Kevin Gustina
I have a life-long interest in plants and botany. As an avid gardener, I’m the go-to person for family and friends whenever they need help with their plants. While not a professional horticulturalist, I do enjoy volunteering with my neighborhood association, helping with beautification days and taking care of street corner planters.
Our home landscaping is another source of my gardening experience and passion. In 2007, we won the area’s “Best Hardscape” award. It was for a rock garden I built several years ago, after personally hauling each and every rock from a stream on my step-dad’s property. While we have a small, city yard, it barely looks anything like it did when we moved in.
I am quite a fanatic when it comes to horticulture and botany. I have a few rare, difficult to care for houseplants which I tend to along with the wide variety of annuals and perennials throughout our property. Both my wife and I practice organic gardening and also compost in bins that I built.
Recently, I have become interested in ethnobotany and the chemistry behind it. These years of personal study, combined with professional concentration in chemistry, give me a good understanding of this area. While most of my knowledge gained on growing ethnobotanicals starts as research and interviews with other growers, it has all been verified with my own personal experience.
If I had to name a particular area of expertise, it's in propagating plants of any kind. Some people call it "guerilla ecology." I like to think of it as giving plants their freedom. After all, I've never met a plant I couldn't clone.
Latest Articles
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Growing the Shield Aralia
The Shield Aralia is an unusual, slow growing miniature tree perfect for warm indoor environments.
Feb 4, 2009
- Kevin Gustina
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A Review of Psychedelic Research
Clinical trials are underway to gain an understanding into the use of psychedelic drugs for medical purposes such as migraines, PTSD, and addiction interruption.
Feb 4, 2009
- Kevin Gustina
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Ibogaine for Use in Addiction Recovery
This little known medicine has been sidelined in the United States as a treatment for addictions. In countries where it can be used, the results have been promising.
Jan 26, 2009
- Kevin Gustina
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Dining Out With a Milk Allergy
Some people with severe milk allergies may find it difficult to try new restaurants for fear of having a reaction. Here are some ways to stay safe in a new environment.
Jan 26, 2009
- Kevin Gustina
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The New ADA Amendment Act
The updated Americans with Disabilities Act, known as the ADA Amendment Act (ADAAA), offers new regulations in opposition to recent court decisions.
Jan 26, 2009
- Kevin Gustina
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Uses of and How to Grow the Toad Tree
This deciduous ethnobotanical tree from Africa is easy to cultivate and contains a number of beneficial medicinal compounds.
Nov 29, 2008
- Kevin Gustina
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Facts About Socialism
Some common topics with regard to socialism and how they may be applied to a future society.
Nov 21, 2008
- Kevin Gustina
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What is Socialism?
There was a great deal of discussion about socialism during the 2008 presidential election season. Here is a short explanation of what socialism actually is.
Nov 8, 2008
- Kevin Gustina
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Medicinal Garden Plants
Many prescriptions today are derived from plants that have been cultivated for centuries because of the medicine they contain.
Oct 30, 2008
- Kevin Gustina
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Pothos as a Teaching Plant
For the person who has never cultivated a houseplant before, the pothos becomes a "gateway plant" to growing other houseplants.
Oct 2, 2008
- Kevin Gustina
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