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What are Sunflower Midges? The adult sunflower midge is just 1/10 inch (2.5 mm.) long, with a tan body and transparent wings. Eggs are yellow to orange and are found in clusters laid in flower buds or sometimes on mature sunflower heads. The larvae are similar in length to the adult, legless, and yellowish orange or cream colored. The sunflower midge lifecycle begins when the adults lay eggs on the bracts (modified leaves) enclosing the flower buds....

About Turban Squash Plants Exactly what is a turban squash? It’s a variety of winter squash that, with time, becomes a hollow gourd. Attractive, with an acorn shape, the thick skin is often colorfully mottled or striped. The bottom is most often orange, with colorful stripes and spots, and the top half has a light background for the unique splotches. A beautiful specimen, this of the Curcurbita family and related to pumpkins, squash, and gourds....

What is Molasses? Molasses is the by-product of beating sugarcane, grapes, or sugar beets into sugar. The dark, rich, and somewhat sweet liquid is commonly used as a sweetener in baked goods, as a natural remedy for many ailments, and added to animal feed. Even though it is a by-product, molasses is full of vitamins and minerals. As a result, molasses as fertilizer is possible too. Feeding Plants with Molasses Using molasses in organic gardening practices is nothing new....

Voodoo Lily Info Voodoo lily, also called Devil’s tongue, is a member of the genus Amorphophallus. The voodoo lily, A. titanum, is the largest flower in the world. A. konjac has smaller flowers, but it is still quite large compared to other garden flowers. Each bulb produces one stalk, about 6 feet tall (2 m.), topped by one gigantic leaf. After the leaf stalk withers, the voodoo lily bulb produces a flower stalk....

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....

If you want to grow some fruit trees and need some simple information about plant chill hours and why they’re important, continue reading. We’ll attempt to break it down here in simple terms that are easy enough for anyone to understand. What are Chill Hours? Chilling hours are basically the hours between the temperatures of 34 and 45 degrees F. (1-7 C.) in autumn that will reach the tree. These are calculated for when the fruit tree is preparing itself to enter dormancy for winter....

What are Cruciferous Vegetables? Broadly, cruciferous vegetables belong to the Cruciferae family, which mostly contains the Brassica genus, but does include a few other genuses. In general, cruciferous vegetables are cool weather vegetables and have flowers that have four petals so that they resemble a cross. In most cases, the leaves or flower buds of cruciferous vegetables are eaten, but there are a few where either the roots or seeds are also eaten....

What Grows Well with Fruit? Here are just some compatible plants for a fruit garden: Comfrey – Comfrey roots grow deep into the ground, helping to pull nutrients and minerals from the soil. Because it’s such a vigorous grower, comfrey out competes weeds. Freshly cut comfrey serves as rich, nitrogen-rich mulch. Be sure to plant comfrey where you want it, because once established, it’s probably going to be there for a very long time....

Like most cacti, care for cat claw cacti is minimal and highly recommended for beginning gardeners. About the Cat Claw Plant A native of the Chihuahua desert, cat claw cactus is closely related to the ferocious-looking Ferocactus but the genus is currently Glandulicactus. The cactus has been miss-classed numerous times, finally ending up with a name that stems from the Greek for ‘fishhook.’ Among the colorful names for this diminutive cactus are fishhook cactus, brown flowered hedgehog, Turk’s head cactus, and Texas hedgehog....

What is a Half-High Blueberry Half-high blueberry plants are a cross between the big-berry producing highbush varieties and the cold-tolerant wild lowbush species. Hardy in USDA zones 3-5, half-high blueberry bushes are less likely to suffer from winter damage than highbush plants. In zone 3, where highbush plants won’t survive, cultivating half-high blueberry varieties gives growers an alternative to the small wild berries of the lowbush species. As the name suggests, the hybrid half-high blueberry matures at an intermediate height of 2 to 4 feet (....

What is a Mirabelle Plum? Mirabelle plums are a small, sweet type of fruit most commonly grown in the Lorraine region of France. These high sugar plums are renowned for their use in various jams, jellies, baked products, and fruit brandy (known as eau de vie). Though it is possible to grow Mirabelle plums in the home garden, true Mirabelle fruit (grown in France) will not be found in the United States due to bans on the import of the fresh fruits....

Miracle Plant Info: What Is a Miracle Berry? Miracle berry (Synsepalum dulcificum) is an evergreen shrub that is native to tropical West Africa. Outside of the tropics, it is a houseplant that is also known as sweet berry and miracle fruit. This interesting plant bears attractive and edible red fruit that are ¾ to 1 inch (2-2.5 cm.) long with a seed surrounded by fleshy pulp. The miracle that this fruit performs is to make everything taste sweet....

What is Down Lighting? Down lighting is simply lighting up your garden with lamps that are angled down, not up. When you place lamps above an object instead of below it, the result imitates natural light. This is especially true when the light fixture is concealed in a tree or underneath some element of hardscaping. All a garden visitor sees is the warm glow without being able to determine where it comes from....

What is Lacy Phacelia? The lacy phacelia flower is a 1 to 3 foot (0.5-1 m.), leggy wildflower with a bloom that looks similar to a thistle. It is a heavy nectar producer. An attractive addition to the ornamental bed, you might want to plant some of the purple tansy wildflowers to attract pollinators. In fact, you might want to plant several. Lacy Phacelia Info Lacy phacelia info says the plant is well-known for its ability to attract bees and butterflies to an area....

What is Winter Rye Grass? Winter rye is the most winter hardy of all the cereal grains. It tolerates temperatures down to -30 degrees F. (-34 C.) once established. It can germinate and grow in temps as low as 33 degrees F. (.5 C.). Winter rye should not be confused with ryegrass. Ryegrass is used for lawns, pasture, and hay for livestock, while winter rye is used as a cover crop, forage crop, or as a grain that is used to make flour, beer, some whiskey and vodkas, or can be eaten whole as boiled rye berries or rolled like rolled oats....

Help, My Guava Tree Won’t Fruit! First, it’s helpful to know a little bit about guavas in order to determine why a tree won’t fruit. First of all, guava plants need full sun to part shade to grow, but they cannot tolerate too much heat. That said, they also dislike the cold and are very frost tender. Guava trees can grow in U.S. hardiness zones 9 to 11, which translates to Hawaii, Florida, protected areas of California and Texas, and the Virgin Islands....

Arborvitae grow in full sun to partial shade. Most need at least six hours of direct sunlight daily. Perfect for many landscapes, use them as single focal points or as part of a windbreak or privacy fence. If you need a different size or are interested in various cultivars, check out the following varieties of arborvitae. Types of Arborvitae Some types of arborvitae are globe shaped. Others are mounded, conical, pyramidal, rounded, or pendulous....

What is Belstar Broccoli? The Belstar broccoli variety is an organic hybrid variety suitable for either spring or summer planting. Just like any other broccoli, Belstar doesn’t do well in hot temperatures. Plants in the Brassica family are high in vitamins C and K, fiber, and manganese. They are being studied for their ability to fight cancer. Broccoli is one of the tastier varieties of this family. The Belstar variety is very adaptable and produces stress-tolerant plants....

Benton Cherry Info If you are a cherry fanatic, Benton cherries may be the variety for you to grow. The large, bright red fruits ripen a bit earlier than Bing cherries and have several disease resistances that enhance the tree’s health. According to Benton cherry info, the variety was developed at the Washington State University Prosser Research Center. The Benton cherry tree was bred during sweet cherry trials in Washington state....

Symptoms of Cole Crop Black Rot The bacterium that causes black rot on cole crops can stay in the soil for over a year where is survives on debris and weeds of the Brassicaceae family. Cauliflower, cabbage, and kale are the most affected by the bacteria, but other Brassica such as broccoli and Brussels sprouts are also susceptible. Plants can become inflicted with cole vegetable black rot at any stage of their growth....