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Anyone with apple trees in a home garden needs to learn about cankers in apple trees. Read on for information on apple cankers and tips for apple canker control. Reasons for Apple Cankers Think of canker in apple trees as evidence of tree injury. The reasons for these cankers are many and varied. Cankers can be caused by fungi or bacteria that attack the trunk or branches. Injury from extremely hot or cold weather, hail, or a pruning cut can also result in cankers....

Trees Hit By Lightning Lightning damage in trees is instantaneous. When lightning strikes, it turns the liquids inside the tree to gas instantly, and the tree bark explodes. Some 50% of trees hit by lightning die immediately. Some of the others become weakened and susceptible to disease. Not all trees have an equal chance of getting hit. These species are commonly hit by lightning: Oak Pine Gum Poplar Maple Birch and beech rarely get hit and, because of that, suffer little lightning-struck tree damage....

Baby’s Breath Cutting Propagation Fill a container with good quality commercial potting mix. Water well and set the pot aside to drain until the potting mix is moist but not dripping. Taking Gypsophila cuttings is simple. Select several healthy baby’s breath stems. Cuttings from baby’s breath should each be about 3 to 5 inches (8-13 cm.) in length. You can plant several stems, but be sure they aren’t touching. Dip the cut end of the stems into rooting hormone, then plant the stems in the moist potting mix with about 2 inches (5 cm....

When to Harvest Grain Learning how to harvest grains is crucial for the small farmer. Each type of grain will ripen at a slightly different time, so you need to know how to recognize ripe seeds and then step into the world of reaping. If you are lucky, you will have a small combine and the grain harvest is a breeze. The rest of us will have to do it the old-fashioned way....

How to Make an Outdoor Kitchen If you live in a warm region, you probably spend as much time outdoors as possible. Cooking outside avoids heating up the home interior. Even northern cooks like to spend spring and summer outside. With heaters, fireplaces, and misters for hot zones, any outdoor space can be comfortable enough to entertain and have guests for dinner. First, you must build the perfect backyard kitchen. Dream of an outdoor kitchen?...

Plants for Balcony Vegetable Gardening Almost any vegetable plant you can think of to grow in a backyard garden will also thrive in your balcony vegetable garden under the right conditions, including: TomatoesEggplantPeppersGreen onionsRadishesBeans These can all grow in containers, as can many herbs, and actually do quite well. Container gardening is becoming quite popular in balcony gardens. You can choose any type of container for growing a vegetable garden on a balcony....

Reasons for Basil Leaves Curling Up Generally, growing basil in the garden is easy and stress-free. That being said, problems can and do arise. Basil leaf curl treatment is dependent on the specific factor causing it. Here are the most common stressors leading to curling basil leaves. Sunlight – Basil is definitely a sun-loving plant and exposure to less than six hours of bright light per day may result in distorted foliage or basil leaves small and curled....

Do I Need to Prune a Begonia? Pruning a begonia plant depends on different factors. For instance, how and when to prune a begonia plant depends on your location, as well as which type of begonia you have. In warm, frost-free climates, begonias can grow outdoors as perennials and certain types may even bloom all year. In cool climates with frost and snow in winter, begonias need to be discarded or brought indoors to a sheltered location when temperatures begin to dip below 50 degrees F....

Reasons to Plant Garlic: Benefits of Homegrown Garlic • Garlic is one of the easiest plants you can grow and actually seems to thrive on neglect. Basically, you just plant the cloves in the soil, cover them with straw or grass clippings, then sit back and wait for spring. • Garlic plant uses included a nearly endless list of health benefits. Garlic has more allicin, a compound that makes garlic so healthy, along with plenty of antibacterial, anti-oxidant, and anti-fungal properties....

Bigleaf Lupine Information What is a bigleaf lupine plant? Bigleaf lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus) is a member of the Lupinus genus. It sometimes also goes by the name garden lupin, Russell lupin, and marsh lupine. It is native to North America, although its exact origins are unclear. Today, it ranges across the continent in USDA zones 4 through 8. The bigleaf lupine plant tends to reach a mature height of 3 to 4 feet (1 m....

Bird’s Nest Orchid Growing Conditions Bird’s nest orchid wildflowers contain almost no chlorophyll and are unable to produce any energy from the sunlight. In order to survive, the orchid must depend on mushrooms throughout its entire lifecycle. The orchid’s roots are connected to the mushroom, which breaks down organic material into nutrition that sustains the orchid. Scientists aren’t sure if the mushroom gets anything from the orchid in return, which means that the orchid may be a parasite....

What is a Black Locust Tree? Black locust is a member of the legume family, so it’s not surprising that the flowers closely resemble sweet peas. After the flowers fade, 2- to 4-inch (5 to 10 cm.) pea pods take their place. Each pod contains four to eight seeds. The seeds are difficult to germinate because of their hard coats. Like other members of the legume family, black locust captures nitrogen from the air and enriches the soil as it grows....

What is Bluebunch Wheatgrass? Bluebunch wheatgrass is a perennial native grass that attains a height of between 1 and 2.5 feet (31-76 cm.). Agropyron spicatum grows well in a variety of habits but is most commonly found in well-drained, medium to coarse soil. It has a deep, fibrous root structure that makes it well adapted to drought conditions. In fact, bluebunch wheatgrass will flourish with only an annual rainfall of between 12 and 14 inches (31-36 cm....

Bristlecone Pine Information Remarkable bristlecone pine trees grow in the mountains in the west. You’ll find them in New Mexico and Colorado, and across to the California-Nevada border. They grow in rocky, dry sites where conditions simply do not permit fast growth. And, in fact, they grow very slowly. A typical 14-year-old bristlecone pine tree growing in the wild is only about 4 feet (1.2 m.) tall. Bristlecone pine trees cannot be called classically beautiful, with their gnarled, twisted trunks, but they are certainly picturesque....

Apple Tree Burr Knots Burr knots on apple trees are particularly common on some apple varieties, especially early “June” cultivars. Apple tree burr knots (also spelled burrknots) are clumps of twisted or knobby growths on apple tree branches, usually when they are three years old or older. This occurrence increases on dwarf rootstocks. The outgrowths can produce both shoots and roots, so if you want to start another tree, you need only prune the affected branch from the mother and plant it....

Hedychium Ginger Lily Info Tropical plants in the garden or in containers bring to mind snowy white beaches, dense, lush rainforests, and exotic sights and scents. Hedychium is a tropical plant that is hardy in the United States Department of Agriculture zones 8 to 11. For northern gardeners, butterfly ginger plants can be grown in containers and brought indoors for the cool seasons. This is a true ginger in the Zingerberaceae family, but the rhizomes are not the source of the culinary spice, ginger....

Growing White Button Mushrooms Growing white button mushrooms doesn’t require sunlight, which is especially nice for the indoor gardener whose windows are full up with plants. They can also be grown at any time of year, with winter actually preferable, making for a great gardening opportunity when everything outside is cold and bleak. Growing white button mushrooms takes spores, tiny microscopic things that will grow into mushrooms. You can buy mushroom growing kits made up of organic material inoculated with these mushrooms spores....

Cabbage Fertilizer Basics Enriching garden soil with organic compost is one of the best ways to supply the nutrients necessary for feeding cabbage plants. When using homemade compost, incorporate 2 to 4 inches (5-10 cm.) of compost into the garden soil in late fall or early winter. This gives the compost time to fully decay, so the valuable nutrients are ready for the plants in the spring. In lieu of using compost for feeding cabbage plants, chemical fertilizer can be added to the garden soil....

Care for Pinstripe Plants Calathea ornata likes bright, indirect light. Be careful to avoid too much direct sun; otherwise, the leaves can fade or even burn. This plant has adapted to grow in dimmer, humid environments, so choose a spot that is well lit, but with little to no direct sun. As far as soil goes for the pinstripe plant inside, choose a peat-based mix. A simple mixture would be two parts peat moss to one part perlite....

What is Flaxseed? Exactly what is flaxseed and why is it so important? Flaxseed, rich in fiber and Omega-3 fatty acids, is considered by many to be a wonder food that may reduce the risk of serious health problems, including diabetes, liver disease, cancer, stroke, heart disease, and depression. Your next question may be, “Can I grow flaxseed in my garden?”. Growing your own flaxseed isn’t difficult, and the beauty of the plant is an added bonus....