Posts

Naranjilla Propagation It is not difficult to propagate this plant, but be prepared with long sleeves and heavy gloves, as the spiny leaves can be painful. Or look for the spineless types, not as readily available, but sometimes sold in exotic nurseries. How to Propagate Naranjilla Seed Most grow little orange from seeds. Seeds must be washed, air dried, and treated with a powdered fungicide. This helps to somewhat decrease the root-knot nematodes that occasionally plaque the plant....

Preparing Rose of Sharon for Winter While generally we are not thinking about winter in July, it’s important to know not to fertilize these shrubs after this month. Fertilizing too late in summer can cause tender new growth to grow, which can be damaged by frost later. It also wastes the plant’s energy on this new growth, when it should be putting energy into developing strong roots that can withstand the winter chill....

The graceful skeleton of the tree is accented by light trimming over the first few years of the tree’s life. Learn how to prune a Japanese maple to enhance the attractive form of this beautiful tree. Japanese Maple Care and Pruning Japanese maples are deciduous trees that are used as ornamental shade specimens. Plants that are in light shade and protected from severe winds will need little supplemental care once established....

Pseudobulb in Orchids Orchids with pseudobulbs, which are a good number of the most common orchids grown in homes, may include: Cattleya Dendrobium Epidendrum Laelia Oncidium Pseudobulb in orchids grow from a horizontal stem that grows underneath the planting medium. These stems travel underground and the pseudobulbs pop up along the length. Each pseudobulb has the potential to eventually sprout into a new plant, so the potential for successful propagation is very high....

Do Garden Hoses Need to be Filtered? Studies have shown over 2,000 chemicals are found in municipal U.S. water supplies. Most of these are benign, although a few do have some health implications and can even affect plants. This raises the question, “do garden hoses need to be filtered?” That depends on the use you have for the water and what your city puts into the supply. In some regions, chemicals, like chlorine, are added to the local water....

Reasons and Fixes for Yellow Squash Leaves Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but chances are, if your squash plant leaves are turning yellow, something is wrong. The hard part is figuring out exactly what. The leaves on a squash plant will start to turn yellow any time the plant is stressed. Below, I have listed a few reasons why a squash plant may be stressed. Lack of Water While squash plants are pretty hardy plants, as far as vegetable plants go, they do need about 2 inches (5 cm....

Reproducing Bulbs with Shoots Growing from Offsets Bulbs produce bulbils and bulb offsets as easy propagation parts. You need to know what to do with offsets to increase your stock of favorites. The shoots growing from offsets will tell you when it is time to divide and remove the new baby bulbs. You can wait until the shoots coming from a bulb die back to divide or take the offsets when the leaves are still green....

Recognizing Peony Leaf Blotch Peony leaf blotch is also commonly known as peony red spot or peony measles. It is a fungal disease caused by Cladosporium paeoniae. Symptoms on peonies with measles include red to purple spots on the upper sides of peony foliage, brown spots on the undersides of leaves, and red to purple streaks on stems. These spots usually appear during the bloom period and will progress for the rest of the growing season....

Can You Compost Rhubarb Leaves? Rhubarb resides in the genus Rheum, in the family Polygonaceae, and is an herbaceous perennial plant that grows from short, thick rhizomes. It is easily identified by its large, triangular leaves and long, fleshy petioles or stalks that are green at first, gradually turning a striking red in color. Rhubarb is actually a vegetable that is primarily grown and used as a fruit in pies, sauces, and other desserts....

Rockery Garden Design Many gardeners prefer to construct a rockery in autumn, and then plant it in spring so the roots have time to establish before hot weather. You need several large rocks to serve as anchors for your rockery. Collect the rocks yourself, or purchase them from a rock dealer, quarry, or landscape company. If possible, use interestingly shaped rocks that are native to your area. Rocks with lichens or moss add texture, color, and a feeling of permanence....

What Causes Sago Palm Root Rot Problems? Most sago palm rot comes from the fungal pathogen Phytophthora, which can infect any part of the plant. These harmful fungal spores are usually spread via water, insects, tools that have not been cleaned between use, and infected plants rubbing against other plants. Sago palm root rot can also be caused by soil or mulch being piled up on the root crown or soil that does not drain properly....

What is a Root Cellar? Before the widespread use of refrigeration, root cellars were the primary method of storing food for the winter. Often located underground, the various root cellar designs had one thing in common – the ability to hold produce at a desired temperature and humidity without the use of electricity. The desire to reduce one’s carbon footprint has created renewed interest in the benefits of root cellar storage....

Dividing plants is a common method of plant propagation that most gardeners are familiar with. Yet, not all plants can be divided as simply and successfully as hosta or daylily. Instead, woody shrubs or cane-bearing fruits are multiplied by layering techniques, such as tip layering. Continue reading for tip layering info and instructions on how to tip layer propagate. What is Tip Rooting? Mother Nature gifted many plants with the ability to regenerate when damaged and to multiply on their own....

What is a Salmonberry Bush? Salmonberry plants are native to the Pacific Coast, from Alaska to Northern California. Although they grow primarily in the rainy climate west of the Cascade Mountains, salmonberry bushes are sometimes found as far east as Idaho. Salmonberry plants are members of the Rubus family, along with blackberries, dewberries, and raspberries. Although salmonberries resemble raspberries, they are orange, yellow, or red. The flavor is mildly sweet-tart, which makes them perfect for jams and jellies....

What is a Starfish Sansevieria? Starfish Sansevieria ‘Boncel’ plants are rare but worth searching for. They are a more compact hybrid of Sansevieria cylindrica, or snake plant, a more common succulent. The plant has fan-shaped, light green foliage with dark green concentric circles from the top to the bottom of the leaf. Young “pups” spring from the base of the plant and can be easily transplanted to propagate new plants....

What is Scaling? What is scaling? Scaling plant bulbs is the process of breaking certain bulbs apart into small pieces and rooting the pieces. These pieces, called scales, will grow into full-sized bulbs within a year or two. Propagation Scaling of Bulbs Lily bulbs are a common type of bulb for scaling. Look for bulbs that grow in layers, almost like an onion. You can achieve propagation through the scaling of bulbs in the fall, then after a winter’s sleep in the refrigerator, they will be ready for spring planting....

For many students, school can be a boring but necessary exercise where paying attention and retaining information become a tedious endeavor. When an active teacher decides to teach science through gardening and hands on experience, he/she will find more engaged students with a high voluntary participation rate. Using Gardens to Teach Science Children can learn chemistry through composting, biology through interaction with the organisms they encounter, the quantitative and qualitative processes through planting and managing seeds, ecology as they become part of the environment, life sciences as they watch a seed grow, and meteorology and weather studies through their assessment of the weather and its effects on the garden....

Seed Starting Guide for Zone 9 The last frost date for zone 9 is generally in early February. While USDA growing zones and estimated frost dates are helpful for gardeners, they are merely guidelines based on averages. Gardeners know that when it comes to weather, there are no guarantees. With that in mind, here are a few tips on zone 9 seed planting and when to start seeds in zone 9: The best source of information on seed starting is on the back of the seed packet....

About Sesame Plant Seeds Sesame plant seeds (Sesamum indicum) have been cultivated by ancient cultures for 4,000 years. Many cultures utilized sesame seeds from Egypt to India to China. what is sesame used for? The seeds may be used as is, toasted, or pressed for their prized sesame oil and come in colors from white to black and red to yellow. They have a distinct nutty flavor that’s packed with protein, calcium, antioxidants, dietary fiber, and monounsaturated fatty oils called oleics, which have been shown to lower LDL or “bad” cholesterol....

Do Boxwoods Have a Scent? Some people are reporting that their boxwood has a bad odor. More specifically, people complain about boxwood bushes that smell like cat urine. The English boxwood seems to be the main culprit. To be fair, the odor has also been described as resinous, and a resinous scent certainly isn’t a bad thing. Personally, I have never noticed this smell in any boxwoods nor have any of my clients complained to me about smelly boxwood shrubs....