Brooklyn…Harrisburg...

Port Saint Lucie

It’s true: Joyce is from Brooklyn and I’m from Harrisburg (PA). However, the tree above was just planted today in Port Saint Lucie (FL). A dear friend at church, who is 94 and still a wizard of a landscaper, gave Joyce the tree this morning. He came by me in the media booth afterwards and said “Get your shovel ready!” Then, he proceeded to walk about laughing.

Oh, I know what you’re thinking: “What does this plant story have to do with computing?” Great question and guess what? I have an answer!

It’s been a few years but in my lifetime, I’ve planted my fair share of trees. Fortunately, before I planted our new Poinciana Tree, I decided to look on the Internet for instructions on planting the seedling. Oh, I knew about peat moss and watering but I wasn’t sure about fertilizing at the time of planting. In the past, I remember adding fertilizer when I planted certain trees and I would have done that today, too. But, when I found a “How to” article on the Net, its instructions were to not fertilize for 3 to 6 weeks. Good heavens! I might have killed off our new tree before it even had a chance to get started!

Of course, I took my own advice. You know, the same advice I always give you, the reader. Never take one article, post or comment as gospel. I went ahead and searched other articles and found that pretty much everyone said the same thing: fertilize 3-6 weeks after planting.

Naturally, I found out a lot more about the Poinciana Tree including how much sun and water it likes. That’s an example of another thing I really like about the Internet – you will often gain more knowledge about a subject than you ever thought possible.

The Internet has its dark side (in more ways than one) but if you’re like us, we depend on it for answers – everything from who starred in what TV show or movie to how to plant a Poinciana Tree. The Net is a great learning tool and I hope you’re engaging with it and learning new things every day.