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Gladiolus botrytis diseases are not uncommon, so knowing the signs and how to manage them is vital to your plants. Identifying Botrytis on Gladiolus Botrytis is a fungal infection caused by Botrytis gladiolorum. The infection is also called neck rot or corm disease. The fungus infects and damages leaf, flower, and corm tissue. The corm is the tuber-like storage organ of the roots of the plant. Above the soil you’ll probably first see glads with botrytis by noticing spots on the leaves and stems....

Signs of Alternaria Leaf Spot in Cole Crops The first sign of leaf spot on cole vegetables is small, brown or black spots on the leaves. Eventually, the spots enlarge into pale brown or tan circles. Dark, fuzzy or sooty spores and concentric, bull’s-eye rings may develop on the spots. Eventually, the leaves become papery and may take on a purplish color. A hole appears where the dead tissue drops out of the leaves....

Orange Tree Pruning Why should you prune citrus such as orange trees? Pruning orange trees can improve aeration and increase light through the canopy, thus improving fruit quality and yield. Pruning out water sprouts can improve productivity in some cases as well. Ease in harvesting of oranges and a reduction in potential injury due to falls from ladders are also the results of trimming back an orange tree to reduce its overall height....

How to Cut Back Lemongrass Plants If given plenty of sun, water, and fertilizer, lemongrass can grow to as big as 6 feet (1.8 m.) high and 4 feet (1.2 m.) wide. Pruning lemongrass plants is a good idea for keeping them a manageable size as well as encouraging new growth. Cutting lemongrass stalks for cooking will keep the plant somewhat in check, but lemongrass grows so quickly that extra pruning is often necessary....

Spring Cinquefoil Plants in Gardens These plants are evergreen in mild climates. They grow 3 to 6 inches (8-15 cm.) tall, with each leaf made up of five leaflets. Potentilla gets the name “cinquefoil” from the French word “cinq” which means five. In spring, cinquefoil plants are covered with flowers that are one-quarter inch (6 mm.) in diameter. The buttery yellow to bright yellow flowers bloom over a long season if temperatures don’t climb too high....

What are Plantable Containers? Plantable containers can be used for starting plants. They are beneficial to use because they can help reduce transplant shock (which will help with your plants’ survival rate), reduce transplanting expenses, and avoid using disposable plastics. They’re durable enough for short term production and can be planted directly into the ground. Once in the ground, roots are able to grow through the pots’ walls. These biodegradable plant containers differ from compostable and recycled plastic/bio-based plastic (R3) containers in the way that plantable containers can be planted in the ground, while these other containers are meant to be externally composted or recycled....

Growing Bitter Leaf If you live in a warm climate you might try growing bitter leaf. The leaves are found in markets in west and central Africa, usually in dried form, but sometimes fresh on branches. The locals use them as a vegetable, added to soups and stews or eaten raw. The twigs and roots are also chewed on. The uses of bitter leaf plant are broad and diverse. What is Bitter Leaf?...

About Glyphosate Herbicide There are over 750 products available in the United States that contain glyphosate, with Roundup being the most widely used. The way it works is by preventing a plant from making certain proteins that it needs for growth. It is a non-selective product that is absorbed in plant leaves and stems. It does not affect animals because they synthesize amino acids differently. Glyphosate herbicide products can be found as salts or acids and need to be mixed with a surfactant, which allows the product to stay on the plant....

What is Rubber Mulch for Gardens? Any car owner knows that at one time or other the vehicle will need new tires. Add up new tires for the world’s population in a year and you end up with over one billion end-of-life tires. What to do with all those used tires has been an ongoing debate for decades. Today more attempts are being made to reuse the rubber from the tires, which on the surface seems like a great idea....

Why Ferment Produce? Ancient Chinese began to ferment produce as early as 7,000-6,600 B.C. This ancient practice converts sugars or carbohydrates to acids or even alcohol. This creates a food that can safely be preserved for a lengthy period of time, while also introducing different flavors and textures than the raw food contained. The fermenting process is a chemical one which releases powerful probiotics. These are crucial to keeping your tummy happy and healthy....

Layout Options for the Garden Before planning a vegetable garden layout, there are a few things to consider. The garden will thrive in well-draining, nutrient rich soil. It’s probably a good idea to perform a soil test to determine its composition. Once the results are in, you will know if and with what the soil needs to be amended. At this time, you can add compost, sand, humus, fertilizer or other ingredients....

Once you’ve determined your growing conditions, you can get busy planning your apartment balcony garden. Read on for a few vertical balcony garden ideas to get you started and remember, you’re limited only by your imagination! Vertical Balcony Garden Ideas A stepladder is ideal for a small apartment balcony garden. Hang small plants from the rungs or attach narrow planters to the steps. You can also build your own ladder or “staircase” from redwood or cedar, then arrange rectangular planters on the steps....

Container Grown Viburnums Is container grown viburnums feasible? Yes, as long as you know what you’re getting into. Viburnums are sometimes called large shrubs and sometimes called small trees. In fact, some varieties can grow up to 30 feet (9 m.) in height, which is awfully big for a container plant. When growing viburnum in containers, it’s best to pick a small variety that will be more manageable. Mapleleaf viburnum is a good choice, as it grows slowly and usually tops out at 6 feet (2 m....

Weeping Peashrub Info Walker’s weeping peashrub (Caragana arborescens ‘Walker’) is a cultivar that has to be grafted into a particular shape. A regular Caragana arborescens (also called a Siberian peashrub) has a traditional upright growth pattern. In order to achieve Walker’s distinctive weeping structure, stems are grafted at right angles from the top of a single upright trunk. The result is a unique and remarkably uniform weeping shape as the stems grow out from the trunk and then straight down to the ground....

What is a Water Sprite Plant? The water sprite is an aquatic fern found growing in shallow waters and muddy areas, often in rice paddies. In some Asian countries, the plant is harvested for use as a vegetable. Plants grow 6 to 12 inches (15-31 cm.) in height and 4 to 8 inches (10-20 cm.) across. Naturally growing water sprite is an annual but cultivated water sprite in aquariums can live for several years....

Western Cherry Fruit Fly Identification Western cherry fruit flies live in the soil as brownish yellow pupae during the winter months, emerging as adult flies in late spring and early summer. Adult western cherry fruit flies are smaller than house flies, with black bodies marked with white bands. The flies are weak fliers and usually land on the nearest cherry tree. Female western cherry fruit flies, which fatten up on aphid honeydew and pollen, are ready to lay eggs about a week after emerging from the soil....

What are Shore Flies? If you don’t have a greenhouse, you may not know about shore flies (Scatella stagnalis). They are one of several types of insects that are nuisance pests in areas that get excess water, like greenhouses. Shore flies have short antennae like the fruit flies that they resemble. They are very strong fliers and have dark wings with five light spots on each one. Shore flies also look a little like fungus gnats, another greenhouse and indoor nuisance pest, and are often confused with them....

Do Apple Trees Grow in the Wild? It is entirely possible to find an apple tree growing in the middle of a forest or in another location some distance from a town or farmhouse. It might be one of the original wild apple trees or it may instead be a descendent of a cultivated variety. Are wild apple trees edible? Both types of wild apple trees are edible, but the cultivated tree descendent will likely produce larger, sweeter fruit....

Cole’s Early Watermelon Info Watermelons have a long and storied history of cultivation. Some of the first mention of the fruits as a crop appeared more than 5,000 years ago. Egyptian hieroglyphics contain pictorials of watermelon as part of the food placed in tombs. With over 50 varieties in cultivation today, there is a flavor, size, and even color for almost any taste. Growing Cole’s Early watermelon will expose you to a pastel fleshed version and early season ripeness....

What is a Dog Rose? This rose is classified by some as a climber while others classify it as a weedy shrub rose, also known as briar rose or dog briar. Like most wild rosebushes, it has a growth habit that is considered aggressive and, thus, invasive in some areas, overcoming desired plants in the garden. The dog rose does have a rich history to share, as its medical uses date back to the time of Hippocrates....