• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Homestead on the Range

Abundant Living in Flyover Country

  • The Lifestyle
  • The Farm
  • The Garden
  • The Skills
  • The Business
  • The Sunflower State

Ornamental Plants

Iron in Plants

February 22, 2021 by hsotr

Iron deficiency in peaches

Did you know that plants need iron? No iron, no chlorophyll, and therefore no photosynthesis.

Filed Under: The Farm Tagged With: Fruit, Herbs, Insect Pests, Nutrition, Ornamental Plants, Plant Health, Soil, Vegetables

Chlorine in Plants

February 1, 2021 by hsotr

Chlorine in Plants

You may be surprised to know that chlorine is an important nutrient in plants. It plays a key role in splitting water to produce oxygen.

Filed Under: The Farm Tagged With: Nutrition, Ornamental Plants, Plant Health, Soil, Vegetables, Water

Boron in Plants

January 18, 2021 by hsotr

Boron deficiency

To say that boron is important to plants would be the height of understatement. To put it more plainly, plants simply would not exist without boron. The reason boron is so crucial to plant health is that it is involved in ion exchange and the movement of other nutrients across cell membranes. Without boron, plants […]

Filed Under: The Farm Tagged With: Field Crops, Fruit, Nutrition, Ornamental Plants, Pastures, Plant Health, Soil, Vegetables

Aluminum in Plants

January 11, 2021 by hsotr

Aluminum in Plants

Most people probably don’t think of aluminum as a key nutrient for field, garden, or orchard crops, and indeed scientists don’t consider it essential for plant growth. Nevertheless, it appears to have an important role in keeping pathogens in check. In particular, we know that aluminum helps prevent late blight in potatoes, and it appears […]

Filed Under: The Farm Tagged With: Cover Crops, Field Crops, Fruit, Nutrition, Ornamental Plants, Plant Health, Soil, Vegetables

Broad-Leaf Wood-Oats

August 31, 2020 by hsotr

Broad-Leaf Wood-Oats

Broad-leaf wood-oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) is a very unique plant that goes by many names: Spangle grass. Indian wood-oats. Wild oats. River oats. Northern sea oats. Inland sea oats. The spikelets are the most distinctive feature, being flat, broadly oblong, and about 1/2 inch to 1-1/2 inch long and 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch wide. These […]

Filed Under: The Sunflower State Tagged With: Native Americans, Nature, Ornamental Plants, Pastures

A Brief Guide to 13 Common Garden Mulches

April 1, 2019 by hsotr

A Brief Guide to 13 Common Mulches

You don’t have to read many gardening books or websites to catch on that mulch is highly recommended for all gardens. But knowing that you ought to mulch your garden and deciding what to mulch it with are two different things. First off, it is important to recognize that everyone’s circumstances are unique. Factors that […]

Filed Under: The Garden Tagged With: Composting, Ornamental Plants, Plant Health, Soil, Stewardship, Vegetables

A Rainbow of Natural Dyes

February 11, 2019 by hsotr

A Rainbow of Natural Dyes

Craftsy folks frequently share a do-it-yourself ethic. While it’s always easier just to buy cheap, pretty yarn at the craft store, some (particularly homesteaders) prefer to create their own dyes. In fact, if you own sheep or other fiber animals, this may be a logical next step to adding value to your products. You can […]

Filed Under: The Skills Tagged With: Crafts, Fiber, Fruit, Herbs, Nature, Nuts, Ornamental Plants, Vegetables

Indian Grass

October 31, 2018 by hsotr

Indian Grass

Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) is a medium-sized grass that ranges from three to seven feet in height. It frequently grows in clumps, but it may also be found growing as a single stalk. The stem is hollow but stiff and upright. The leaves are blue-green in color and flat. They may grow anywhere from 2 […]

Filed Under: The Sunflower State Tagged With: Livestock, Nature, Ornamental Plants, Pastures, Stewardship

Side-Oats Grama

October 3, 2018 by hsotr

Side-Oats Grama

Side-oats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) takes its name from its peculiar inflorescence. It grows a stalk varying in length from 3 to 16 inches and tending to zigzag. Somewhere between 12 and 60 very short branches grow from this stalk, dangling to one side. Each branch has three to eight spikelets resembling oat seeds, especially as […]

Filed Under: The Sunflower State Tagged With: Lawns, Livestock, Nature, Ornamental Plants, Pastures, Stewardship

Eastern Gamagrass

September 12, 2018 by hsotr

Eastern Gamagrass

Eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) is a tall bunchgrass species that ranges from four to eight feet in height. It forms clumps one to four feet across and connected with tough, knotty rhizomes. The plants have roots that extend as far as 20 feet below the surface of the ground, and they are further anchored by […]

Filed Under: The Sunflower State Tagged With: Lawns, Livestock, Nature, Ornamental Plants, Pastures, Stewardship

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 5
  • Go to Next Page »

Before Footer

Footer

Stay Posted

Enter your email address to receive new posts via email.

Topics

Animal Health Birdwatching Books Breeding Cattle Dairy Dogs Draft Animals Enterprises Faith Family Field Crops Food Fruit Goats Health & Fitness History Horses Insect Pests Links Livestock Marketing Music Native Americans Nature Nutrition Ornamental Plants Outdoors Pastures Pets Planning Plant Health Poultry Quotes Scripture Passages Sheep Small-Scale Farming Soil Stewardship Supplies The West Travel Vegetables Water Weather

More Resources

  • Our Books
  • Our Guides
  • Our Newsletters
  • Quick Start Pages
  • The Gallery
  • The Homestead Bookshelf
  • Your Path to Abundant Living in Flyover Country

Affiliate Disclosure

Throughout this site you will find affiliate links to items that we have read or used and highly recommend. If you decide to use the links to make a purchase, please be aware that we will receive a small compensation. For more information, please read our affiliate disclosure. Thank you!

  • About
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Use
  • Updates

Copyright © 2013–2021 All rights reserved. No content on this site may be reproduced in any way without prior written permission. By using this site you are agreeing to our terms of use.