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What Causes Lychee Fruit Drop? If your fruit is dropping early, there could be several reasons. Lychee trees generally set more fruits than it is possible to hold, so some dropping can be the result of natural attrition. Stress can increase natural fruit drop in lychee, and stress may be increased by drought, temperatures that are colder than normal, or nutrient deficiencies. Lychee is notoriously ready to drop fruit early, so being careful to minimize stress is important....

Ganoderma in Palms Fungi, like plants, are divided into genera. The fungal genus Ganoderma contains different wood-decaying fungi found around the world on almost any type of wood, including hard wood, soft wood, and palms. These fungi can result in ganoderma palm disease or other palm tree trunk diseases. The first sign you are likely to have when ganoderma palm disease has infected your palm is the conk or basidiocarp that forms on the side of a palm trunk or stump....

Gardening To-Do List There are several ‘big item’ tasks for the western region in autumn. Your gardening to-do list should probably start with completing the harvest of all remaining summer veggies. After all the work you invested in the summer garden, it would be a shame not to make the most of it. Take a look at your vegetable crops at the end of summer. You likely have a few tomato plants still producing fruit, as well as pumpkins, squash, and melons ripening on vines....

Fresh or dried, basil leaves are an essential ingredient in many Italian, Greek, and Asian dishes. If you love to make fresh from the garden pesto or caprese salad, you may be growing a type of sweet basil known as Genovese basil. What is Genovese Basil? Genovese basil is a variety of sweet basil that originated in Italy. Its vigorous, large leaves have a sweet, slightly spicy flavor. Genovese basil produces bright green, slightly crinkled leaves that can grow up to 3 inches (8 cm....

Follow this article for tips on sowing geranium seeds. When to Plant Geranium Seeds With their brilliant red (sometimes pink, orange, purple, and white) blooms, geraniums add major impact to garden beds and baskets. The seed-grown varieties are usually smaller and have more flowers than those propagated by cuttings. They also tend to have more disease resistance and heat tolerance. Geraniums grow readily from seed. However, to grow geranium from seed, you need to be patient....

Father’s Day comes just as the summer gardening season is getting underway. The right tools may be key to showing your Dad how special he is to you. Garden tools for dads can be personal or just functional. Simplify his life with great gifts for gardener dads. Lawn Garden Tools for Dads If you’ve got one of those dads that likes his lawn to look like a golfing green, that takes a lot of work....

What Causes Grape Powdery Mildew? Grape powdery mildew is caused by the fungal pathogen Uncinula necator. While it was previously believed that this fungal pathogen over wintered on buds, recent studies indicate that it actually overwinters in cracks and crevices on the grape’s bark. In spring, when temperatures range steadily above 50°F. (10°C.), the fungus becomes active and spores stick to plant tissues that are damp from spring rain or dew....

What is a Victorian Herb Garden Herb gardens were a popular feature of Victorian landscaping. Fragrant flowers symbolized emotions and were used as a nonverbal expression of feelings. Just as a red rose embodied love, a bouquet of rosemary represented remembrance. In addition, herbs from the Victorian era had many medicinal as well as culinary uses. While modern society no longer imparts this level of significance to garden greenery, many botanical gardens and historical houses continue to grow a Victorian herb garden as a means of preserving this gardening heritage....

Information on Chiltepin Pepper Plants Chiltepin peppers (Capsicum annuum var glabriuculum) can still be found growing wild in southern Arizona and into northern Mexico. The plants bear tiny fruit often referred to as “bird’s eye peppers,” and boy do these little babies pack a punch. On the Scoville heat index, chiltepin peppers score 50,000-100,000 units. That’s 6-40 times hotter than a jalapeño. While the tiny fruits are indeed hot, the heat is fleeting and combined with a pleasant smokiness....

Choosing a Mushroom to Grow Mushroom growing at home starts with choosing the kind of mushroom you will be growing. Some popular choices when growing mushrooms at home are: shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes) oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) white button mushrooms (Agricus bisporus) Buy spore or spawn of your chosen mushroom from a reputable dealer (many can be found online). For the purposes of mushroom growing at home, think of spores as seeds and spawn as seedlings....

Can You Grow Potato Plants in Leaves? Growing potatoes is a rewarding experience since yields are generally fairly high, but traditional methods for planting potatoes do require some time and effort on your part. You start with a trench and then cover the growing potatoes with soil or mulch, continually mounding the medium as the spuds grow. If you don’t like to dig, however, you can also grow potato plants under leaves....

What is Red Veined Sorrel? Bloody dock plant, aka red veined sorrel (Rumex sanguineus), is a rosette forming perennial from the buckwheat family. It generally grows in a clumping mound that reaches around 18 inches (46 cm.) in height and is just as wide. Bloody dock plant is native to Europe and Asia but has naturalized in some areas of the United States and Canada. Wild growing red veined sorrel can be found in ditches, clearings, and forests....

Schefflera Plant Care Instructions There are two very important parts to proper schefflera care. The first is correct sunlight and the second is proper watering. Light – Schefflera plants are medium light plants, which means that they need bright but indirect light. A common complaint about schefflera plants is that they get leggy and floppy. This problem is caused by too little light. Making sure that you are growing schefflera in the right kind of light will help prevent leggy growth....

Growing Winter Savory Indoors Savory has a slightly peppery taste followed by notes of thyme. It works well in a host of recipes, adding that little something that makes guests ask, “what’s your secret?” In order to have a constant supply of the tasty leaves, keeping winter savory inside will guarantee a steady source. You can grow winter savory from seed, cuttings, or division. If you want to start a young plant indoors, use good potting soil....

When is Guava Fruit Ripe? Guava will begin to fruit in its second to fourth year. When conditions are right, a single tree can produce from 50-80 pounds (22.5-36 kg.) of fruit per year. In Florida, guava trees may even produce twice a year; and with proper pruning, you can even get a guava to produce year-round. That’s a lot of guavas, so knowing when to harvest guava is imperative lest you lose the delicious fruit....

Why You May Need to Use Hand Pollination of Cucumbers Cucumber pollination may be lacking in the garden where many varieties of vegetables are planted, as cucumbers aren’t a favorite vegetable of pollinators. Without their pollination, you may get deformed cucumbers, slow growing cucumbers, or even no cucumber fruit at all. If bees and other pollinating insects move on to more attractive vegetables, hand pollinating cucumbers can be your best chance at a successful crop....

Growing Hardy Native Plants for Zone 6 The selection of zone 6 native plants is quite diverse, with everything from bushes and trees to annuals and perennials. Incorporating a variety of these into your garden fosters the ecosystem and local wildlife, and creates biodiversity in the landscape. Because these native plants have spent centuries adapting to local conditions, they require less water, fertilizer, spraying, or mulching than those that are not indigenous to the area....

Planting asparagus from seed allows one to grow any variety of the vegetable, but growing from one year old crowns allows for harvesting asparagus more quickly– three years after planting crowns. Learning how to pick asparagus ensures the lifespan of your asparagus bed. Male or Female Asparagus Asparagus plants are either males or female. The female plant will develop many spears, but when harvesting asparagus one will have the most productive harvest from male plants....

Tips on Heuchera Winter Care Although most heuchera plants are evergreen in mild climates, the top is likely to die down where winters are chilly. This is normal, and with a little TLC, you can be assured that the roots are protected and your heuchera will rebound in spring. Here’s how: Ensure heuchera are planted in well-drained soil, as the plants are likely to freeze in wet conditions. If you haven’t planted heuchera yet and your soil tends to be soggy, work in a generous amount of organic material first, such as compost or chopped leaves....

Holiday Potpourri DIY Crafts Homemade Christmas potpourri gifts are a great, budget-friendly option if you’re looking to spread joy to others through the holiday season. To begin gathering natural Christmas potpourri, crafters need to consider readily available materials. These could include potpourri components which can be purchased in stores, as well as those which can be collected from your own backyard. As with any garden craft, always make certain to carefully research and identify each type of plant, making sure to avoid any which are potentially toxic or that may be protected by local regulations....