts you need to know) best practices for taking great cuttings best cuttings to start with for beginners Mentioned in the episode: Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Come to our Bloom and Grow Radio Happy Hour/Plant Swap and Live Taping in Philly! Details Here Leslie's books: Gardening Under Lights and Plant Parenting: Easy Ways to Make New Houseplants (Bloom and Grow Affiliate Links) GIVEAWAY! To participate in the giveaway of one signed copy of Leslie's new book, visit the @bloomandgrowradio instagram account and check out the post about today's episode. Instructions for the giveaway are there! Giveaway ends June 18th, 2019. Thank you Bloem Living for Sponsoring today's episode! Bloem Living makes flower pots and garden accessories in the USA that are clever, efficient and fun! They have a garden accessory or container for every garden! Discover their products at www.bloemliving.com - there you can find your local Bloem Living dealer, or see the many websites you can order their products from! You can also check out my amazon storefront for a selection of my favorite Bloem products! Follow Leslie Halleck: Book: Plant Parenting and Gardening Under Lights Instagram Twitter Pinterest Facebook Website: https://lesliehalleck.com/ Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio: Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Thrilled to be sharing this planty conversation with my #plantfriendIRL, Kevin Espiritu from Epic Gardening! Kevin and I recently met IRL in San Diego and clicked immediately. He is a wonderfully curious Botanical Bro who has the most incredible Urban Gardening set up in his home in San Diego. Our journeys to plant parenthood are very similar, but revolve around different passions: indoor (mine) and outdoor (his). Today we talk our different interests, the similarities and differences between indoor and outdoor gardening and container gardening for those of us who might want to try gardening outdoors! I hope you find it inspiring to grow your own food in your outdoor space! Kevin's book, Field Guide to Urban Gardening, was just released and would be the perfect companion for anyone curious to learn more about urban gardening and growing your own food! In this episode we learn: Kevin's somewhat unsuccessful intro to growing food, and how he became the amazing gardener he is now Differences in our experiences growing indoor and outdoor plants Outdoor container gardening 101- it's the growing season Plant Friends! Let's learn this together! Best pots, soil and fertilizer to use as a newbie Best plants to start with How to take your first step towards container gardening Mentioned in the Episode Buy Kevin's new book: Field Guide to Urban Gardening! (Bloom and Grow Amazon Affiliate Link): https://amzn.to/2HOdufi Visit my Amazon Storefront for the items mentioned in today's episode! https://www.amazon.com/shop/bloomandgrowradio Check out Maria's favorite Bloem Living pots and gardening accessories! http://bit.ly/bloemBAGR Thank you Bloem Living for Sponsoring today's episode! Bloem Living makes flower pots and garden accessories in the USA that are clever, efficient and fun! They have a garden accessory or container for every garden! Discover their products at www.bloemliving.com - there you can find your local Bloem Living dealer, or see the many websites you can order their products from! You can also check out my amazon storefront for a selection of my favorite Bloem products! Follow Kevin and Epic Gardening Website Podcast YouTube Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio: Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Thrilled to be bringing you the live taping of Bloom and Grow Radio in Tucson on “Living with Plants in the Desert”. I am joined by Brendan the owner of Eco Grow, a local aquaponics and rare plant shop and grower and also Prococo Products, premium coco coir supplier, Akiko from Tucson based flower and plant shop Bloom Maven and Becca, a Tucson native and the Plant Lady behind the De La Plants Youtube channel. We have a wonderful discussion on the desert climate, the Saguaro Cactus, and how to have a thriving plant collection while living in the desert, and how to incorporate desert style into your home and plant collection. In this episode we learn: What a desert biome is The history of the Saguaro Cacti Houseplant Care in the Desert 101 with Brendan from Eco Gro and Prococo Desert plant styling tips with Akiko from Bloom Maven Hot tips on living with Plants in the Desert from Becca of Becca De La Plants Thank you to our Wine and Gift Bag Sponsors (all female owned and run companies)! Sand Reckoner Vineyards is a local vineyard growing their own grapes in the desert and making delicious wines including the Vermentino we drank a ton of at the live taping! If you are in the area, their Tucson tasting room is open Wednesday through Sunday! Check them out at https://sand-reckoner.com/ Solace Macrame for the GORGEOUS mini macrame plant hangers- for any and all of your macrame dreams visit: https://solacemacrame.com/ and Instagram: @solacemacrame Annotated Audrey for the fabulous Plant Pins and Stickers from her shop which is all about desert inspired art, gifts and accessories! Check out her prints and more at http://shop.annotatedaudrey.com/ and Instagram @annotatedaudrey Check out some Cacti IRL on Maria's Youtube Video tour of her hike in Sabino Canyon in the Sonoran Desert! Follow Akiko and Bloom Maven: www.bloommaven.com Facebook: /bloommaven Instagram: @bloommaven Follow Brendan and Eco Grow and ProCoco: www.ecogro.com www.prococo.com Follow Becca and De La Plants: Instagram: @delaplants Youtube: Becca De La Plants Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio: Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow Youtube Show! /Bloomandgrowradio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today Maria shares a mini episode on why Bloom and Grow Radio is now on Patreon. Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/bloomandgrowradio Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Maria and members of the Bloom and Grow Radio Community give tips on how to move homes with houseplants! In this episode we learn: - the various ways to pack plants for moving - practical tips from listeners who have moved successfully with their houseplants - suggestions from Maria for moving in a car, truck, plane or countries! For a blog with all of the tips provided in this episode visit: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/moving For a youtube video where Maria shows you how she packs her plants to take on the plane visit: https://www.youtube.com/c/bloomandgrowradio Support Bloom and Grow Radio on PATREON! https://www.patreon.com/bloomandgrowradio Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Subscribe to the Bloom and Grow YOUTUBE show! https://www.youtube.com/c/bloomandgrowradio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Support Bloom and Grow Radio on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bloomandgrowradio Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachael is the plant lady behind Infinite Succulent and the author of the succulent crafting book Infinite Succulent: Miniature Living Art to Keep or Share. The book is filled with incredible and easy succulent crafts for any skill level. I have been obsessed with succulent crowns ever since I found them on Instagram over a year ago and got one for myself on my last trip to San Diego. I’ve wanted to do an episode on DIY Succulent Crowns for a year and I’m so excited to have had the opportunity to finally be bringing an episode to you because I just always feel so special and giddy whenever I’ve worn one in the past. They are such a fun craft to do with friends or your kids. I hope you enjoy our wonderful conversation! At this live taping, Rachael walks Maria (and guests) through making their own succulent crowns from start to finish and teaches us how to replant our crowns to have them live on forever. A few heads up about this episode 1) the nursery and space for this event was so perfect, we were surround by every dream plant you couldn't imagine in this little green house on the property, but you can hear some shoppers milling about in the background at times, and might hear some cars or sirens passing on the local roads. Don’t let it deter you- they will pass. 2) Rachael and I do our very best to explain what we are doing while we were doing it- but real talk, this was the first time trying to do a live taping/DIY event like this. Our amazing photographer Gabaccia, took some amazing companion photos, and made an adorable video as a companion to this episode, so head to the show notes at bloomandgrowradio.com/succulentcrowns to see the photos of what we were talking about. I also do a general overview of all of the instructions at the end of the episode. 3) Incase it isn’t clear in the start of the episode- Rachael has two different types of succulent crown crafts that she offers in her book- I did the tie back version, which is basically the succulents attached to the lace on leather string that ties around my head (because my head is huge and normal crowns don't fit it) and then she does the actual headband versions. There are photos of both, but when you hear us talking about the differences, that’s what we are talking about. In this episode we learn: How Rachael began crafting with plants and why she feels they are important activities for children and adults What materials you need for a succulent crown How to take a proper clipping for a succulent craft Step by step process for crafting you very own succulent crown How to care for the crowns once they are completed How and when to separate and root your cuttings Best practices for rooting your cuttings once they are done Everything about the creation of Rachael’s new book Infinite Succulent: Miniature Living Art to Keep or Share Thank you so much to Rachael again for making my dreams come true by helping me bring a succulent crown tutorial to life. Plant friends… they are so fun to wear. I feel like I will be doing this craft at every bachelorette party I ever go to again. Also Rachael's book Infinite Succulent: Miniature Living Art to Keep or Share is absolutely amazing! You should check it out if you want more support on this craft, or are curious about all the amazing other succulent crafts in there. It's the perfect gift for the crafty person or planty person in your life! Thank you to Barrel and Branches Nursery for hosting, make sure to visit next time you are in San Diego. Thank you to C&L Catering and Decor for providing such yummy snacks! *Link to this book is the Bloom and Grow Amazon Affiliate link, meaning BAGR makes a small portion of the sale, at no cost to you! So thanks! I know our conversation flowed a lot, so: Overview of the craft: Start with several cuttings of succulents, cut right up to the leaves or what I call “booty” of the succulent, and let the cut callous. The materials you need are three pieces of sturdy lace, some form of headband whether its an actual metal or plastic one, or string for the tieback version, reindeer moss, craft glue or a hot glue gun, and any other articles you might want to fasten to the crown Glue two pieces of lace together, then take that sturdy piece, and place the headband in between the third piece of lace and glue those pieces together. That will be the working surface for your crown. Glue reindeer moss onto the crown, and trim it very short to the lace. This will be what you fasten your succulents to. Get an idea of the general design of the crown, and then start gluing. Start with your largest succulent. It looks nice to do a large succulent with one or two small ones around it, to kind of mimic what a pup would look like in nature. Also if you are interested in making your own crowns, the materials are available in my Amazon Storefront under DIY Succulent Crowns (I also have lots of other recommendations for products I like and inspo from other episodes) and Rachael has craft kits with ever

I am so excited to share the magic of our first live taping at Folia Collective in Los Angeles with my special guests Danae from Folia Collective and Christine from Work Hard Plant Hard. You will remember them from Episode 24 on How to Start a Plant Shop where Danae took us behind the scenes of how she grew Folia Collective into the Planty mecca it is now and Episode 17 on The Studies Behind Why Plants Make People Happy and Healthy where Christine, who is a practicing physician, walks us through the scientific studies that prove that plants improve the quality of our lives. These two women are such special friends to me, and such pillars in this planty community and I’m so thrilled to be sharing this special conversation with you. We dive into all things plant community: how to first become a part of it, how to grow within it and also how to behave as part of it. I was surprised at how inspiring and helpful the etiquette section of the conversation was, and hope you have some great take aways from it. Special thanks to Ahus Akvavit, Rt1home, Modern Sprout, Bloem Living and Hemleva for partnering with us to make it happen! You’ll hear more about them at the end of the episode. In this episode we learn: How Christine and Danae got started in the Plant Community Advice for how to get started in the online Plant Community How to start your own plant swap How to approach a plant shop to work on an event together Some etiquette guidelines for social media in the Plant Community How to keep you relationships with plants happy and healthy Thank you Danae and Christine for such a wonderful conversation. I hope you all feel inspired to continue to contribute to this wonderful community of plant friends we are a part of. If your looking for a way to engage with the community and haven’t already joined the Bloom and Grow Garden Club, that’s a great place to start! https://bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Thank you to Mountain Crest Gardens for sponsoring this episode. If you are looking for high quality succulents shipped to your door, check out mountaincrestgardens.com/bloom to get your discount code for 15% your first purchase. The variety of succulents they have is unbelievable and their shipping packing is incredible! Go give them a look at mountaincrestgardens.com/bloom for 15% off. Mentioned in the episode: The Small and Savage Wild Shelves @delaplants hashtag: Your City + indoor jungle like #tucsonindoorjungle Airplantman: Michelle Breau- Holistic Nutritionist @iammichellebreau Our wonderful gift bag sponsors! Ahus Akvavit: https://www.ahusakvavit.com/en/ Rt1Home Propagation Cone: https://rt1home.com/collections/accessories/products/prop-cone-white Modern Sprout Pollinator Push Gardens: https://store.modsprout.com/products/pollinator-push-garden-3-pack Bloem Living Bloem Bagz: https://bloemliving.com/ Hemleva Planty Pins: https://www.hemleva.com/flair Follow Danae and Folia Collective: IG: @foliacollective @danaerolynhorst Website: www.foliacollective.com and www.jungalow.com/plant-o-pedia To Follow Christine and Work Hard Plant Hard: Instagram: @workhardplanthard www.workhardplanthard.com Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio: Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Plant Friends, I’m so excited to welcome Summer Rayne Oakes of Homestead Brooklyn back on the show to talk about an issue we’ve all probably run into: finding a plant you love at a garden shop or nursery that doesn’t have a name tag… and what to do! We’ve learned through out these episodes that one of the most important things we can do as plant parents is to find out what kind of light and humidity our homes get, and to bring plants home that will thrive in our unique indoor environments. So… how are you supposed to be able to do this if you don't know what the plant is!? I know this is an issue I’ve come across and thought Summer Rayne would be the perfect person to chat about the general clues we could get from looking at a plant, that might lead us to get a general idea for the light and care it may need. Disclaimer: obviously we speak in generalities here, there will always be an exception to the rule, BUT it’s great to arm ourselves with as much general knowledge as humanly possible, to zoom out and understand the bigger picture. Summer Rayne also recently launched an amazing online houseplant master class which I took, and we chat about it at the end of the episode! In this episode we learn: How to handle finding a plant you like in a garden shop but not having a name tag on it Understanding how the plants are cared for in the garden center and what that transition is like for them How to “zoom out” and look at a plant more holistically, to better empower ourselves to understand plants without being dependent on a care card Key indicators to help you under that care a plant requires Thank you Summer Rayne for a wonderful chat. I hope this conversation might help you plant friends zoom out and understand more general cues we can take to understand plant care, and not rely solely on a care card. If you are looking to take your plant knowledge to the next level, I highly recommend Summer Raynes course! You can sign up using my affiliate code here- that means that a portion of the sale will go to supporting Bloom and Grow Radio! http://bit.ly/SROmasterclass Thank you to Mountain Crest Gardens for sponsoring this episode. If you are looking for high quality succulents shipped to your door, check out mountaincrestgardens.com/bloom to get your discount code for 15% your first purchase. The variety of succulents they have is unbelievable and their shipping packing is incredible! Go give them a look at mountaincrestgardens.com/bloom for 15% off. Check out the Bloom and Grow Plant Friend Apparel line! http://bit.ly/plantfriendsapparel Join us in SAN DIEGO this week on Saturday April 20th at 10 am at Barrels & Branches Nursery for a DIY Make Your Own Succulent Crown Tutorial as we do a LIVE TAPING! https://www.barrelsandbranches.com/events/diy-succulent-crown-workshop Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I’m thrilled to have Dave Hunter, the founder of Crown Bees on the show to talk about pollinators and how important they are for our environment. Dave is a native bee expert that shares so much information about pollination, bees in general, why the honey bee might not be the king of the bee world as we know it, and how we can help pollinators continue to help our local environments literally bloom and grow. Pollinators are something I knew little about and Dave really walks us through everything we need to know about them. In this episode we learn: What pollinators are, and why they are important Why the Honey Bee might not be the most effective pollinator How many types of bees there are, and what they do How do bees pollinator flowers What is a native bee Why are bees threatened? How can we help - Thank you Dave for all of your incredible information. If you are interested in learning more about pollinators, or possibly installing one of Daves amazing bee kits, I highly suggest heading over to https://crownbees.com/ to learn more! - Thank you to Mountain Crest Gardens for sponsoring today’s episode. I can’t say enough wonderful things about how impressed I am with Mountain Crest Gardens. To see the amazing variety of succulents for yourself, visit Mountaincrestgardens.com/bloom to get a coupon code for 15% off your order! - Check out the Plant Friends Apparel line of shirts, sweatshirts and accessories inspired by Bloom and Grow Radio by clicking here! - Join me for a LIVE TAPING of Bloom and Grow Radio in San Diego on April 20th at 10 am at Barrels & Branches! Participants will learn along side me as Rachael from Infinite Succulent teaches us how to craft our own living succulent crowns! Click here to get your tickets! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today’s episode is a community episode, featuring YOU, the Bloom and Grow Radio Listeners sharing their stories and empowering and educating our community. Plant Fails, everyone take a moment of silence to bow our heads for the plants we’ve lost in our plant parenthood journeys. Because plant friends… I don’t care how gorgeously curated your IG feed is…. we ALL have a plant fail in our history. But for some reason, we feel shame when they happen. I think it’s hard to stomach our not so perfect plant parenthood moments, when we are surrounded by perfect photos of gorgeous plants, in our curated IG feeds and in the garden centers that get the perfect amount of light and fertilizer to make them truly thrive. I had the idea for this episode when I was struggling with this problem last month. I was surprised at how much shame I felt about this plant fail, and knew I wanted to turn to our community for support and help, and this episode is the result of that! Thank you to Brie, Eva (@rootboundbotany), Jesse, Larayne (@larrydoom), Mara (@ohimara), Becca (@delaplants), Leanna (@naturalleegreen), Lat (@laura_turns), Leslie (@leslieiswhat), Kelly (@plantmamakelly), Lat (@dr_Badvibes) and Ellie (@Heirloomplantsisters) for their vulnerability, humor and honesty in sharing their plant fails! I learned from each and every one of you! Check out the new Bloom and Grow Radio Plant Friends Apparel Line of Shirts, Sweatshirts and Accessories! Express your inner Plant Lady or Botanical Bro and Support Bloom and Grow Radio! Click here! Thank you to Maria, (@_forestfloor) for co-designing this line with me! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

RSVP HERE So excited to have a "Botanicals and Brunch" Bloom and Grow Radio Listener Meet up at Cultivate Propagate in SEATTLE this Saturday March 30th from 1030-noon! Join us for Brunch Cocktails, Coffee, Raised Doughnuts and more! It will be a wonderful way to meet your local planty community members and make new #plantfriendsIRL! I'll be hosting informal interviews about what your favorite Seattle Planty Places are! Chelsea (the shop owner) will be saving some Philodendron Pink Princess and Painted Lady and Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma to go on sale in shop during the event! Please RSVP by clicking this link so we know how much stuff to get! Botanicals and Brunch Partners: Cultivate Propagate Raised Doughnuts Marseille Food and Wine Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's episode is a short and sweet nugget of love about my trip to the Redwood Forest. Tune in for some mushy feel good vibes and inspiration. Use #bagplantlatinchallenge and post a photo of one of your plants with the latin name! Educate our community! Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club for exclusive access to early offerings for events, episodes, the free download of the Molly Mansfield Keep Blooming Print and the password to our private facebook group! https://bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio on Instagram for behind the scenes shots and... plants! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Plant Friends! I’m so excited to have my dear friend and Botanical Bro Chris Satch back on the show, to help demystify the latin names of our houseplants we love so dearly. Today we dive into plant latin, some history, troubleshooting, and learn LOTS of nerdy latin words. We hope this episode helps you better understand your houseplants, what families they come from and maybe just gives you some fancy words to pull out at parties and sound fancy with. Stay tuned till the end of the episode because we’ve come up with a fun challenge for our community to participate in, you wont want to miss it- I can’t wait to see what you come up with! In this episode we learn: Why Plant Latin is so important to know for our houseplants Who Carl Linneus was why he’s important to Plant Latin General Pronunciation guidelines Kingdom, division, class, order, family, genus, species- how these names apply to our plants How houseplants are broken down in Plant Latin What the cultivar and special exceptions for Plant Latin are Resources Resources mentioned in this episode: Mr Plant Geeks Rude Botany Line ICBN USDA Plants Database Kew Gardens Resource Post your #BAGPlantLatinChallenge by taking a photo of your plant and telling us the latin name, translation and care instructions for it! Let’s learn as a community! Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club for exclusive access to early offerings for events, episodes, the free download of the Molly Mansfield Keep Blooming Print and the password to our private facebook group! https://bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Join me on March 18th at Folia Collective for a Botanical and Booze Happy Hour and Live taping with Work Hard Plant Hard! https://foliacollective.com/products/botanicals-booze-bloom-grow-radio-live-at-folia Follow Chris on Instagram Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio on instagram Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today’s guest caught my eye on social media because of his incredible travel itinerary and his obvious passion for finding the plants we know and love as houseplants, in their natural habitats around the world. Michael Mittermeier is a passionate plant professional who has traveled the world and documents his findings of rare and unusual plants on his instagram account @mickmitty. He also has one of the largest private collections of Monstera, Syngonium, Scindapsus and Raphidophora in the country. I invited him on the show today to discuss his experience with our favorite houseplants in nature, but the conversation blossomed into a fun chat about how to plan trips for plant sightseeing, how to take your plant obsession to the next level, what these plants are like in nature and lots and lots of information about Monstera in the wild and he even teaches us a thing or two about Adansonii vs Obliqua. I hope this conversation encourages you to learn more about where these plants we love to keep indoors actually come from and inspires you to bring a new type of plant home! In this episode we learn: how Mick gets to travel and experience the plants we love as houseplants out in the real world travel hacks to help get you to see plants IRL Micks experience seeing houseplants in the Wild Mick’s experience with Monstera Xanthospetha (and also what that is) Monstera Adansonii Vs Obliqua Why it’s hard to identify rare plants as a houseplant parent Micks hack for making the best moss poles Visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com/mick for photos of the plants we discussed in today's episode! Come Hang with me in LA at Folia Collective on March 18th! https://foliacollective.com/products/botanicals-booze-bloom-grow-radio-live-at-folia Follow Mick: Instagram facebook Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Instagram Join the (free) garden club: https://bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Thank you to Wallygro for sponsoring this episode and month of Bloom and Grow Radio. Head to Wallygro.com to see all of your indoor and outdoor options for your own green wall and use code BLOOM20 at checkout for 20% off. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today I’m joined by my plant friend Darryl of Houseplant Journal to discuss the importance of soil aeration and having plants in low Light environments. Houseplant Journal is known for it’s amazing instagram account, blog and now watering can and his forthcoming book! Darryl's instagram bio says “an engineers approach to plant care” and I think that sums Darryl up so well, he has the clinical, thoughtful, inquisitive brain of an engineer, and the passion and enthusiasm of the best of the best plant parents. Darryl is passionate about helping people understand their lighting environment so I thought he would be the perfect guest for this episode on what to do if you are a Plant Person living in a low light home. Plant friends, we get real in this episode. We might say things you don't want to hear, but it's important information to understand how to best set our plants up for success! In this episode we learn: What’s new with Darryl as he’s built the Houseplant Journal brand and what exciting things he’s up to Aeration, what it is and why it’s important for our houseplants Thriving vs surviving in a low light environment Why understanding our light environment is so important and how Darryl measures his light in his apartment The tough truth about low light apartments, whether you want to hear it or not :) Darryl’s lighting hacks for his low light office Strategies and plants to choose if you live or work in a low light space Low light Hacks Mentioned in the Episode: Episode 08: Dirty Talk with Darryl Darryl’s watering can Episodes on Natural Light with Leslie Bloom and Grow Radio Resources Page (Maria has her grow lights with discount codes on the resource page!) Bloom and Grow Radio Amazon storefront (Maria has a section on low light plants in the storefront!) **Join us for our first LIVE taping at Folia Collective on March 18th in Los Angeles! ** https://foliacollective.com/products/botanicals-booze-bloom-grow-radio-live-at-folia Follow Darryl and Houseplant Journal: Preorder Darryl's New Bool! The New Plant Parent: Develop Your Green Thumb and Care for Your House-Plant Family *BAGR amazon affiliate code* Instagram and Facebook: @houseplantjournal Twitter: @houseplantjrnl Website: www.houseplantjournal.com Patreon: www.patreon.com/houseplantjournal Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the (free) Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Plant Friends, you’ve heard me talk about my “Plant Co Parent” on this podcast, you’ve seen in him in our Botanicals and Booze Happy Hour Insta-stories, or maybe in our most recent Wallygro Install insta-story, and now, it’s time for me to officially introduce to the love of my life, and “partner in plants,” Billy Morrissey, to you. This past year and a half has been big for me with leaving my Plant Killer Ways and becoming a Crazy Plant Lady, but it’s also been a whirlwind for my live in boyfriend, Billy. He has been there every step of the way as I’ve built our Urban Jungle, and this podcast, and let me tell you… although the process has been magical and I wouldn’t change a thing, it hasn’t been the easiest. He has had this intense hobby thrust upon him, and over this past year or so, we’ve learned a lot about how to manage my new found passion while still having a healthy relationship and a happy (and uncluttered) home. So plant friends… this episode isn’t necessarily for YOU… it’s for your partners, your friends, your roommates, the people in your lives that indirectly benefit (I hope they think benefit, they might think suffer) from our planty hobby. Billy prepared a bunch of tips he’d like to share that he’s learned along the way in dealing with my 0-60 planty explosion in our apartment. I’d love for you to share this episode with those “plant co-parents” in your life, but also I hope this episode inspires you to take a minute and admire and respect those who embrace our hobby with open arms, and maybe inspire some ideas for projects for you and your partners in the future! Quick reminder that today is the deadline for submission for the Plant Fail Lessons episode that I want to feature YOU in. Details and instructions below. In this episode we learn: the secret behind the Bloom and Grow Radio themesong how Billy first reacted when I went crazy about plants how we’ve grown and learned to communicate about my new hobby tips from Billy on how to live with a Crazy Plant Person For discount codes to the products mentioned in today's episode (Modern Sprout Grow Bar, Soltech Solutions lights, and more) check out https://bloomandgrowradio.com/resources Instructions for participating in the upcoming Listener “Plant Fail Lessons” episode of Bloom and Grow Radio 1) Call (267) 478-2521 2) Please spell your name and email at the beginning of the message so I can contact you! 3) The google voice only allows for a 3 minute message, so you might want to write out your story, or jot some thoughts down on paper to allow for you to effectively tell your story without getting cut off. If your story requires more than 3 minutes, you can call back and leave back to back messages. Follow Billy: IG: www.instagram.com/allagashbilly Twitter: https://twitter.com/allagashbilly Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: Instagram and Facebook: @BloomandGrowRadio Website: www.bloomandgrowradio.com Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Plant Friends! We are kicking of Season 3 with your top most requested episode out of any topic, a 101 episode on how to care for the Marantaceae Family, and understanding why on earth they can be so dang tricky to care for! I would say that “why is my calathea or prayer plant browning at the tips” is one of my most frequently DM’d questions on instagram. I think this Marantaceae family has some of the most gorgeously patterned leaves I’ve ever seen and I’m excited to have this episode to help us keep them happy and healthy in our urban jungles! And friends, I have the worlds most perfect guest to walk us through the beauty and complexities of this amazing family of Plants. Marc Hachadourian is the Director of Glasshouse Horticulture and Senior Curator of Orchids at the New York Botanical Garden. I have been hearing about Marc for over a year. His amazing plant brain, friendly personality and passion for plants is kind of legendary and I’m so excited to introduce you all to him. I’m so thankful to the New York Botanical Garden for lending him to us for this episode. If you are a New York based listener, Plant Friends, I can’t stress enough how in love I am with the NYBG. The garden is so easy to get to (just hop on the metro north) and is just filled with acres upon acres of plants. No matter what time of year it is, there is always something to do or see there. Last year I made it to their Orchid Show and their Train show. Marc will tell us a little more about this upcoming Orchid Show: Singapore, which is running from February 23- April 28th. If you are in NY, and probably suffering from season affective disorder, run don't walk to the garden for a planty adventure. In this episode we learn: - What Marc does for the NYBG - What plants fall under the Marantaceae Family - Prayer Plant, Calathea and Stromanthe- their differences and similarities - Why do the leaves fold up and down as in “prayer” - Why the bottoms of many Marantaceae are purple - Why the tips brown and how we help avoid this - Why humidity is so important for the Marantaceae family - Marc answers a collection of listener questions Thank you Marc for joining us to give us so much amazing information about the Marantaceae family. The NYBG Orchid Show: Singapore runs February 23 to April 28th. For more information visit www.nybg.org But the Orchid show is just one of so many amazing installations that are always happening at the NYBG. Go for a visit and you’ll see all sorts of Marantaceae IRL for yourself! Thank you again to Wallygro for sponsoring this episode. And thank you Wallygro for also being a company with a huge sustainability pledge: fun fact, all of the eco planters are made in the USA and are made from 100% recycle plastic milk jugs. Head to >wallygro.com to see the endless options of indoor or outdoor set ups you can install in your own home, and use BLOOM20 at checkout for 20% off. If you want to be featured on the upcoming plant fail lessons episode, see instructions below or listen to last weeks updates and announcements episode. Instructions for participating in the upcoming Listener “Plant Fail Lessons” episode of Bloom and Grow Radio 1) Call (267) 478-2521 (The Bloom and Grow Google Voice Number) 2) Please spell your name and email at the beginning of the message so I can contact you! 3) The google voice only allows for a 3 minute message, so you might want to write out your story, or jot some thoughts down on paper to allow for you to effectively tell your story without getting cut off. If your story requires more than 3 minutes, you can call back and leave back to back messages Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Updates and exciting announcements about Season 3 and an invitation (and instructions) for YOU to be featured in an upcoming episode! If you want to be featured on the Plant Killer Lessons episode- call (267) 478-2521 and leave your story! The voicemail allows for 3 minute max, so it will help to write your story out ahead of time. I can't wait to hear from you and learn what you've learned! Follow Maria and Bloom and Grow on the Road on Instagram Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club (for free) https://www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Happy News Years! Today I’m reviewing the lessons I’ve learned in all of the incredible conversations I’ve had over the 49 episodes of Bloom and Grow Radio. Man, I have learned so much! In the episode we discuss what I’ve learned about: Drainage Episode 08: Dirty Talk with Darryl from Houseplant Journal Succulents Episode 3: How to Not Kill You're your Succulents Episode 35: How to Grow Desert Plants and Succulents Indoors Artificial and Natural Light Episode 12: Everything You Need to Know About Indoor Grow lights Episode 45, 46: Understanding Natural Light Specific Plant Care Episode 33: Monstera 101 Episode 25: Fiddle Leaf Fig 101 Episode 14: Pilea Peperomiodes 101 Episode 29: Indoor Citrus 101 Episode 32: Airplants 101 Episode 44 and 45: Aroids 101 (2 parts) Episode 44 Part 1 Episode 45 Part 2 DIY (which are fun and not hard and scary!) Episode 16: Mounting Epiphytes Episode 19: Terrarium 101 Episode 22: Windowsill Herb Gardening Episode 42: How to Make a Moss Pole Episode 36: Growing a Large Urban Jungle in a Small Space Heart warming and informative episodes that aren’t directly about plant care, but teach important lessons and information Episode 27: Plants in the Classroom Episode 37: Horticultural Therapy Episode 43: Your Brain on Plants Plant Side Chats: Life Lessons Learned in the Garden Episode 10: Bloom and Grow at Your Own Rate Episode 21: The Changing of the Seasons Episode 28: The Tale of the Tomato Episode 40: Pruning (in life, and with plants) Episode 48: You’re Doing Great Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Interested in what grow lights and planty products I use? Check out my resources page: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/resources Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Plant Side Chats are a series on the Bloom and Grow Radio podcast where Maria (host) muses on life lessons learned in the garden or from plant parenting. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I’m joined again by my new plant friend and horticulturalist and lighting expert, Leslie Halleck, for part two of my quest to understand what “bright indirect light” really is. If you haven’t yet, listen to last weeks episode where Leslie and I dive into the basics of understanding natural light, and hacks and tricks for measuring your personal lighting environment without any type of app or meter. Leslie is a Horticulturalist by education and profession with a passion for plants and gardening. She has worked in many sectors of the gardening industry, from nurseries, to being the Director of Horticulture Research at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden to founding Halleck Horticultural, a consulting service for Green Industry businesses. Her book, Gardening under Lights; The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers, is published by Timber Press and is the ultimate guide to understanding artificial lighting for indoor growers of any experience level. Today, we dive into learning the basics of how to measure light and how to use simple measurements to better understand exactly what light we are personally working with. Leslie gave me a homework assignment which involved me measuring the light in my apartment with a free app, and we walk through what I learned from it. As you’ll find out, my results were surprising and I learned so much from the experience of actually taking measurements of my surroundings. Leslie and I then challenge you to take your own measurements with a free download we provide so you can have all the aha moments I had throughout this process! In the episode we learn: What the most important colors of light are for growing plants How to use a free app to get a better understanding of your indoor lighting environment What is the difference between LUX, Footcandles and PAR What micromoles are What DLI (Daily Light Intergral) is The results of my homework and how many “aha” moments I had about the ACTUAL light in my apartment How drastic the difference in light is within only a few feet from your window What area of your apartment is probably low light that you never knew about Whether or not you can put plants in a bathroom with no windows Whether or not you can put plants in an office with no windows Citrus under lights, pests GET THE FREE DOWNLOAD! Get the free measuring light overview, worksheet and Leslie’s Plant Geek Glossary by subscribing here https://bloomandgrowradio.com/resources Mentioned in this episode: - Lux Light Meter - PAR meter - Soltech Solution Aspect Light (link has BAGR 15% off Affiliate Code) - Leslie’s Book, Gardening Under Lights; The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers Follow Leslie Halleck: https://lesliehalleck.com/ @lesliehalleck https://twitter.com/@LeslieHalleck https://www.pinterest.com/lesliehalleck/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgVSrcFLIllF6fDhu1_8XDw https://www.facebook.com/HalleckHorticultural facebook groups: gardening under lights and plant parenting Follow Bloom and Grow Radio www.bloomandgrowradio.com https://www.pinterest.com/bloomandgrowradio https://www.instagram.com/bloomandgrowradio/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I’m excited to bring you another two part episode on a topic that has plagued me in my first year as a plant parent: understanding natural light, and what the heck “bright indirect light” actually means. When figuring out how to do this episode, I knew I needed a lighting and plant expert who would give me the space to ask the simple questions to understand this complex topic. Enter Leslie Halleck. Leslie is a Horticulturalist by education and profession with a passion for plants and gardening. She has worked in many sectors of the gardening industry, from nurseries, to being the Director of Horticulture Research at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden to founding Halleck Horticultural, a consulting service for Green Industry businesses. Her book, Gardening under Lights; The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers, is the ultimate guide to understanding artificial lighting for indoor growers of any experience level. Leslie joins me to share her years of experience with houseplants and indoor gardening to ironically not discuss her vast knowledge of indoor grow lights, but to teach us about the basics of measuring our natural indoor light, to better understand out indoor environment, and whether we need to supplement with lights. Today’s episode is titled General Rules, next weeks episode is titled Measuring Tools. General Rules will consist of my lengthy conversation with Leslie about lighting basics, and how we can understand our indoor lighting environments without special or expensive meters. She also just imparts piece after piece or plant parenthood wisdom, and honestly teaches us a lot more than just how to understand light. Next week, in “Measuring Tools”, we will dive into the homework assignment she gave me, which involved me using a light meter on my phone to actually measure my surrounds, which gave me shocking “aha” moments. I hope this two part series helps uncover this tricky problem and helps you be more at ease and empowered about your personal indoor environments. In this episode we learn: - How Leslie came to be the lighting expert she is now - Measuring and understanding NATURAL light 101 - The difference between the volume of light vs the brightness of light - What PAR is and why it is important for understand our natural light in our apartments - The most brilliant metaphor for light that will make even the science inept person understand light, photons and photosynthesis - How the direction your window faces affects the amount of light in your apartment, and a good rule of thumb to live by - What the heck “bright indirect light’ actually is! - Practical steps to understanding “bright indirect light” for your specific surrounding - How many feet away from your windowsill does “bright light” turn to “medium light” and then turn to “low light” - Why we overwater our plants (spoiler alert… it’s often because of your lighting conditions) - If sunbeams that move throughout your apartments make a different for your plants - Why experimenting with plant placement and light is crucial Mentioned in this Episode: - Soltech Solutions Light, use bloomandgrow15 for 15% off on any of their lights at www.soltechsolutions.com - Lux Light Meter Pro App - Leslie’s Book, Gardening Under Lights; The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers Follow Leslie Halleck: https://lesliehalleck.com/ @lesliehalleck on twitter, pinterest, youtube, facebook Follow Bloom and Grow Radio @bloomandgrowradio on Instagram, www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club to join the (free) online garden club! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome back to part 2 of the Aroids 101 series. I hope you enjoyed last weeks Part 1 on the general information and care for the amazing Araceae family. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet, I would suggest hitting pause here and listening to that episode first, as it lays the groundwork for the information we dive into today. We are joined again today by Enid, the founder of NSE Tropicals. NSE Tropicals is an online plant shop that has some of the most rare and unusual plants on the Internet. Enid founded NSE Tropicals 18 years ago as a hobby and it has turned into one of the go to resources for rare and exotic plants. She is an avid collector of aroids and other hard to find plants and even served as the President of the International Aroid Society. Today’s episode is all about the different species that make up the Araceae family, and the popular Aroids we know and love. Enid walks us through what we need to know about Philodendrons, Alocasia, Anthuriums, Rhaphidophora, Monstera and more and suggests great plants to start with when dipping our toes into the Aroid pool… not to be confused with the aquatic plants we also discuss! This talk is full of fun facts that I hope help you bloom and grow your indoor jungles. I know I am super inspired to bring some more aroids home after this conversation! Plant Friends… I feel like I owe it to you to just own how much I butcher the Latin language in this episode. Don’t worry… I’m working on finding the perfect guest for Plant Latin episode to be airing in your earbuds soon. In this episode we learn - Specific care instructions for the various genus of aroids: Philodendrons, Alocasia, Anthurium, Rhaphidophora, Monstera, - Why Philodendron Pink Princess is so popular - How Enid keeps tracks of all of the varied species of plants - How these plants get divided and their names get determined - Watering hacks for bulbs - The history of the Alocasia Polly - Enid’s trick to help with proper aeration of soil and healthy root systems - What size pots go best with these plants with large leaves that don’t necessarily have large root systems - How to harvest seeds from your Aroid Inflorescence - What the “toughest” aroids are to try indoors - Aquatic aroid basic recommendations - Enid’s fertilizing practices Mentioned in today’s episode: - Please visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com/aroid101_2 for photos of the plants discussed - International Aroid Society www.aroid.org - Article by Episode 07 Guest, Olena Shmahalo on change of taxanomy for Thaumatophyllum Bipinnatifidum Find Enid and NSE tropicals @NSETropicals on Instagram and Facebook and www.nsetropicals.com Find Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio @bloomandgrowradio on instagram and www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the Garden Club for free! www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Thanks again to Modern Sprout for sponsoring today’s episode. To get yourself some of their hydroponic planters with organic non gmo herbs and flowers or one of my beloved growlights, visit modernsprout.com and entire code BLOOM to get 15% off. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today’s episode is the first of a two part series on Aroid 101. Aroids are all over Instagram, with their great variety of sexy, prehistoric looking leaves, and many Aroids make great houseplants because of their low light tolerance and their large and beautiful foliage. I’m excited to welcome Enid, the founder of NSE Tropicals, the online mecca for Aroids and unusual plants, to enlighten us about the wild and wide world of Aroids. You will be shocked at how many common plants fall under this family! NSE Tropicals is an online plant shop that has some of the most rare and unusual plants on the Internet. Enid founded NSE Tropical 18 years ago as a hobby and it has turned into one of the go to resources for rare and exotic plants. She is an avid collector of aroids and other hard to find plants and even served as the President of the International Aroid Society. She gives us so much wonderful information over this two part series. Today’s Part 1 focuses on the general information about the Aroid family, it’s history, what plants fall under the Aroid distinction and general care information and troubleshooting. Part 2 (airing next week) will take a deeper look at the most popular aroid houseplant genera and specific information on our most popular and and drool worthy Aroids. I mispronounce pretty much every plant we discuss, but their proper spelling and photos are in the blog associated with this episode. In this episode we learn: - How Enid became the collector and purveyor of rare plants - How she grows her plants onsite - The top 5 most requested plants at NSE Tropicals - How to pronounce Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma (spoiler alert, Maria’s been pronouncing it incorrectly). - How Enid became the experienced grower she is now - The definition of an aroid - What an inflorescence is - Some plant latin guidance - General thoughts and care tips for aroids - How to prepare aroids for dormancy and which aroids go dormant - The difference in root system across various Aroids - General troubleshooting answers - Why poles or climbing structures are important for Aroids that climb in nature Mentioned in the episode: - Please visit www.bloomandgrowradio.com/aroid101_1 for photos of the plants discussed - International Aroid Society www.aroid.org Find Enid and NSE tropicals @NSETropicals on Instagram and Facebook and www.nsetropicals.com Find Maria and Bloom and Grow Radio @bloomandgrowradio on instagram and www.bloomandgrowradio.com Join the Garden Club for free! www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Thank you Modern Sprout for sponsoring today's episode. To learn more about their amazing grow lights and hydroponic planters, visit www.modernsprout.com and use code BLOOM at checkout for 15% off. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Are you getting a Christmas Tree this year? Listen to the episodes mentioned here to 1) Learn best practices for cut christmas trees and how to have a locally sourced tree that you compost after the season #responsibleplantparent 2) have a LIVING, potted indoor christmas tree that you can replant after the holiday season! Episode 05: Cut Christmas Trees with Mary Jeanne Packer from the Christmas Tree Farmers Association of NY Episode 06: Living Christmas Tree withs Joe Lampl from Growing a Greener World Follow Bloom and Grow Radio on Instagram Join the Garden Club (for free): https://bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today’s episode is about exactly what the title says… our brains… on plants. And what happens in our brains, when we become Plant People. When I was starting to move from plant killer to crazy plant lady, I noticed, there were a few months in the beginning of my plant collection where I feel like the love for plants kind of took over my life. I’ve always thought about that particular phase in my life when I felt like I almost couldn’t stop buying more plants. Enter Dr Caitlin Vander Weele, the answer to my plant-iest and expert-iest of dreams. Caitlin is not only an awesome listener of BAGR but a neuroscientist and author with over 10 years of expertise in understanding how emotions and brain chemistry influence decision making. She is also the founder of Interstellate, a movement that blends science and art with visual imagery to promote science education. Plant friends… Caitlin is like…. really really really smart. And she is also a crazy plant lady, and this conversation blew my mind. Two quick notes on today’s conversation: 1) Caitlin and I talk about some grown up topics in this episode- I know lots of you listen with your children (which makes me so happy) but I might give this a listen on your own before you enjoy it with your kids. Let’s say while all my other episodes are pretty much G rated, we will call this one PG-13. 2) We are not licensed psychologists, just two plant friends talking neuroscience. If you think you have a compulsive spending problem, please consult a professional. And now before we dive into that conversation I can’t wait to tell you about today’s sponsor, Modern Sprout. In this episode we learn: - How Caitlin became a crazy plant lady - Maria gets real with Caitlin and explains the addictive behaviors she experienced when she began her journey into plant parenthood. Caitlin breaks down what exactly was happening in Maria’s brain in those first few months of buying as many plants as possible - What causes our brain to release dopamine - What a compulsive behavior is - What our brain on dopamine does - What neurotransmitters, synapses and receptors are - The difference between endorphins and dopamine - Why we feel bonded to our plants - How these things are measured in our brains - 4 phases of compulsive behaviors to look out for - How to cope with compulsive urges when growing your urban jungle Thank you Modern Sprout for sponsoring today's episode! Visit https://www.modsprout.com/ to learn more about their lines of hydroponic planters and AMAZING grow lights and use code BLOOM at checkout for 15% off. Follow Dr Caitlin Vander Weele on Twitter and Instagram and Interstellate @interstellate and www.insterstellate.com Follow Bloom and Grow Radio on Instagram Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club: www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Donate to Bloom and Grow Radio to support the show in Year 2! http://bit.ly/2TnMwiy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I’m so excited to share this tutorial with you, because the idea for this episode came from me being inspired to make my own moss poles after watching a video Tylor made on Instagram. The process was so easy (especially because Tylor’s video was so helpful) and I knew this was something I wanted to share with you guys, because these poles not only look cool, but help replicate our plants natural environment. So, our guest today, Tylor Rogers is the founder of Arium Botanicals and the #botanicalbro behind the instagram account @urlocalplantboy. Two months ago, when we did this interview, Arium Botanicals was just an online shop that kept selling out of planty product. But Tylor opened the doors to his brick and mortar Plant and Coffee shop, Arium Botanicals X Intent in Portland Oregon in October. They sell unusual plants, specialty coffee and tea and handmade ceramics. And they are Oregon's first specialty coffee bar and plant shop- how cool is that? We are so lucky to have Tylor walk us through this super easy and fun DIY project and I hope it helps your plant collections keep blooming and growing! In this episode we learn: - How Arium Botanicals came to be, and the inspiration for the new Brick and Mortar in Portland, Oregon - How Tylor became a moss pole expert - What plants are best suited for moss poles - What an Aroid is - DIY Moss Pole Tutorial - What materials you need (and how shockingly easy it is to make) - How to prepare the sphagnum moss for the pole before you work with it - How to put the pieces together to make the pole - How to pot up your plant and moss pole together for the best result. To follow Tylor: https://ariumbotanicals.com/ @ariumxintent on Instagram and @urlocalplantboy for his personal account (and where the instalive moss pole video is) To follow Bloom and Grow Radio: www.bloomandgrowradio.com @bloomandgrowradio on Instagram and Facebook Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club (for free) at www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Thank you Modern Sprout for sponsoring today's episode. Visit www.modernsprout.com and use code BLOOM at checkout for 15% off. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Maria walks you through a “few of her favorite things” aka planty products that she has enjoyed this year. This episode is for anyone who might be curious about plant related products out there for their urban jungles or for possible gifts for planty friends or relatives. All discount codes, links and product reviews and photos can be found at www.bloomandgrowradio.com/favoritethings Time stamps for the different planty categories: Bloom and Grow Radio Merch at 5:15 Planty Jewelry at 7:10 Planty Accessories 12:00 Planty Pins: 20:10 Planters: 24:33 Grow Lights: 29:49 Planty Books: 34:10 Resources for sending plants 38:25 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Plant Side Chat Series is Maria's love letters to the life lessons she learns in the garden. Today, Maria shares a story about the importance of pruning in your garden and life through the tale of her balcony strawberry plant. Join the Bloom and Grow Garden Club for free at www.bloomandgrowradio.com/garden-club Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Donna Letier of Gardenity joins me today as the second guest of my Planty Business Series to jam on the topic of growing a business like we tend a garden. Gardenuity creates custom gardens of herbs and vegetables delivered to your door, tailored specifically to your zip code. From the minute I started working with Donna several months ago, I knew this woman was a powerhouse with a story to tell with piece after piece of fantastic advice and a lot of passion for growing. The thing I love about this conversation is that there are nuggets of wisdom in here for people in profession because we talk business, managing people and customer service but through the language of plants. In this episode we learn: - How she came to found a company on teaching people to grow - Her best lessons learned from beginning a business - Garden analogies to inspire building your own plant business - The correct definition of hustle - How important customer service is to building a planty business Follow Gardenuity: www.gardenuity.com Use code “BLOOM” to receive a free garden inspired sea salt with purchase. Follow Bloom and Grow Radio: www.bloomandgrowradio.com @bloomandgrowradio on Instagram and Facebook Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.