How to Kill a Tree Stump Using Chemicals Some people choose chemical control for tree stump removal. Potassium nitrate, sulphuric acid, and nitric acid are the most commonly used but should only be used by those with experience and with great care, following label instructions. A simpler solution may be to bore holes throughout the stump and apply salt (rock salt) and boiling water in the holes. This will help dissolve the salt so that it reaches deep into the stump, eventually killing it....

Types of Conventional Weed Killers Chemical weed killer use depends on the type of plants you’re trying to eradicate. There are a number of conventional weed killers. Listed below are the basics: Residual weed killers Soil-acting, or residual weed killers, poison the soil, killing any plants within the treated area. Soil-acting weed killers inhibit seed germination as well as photosynthesis. Some of these weed killers remain in the soil for months or even years....

Nitrogen Deficiency in Plants Good crops depend on an adequate supply of nitrogen. Most nitrogen is naturally present in the soil as organic content. Nitrogen deficiency in plants is more likely to occur in soils that are low in organic content. However, nitrogen loss due to erosion, runoff, and leaching of nitrate can also cause nitrogen deficiency in plants. Some of the most common symptoms of nitrogen deficiency in plants include the yellowing and dropping of leaves and poor growth....

Using Chamomile for the Lawn One option is to replace your grass with chamomile. Chamomile is an aromatic herb that is quite pretty to look at. Chamomile has feathery leaves and during the summer it has a white and daisy-like flower. For centuries, Chamomile has been used all around the world as a ground cover. It can take a medium amount of wear and when you walk on the chamomile it releases a lovely smell....

About Varieties of Fountain Grass Fountain grass plants (Pennisetum alopecuroides) are native to Eastern Asia and Australia where they are found growing along streams, in meadows, and open woods. Fountain grass plants have deep green, clumping foliage that initially grows upright but as the plant matures, begins to gracefully arch resembling a spouting fountain. Plants attain a height of 12-48 inches (30 cm. to just over a meter) depending upon the fountain grass cultivar....

Growing Water Loving Plants in Zone 5 Here in Southern Wisconsin, on the cusp of zone 4b and 5a, I live close to a small botanical garden called Rotary Botanical Gardens. This whole botanical garden is built around a man-made pond with streams, smaller ponds and waterfalls. Every year when I visit Rotary Gardens, I find that I am most drawn to a shady, boggy, lowland area and the deep green horsetails that flank both sides of a rocky path through it....

Buartnut Tree Information What is a buartnut tree? To understand this hybrid, you need to understand the story of butternut production. Butternut trees (Juglans cinerea), also called white walnuts, are native to North America. These trees are valued for their nuts, and also for their very hardwood. However, butternut trees are very vulnerable to a fungal disease called Sirococcus claviginenti-juglandacearum. This fungus causes oozing wounds in the butternut trunk, and is eventually fatal to the tree....

Pumpkins for Food Native Americans have long used edible pumpkins for cooking in everything from bread to soups and taught the newly arrived colonists many of their culinary tricks. Pumpkins can be grilled, baked, broiled, steamed or roasted whole in hot embers as the native people once did. Pumpkins used for food differs from those bred for Halloween carving. Those pumpkins are bred to be large, mostly hollow, and flat bottomed....

Are Those Wild Chives in My Yard? Wild chives are indeed so common you may have wondered, “Are those wild chives in my yard?”. It is very likely the case. These perennial monocots reside in the onion genus and are the smallest species of onion. They are the only Allium species native to both the Old and New World and can be found throughout Europe, Asia, and North America. Chives have been cultivated in Europe since at least the 16th century, but wild chives have been used according to Egyptian and Mesopotamian records to 5,000 B....

What Do Commercial Landscapers Do? What do commercial landscapers do? Commercial landscape design and services do a lot more than you might think. It is not just mow and blow. Commercial landscapers can help you plan and install a workplace frontage that is within your budget and inviting. They can provide monthly or seasonal maintenance services for weeding, mowing, trimming, pruning, and plant replacement. They can proactively see what needs to be done so your business looks its best....

What is a Chia Plant? Chia (Salvia hispanica) is a member of the Lamiaceae, or mint, family. Adding chia to your plantings provides a valuable nectar source for bees and butterflies. These herbaceous hardy annuals grow to 3 feet tall (91 cm.). They have thick, dark green leaves that are wrinkled and deeply lobed. Tiny, soft, gray hairs cover the upper side of the leaves as well. The chia plant has several stems rising from the plant’s base....

Red Horsechestnut Info What is red horsechestnut? Red horsechestnut is a hybrid of two common species of Aesculus. This spring bloomer is deciduous, but the large leaves have little interesting fall color. What it does have is an early season show of deeply pink-red panicles comprised of clusters of small flowers. These, unfortunately, become rather annoying, spiked fruits that may pose a litter problem and should be kept away from children and animals due to their toxicity....

What is Frog Fruit? I love plants with odd names. Frog fruit (Lippia nodiflora syn. Phyla nodiflora) is also called turkey tangle frog fruit. What is frog fruit? It is a native plant of North America and in the Verbena family of flowering herbaceous plants. Frog fruit plants are low growing plants that develop only about 3 to 5 inches (7.5 to 13 cm.) in height. They are found wild in the southern half of the United States through tropical regions....

What is Watermint? Shore plants, like watermint, are important for erosion control, food sources, animal habitat, and simple waterline beauty. What is watermint? Growing watermint around the pond will add fragrance in the summer blooming season and attract butterflies and pollinating insects. The midsummer blooms are caps of tiny florets amassed into a larger flower in deep hues of purple to blue, creating a beautiful effect. Watermint has thick, dark green leaves, tinged with deep, purple veins, and slight hair....

What is a Seed? Plant life starts with seeds unless the plant reproduces by spores or vegetatively. Where do seeds come from? They are the byproduct of a flower or flower-like structure. Sometimes seeds are encased in fruits, but not always. Seeds are the primary method of propagation in most plant families. The seed life cycle starts with the flower and ends with a seedling, but many steps in between vary from plant to plant....

What is actinomycetes? This is a fungus-like bacterium, which works as a decomposer, breaking apart plant tissue. The presence of fungi in composting can be a bad thing and indicate improper balance of bacterial agents, but actinomycetes in manure compost and other organic material indicates successful decomposition of tough fibrous items. What is Actinomycetes? Fungi are important components of breaking down compost, combined with bacteria, microorganisms and actinomycetes. The fine white filaments that resemble spider webs in organic piles are beneficial organisms that look like fungi but are actually bacteria....

Snow in Summer Plant isn’t Blooming Great masses of white blooms on silvery gray foliage are the hallmark of the snow in summer plant. Failure to form flowers might be related to site conditions, lack of nutrients, or simply poor snow in summer plant care. Another common cause of no flowers on snow in summer plant is planting in the incorrect zone. This is an alpine plant that thrives in United States Department of Agriculture zones 3 to 7....

Will Basil Die Over Winter? As previously mentioned, basil is an annual in most cases. Specifically, sweet basil, the popular variety of basil grown for use in the most sublime pesto sauces, is an annual. There are a couple of other varieties of basil that are hardier and tend towards a perennial life cycle. Generally, the end of summer or first part of fall heralds the end of season basil harvest, but is there a way to extend basil’s life at the end of the season?...

Willowherb Information Willowherb (Epilobium) is a Class B noxious weed in many states. In its native regions, it is simply part of the natural flora and a beneficial part of the landscape. When soils are disturbed though, the seeds spread far beyond their home turf and can cause quite a problem for farmers, land management professionals, and home gardeners. There are many varieties of willowherb weeds. Hairy, Canadian, Tall, Greater, you name it; there is a species of the weed....

Japanese Maples for Cold Climates Japanese maples charm gardeners with their graceful shape and gorgeous fall color. These charming trees come in small, medium, and large and some cultivars survive chilly weather. Can Japanese maples for cold climates live through zone 4 winters though? If you have heard that Japanese maples grow best in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 7, you have heard correctly. Winters in zone 4 get considerably colder than in zone 5....