https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/reading-your-guaranteed-analysis-label 2026-10-27T19:50:50-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/rla-article-guaranteed-analysis-label.jpg?v=1792621672 Reading Your Guaranteed Analysis Label A glass lens resting on a sunlit leaf, magnifying its veins https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/how-feed-strength-moves-through-a-grow-cycle 2026-10-27T19:50:50-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/rla-article-feed-strength.jpg?v=1792621677 How Feed Strength Moves Through a Grow Cycle Three tomato plants in clay pots at the seedling, vegetative and early flower stages https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/what-are-carbon-based-fertilizers 2026-10-27T19:50:51-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/rla-article-carbon-fertilizers.jpg?v=1792621684 What are carbon based fertilizers? Leaf cells under a light microscope, packed with green chloroplasts https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/what-you-grow-for-is-almost-entirely-carbon 2026-10-27T19:50:52-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/rla-cluster-tomato.webp?v=1786627576 What you grow for is almost entirely carbon A backlit truss of ripe cherry tomatoes on the vine https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/orange-peels-a-forest-reborn 2026-10-27T19:50:33-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/rla-article-orange-forest-reborn.jpg?v=1793051755 Orange Peels. A Forest Reborn. A young seedling growing from an empty orange peel on a sunlit tropical forest floor https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/a-pretty-sweet-secret-about-stevia 2026-10-27T19:50:34-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/stevia-1-wide-a.jpg?v=1793068714 A Pretty Sweet Secret About Stevia Turmeric clumped and cloudy in one beaker of water beside a clear golden solution in another, with a sprig of stevia and fresh turmeric root https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/color-with-a-sixth-sense 2026-10-27T19:50:34-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/hibiscus-1.jpg?v=1793065869 Color With a Sixth Sense A salmon fillet under a packaging film that shifts from red to green, with dried roselle calyces https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/safflowers-golden-touch 2026-10-27T19:50:35-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/safflower-1.jpg?v=1793065875 Safflower’s Golden Touch Five glass vials shading from pale yellow to deep brown beside fresh safflower flowers https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/berry-color-solar-power 2026-10-27T19:50:36-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/aronia-1.jpg?v=1793065851 Berry Color. Solar Power. A test solar cell stained deep purple with berry dye beside a cluster of near-black aronia berries https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/signals-from-the-smoke 2026-10-27T19:50:36-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/lavender-1.jpg?v=1793065857 Signals from the Smoke Lavender seeds sprouting in a glass dish under a wisp of smoke, with sprigs of Spanish lavender https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/juniper-in-the-navys-fuel-lab 2026-10-27T19:50:37-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/juniper-1.jpg?v=1793065863 Juniper in the Navy’s Fuel Lab A flask of cedarwood oil on a laboratory hot plate beside a redcedar log and juniper, a jet aircraft outside the window https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/aloe-joins-the-circuit 2026-10-27T19:50:38-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/aloe-1.jpg?v=1793065881 Aloe Joins the Circuit A bead of aloe vera gel on a clear test strip with gold electrodes, beside a cut aloe leaf https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/sage-at-the-roots-of-western-medicine 2026-10-27T19:50:38-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/sage-1.jpg?v=1793065887 Sage at the Roots of Western Medicine Common sage in bloom in a stone-walled monastery garden above the sea on the southern Italian coast https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/artichokes-organized-crime 2026-10-27T19:50:39-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/artichoke-1.jpg?v=1793065906 Artichokes & Organized Crime Crates of baby artichokes on a 1930s truck at a New York market, a brass trumpet resting on one crate https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/bats-blossoms-tequila 2026-10-27T19:50:39-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/agave-1.jpg?v=1793065912 Bats, Blossoms & Tequila A nectar bat feeding at the yellow flowers of an agave stalk against a twilight sky https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/money-really-did-grow-on-trees 2026-10-27T19:50:40-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/cacao-1.jpg?v=1793065894 Money Really Did Grow on Trees Dried cacao beans counted into small piles on a woven mat beside an open cacao pod https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/the-sweet-root-that-fought-fire 2026-10-27T19:50:41-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/licorice-1.jpg?v=1793065900 The Sweet Root That Fought Fire An antique brass hand fire extinguisher beside dried licorice roots and a beaker of white foam https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/stone-age-gum-spills-its-secrets 2026-10-27T19:50:41-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/birch-1.jpg?v=1793065918 Stone Age Gum Spills Its Secrets A chewed lump of birch pitch with tooth marks on birch bark by a lake, with hazelnuts https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/perfume-with-a-secret-message 2026-10-27T19:50:42-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/jasmine-1.jpg?v=1793065925 Perfume With a Secret Message Spanish jasmine flowers beside a sealed glass chamber holding a young tomato plant https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/moringas-sulfur-switch 2026-10-26T20:20:57-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/moringa-2.jpg?v=1793071257 Moringa’s Sulfur Switch Fresh moringa leaflets on their branching stalk in sunlight, one leaflet torn across with beads of sap at the broken edge https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/a-fruit-with-a-higher-calling 2026-10-27T19:50:43-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/amla-3-wide-b.jpg?v=1793071333 A Fruit With a Higher Calling The carved sandstone tower of the Lakshmana Temple at Khajuraho, crowned by its amalaka, with a branch of pale green amla fruits in front https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/soil-soilless-mix-or-hydroponics 2026-11-03T06:52:58-08:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/start-here-soil-soilless-mix-or-hydroponics-v2.jpg?v=1793717578 Soil, soilless mix or hydroponics: which should you start with? Two magnified views of the pores between soil grains around a root. In the good one the pores hold both air and water and the extra water drains away. In the bad one the pores are flooded and drainage is blocked. https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/temperature-humidity-and-airflow 2026-11-03T06:53:04-08:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/start-here-temperature-humidity-and-airflow-v2.jpg?v=1793717584 Temperature, humidity and airflow: what to measure and what to aim for A cross-section of a grow tent with three potted plants under a lamp, showing fresh air coming in low through an intake, leaving high through an exhaust, a circulation fan moving air over the plants, and a thermometer and hygrometer at canopy height. https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/starting-seeds-and-moving-seedlings-outdoors 2026-11-03T06:53:09-08:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/start-here-starting-seeds-and-moving-seedlings-outdoors-v2.jpg?v=1793717589 Starting seeds and moving seedlings outdoors: a beginner's timeline A cabbage seedling at three stages: two smooth seed leaves, then its first true leaves, then being lifted by a leaf, not the stem, into a pot 1 to 2 inches wider than its cell. https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/light-basics 2026-11-03T06:53:14-08:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/start-here-light-basics-v2.jpg?v=1793717594 Light basics: intensity, daily light and day length Three 24-hour day and night strips comparing a short-day plant, a long-day plant and a day-neutral plant, each ending in a flowering plant. https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/what-every-plant-needs 2026-11-03T06:53:20-08:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/start-here-what-every-plant-needs-v2.jpg?v=1793717600 What every plant needs: plan your first grow A plant drawn in cross-section with its leaves in light and its roots in soil, showing photosynthesis in the upper leaves and respiration in the leaves and roots day and night. https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/watering-when-and-how-much 2026-11-03T06:53:25-08:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/start-here-watering-when-and-how-much-v2.jpg?v=1793717605 Watering: how to tell when a plant needs water and how much to give A pot cut in half to show the mix, with a finger pushed about two inches in to check moisture, a plant above it, a saucer below and a bar comparing the pot's weight with last time. https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/the-essential-nutrients 2026-11-03T06:53:31-08:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/start-here-the-essential-nutrients-v2.jpg?v=1793717611 The essential nutrients: what each one does A potted plant with arrows showing mobile nutrients N, P, K and Mg moving from older leaves up to new growth, while Ca and Fe are hard to move and stay behind. https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/ph-and-what-roots-can-reach 2026-11-03T06:53:36-08:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/start-here-ph-and-what-roots-can-reach-v2.jpg?v=1793717616 pH: why it decides what roots can reach Acidity shown as dots: pH 7 is one dot, pH 6 is ten dots and pH 5 is a hundred dots, because each whole pH unit down is ten times more acidic. https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/ec-ppm-and-meters 2026-11-03T06:53:41-08:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/start-here-ec-ppm-and-meters-v2.jpg?v=1793717621 EC and ppm, and how to use pH and EC meters An EC meter dipped in a beaker of nutrient solution with charged ions, reading 1,200 ppm on the 500 scale for a liquid at EC 2.4 mS/cm. https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/your-first-feeding-plan 2026-11-03T06:53:47-08:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/start-here-your-first-feeding-plan-v2.jpg?v=1793717627 Your first feeding plan (including organic versus synthetic) Mixing a two-part feed: Part A and Part B each pour from their own jug into a tank of water, and a crossed-out arrow warns never to pour one concentrate into the other. https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/reading-your-plant 2026-11-03T06:53:52-08:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/start-here-reading-your-plant-v2.jpg?v=1793717632 Reading your plant: symptoms, records and next steps A funnel that narrows from site to plant to leaf to roots, with a notebook of the plant's history feeding in and an arrow leading out to the next step. https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/pests-and-diseases-first-response 2026-11-03T06:53:57-08:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/start-here-pests-and-diseases-first-response-v2.jpg?v=1793717637 Common pests and diseases: prevention and first response A scouting circuit around a potted plant with four numbered checks: leaf undersides under a hand lens, the growing tip, a yellow sticky card and the roots. https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/teas-plasma-plot-twist 2026-10-27T19:50:43-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/tea-plasma-1.jpg?v=1793133756 Tea's Plasma Plot Twist Fresh tea leaves and a bundle of pruned tea twigs on a laboratory bench beside an arc-plasma chamber glowing violet, with a glass dish of black activated carbon granules https://rootedleaf.com/blogs/blog/lavenders-hidden-laboratories 2026-10-27T14:13:38-07:00 weekly https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0754/7034/0267/articles/lavender-glands-2.jpg?v=1793133763 Lavender's Hidden Laboratories A magnified lavender oil gland on the calyx surface: a golden pool of oil held under a clear cuticle dome, above a row of secretory cells on a short stalk