Reasons for Bay Tree Leaf Drop When it comes to culinary herbs, there are none so noble or tidy as the bay laurel. This stately Mediterranean native doesn’t need a lot to keep it happy. It’ll do well planted in a large pot or in the ground, so long as it’s protected from frost. In fact, many growers have no problems with their bay trees for years, then suddenly they discover their bay tree leaves falling off!...
Offseason Gardening Bargains Include Plants Once the fall stock hits the shelves – think hardy mums – gardening stores and nurseries will begin marking down the summer stock. This means you have a last chance this season to get a great deal on a pricier kind of plant for the garden, like a new tree or shrub. The longer you wait, the lower the prices will get, and there is usually room for negotiation....
Growing Blackberries from Cuttings Blackberries can be propagated through leafy stem cuttings as well as root cuttings. If you want to propagate lots of plants, leafy stem cuttings are probably the best way to go. This is usually accomplished while the cane is still firm and succulent. You’ll want to take about 4-6 inches (10-15 cm.) of the cane stems. These should be placed in a moist peat/sand mix, sticking them in a couple inches deep....
What is Bot Rot? Bot rot is a disease caused by the fungus Botryosphaeria dothidea. It’s also called white rot or botryosphaeria rot and attacks not just apples, but also pears, chestnuts, and grapes. Bot rot in apple orchards can cause a huge loss of fruit. This has been especially damaging in orchards in the Piedmont region of Georgia and the Carolinas, causing losses of up to half of the apple crops in some orchards....
Diseases of Boysenberries Boysenberry plants are susceptible to most of the same diseases as blackberries and dewberries. Know what the common boysenberry diseases are so you can watch for the signs and catch them early for management and treatment. Cane and leaf rust. This fungal disease causes yellow pustules to develop on the leaves and canes of boysenberry plants. Over time, the canes and leaves will dry and crack. Anthracnose. Another fungal infection, this one first manifests as small, purple spots on leaves and new shoots....
Brussels Sprout Plant Companions The nature of companion planting is situating one or more species of plants in close proximity to another for one or both to benefit. While the Cruciferae gang may like to hang together in the garden, the fact that they share pests and disease problems makes them less than ideal companions for Brussels sprouts. In other words, if a disease tends to infect broccoli, it’s a good probability that it will take a liking to one or several of the other cole crops....
Bartlett Pear Information Bartlett pears aren’t just popular in this country, they are also a favorite pear in Britain. But not by the same name. In England, Bartlett pear trees are called Williams pear trees and the fruit are called Williams pears. And according to Bartlett pear information, that name was given to the pears much earlier than Bartlett. After the pears were developed in England, the variety came into the control of a nurseryman named Williams....
Growing Bronze Dutch Clover Bronze Dutch clover is easy to grow as long as you can provide well drained, lightly moist soil. The plants tolerate both full sunlight and partial shade, although afternoon shade is beneficial for growing bronze Dutch clover in hot climates. However, too much shade will produce green plants, and a few hours of daily sunlight brings out the red in the leaves. Bronze Dutch Clover Lawns Bronze Dutch clover spreads by runners both above and below ground, which means bronze Dutch clover plants expand easily, choking out weeds and controlling erosion in the process....
Castor Bean Information Castor bean plants (Ricinus ommunis) are native to the Ethiopian region of Africa but have been naturalized in warm climates all over the world. Commonly found in the wild along stream banks and riverbeds on low lying areas, this aggressive vine is the source of one of nature’s best natural oils, castor oil. As far back as 4,000 B.C., castor beans have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs....
If you’re an experienced gardener and you’re ready to try something more challenging than pothos or spider plants, consider these houseplants for advanced gardeners. Challenging Houseplants: Houseplants for Advanced Gardeners Boston fern (Nephrolepsis exalta) is a gorgeous, lush plant from the tropical rainforest. This plant is slightly fussy and prefers indirect or filtered light. Like many difficult houseplants, Boston fern doesn’t like cold, and appreciates daytime temps between 60 and 75 F....
How Do Cherry Trees Pollinate? Not all cherry trees need a compatible cultivar, so how do cherry trees pollinate? The sour cherry varieties are almost all self-fruiting. This means they can get pollen from the same cultivar to produce fruit. The sweet cherries, with few exceptions, need pollen from a different but compatible cultivar to set cherries. Pollinating a cherry tree in the sweet category with the same cultivar will not result in fruit....
Improving Clay Soil Beforehand Amend clay soil with coarse builder’s sand while working in large amounts of well-finished compost. You can also amend clay soil with other finished-off materials such as rotted manure, but sand and compost are most effective. These improve its texture and its tilth, allowing for better drainage. Clay soil remains wet after rain with puddling and poor drainage, causing rot on plant roots. When it dries out, it often becomes so hard that roots cannot penetrate it....
Tropical Plants for Zone 8 Zone 8 is far from the tropics, but it would be a mistake to assume that no tropical plants can be grown there. While some plants are ruled out unless you have an indoor greenhouse, there are plenty of cold hardy tropicals that would make great additions to a zone 8 garden. Some great zone 8 tropical plants are listed below: Alocasia and Colocasia species, known as elephant ears, have impressively large leaves that give them a very tropical look....
What are Cole Crops? Cole crops, at a basic level, are plants that belong to the mustard (Brassica) family and are all descendants of wild cabbage. As a group, these plants grow better in cool weather. This leads many people to think that the word “cole” is a variation of the word “cold” and they may even refer to these plants as cold crops. Actually, the word “cole” is a variation of a Latin word that means stem....
Difference Between Loam and Topsoil Most often planting instructions will suggest planting in loam soil. So, what is loam soil? Simply put, loam soil is a proper, healthy balance of sand, silt, and clay soil. Topsoil is often confused with loam soil, but they are not the same thing. The term topsoil describes where the soil came from, usually the top 12 inches (31 cm.) of soil. Depending on where this topsoil came from, it can be made up of mostly sand, mostly silt, or mostly clay....
Information about Asian Jasmine Asian jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum) grows in the wild in Korea and Japan and is used as a groundcover in this country. It covers your backyard or the wall of your garage rapidly, and survives cooler weather better than many other jasmines. Asian jasmine is planted by homeowners as a quick, low-cost groundcover. The trick to Asiatic jasmine control is to act early to set boundaries for it....
About Russian Thistle Weeds Russian thistle is a bushy annual forb that many Americans know as tumbleweed. It gets to three feet (1 m.) tall. Mature Russian thistle weeds break off at ground level and tumble across open lands, hence the common name associated with the plant. Since one Russian thistle can produce 250,000 seeds, you can imagine that the tumbling action spreads the seeds far and wide. The Russian thistle was brought to this country (South Dakota) by Russian immigrants....
Dogwood Anthracnose Information Dogwood blight, also known as dogwood anthracnose for the fungal pathogen that causes the disease, is a fairly new problem. It is believed to have started in the northeastern United States about 25 years ago but has been spreading southward ever since. The early symptoms are similar to leaf spot diseases, with purple-bordered soft wet spots appearing on leaves, especially around the margins. Once the disease spreads to leaf petioles and twigs, however, it becomes more obvious....
Types of Croton When it comes to different croton plants, the selection of croton varieties is nearly endless and absolutely none are boring. Oakleaf Croton – Oakleaf croton has unusual, oakleaf-like leaves of deep green marked with veins of orange, red, and yellow. Petra Croton – Petra is one of the most popular croton varieties. The large leaves of yellow, burgundy, green, orange, and bronze are veined with oranges, reds, and yellows....
Pruning Philodendron Plants One rule of thumb: If you aren’t sure your plant needs pruning, wait. Pruning a philodendron shouldn’t be done if it isn’t really necessary, and a good pruning job should never detract from the overall appearance of the plant. In other words, your work really shouldn’t be noticeable. Cutting back philodendron plants is beneficial if the plant is taking up too much space in the room, or if the plant looks long and leggy....
