Dividing Perennial Daylilies and Other Plants in the Garden-VIDEO & WRITTEN DIY
Spring and fall are the perfect times to divide your perennials. Today weu2019re dividing daylilies and you can do the same with all kinds of plants. Theyu2019re very easy to divide and for many perennial flowers thatu2019s how you get more plants.
Watch the Video tutorial I made. If you prefer written DIY’s you’ll find that below.
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Daylilies can be cross pollinated pretty easily, so even if you did get seeds, unless youu2019re the only neighbor with them, it probably wonu2019t have true traits of the parent plant. That’s how new varieties are made and they can be pretty amazing. Hard to get plants can be divided.
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They’re very easy to divide and actually looked better if you divide them every few years. Itu2019ll give you more plants to spread around your yard or to share. Perennials are not usually propagated by taking a cutting and putting them in water like tropical houseplants are. (Though many can, but that’s not what this is about.) For most plants you have to divide the roots to make a clone of the plant. Itu2019s really easy.
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Daylilies, meadow sages, lambs ear, yarrow, bee balm, hyssop and more are divided like this.
As a general rule, however large the plant is on top, itu2019s probably got similar sized roots. Well established plants can have massive roots.
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Dig the roots out with a shovel or pitchfork carefully digging all the way around it so you donu2019t break the roots off. Clean the root of dirt just enough so you can see them well and divide them in half.
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If you bought a bare root plant, this is how it would come, with the roots washed of all the soil.
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If I hadnu2019t been able to coax and pull the roots apart apart easily, I would have used a knife or shovel and cut the whole root ball in half.
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Itu2019s really that easy. Make sure that any foliage has plenty of roots to support the new plant. Many of them can be divided several times, as I did here.
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Plant the new plants in the garden with compost for organic nutrients that break down over time and will continue to feed it all year. You can also plant it in a pot to give away as Iu2019m doing. Water them and youu2019re done. Keep them watered until established, then you have a whole new garden plant!
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I hope youu2019ve enjoyed this tutorial on I Breathe I DIY! Please share it with anyone who could use it.
If you’ve ever wanted to start your own vegetable or herb seeds indoors, and don’t think you have the space, you have got to see this super easy, small-closet grow space video I made. I show you my actual grow closet as I’m setting it back up for the year.
This idea could be used in any small areas like crawl spaces, sheds, garages, basements, closets, and more. If you have heat and power, you can set up your own grow space. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to enjoy growing your own food from seeds.
Spring can’t come any sooner, and I’m dealing with spring fever. This year I want to put in raised garden beds, for planting my vegetables. I put a lot of thought into the type and placement of my new raised beds. I listed the pro’s and con’s between wood and metal, and went with metal.
I’ve always been a big fan of planing directly in the ground, but I’m tired of dealing with a bunny rabbit problem. Last year they munched my blueberry bushes to almost nothing, and nipped the tips of all my vegetable starts in early spring. I’m not one to try to kill the rabbits, I’ve tried to fence them out with no luck, so this is my beyond-frustrated solution. Raised galvanized garden beds! (I’ve heard from a gardening neighbor that she’s putting in raised beds because of the bunnies too…)
Saying I love to garden is an understatement. I’m actually a bit obsessive when it comes to gardening, but it’s a pretty healthy hobby- Not to mention the value it ads to my home– so I don’t really worry about it anymore. I dream of gardening all winter long (let’s be honest, winter doesn’t stop me). Any gardener can tell you, there’s just something that sings to the soul, when you have your fingertips in dirt or get to harvest your crops.
There are many raised bed kits you can buy, with varying materials. You can of course, construct them yourself too. I bought mine as a complete kit. I like the sleek design of the galvanized garden beds. I don’t want to deal with rot from wood, and I don’t have time to cut all the steel, and fabricate a corner.
There is a shorter version of the raised bed, EarthMark Galvanized Low Raised Garden Bed which is 10 in tall, but I chose a 17 inch tall garden because it will deter rabbits more, and it will be easier on my back for years to come. It will need a lot more dirt though.
This one is 40 x 76 and 17 inches tall, which ends up being a square version of the garden bed plus one extension kit. You can attach up to three sections, or extensions together.
Wow! The square 40 x 40 is on sale right now at almost $40 off because it’s mid-winter.
Did you ever want to make something out of resin, but didn’t know where to start? Have you ever wondered how people make custom things out of resin for their art? I’m going to teach you how you can make anything you can imagine, a finished resin piece of your very own creation you can actually hold.
The amount of things you can make are unbelievable. Please share this DIY!
I get a lot of questions about how I make the things that I do, and the crazy things I create, and for the projects that I get myself into. I’ve used this technique to make a lot of things for products, art, props, costuming, and sooo much more.
This year I am very excited to be a designer for the most prestigious and creative of all the wearable arts competitions in the world. I’ve worked my tail off, using these exact same techniques, to produce some of the outfit that I’ll be featuring in the competition. Because of the nature of competition, I can’t show you any of my actual project. Expect photos after September.
In this tutorial we’ll sculpt, mold, and cast little things, so you can try it out for yourself. This is a long DIY, so I will be taking off next week. You can expect another DIY after that.
We’re going to make the dangling feathers on this decorative sun-catcher. This DIY is for beginners, so we’ll be making a fairly easy shape that has one main side with detail, and a back that doesn’t matter, similar to a button or cabochon . This is NOT how you make things with detail on all sides, like a figurine. That’s far too much detail and for this. That’s fun for another time.
We’re going to focus on creating, the whole thing – from start to finish. I chose this DIY, because I want you to know how unbelievable your own ideas are, and how easily you can make them reality!
Start by warming a small amount of clay in your hands or with a hairdryer if you’re using oil clay. Each type will be different, but work a bit around in your hands to soften it. Roll it into a ball then slightly flatten in your hand to get closer to the shape you want to make.
Press the clay to the center of your tray to make it stick slightly. You don’t want it to move around much. The feather we’re making is fairly thick, between 1/4 & 1/8 inch so we can drill a hole and hang them. The clay is even thicker than that at this point.
Use sculpting tools to shape the feather, working on the basic shape and thickness first. Remove material to make your shape. Add a central vein down the middle by carving out the sides and leaving the center strip.
Smooth out the shape and then add the fine detail lines to the feather, starting at the main vein and going out and down, just like a real feather. Anything on the clay will show up, so keep it clean and smooth for the best results. I added additional texture to mine, you can do anything you want.
If you’re familiar with sculpting or clay, use its solvent and a very soft paintbrush to smooth it out more. Otherwise use your fingers or tools to smooth it and remove the little pills (balls of clay) that form from sculpting it.
Place this is the fridge, or outside if it’s cold out to harden the clay a little. You don’t want to try to freeze it, that would be bad in the end, but rather chill it to make it firmer.
Note: You can either do the next step on the tray, or carefully lift the clay from it and press it into the mold (that’s what I did.) Use string to cut it off the tray if needed and smooth the edges.
Mold It
Get out equal parts of mold putty part A and part B using a spoon or other thing that can reach it. Do not touch one to the other. Measure them side by side separately, so you have the same amount of each. You want them to cover your shape, so use your judgement.
Quickly mix both parts together in your hands, until there are no swirls in the color and they are fully mixed. You only have 2-3 mins of working time, so quickly make your mold. Make a ball out of it, then slightly smoosh it and stretch it to closer the size of the clay feather.
Place the silicone on a tray and slowly press the clay shape FACE DOWN into it. Submerge the clay’s detail and press the silicone around the edges of the clay with your fingers to enclose the shape, without covering the back -now top. Lightly push the edges snugly around the shape.
Give yourself at least 1/4 inch around the outside edge of the clay shape and be careful not to press it too deep because you don’t want the mold to be thin where your detail is.
Give the mold 15 minutes and check if the silicone is cured by lightly touching the mold. If it indents, it’s not done. If it’s hard to the touch it’s finished.
When it’s finished, it’s time to de-mold, or take it out of the mold. Gently remove the clay feather from the mold, getting all the clay debris out. Be careful not to stretch it too far, which will cause rips.
Note: The mold putty comes in two tubes, part A & part B. When you remove the amount you need from one, used a different utensil to get the other one out. Unused parts can’t touch each other at all. Like not even a little.
Interesting Note: Advanced users will know that if the mold ends up with smeared chunks of clay in it that you just can’t get out no matter how much you try or scream at it, you will need to do a first pull, or cast resin in it, just to get the clay out. A fast curing resin, like what’s used for model cars, is usually used for this. Keep it simple so you can try out the materials, not test their limits.
Cast It
Always spray your mold with mold release suitable for what you’re going to dump into it. You may get one good pull out of it, but resin and other materials will dry out your mold and stick to it, ripping it when you try to de-mold. It’s worth crying over (or at least losing a lot of time and money). This isn’t a mold for chocolate. Just spray it!
Measure out your resin by weight or volume, whichever it needs. I’m using a clear resin with Castin’ Craft’s green translucent pigment. I also poured one of the feathers with fine gold glitter, added to the clear.
Be sure not to over-pour resin into the mold. It dries VERY hard & you will have to sand down the extra.
Let the resin cure for the recommended amount of time, per instructions. Mine is about 24 hours. Every time you pour the mold, it takes that long before you can get it out and do it again. Now you see why I chose three lovely feathers for this tutorial.
Carefully de-mold your resin treasure! I drilled holes in the sides, added gold embroidery floss, and hung them on a small branch. TADA!
You can reuse your new mold around 10+ times before it deteriorates as long as you spray it with release.
I hope you liked this tutorial. I would love to see what this inspires you to make. Email me a photo with a short description of your project @ ibreatheidiy@gmail.com. Your project may be chosen to be featured on my website.
In today’s world it is, unfortunately, getting harder and harder to stay away from exposure to toxic chemicals. Just the amount of exhaust we inhale on our daily commutes is enough to want to hold your breath. Forever.
Today, I am talking about “Green Cleaning”. I’m pretty sure we’ve all heard this term by now, and some are probably still wondering how to go about it. The point is to take control by reducing your toxic exposure in your home. The one place you actually have control over. Your sanctuary from the crazy outside world.
But why Green Cleaning? Two main reasons:
You are eliminating a large amount of toxic chemicals left floating about in your home. Think about it. You spray the cleaner. Yes, it goes on the counter, but the amount of molecules released into the air is staggering. If you can smell it, you are inhaling it. They say indoor air quality is far worse inside the home than outside.
The second reason, is that it truly is more economical. You can purchase the few ingredients needed for the same price as a single set of cleaning supplies, and the ingredients you buy will provide several rounds of cleaning supplies. Think of it as the best BOGO out there-only it’s more like 4 for the price of one!
There’s a plethora of recipes to be found online. Some work. Some don’t. Finding the right one can be an undertaking. And believe me, I know how easy it is to just go to the store and buy the chemical cocktails on the shelf. It would be ridiculous to ask someone to make the switch to completely green cleaning all at once. Especially since we have been conditioned to use all these harsh chemicals, believing our homes will not be clean otherwise. Let’s start small.
After experimenting and tweaking, I have two recipes which I find work well. The measurements here are for a sample size. A little goes a long way with these. It may not seem like you’ve made much, but trust me, it’ll do the job! Test it out. See what you think, we think you’ll love it.
One is an Eco Soft Scrub you can use on your sinks, counters, tub and shower, toilet, and even on hard to clean hands. Think gardening, mechanic, or construction work. The second is a Green Degreaser for hard to clean dishes, countertops, microwaves, and for the goo left behind from stickers. You get the idea. Both use simple, non-toxic ingredients you likely already have, and will leave your home genuinely clean. Imagine how many toxic products you can say farewell to with just these two cleaners in your arsenal.
Mix all ingredients in your jar or bottle. To use, apply soft scrub on surface to be cleaned and let sit for up to 1 minute. Scrub with a sponge and wash off with a microfiber cloth.
Mix all ingredients together. Pour onto the bottle. Shake well before each use.
NOTES: *Fractionated coconut oil is produced through a process of steam distillation and hydrolysis to remove the long chain fatty acids. This allows the oil to stay liquid at room temperature and gives it a longer shelf life.
, but any non-drying clay works 
, oil clay, 
all work
