Blueberry Stem Blight Info Blueberry stem blight starts insidiously with just a few dead leaves in a single part of the plant. Over time it spreads and soon stems are exhibiting signs of the disease as well. The disease is most common in areas with poor soil or where excess growth has occurred. It is a fungal disease that lives in soil and discarded plant debris as well as several wild hosts....

About Burdock Plants Burdock occurs in undisturbed sites where the plant forms a rosette the first year and a flowering spike the second. The roots and young leaves and shoots are edible. The plant is easy to grow and can produce roots up to 2 feet (61 cm.) long in 100 days or less. Gardeners who want to know how to grow burdock should know that it’s easier to harvest roots if planted in sandy, loose soil....

Are Calathea and Maranta the Same? There are many members of the Marantaceae family. Both Maranta and Calathea are each a separate genus within this family, and both are tropical understory plants. There is some confusion about Calathea vs. Maranta. They are often lumped together, with both being called ‘prayer plant,’ which isn’t true. Both plants belong to the arrowroot family, Marantaceae, but only the Maranta plants are true prayer plants....

If you live in the Southwest (or even other parts of the U.S.), you may have spotted something in the produce section called “nopales.” These are the pads of the prickly pear cactus and have been a food source to native people of the area. Looking around at all the flora in the genera, edible cactus plants make up just a fraction, but they do exist. Are Cactus Plants Edible?...

Can You Grow Beets in Containers? Absolutely, growing beets in containers is possible. Almost anything that can be grown in the garden plot can be grown in a container, given the proper nutrients and growing conditions. Beets (Beta vulgaris) are cool season veggies that are delicious both for their tasty roots as well as for their nutrient packed leafy greens. With their sometimes bright green to variegated foliage, often with red stems and veining, beets are a colorful vegetable to grow on the patio or lanai and the care of potted beets is simple....

Can You Reuse a Christmas Tree? Not in the sense that it will be viable as a Christmas tree option next year, but there are many things that the tree can be used or repurposed for. Before you do anything, however, make sure all the lights, ornaments and tinsel have been taken off the tree. This can be hard to do, but these objects will not work well with any of the following recycling ideas....

Cholla Cactus Information Chollas are native to the American southwest in deserts and arid zones. They are composed of cylindrical stems arranged in segments and topped with inch (2.5 cm.) long spines. There are more than 20 species of the plant. An interesting bit of Cholla cactus information is its diversity of shape. The plant may be a creeper, shrub, or tree. Sizes vary from just a few feet tall (1 m....

Why Has My Anthurium Turned Green? Anthuriums grow in trees or compost-rich soil in tropical jungle regions where shade is dense. They have come into cultivation because of the glossy green leaves and long lasting inflorescence. Growers have manipulated the plants into hues that span the rainbow, and that includes green. They also fool plants for retail purposes into blooming using hormones. This means that once they’re brought home and no longer exposed to the hormones, the plant will revert to normal growth behavior....

What to Plant with Peanuts Peanuts are pleasant plants with pretty little yellow flowers and a spectacular method of nut production. Nuts grow from pegs or stems that insert themselves into the ground and develop into peanuts. Needing as much sun as possible during the day, companion planting with peanuts should not include tall plants, which will shade the ground nuts. Companions to peanuts must enjoy the same soil and sun conditions but also a high amount of calcium, a nutrient that promotes the formation of healthy plants and ground nuts....

Saving Seeds from Cucumbers, Yes or No? Well, yes and no. Saving seeds from cucumbers is definitely doable if you keep a couple of points in mind. First of all, don’t attempt to collect seeds from any cukes that are labeled hybrid. Hybrids are created by cross breeding specific parent plants selected for an outstanding characteristic, but seeds saved from these plants will not reproduce a true copy of the parent plant, and in fact, are often sterile....

Buds Not Opening on Cyclamen Today’s cyclamen hybrids are bigger and more vivid in color than at any time in the past. Some of them also have a sweet scent. These lovely plants are a bit fussy to keep, but they are worth a little extra effort. Failure to meet their moisture and temperature requirements can lead to cyclamen buds not opening. In their native climate, cyclamen flowers bloom during mild, Mediterranean winters when they enjoy cooler temperatures....

Damaged Plant Care Oh no, my beautiful coleus (or other favorite plant) is looking bedraggled! What can be done to perk up a stress damaged plant? Whether due to under or overwatering, sunscald, pests, or disease, inadequate fertilization or what have you, it may be advisable to retrieve a sample for diagnosis. Take the sample to a reputable nursery or contact your local Master Gardener chapter or extension service for a professional opinion and information on how to salvage your injured plants....

What are Gemsbok Cucumbers? Gemsbok cucumber fruit (Acanthosicyos naudinianus) is borne off an herbaceous perennial with long annual stems. It has a large tuberous rootstock. Like squash and cucumbers, the stems of desert gemsbok cucumbers jumble out from the plant, grasping at surrounding vegetation with tendrils for support. The plant produces both male and female flowers and a resulting fruit that looks artificial, like a plastic, pastel yellow toy that my dog might slobber over, soon follows....

How Many Types of Crabgrass are There? These tough plants may be confused with many other weeds and even turfgrass but they bear some identifying characteristics that point to their classification. The name refers to the plant’s rosette form where leaves radiate out from a central growing point. The leaves are thick and have a vertical folding point. Flower stalks appear in summer and release numerous tiny seeds. In spite of this plant’s similarity to lawn grass, it is an invasive competitor that will outgrow and outperform your average turf over time....

Tips For Transplanting Plants How do you know when to divide perennials? When plants start dying out in the middle, it’s time to divide. However, it’s best to split plants before they start to suffer. Overcrowded plants have to compete for nutrients and water. They can also become diseased if they do not get enough airflow. You want to divide perennials before they start to look bad. Water plants well the day before you divide them to make sure they are happy and hydrated....

What is an Earligold Apple? Earligold apple trees, as their name suggests, are early season apples that ripen in July. They bear medium-sized fruit that is light yellow in color with a sweet-tart flavor perfect for applesauce and dried apples. Earligold apples are a chance seedling discovered in Selah, Washington that is suited to USDA zones 5-8. It is classified as an Orange-Pippin. They prefer a sunny location in sandy loam to clay loam with a pH of 5....

Types of Birdhouses There are a number of different birdhouses to choose from. Some are easy to construct yourself and others can simply be purchased from most garden centers. You’ll find birdhouses that swing, some that are decorative, and others that are nothing more than simple nest boxes or gourds. They may be constructed of wood, metal, or even plastic depending on the style. Some, such as birdhouse gourds or plastic jugs, are made from everyday household items....

Greenhouse Landscaping Considerations There are more things to consider than simply adding plants when it comes to gardening around a greenhouse. First of all, you don’t want to add plants that require lots of upkeep because after all, you want to have time to tinker inside the greenhouse, right? You don’t want to add plants that will grow rapidly either, which will shade the much sought-after light needed for the greenhouse....

Types of Banana Pepper Banana peppers are long, slender fruits with waxy skin and minimal seeds. Use them as an appetizer or sliced on a sandwich. While there are different types of banana peppers that can be grown in the home garden, the Sweet Banana is the most common of the banana peppers. Banana peppers are ready for harvest in about 70 days after transplant, but the hot variety of banana pepper needs a longer growing season....

How To Grow Blue Corn: Best Varieties For Homegrown Blue Corn Tortillas Blue corn is an open-pollinated flour corn originally developed by the Hopi people, hence the name. The Hopi were a true agricultural society developing many varieties of corn, some of which exist to this day. Interestingly, the color of the corn was associated with direction. For example, yellow related to the north, white to the east, red to the south and blue, west....