How to Grow Plants & Flowers: Video Series

Chestnut trees can be started by the nuts or by a root. Plant them in full, hot sun using organic compost or potting soil. Harvest chestnuts from the tree when the branches are full of just barely cracked open chestnuts with insight from a sustainable gardener in this free video on trees.

Desert rose is the name of several plants, including the portulaca and the adenium, which are both succulents. Provide full, hot sun and good drainage when growing desert roses with advice from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

Grow aloe vera plants by providing full sun, a warm climate, good drainage and sand or gravel mixed with compost as the growing material. Use aloe vera plants to heal wounds and burns with information from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

The two main types of bamboo plants are clumping bamboo, which grows tall very quickly and doesn't get out of control, and running bamboo, which is shorter and tends to take over whole neighborhoods if not kept in check. Discover how lucky bamboo house plants are not really bamboo at all with information from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

Plants tend to grow better with regular water over distilled water because regular has more minerals that are necessary for healthy growth. Let the chlorine dissipate from tap water before using it to water plants with advice from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

To grow bamboo from seeds, start the seed in a pot or in the ground in the spring or fall, and treat the seed like any other grass seed. Consider starting bamboo plants from a piece of root and stem to start a good root system with help from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

Growing regular bamboo plants in water containers is not generally successful, but lucky bamboo, which is actually dracaena, will do very well in water containers with just a few rocks. Grow lucky bamboo in water with partial sunlight with advice from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

Grow orchids in a pot by recreating the natural environment using bark as a base and allowing the plant to dry out between watering. Give potted orchids good drainage opportunities to avoid rot with instructions from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

To harvest asparagus, allow it to grow for three years, look for thick, lush asparagus stems, and cut the plant back to the ground during the harvest. Find out how asparagus can be harvested for up to 20 years if the plants are left alone for the first three years with information from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

Figs can be harvested twice a year, once in early summer and again at the end of the summer. They are ready for harvest once the first fig drops off of the tree. Get larger, sweeter figs on the second harvest with advice from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

Transplant stargazer lilies when they are not blooming at the end of summer or during the fall and winter by digging up the bulbs as a clump of roots and separating them. Replant stargazer lily bulbs in groups of three about 3 or 4 inches deep with advice from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

To care for indoor jade plants, keep them very dry, give them small amounts of water, and put them in bright, sunny windows. Get jade plants to blood by keeping them in a dark room for a month and then switching them to a sunny area with instructions from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

Care for indoor plants by providing at least some natural or artificial light, avoiding letting the plant sit in water and using good organic material with bark at the bottom of the pot for drainage. Allow house plants to dry out between watering with advice from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

Care for ivy by providing full hot sun, good drainage and not too much water. Avoid putting ivy plants up against permanent structures that could be damaged by ivy growth. Keep ivy in baskets or containers with advice from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

To grow and tend grapevines, provide something for the vine to latch onto, cut back side shoots that develop, and thin out the vines every year so the plant concentrates its energy on the main branches. Allow a grapevine to grow for several years before it produces quality fruit with tips from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

Growing a braided money tree requires keeping the plant warm, providing partial sunlight, keeping the soil wet, but not sitting in water, and trimming dead leaves occasionally. Give a braided money tree as a give to represent luck and fortune with advice from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

Grow almonds in dry climates, keeping the temperature above freezing and allowing the plant to dry out between watering. Start almond plants from a graft or from the almond itself with help from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

To grow an avocado tree from a seed, gently insert toothpicks on three sides of the avocado pit, place it in a cup of water so that the bottom of the pit is sitting in water, and wait for roots to develop. Transfer the rooted avocado pit to a pot with soil and gravel using instructions from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

Grow castor bean plants, or ricinus communis, by placing them in full, hot sun, giving them good drainage, keep the temperature warm and using organic growing material. Use caution with using and eating parts of the castor bean plant, as they could be poisonous, with information from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

Growing cotton requires full, hot sun, good drainage, quality organic growing material and warm climates. Provide an area with space for cotton plants to grow that has high levels of humidity with advice from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

Growing edible flowers requires the same care as normal flowers, but special attention should be paid to avoid using any chemicals that might harm people if the flowers are eaten. Research which types of plants and flowers are edible with help from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

Growing gerbera daisies is easiest if they are started with the seed in a pot indoors and then transplanted outside once the temperature is at least 70 degrees everyday. Cut gerbera daisies down once they have bloomed with advice from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

Growing grass hay requires a large area of land, full sun, good drainage and good composted material. Start grass hay from seeds every spring for harvest in the fall. Get more information on growing grass hay to use for horses or cows from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

To grow peanuts, plant fresh peanuts that have not been roasted, start the planting in the spring, allow the plant to dry out during the summer, and dig up the peanuts in the fall. Look for the plant leaves to start yellowing in order to know when the peanuts are ready with information from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.

Growing poppy plants requires planting the seeds in the spring, finding a really sunny spot for planting, using good composted material and allowing the plants to dry out between watering. Learn how many poppy plants will reseed themselves in the fall with information from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening.