Good Earth Plant Company Tips

The horticultural experts at Good Earth Plant Company have years of experience caring for plants and creating exceptional designs to enrich peoples’ lives with plants. Our experts generously share their advice with readers who want to improve their plant care methods to be more successful in helping their plants thrive and stay healthy.

Our website contains an extensive FAQ or Frequently Asked Questions section. The most common questions asked by clients are included in each section.  If you don’t see your question answered, we invite you to contact us.

News From Good Earth Plant Company: January 2015 Newsletter

Good Earth Plant Company Leaflet Newsletter
Click here to read the January 2015 edition of the Good Earth Plant Company Leaflet newsletter. Highlights this issue include: Read about our latest activities in the President’s Letter Learn about our latest featured projects See photos of living walls in Shanghai, China Check our Calendar for fun, informative green themed events in San Diego Get our newsletter delivered right to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter email list. Visit the home page of our website and scroll to the end of the page to provide us your email address.

Resolve to Recycle More Than Just Your Christmas Tree

With the holidays in the rear view mirror, you should have your previously living cut Christmas tree down by now and out of the house. But the job isn’t finished until you make sure to recycle the tree. The easiest thing to do for most households in San Diego is to put it out for collection with your regular greenery pickup. If you don’t have greenery pickup, there are 16 drop-off locations available. The City of San Diego will accept your tree through January 23 by either method. After January 23, the Miramar Landfill Greenery will take it year-round, along with any other vegetation for recycling.… Read More

Caring for a Christmas Tree: Debunking the Myths

During the holiday season, we want to keep our Christmas trees looking green and lively to enjoy as long and as safely as possible. There are many myths circulating with tips on how to care for your Christmas tree. Which ones really work? Count on Good Earth Plant Company to tell you the truth about what works and what doesn’t. Myth 1: Put an aspirin in the water because it helps the tree live longer. Myth 2: Sugar in the water is good for the tree. Myth 3: Let the tree sit outside in a bucket of water for 24 hours before setting it up in your house.… Read More

Naughty or Nice: Good Earth Plants Gets Into The Christmas Tree Debate

A Christmas tree farm in Iowa. Photo: WIkipedia
The debate about real versus artificial Christmas trees used to be all about authenticity versus convenience. But these days, it’s also about which tree is truly the most earth friendly. The debate rages on, starting up every year about this time. It never seems to be settled, because both options have their naughty and their nice aspects. Believe it or not, the first artificial Christmas trees were made from toilet brush bristles in the 1930s by the Addis Brush Company, true – and eww! But don’t worry, most of today’s trees are made from metal and PVC, a petroleum based plastic product.… Read More

Ten Tips for an Eco-Friendly Thanksgiving Dinner

This turkey looks ready for a green Thanksgiving! How about you?
Use reusable plates, glasses and napkins. Yes, get out the good china, and skip the paper or (yikes) Styrofoam plates. Even when you account for original production of ceramics and using water to clean the plates you come out ahead here. Use local and organic foods as much as possible. See what your local farmer’s market has to offer the week before Thanksgiving and get creative. Organic food is chemical-free, and promote biodiversity and better soil quality. Compost your scraps. The average American family wastes 600 pound of uneaten food every year. The least you can do is start a compost bin and make your scraps useful and your plants happy.… Read More

Let Your Indoor Plants Chill Out This Winter

When you reposition plants to get the most winter light, it also helps to be sure your windows are nice and clean. Photo: Flickr/FD Richards
You might look outside at San Diego’s weather and find this hard to believe, but it really is fall, and winter is right around the corner. You can feel it when you get up on these cool early mornings. Maybe you’re wearing socks along with your flip flops, our way of bundling up in Southern California. (Not a good look, but that is another column). While you may not feel the change of seasons, your indoor plants do. They thrive in the spring and summer just like their outdoor counterparts. And just like your outdoor plants, they need some special care during the cooler months of the year, even if they aren’t so cool in San Diego.… Read More

Tips for Preventing The Time Change From Affecting Your Health

Don't forget to "fall back" this weekend on Saturday, Nov. 1.
This weekend we change our clocks from Daylight Time to Standard Time in the U.S. and Canada (unless you’re reading this from Arizona, Hawaii, four U.S. territorial islands or a few small spots north of the border). Before going to bed on Saturday, November 1, turn your clocks BACK one hour. You’re welcome. Our public service announcement for the week is concluded. Now for our safety message: Next week, be extra careful commuting, especially driving home. The transition to standard time increases motor vehicle accidents, especially fatal accidents and pedestrian vs. car accidents. It is estimated that sticking with daylight time year-round would prevent 195 deaths from car accidents, and another 171 pedestrian fatalities.… Read More

Halloween Décor, The Green Way

Halloween is just weeks away and it is time to decorate. If you want more than just a pumpkin and some spider webs in your office, what better to add than a few Halloween themed plants? Good Earth Plants employee and Eco-Warrior Alexa McEntarffer has her black lily on her desk. Check it out. Very creative! What decorations do you have? If you are one of our Good Earth Plant clients who receive our exceptional plant service, or if you’re maintaining your own plants, when decorating keep the fake cobwebs off your plants. It can harm the plants and be hard to remove.… Read More

Tips From Good Earth Plants To Keep Your Plants Healthy This Fall

Fall leaves remind us of nature’s cycles—letting go, embracing change, and making space for new growth
Earlier this week it officially became Fall 2014, although with our recent warm weather it may be hard to believe.  Good Earth Plants wants to make sure you have the knowledge to tend your plants properly throughout the fall season. We know in the fall leaves change colors on the trees, and the weather cools down. How does this affect our indoor plants – or does it? Yes, our indoor plants react to the change of seasons, too. During the cooler seasons, there are fewer hours of daylight and the sun is farther away from Earth in the Northern Hemisphere. With less sun shining, we tend to leave our windows closed and turn up the heat.… Read More

Going Gray(Water) The Safe Way

living wall
In a previous blog post, Good Earth Plant Company shared some of our best tips on how to conserve water while keeping your plants healthy. Landscape irrigation has the highest use of water in the average household. Watering your plants efficiently is a great start to reach the goal to reduce our water use by 20% by 2020. However, this alone is not enough. Good Earth Plants can help you take the next step to effectively conserve water by using gray water systems. Gray water systems are used to recycle water already used once in your shower and laundry water for the purpose of watering your garden.… Read More