Mango Tree Diseases Mangos are tropical and sub-tropical trees that thrive in regions with warm temperatures. Indigenous to India and southeast Asia, trees are particularly susceptible to two diseases of mango: anthracnose and powdery mildew. Both of these fungal diseases attack emerging panicles, flowers, and fruit. Of the two diseases, anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides) afflicts mangos most severely. In the case of anthracnose, mango disease symptoms appear as black, sunken, irregularly shaped lesions that grow resulting in blossom blight, leaf spotting, fruit staining, and eventual rot....

Veronica Speedwell Info An easy to care for perennial with flowers in an array of vibrant blues, pinks, and white, the speedwell is drought resistant but should be watered in the summer when there is less than an inch (2.5 cm.) of rainfall per week. The plant has a long blooming season, from June to August, and is fairly pest and disease resistant as well, with the exception of some issues like powdery mildew, spider mites, and thrips....

Spotted Spurge Identification Spotted spurge (Euphorbia maculata) is a dark green plant with red stems that grows low to the ground in a mat-like fashion. It will grow outwards from the center in a rough wagon wheel shape. The leaves are oval shaped and have a red spot in their center (which is why this spurge is called spotted spurge). The flowers on the plant will be small and pink. The entire plant has a hairy appearance....

Controlling Ticks in my Garden Ticks can carry lyme disease and other of dangerous diseases, and although there are several types of ticks, they all have eight legs and rounded bodies. Contrary to popular belief, ticks don’t jump or fly and they don’t fall from trees. However, they wait on convenient places such as brush, shrubs or blades of grass, where they are primed to grasp warm bodies that walk by....

What is Damping Off? Damping off occurs in many types of soil and in various climates. The amount of damage to seedlings depends on the particular fungus, soil moisture, and temperature. Typically, germinating seeds are killed by the damping-off fungus prior to emerging from the ground, and older, more established plants are seldom affected. However, portions of the roots and stems can still be attacked, resulting in poor growth and reduced yields....

What are Tree Borers? Tree borers are a group of insects that lay their eggs on or inside of trees, where the young larvae eat their way through living tissues. These miscreants can be either beetles or clearwing moths, but the end result is the same. Tree borer insects cause affected parts of trees to slowly weaken as their chewing severs vital transport tissues. Over time, they may girdle trees or weaken branches to the point that they break under pressure....

Tips for Growing Low Water Vegetables While there are a number of drought tolerant vegetable varieties available, without some planning, extreme drought and heat will kill even the hardiest. Planting at the correct time is crucial. Sow the seeds earlier in the spring to take advantage of the warm weather and jump start the growing season, or plant later in the fall to minimize the use of irrigation and use the seasonal rains to your advantage....

Can You Use Nut Shells as Mulch? The simple answer is yes, but with a few caveats. Let’s get peanuts out of the way first. Okay, you all know that peanuts are not nuts, right? They are legumes. Nonetheless, most of us think of them as nuts. So can you use peanut shells in nut shell garden mulch? It depends on whom you ask. One camp says, sure, go right ahead, and another says that peanut shells may carry fungal diseases and nematodes that can potentially afflict your plants....

Weather and Climate in the U.P. The Upper Peninsula growing zones vary across the region, including USDA zones 3 through 5. Since it’s surrounded on three sides by the Great Lakes, the U.P. enjoys a variety of weather. In general, the region is cold but temperate. The climate is largely humid with plenty of rain and snow. What most challenges U.P. gardeners is, of course, the cold. The growing season here is shorter than most of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan....

In order to get juicy, sweet watermelon, you need to select the right option and time your planting to suit your zone. These fruits need anywhere from 90 to 130 days from seed to harvest, making them a tough plant to grow in cooler climes. Short Season Watermelon Growing Big melons need about 4 months of warm, frost free weather. In cooler climates, the seeds will need to be started indoors and planted out after any danger of frost has passed, usually 6 weeks prior....

What are Holoparasitic Plants? Spending time in the garden means getting better acquainted with some of the more lowly denizens contained therein. You learn which plants are weeds, which ones are useful groundcover and, if you’re lucky, which ones are holoparasitic plants. With anything in life, the plant kingdom contains a small segment (about 4,400 species) of flowering plants that don’t produce any or all of their own food. This holoparasitic information will help you better recognize them when wandering the garden path....

What are Honeyberries? Fresh spring fruits are something for which we wait all winter. The first honeyberries taste like a cross between raspberries and blueberries. They are excellent eaten fresh or used in desserts, ice cream and preserves. Related to the blueberry and huckleberry, haskap berry is a heavy producing plant that requires little special care. Honeyberries (Lonicera caerulea) are in the same family as blooming honeysuckle, but they produce an edible fruit....

What Causes Blossom End Rot on Zucchini Squash? Blossom end rot on squash manifests itself at the onset as a small bruise on the blossom end of the fruit, gradually softening and darkening in color until it eventually rots. Blossom end rot is a calcium deficiency that is recognized by the secondary issue of the dark rotting area caused by a fungus. This lack of calcium in the soil is brought about by a number of factors including extreme soil moisture fluxes, over-fertilization, or root damage usually caused by cultivation....

What is a Potpourri Garden? A natural blend of fragrant herbs and flowers combined with spices, fixatives and essential oils are the basic components of potpourri. Prior to today’s atomized air fresheners, potpourri was a natural method of scenting the air. As they say, “everything old is new again” and homemade potpourri concoctions are enjoying a resurgence, popular not only for the ability to customize one’s own fragrance, but with the added benefits of a more natural and environmentally friendly mix at a fraction of the cost....

What is Aquaponics? A fascinating subject with a myriad of dizzying information, the topic of “what is aquaponics” can most simply be described as hydroponics combined with aquaculture. With adherence to the following practices, aquaponic systems may very well be a solution to hunger, conserving resources, and eliminating contaminants such as pesticides or other chemicals from entering waterways or aquafers in an environmentally friendly manner and conserving water resources. The premise for aquaponic plant growing it to utilize the waste products of one biological system to serve as the nutrients for a second system incorporating fish and plants to create a new poly-culture, which serves to stimulate production and increase diversity....

Cercospora Leaf Blight in Carrots First things first, just what is carrot leaf spot? Generally speaking, it’s when you observe dead, or necrotic, spots on your carrot’s leaves. A closer examination of these spots will help you determine the type of the leaf blight that is afflicting your carrots and the course of action you should take. There are actually three leaf blights that come into play for carrots that are either fungal (Alternaria dauci and Cercospora carotae) or bacterial (Xanthomonas campestris pv....

The terms ‘compost’ and ‘humus’ cannot be used interchangeably. So “what is the difference between humus and compost?” and “how is humus used in gardens?” you ask? Read on to get the dirt about compost vs. humus. And, just in case you are wondering why we are comparing compost to the delicacy in your kitchen right now, I also want to take a moment to clarify that humus is not the same as hummus....

I was at this crossroads recently with the spruce trees in my wood lot. The needles on the ends of the branches were turning yellow, with the bottom branches most severely affected. I agonized over what it could be and what to do about it. I concluded that these were spruce needle rust symptoms. What is spruce needle rust, you ask? Well, let’s read on to learn more and discover how to treat spruce needle rust....

If you haven’t yet gotten your garden in by June, it’s not too late. Gardening in the southwest is a dream in many ways due to the heat and plentiful sunshine. But it can also be a challenge, as dry soil and extreme weather can wreak havoc on the garden. A regional growing guide can help you decide what and when to plant. Southwest Planting in June There are few things more satisfying and pleasant than watching your garden flourish....

You can grow wheatgrass outdoors too, but it is easier to protect the quality of the plant in an interior setting. Whether you choose to grow inside or outside, the grass is a bundle of nutrients that are best accessed with juicing. Its use can be traced back 5,000 years to Mesopotamian civilization and is a member of the cereal family of grass-like foods such as barley and oats....