Posts

Do Eggplant Plants Need Support? Yes, it’s wise to create a support for eggplants. Staking eggplant keeps the fruit from touching the ground, which in turn, reduces the risk of disease and fosters fruit shape, especially for elongated eggplant varieties. Eggplants are also prone to falling over when heavily laden with fruit, so supporting your eggplants will protect them from potential damage and fruit loss. Staking eggplant also makes for easier harvesting....

About Beet Juice Dye The brilliant red of beets is the result of betalains, rich in antioxidants, high in fiber, low calorie and teeming with vitamins and minerals. Those who have prepared beets know that beet juice can and will stain anything it comes into contact with, which makes one wonder about dyeing with beet juice. Beet juice dye isn’t anything new. People have been using beets (and other veggies) to dye fabric for centuries....

Plants in Eggshells Starting seeds in eggshells begins with re-using both eggshells and egg cartons, and reuse is one of the three R’s of conservation: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. See how easy this is! You’ll reduce landfill waste by not using disposable plastic seedling starters and you’ll be recycling those cartons too. Eggshell seed pots are economical. For a few weeks before you begin your project, start cracking your eggs a little more carefully so that one half to two thirds of each shell remains intact....

When to Feed Staghorn Ferns In nature, staghorn ferns can be found clinging to rocks, stumps, tree crotches, and almost any handy space. They are epiphytic and gather moisture and nutrients from the air with additional sources washed into the cracks their roots have grown into. In their native tropical setting, plant detritus decomposes and filters into the cracks, creating nutrient rich pockets. As houseplants, they may be mounted or pot bound, but their resources are thinner in an urban setting....

Learn About Ficus Houseplants What is commonly referred to as a ficus is technically a weeping fig. It’s a member of the Ficus genus of plants, which also includes rubber trees and fig fruit trees, but when it comes to houseplants, most people refer to a weeping fig (Ficus benjamina) as simply a ficus. Ficus trees can maintain their tree-like shape regardless of their size, so this makes them ideal for bonsais or for massive houseplants in large spaces....

Encouraging Nature Play Children respond to nature like flowers respond to bees. Their world is opened up and further beauty and wonder become apparent while new ideas and ways of looking at things are born. Giving your child this look into nature and all its possibilities is a gift of love and develops an appreciation for the planet that will last well into adulthood. Encouraging nature play starts by involving children in outdoor activities and fostering their natural curiosity....

GMO Seed Info Genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) are organisms that have had their DNA altered through human intervention. There is no doubt that “improving” on nature can benefit the food supply in a number of ways in the short term, but there is much debate about the long-term effects of genetically altering seeds. How will this impact the environment? Will super-bugs evolve to feed on genetically modified plants? What are the long-term effects on human health?...

Tips to Help Get Rid of Gophers The main key to any kind of gopher control is to understand how gophers operate. Gophers dig burrows as a way to travel from feed location to feed location. Whether you are using gopher traps, gopher repellent, or poison to kill gophers, your battleground with this pest will be in these burrows. Using Gopher Repellent Gopher repellent is the least effective method of gopher control....

Growing and Harvesting Quinoa Bolivia and Peru supply the majority of quinoa used around the globe, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try your hand at growing and harvesting it yourself. Quinoa thrives when temps do not exceed 90 F (32 C), which means knowing when to sow can be crucial. For most southern Canadian and U.S. regions, plant quinoa in late April to early May when soil temps are above 60 F (15 C)....

Indoor plants that smell good will also give gardeners something green to tend to while awaiting the spring planting season. What are Some Indoor Plants That Smell Good? There are a number of fragrant indoor plants that can be grown by the frustrated gardener. The gardenia is an extremely popular choice when growing aromatic houseplants. Gardenias have an intense, sweet aroma with dark green, glossy leaves and stunning white flowers....

Naranjilla Growing Information “The golden fruit of the Andes,” naranjilla plants are herbaceous shrubs with a spreading habit that are commonly found throughout Central and South America. Wild growing naranjilla plants are spiny while cultivated varieties are spineless and both types having thick stems which become woody as the plant matures. The foliage of the naranjilla consist of 2 foot (61 cm.) long, heart-shaped leaves that are soft and woolly. When young the leaves are coated with brilliant purple hairs....

For harvesting rose seeds, professional rose breeders or hybridizers control what pollen they want used to pollinate a specific rose bloom. By controlling the pollen used in the pollination process, they will know exactly who the parents of a new rose bush are. Out in our gardens we typically have no real clue as to whom both parents are since the bees or wasps do most of the pollinating for us....

What is an Herb? Herbs are defined as plants that are useful to humans. Not quite the same as a vegetable or a fruit, an herb is something we value for a variety of different reasons. An herb can be useful to us for its flavor, its scent, its medicinal properties or its use as an insecticide. Some herbs are used as coloring for dyes or for industrial uses. Herbs have been used for thousands of years in teas and balms to relieve physical ailments, such as upset stomachs and stress-induced illness....

What are Hollyhock Weevils? Hollyhock weevils (Apion longirostre) are gray snout beetles with orange legs, measuring 1/8 to 1/4 inch (3-6 mm.) long, including their pronounced proboscis, which is significantly longer in females than males. Hollyhock weevil adults overwinter in the soil of infested hollyhock beds, emerging from hiding in spring to feed and lay their eggs. The female chews a small hole in a flower bud before inserting a single egg, repeating this process many times....

Harvesting Amaranth Plants Amaranth is a plant that falls into one of four categories: grain, vegetable, ornamental or weed. The differences are more or less cultural preferences, as all types are edible and highly nutritious. Both the greens and seeds are edible, with the greens tasting somewhat like spinach, and the seeds milled into flour or eaten much like quinoa with a similar protein punch. While of the 60-70 species of amaranth, 40 are considered native to the Americas, you are likely growing one of three: A....

How to Harvest Cranberries Commercially grown cranberries are known as the American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) or sometimes referred to as lowbush. They are actually woody, perennial vines that can stretch out runners to 6 feet (2 m.). When spring arrives, the vines send out upright sprouts from the runners, which then produce flowers followed by cranberries in the fall. These commercially grown lowbush varieties of cranberry are grown in bogs, a wetland ecosystem consisting of sphagnum moss, acidic water, peat deposits, and a mat-like substance on the water’s surface....

Reasons for Jasmine Leaves Turning Yellow Below are the most common issues to look at when a jasmine has yellow leaves. Pests Pests may be the culprits if your jasmine has yellow leaves. Rule out a pest infestation before you move on to more complicated troubleshooting. If you discover an infestation, treat the pests with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. Scale: Scale is a tiny, sap-sucking pest that attaches itself to jasmine stems and leaves....

What is Date Palm Leaf Spot? Any time your date palm develops circular or elongated, brown to black, potentially oily or water-soaked appearing spots, it’s a clear sign to pay attention. These spots are a clear indication that a fungal pathogen is feeding on the dermal tissues of your date palm. Although leaf spot symptoms can look really scary and explode out of nowhere, these diseases tend to be of very little consequence in the long term....

What is an Eastern Cape Giant Cycad? Looking like a cross between a tree and a fern, Cycads are some of the oldest living flora species on the planet. The crown is made up of whorls of leathery, palm-like leaves. The non-branching trunk is formed as the plant grows and sheds leaves. The specimen at Kew is over 13 feet tall (4 m.). Its trunk leans to the side and must be braced as it can no longer support the weight of itself....

Animals That Damage Pepper Plants As home gardeners, we put a lot of time, effort and money into growing veggies for the dinner table. Yet, when animal pests enter our gardens, all of our hard work can disappear overnight. But before we can deter animals from the garden, we first have to identify the culprits. Do deer eat pepper plants? As members of the nightshade family, peppers are not one of the preferred foods of deer....