Posts

Problem Insects for Bleeding Heart Below are the three most common pests found on bleeding-hearts: Aphids are one of the most troublesome bleeding-heart pests. Also known as plant lice, aphids are tiny green or black bugs that damage the plant by sucking out the sweet sap. They are usually found en masse on stems or the undersides of leaves. A few aphids don’t cause much trouble, but a heavy infestation can weaken and kill a plant....

Hot Pepper Plant Diseases There are many potential problems with hot pepper plants that you will find are caused by viral, fungal, or bacterial diseases. Several viral diseases affect chili peppers. Signs of a viral infection include leaf curl, mottled coloring on leaves, stunted growth, and dropped flowers. The best way to manage these diseases is to start with virus-resistant varieties. Fungal diseases that affect pepper plants include damping off fungi in seedlings and Phytophthora root rot....

Common Diseases of Spinach Seedlings Several pathogens are known to affect spinach seedlings. Although the sources are different, the result is usually the same– a condition known as either damping off or seedling blight. The symptoms of this condition include the seedling wilting and toppling over, the stem near the soil line becoming watery and girdled, and the roots becoming stunted and blackened. This is if the seedlings even manage to emerge from the ground....

How to Propagate Horse Chestnut Trees In general, horse chestnut propagation is not the simplest task. However, it can be accomplished. The process of propagating horse chestnuts can be done by seed (through conkers) or you can choose to propagate horse chestnut trees through cuttings. Propagating Horse Chestnut Conkers To begin the process of growing new horse chestnuts by seed, growers need to collect the conkers. To collect the seeds, it is best to wait until they have naturally fallen from the tree....

How to Protect Plants from Frost Keeping plants safe in frost means being vigilant about the weather. It’s always a good idea to stay as up to date as you can on current conditions in your area, which will give you the heads up as to when frost may be expected. The best frost plant protection methods are dependent on the length of time cold temps will remain, how low they will go and, of course, the types of plants you have....

What is Rejuvenation Pruning? Rejuvenation pruning is the removal of old, overgrown limbs so that the plant can grow new, vigorous branches in their place. Plants that require rejuvenation can be hard pruned or pruned gradually. Hard pruning involves cutting the shrub off to a height of 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30.5 cm.) above the ground and allowing it to regrow. The disadvantages of this type of pruning are that not all shrubs tolerate drastic cutting, and, until the plant regrows, you are left with an unsightly stub....

How to Make a Pumpkin Centerpiece Ideas for pumpkin centerpieces are nearly endless. For instance, slice the top off the pumpkin, scoop out the seeds and pulp, and replace the “innards” with floral foam. Fill the pumpkin “vase” with fall flowers or colorful autumn foliage. Alternatively, fill a hollow pumpkin with potting mix for cacti and succulents and then plant it with a few hens and chicks, sedum, or other small succulents....

If turf grass is kept on site, a landscape professional with QWEL certification can audit the turf grass irrigation system. He or she can recommend fixes and improvements to the irrigation system– such as brands of extremely efficient irrigation spray heads or adjustments to the system that eliminate water waste from run off or overspray. QWEL Certification and Design QWEL is a training program and certification process for landscape professionals....

Queen Palm Tree Information Queen palms (Syagrus romanzoffiana) are tall, beautiful trees, but not everyone can grow them. These palms thrive only in U.S Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9b through 11. Queen palm trees grow to 50 feet (15 m.) tall, and their canopies can spread to 25 feet (8 m.). Like many tall palms, the trunk is straight and branchless, but crowned with a canopy of palm leaves....

What is Tobacco Streak? Tobacco streak virus belongs to the genus Illavirus and appears in a wide range of plants, from tomatoes to cotton and even soybeans. It is an incurable disease that causes visual damage to fruits, but doesn’t necessarily kill plants, although many gardeners will see reduced production due to the stress this virus causes. Tobacco streak virus goes by many different names, depending on the plant infected....

Help, My Carrots Do Not develop! There are several reasons for carrots not forming roots. First of all, they may have been planted when it was too hot. Carrots germinate best when the temperature of the soil is between 55 and 75 degrees F. (13-24 C.). Any warmer and the seeds struggle to germinate. Warm temperatures will also dry out the soil, which makes it difficult for seeds to germinate. Cover the seeds with grass clippings or the like or a row cover to help retain moisture....

Red Tipped Photinia and Disease Symptoms The main culprit among photinia bush diseases is Entomosporium mespili, the fungus that causes photinia leaf spot. Like most plant fungi, this one thrives in the cool, moist environment of the fall and spring and attacks the most vulnerable new growth that gives the shrub its name, red-tipped photinia, and the disease spreads from there. The photinia fungus won’t kill the plant immediately or even during the first season but will return year after year until the constant leaf drop and the depletion of nourishment that results weakens the plant to the point of death....

Tree Shoots at Base of Lemon Tree Lemon tree suckers can grow from the roots and will grow out of the base of the tree and sprout right from the ground around the tree. Sometimes, this lemon tree sucker growth can be caused by the tree being planted too shallow. Building up a bed of soil and mulch around the tree base can help if you suspect your tree is too shallow....

If you have an unwanted photinia shrub, the best way to get rid of the wayward plant is by using patience and good old-fashioned elbow grease. Read on for tips on removing photinia. How to Get Rid of Photinia Shrubs Use these tips on photinia removal for the best results: Soften the soil by watering well the day before photinia removal. Use a pruning saw, sharp pruning shears, or another tool to cut the shrub down nearly to the ground....

A root beer plant, also known as Hoja Santa, holy leaf or Mexican pepperleaf, growing in the garden provides the aroma of root beer, and large, furry leaves in which to wrap foods and give them a hint of root beer flavor. An evergreen shrub or small tree in USDA zones 10 and 11, root beer plants are herbaceous perennials in USDA zones 8 and 9. Flowers of the root beer plant are not showy and sometimes not even noticeable....

How Do Roots in Plants Develop? In most cases, the beginnings of the roots in plants are found in the embryo within the seed. This is called a radicle and will eventually form the primary root of a young plant. The primary root will then evolve into one of the two main types of roots in plants: a taproot system or a fibrous root system. Taproot– In the taproot system, the primary root continues to grow into one main trunk with smaller root branches emerging from its sides....

White Spots on Sago Palms Cycad aulacaspis is only tempted by plants in the cycad family. Once you see it, you have an infestation that is very difficult to get rid of since it is likely on neighboring sagos and can be blown onto plants with each gust of wind. The appearance of white fuzzy stems, leaves, and trunks signals a huge problem. Scale is a tiny sucking insect and, in high populations, the bugs can sap the plant of much of its life-giving fluid and kill it....

What are Shallot Sets? When planting shallot sets, consider that shallots are classified into two groups: pear-shaped (the French type) and round. The color of each variety will run from white to purple with the flavor varying depending on the type of shallot set, weather, and growing conditions. A shallot set is a grouping of small individual shallot bulbs generally purchased from a nursery. A 1-pound (.5 kg.) shallot set is enough to plant a 20-foot (6 m....

Should I Feed my Ornamental Grasses? Many ornamental grasses have become popular staples in the colder hardiness zones both for their cold tolerance and visual interest throughout the fall and winter seasons. Generally, ornamental grasses are not cut back until the early spring, which allows the grassy fronds to add some aesthetic value during a time when most plants are dormant. Once established and in their second year from planting, ornamental grasses require very little maintenance beyond occasional division and cutting back, or cleaning them up in the early spring....

Should I Use Railroad Ties in My Garden? If you have just purchased a property and want to build some raised garden beds, railroad ties seem like an inexpensive easy option. However, you might ask yourself, “should I use railroad ties in my garden?” True, you have probably seen them in friend’s landscapes and neighborhoods are rife with the wood. Unfortunately, what we traditionally have done in the past we are now discovering was a mistake....