Posts

What are Bush Beans? Beans come in one of two types: bush beans and pole beans. Bush beans differ from pole beans in the fact that bush beans don’t need any kind of support to stay upright. Pole beans, on the other hand, need a pole or some other support to stay upright. Bush beans can be further broken down into three types: snap beans (where the pods are eaten), green shelling beans (where the beans are eaten green) and dry beans, (where the beans are dried and then rehydrated before eating....

When to Plant Collard Greens Collard greens are a cool season vegetable and are often planted in late summer to early autumn for winter harvest in the South. In more northern areas, collards may be planted a little earlier for fall or winter harvest. Collards are frost tolerant, so growing collard greens in USDA growing zones 6 and below is an ideal late season crop. Frost actually improves the flavor of collard greens....

What are Echinocereus Plants? Echinocereus cacti are most often identified by their small stature. However, their diminutive size does not come without a multitude of advantages. Sometimes referred to as “hedgehog” cacti, plants seldom grow larger than 1 foot (30 cm.) tall and a few inches in diameter. Echinocereus plant varieties are often characterized by their showy blooms, which range in color from red, yellow, and even bright pink. These flowers, in combination with varying spine patterns, allow gardeners great variety when choosing which types of Echinocereus to grow....

How to Grow Pineapples from Tops Rooting and growing pineapple tops is easy. Once you bring your pineapple home, cut off the leafy top about half an inch (1.5 cm.) below the leaves. Then remove some of the lowest leaves. Trim off the outer portion of the pineapple top at the bottom of the crown, or stem, until you see root buds. These should resemble small, brown-colored bumps around the stem’s perimeter....

How to Make a Houseplant Screen for Privacy Dividers can be purchased, built by contractors, or put together yourself. They can be wood, metal, plastic, or engineered wood. Dividers can be free standing or mounted to the floor and ceiling. Here are considerations to think about before starting your design: How much do I want to spend on the project? Besides the divider, include cost for pots, plants, hardware, and a grow light or fluorescent light, if needed....

How to Fertilize Blackberries Berries, in general, are nutritious, and blackberries have been shown to help fight cancer and cardiovascular disease as well as slow down the aging of the brain. Today’s new cultivars can even be found thornless, erasing those memories of torn clothing and scratched skin while harvesting their wild brethren. Easier to harvest, they may be, but to get that bumper crop, you need fertilizer for blackberries. First things first, though....

Potted Crocus Information Whichever type of container you choose, adequate drainage is important. They grow well in many types of soil; however, you may want to add extra peat to the soil mix at first. Place crocuses in a container with their tips slightly sticking up from the soil. Water the bulbs thoroughly and then place the pot in a dark place for several months, as these bulbs generally require a 12 to 15 week cold period....

A salad turnip is one grown not only for its root, but especially for the tasty leaves. Turnips are an introduced plant to North America. They originally hailed from eastern Asia and parts of Europe. They are in the Brassicaceae family, which includes broccoli and cabbage. Turnips were once used as little vegetable lanterns, prior to being replaced by pumpkins. Hakurei turnips are a little small to make into lanterns, but their sweet taste colored with classic brassica zing, makes them an excellent root vegetable to grow....

Notes on Preserving Olives Olive preservation is a centuries old tradition and the key to getting palatable fruit. The oleuropein makes them astringent and needs to be soaked out of the olives prior to eating them. This process can take days and requires a little patience. The most common way to preserve this fruit is to brine olives, but it is not the only way. Brined olives are saltier than those cured with lye....

Trees take up water through their roots, which are, quite literally, at the bottom of the trunk. From there the water travels up and up. To hear more about how trees absorb water, read on. Where Do Trees Get Water? Trees need sunlight, air and water to thrive, and from the combination, they are able to create their own food. That happens through the process of photosynthesis that takes place in the tree leaves....

Problems with Invasive Tree Roots Trees that have invasive root systems invade pipes because they contain the three essential elements to sustain life: air, moisture, and nutrients. Several factors can cause a pipe to develop a crack or small leak. The most common is the natural shifting and movement of soil as it shrinks during droughts and swells when rehydrated. Once a pipe develops a leak, the roots seek out the source and grow into the pipe....

Should I Plant Lily of the Valley? The plant has escaped cultivation and has been placed on invasive plant lists in some states, primarily for its tendency to form large colonies that threaten native plants. It is especially happy in shady, wooded areas and doesn’t always do well in poor, dry soil or intense sunlight. In less suitable areas, it may not be invasive in the strictest sense of the word, but lily of the valley certainly has aggressive tendencies that may prompt you to think twice before planting this lovely, innocent-looking little plant....

Causes of Knobby Potatoes In order to figure out how to prevent oddly shaped potatoes, it’s necessary to understand the causes of knobby, deformed potatoes. Really, it’s very simple. Any stress on the developing tuber will cause it to become ill-formed. What kinds of stresses? Well, temperature fluxes and improper planting are two major factors. In the case of temperature, high temps cause field stress. Generally, the longer the tuber variety, the more susceptible it is....

What is Tar Jelly Lichen? Tar jelly lichen is a creature unlike others you’ll encounter in the garden. They’re created by the intimate paring of a fungus and algae– and both are important to lichen growth. The algae synthesizes all day long, providing enough food for itself and the fungus involved, and the fungus keeps the algae moist so it can live a long, healthy life. Although they’re fascinating, tar jelly lichen information is hard to come by....

Benefits of Growing Cucumbers on a Fence Cucumbers naturally want to climb, but, often in the home garden, we don’t provide any support and they sprawl on the ground. One of the greatest advantages of cucumber fences is the fact that they save a significant amount of space in the garden by allowing the cucumbers to follow their climbing nature. When you grow cucumbers on a fence, you not only save space, but create a healthier environment for the cucumbers to grow....

Signs of Nematodes in Cucurbit Plants Unfortunately, most cucurbits are highly susceptible to infestation by nematodes, microscopic worms that live in the soil. Of particular concern are root knot nematodes and sting nematodes. Among the cucurbits, watermelons are the least susceptible to damage from the root nematodes, but any plants in this family may be attacked and damaged. When nematodes of cucurbit crops attack the roots, the symptoms of infestation include stunted growth, leaf yellowing, and premature wilting....

What is Marsh Fern? Marsh fern plants (Thelypteris palustris) have erect stems and occasionally pendant fronds. The plant is deciduous and loses its leaves in winter. An interesting piece of marsh fern info regards the two sets of leaves it bears. One is the smaller fertile frond and the other is a larger infertile frond. Leaves are compound and pinnate with individual leaflets deeply divided and lance to oval shaped. There may be 10 to 40 pairs of leaflets on each leaf....

Milkwort Plant Info Common milkwort is found in grasslands, heaths and dunes. It is a familiar sight in the landscape in Britain, Norway, Finland and other European countries. Polygala vulgaris is the plant’s scientific designation. The Greek polugalon means “to make much milk.” This describes the plant’s historic use as an aid to increase lactation in new mothers. There were many medicinal and religious uses for milkwort, some of which persist today....

When growing mother of thousands as an outdoor plant in USDA hardiness zones 9 through 11, it may bloom with small, grayish lavender flowers in late winter. The mother plant then dies, but is replaced by tiny plantlets that can drop and cause the plant to be considered invasive. For this reason, most gardeners find growing mother of thousands works best in a container. Mother of Thousands Plant Info Mother of thousands is of the Crassulaceae family and is related to jade plant and Flaming Katy (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana)....

Papaya Tree Facts Papaya (Carica papaya) is native to Central America and exists in tropical and subtropical areas throughout the world. This large, short-lived perennial plant with a single trunk can reach up to 30 feet (9 m.) at maturity. Palmate leaves are deeply lobed and over 3 feet (1 m.) in width. There are three different tree types, female plants, male plants, and bisexual plants. The female and bisexual plants are the only ones that produce fruit....