Know your soil

To maximize your garden’s potential, you must know your soil. By connecting with your soil before you plant, you’ll give your plants a healthier start to take them through to harvest.
Nutrient levels, pH, soil structure, drainage, and plant type can all affect your garden’s yields. It takes just a bit of science to see your soil like your plants sees your soil. By the time your plants tell you that they need something they’re already stressed.
A sample of your soil will help you correct problems before you plant. Then GreenTree can work with you to...

Read more

Black locust makes the best raised beds. The wood is incredibly durable and resistant to decay and insects. Not only will you not have to replace these beds every few years, locust trees grow quickly, making the harvest of this wood more sustainable. 

You can now find black locust raised beds, milled and pre-cut in Newfield, here at GreenTree! 

The raised bed walls come in 1-, 2-, 4-, and 6-foot sections. Mix and match to make square or...

Read more

We just love our interesting customers' interesting projects. 

Here's a fodder and aquaponics system that one customer was kind enough to share with us:

He's growing fodder for his chickens in a hydroponic system. When the plants get to this point, the roots mat together and he can throw the whole thing to his chickens, who dig right in. He said that eating this made his chicken's egg yolks a beautiful color all winter long.

A 200-gallon fish tank (long tank on left) drains to a 44-gallon bio filter...

Read more

John has put together this nice primer on compost teas and how to use them over in our Resources section. We've been using our new, freshly brewed GreenTea compost tea on our display plants, and we're seeing very good responses. It's a great addition to any nutrient regimen.

Read more

That swirly looking contraption up there? It's our new Vortex Brewer! Reid already has our first batch of compost tea brewing, and it'll be ready to sell tomorrow morning! We'll be open all day (10 a.m.-6 p.m.) tomorrow, July 4. Come down, check it out, ask us questions, and take home a gallon to feed to your plants!

Compost tea is a great fertilizer amendment for all types of growing -- hydroponics, gardens, containers, and lawns. It's chock full of all sorts of beneficial microbes and trace elements that other all-purpose fertilizers are lacking.

Read more

 A beautiful, green lawn doesn't require loads of chemicals and fertilizers. It starts with healthy soil. Check out our six-phase maintenance schedule to grow a lawn you know is safe for bare feet!

Read more

Plants are much more sensitive to decreases in light intensity and color spectrum than the human eye, so it can be tough to judge when grow bulbs need replacing. 

For optimal growth, Hortilux recommends replacing HPS lamps at 9-10 months and metal halide lights at 6-8 months. After that, the light begins to diminish, slowing growth and impacting crop yields. The old bulb doesn't need to go to waste. You can use it as supplemental light for mother plants or other plants that do not require aggressive growth.

Check out Hortilux's education room for some really great primers...

Read more