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DIY Wasp Trap Info Wasps are terrifying to many people who have been stung. They are, however, beneficial insects whose main job is to eat other insects. Wasps are attracted to proteins and sugars which can make those summertime picnics less than comfortable. Sprays and baits can be helpful but generally contain toxins that may not be appropriate around your family. A safer and non-toxic way to minimize the insects is to use a little DIY wasp trap info to construct your own....

You can donate or even specifically grow vegetables for a food bank. Millions of people in this country struggle to obtain adequate food. Gardening for food banks can fill that need. So how do food banks work and what types of food bank vegetables are most in demand? Read on to learn more. What is a Food Bank? A food bank is a nonprofit organization that stores, packages, collects, and distributes food and other items to those in need....

Identifying Creeping Charlie Weed Creeping charlie (Glechoma hederacea) is often called ground ivy due to its appearance and growth habits. Creeping charlie weed is a green vine whose leaves are round with scalloped edges. Creeping charlie has a small purple flower. The creeping charlie plant is most easily identified by its growth habit. It is a vine that grows close to the ground and will form a mat-like ground cover if allowed to....

What Causes Black Spots on Jade Plant? Who isn’t charmed by the jade plant’s chubby leaves and ease of care? If the plant is in the correct light, a low humidity area and has the proper potting mix, these plants don’t require a lot of babying. However, even the best succulent gardener may find their plant has some issues, chiefly black spots on jade plant. The spots can lead to serious decline of plant health and even death if not properly addressed....

What is a Lady Banks Climbing Rose? Lady Banks (Rosa banksiae) is an evergreen climbing rose which can send out thornless vining branches over 20 feet (6 m.) in length. Hardy as an evergreen in USDA zones 9 to 11, Lady Banks can survive into USDA zones 6 to 8. In these colder climates, Lady Banks acts like a deciduous plant and loses its leaves during the winter. The rose is named after the wife of Sir Joseph Banks, director of Kew gardens in England, after the plant was brought back from China by William Kerr in 1807....

What is a Mailbox Garden? Gardening around a mailbox adds curb appeal and gives your mailperson something nice to view along their route. Your personal taste will dictate if you are creating a Mediterranean, English country, desert, or other themed space. Remember that plants in this location are often near the roadside and will have to contend with exhaust, chemicals, heat that radiates off the curb or sidewalk, and often dry conditions....

Does Mulch Cause Fungus? Mulch doesn’t directly cause fungus, but when certain conditions are present, mulch and fungus work together in a symbiotic relationship; fungi are living organisms that develop as part of the natural decomposition process. Many types of fungi help break down woody tissues and other types survive by consuming bacteria in the mulch. Either way, fungus is beneficial so no mulch fungus treatment is necessary in most cases....

No Fruit on Peach Trees Peach trees generally begin bearing fruit two to four years from the time they are planted. Several factors can cause a peach tree not to bear fruit when expected. These include over fertilization, improper pruning, low temperatures, lack of chilling hours, and the residual effects of the previous season’s crop. Fixing Peach Trees Not Bearing Fruit Fertilization – Fertilization with high-nitrogen fertilizers encourages a peach tree to focus its attention on producing new shoots and leaves at the expense of fruit....

Using Organic Fertilizer Fertilizer supplies for an organic garden begins with compost. Adding compost to any soil type increases the nutrient value and supports healthier plants. Most organic gardeners make their own compost using kitchen and yard waste, but it can be purchased at any good garden center. Ground cover crops can also be planted during the fallow season to be tilled into the soil in spring and can add many nutrients back into the garden plot....

What is Kelp Meal? Kelp seaweed is a type of marine algae, brown in color, and has a huge growth size. A product of our nutrient-rich oceans, kelp is often mixed with fish products and used as a fertilizer to encourage healthier plant growth, promote greater fruit and vegetable yields, and to overall enhance the general appearance of a garden or plant specimen. Organic kelp fertilizer is valued for its micro-nutrients as well as its macro-nutrients of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium....

Saving geraniums for the winter can be done in three ways. Let’s look at these different ways. How to Save Geraniums Over the Winter in Pots When saving geraniums for the winter in pots, dig up your geraniums and place them in a pot that can comfortably fit their rootball. Prune the geranium back by one-third. Water the pot thoroughly and place it in a cool but well-lit part of your house....

What is Poison Parsley? This plant is an herbaceous biennial to perennial. Many gardeners find it growing in disturbed areas such as ditches and fallow fields. The plant is attractive and it’s tempting to keep it around and enjoy the beauty of the clustered white flowers. However, knowing the highly toxic nature of the plant, poison hemlock identification and control are important to the health of your livestock and all others around you....

How Do I Prune Shasta Daisies? I hear the question, “how do I prune Shasta daisies,” quite frequently. These robust flowers are easy to grow and maintain, asking little of you other than occasional water, moderately fertile soil, and sunshine. There are a couple of reasons for Shasta daisy pruning, including preventing the plant from freely seeding, but also to enhance plant growth. Gardeners with large patches of the plants also know to divide them every few years to increase the number of plants and create a healthier clump....

Davallia fejeensis is the botanical name of the rabbit’s foot fern (Humata tyermanii or white paw fern, is a similar plant). These charming plants produce soft, silvery growth off the base of the plant that stream down the outside of the pot. The growths are actually above-ground rhizomes and can be used to start entirely new ferns. In mature plants, these rhizomes will literally coat the outside of a container and cascade down over a hanging pot....

Define Ratoon A ratoon is a new sprout or shoot that emerges from the base of a monocot crop (after it has been cropped. Ratooning is a method of propagation by which a monocot (monocotyledon), a plant having an embryo with only one cotyledon, is harvested leaving behind stubble which then re-grows. The earliest known record of ratooning can be traced back to the Vedic period of India with reference to farmers cultivating barley using this method....

What Causes Warts on Pumpkins? While many people desire a smooth, unblemished pumpkin to carve for Halloween, others love the look of the recently introduced warty pumpkin varieties. No, these aren’t afflicted with some heinous disease; they are actually genetically engineered to create bumpy pumpkin fruit. It is actually natural and not unusual for pumpkins to have bumps, but years of selective breeding have weeded out this natural tendency until what we view as the norm are unblemished pumpkins....

Never heard of spittlebugs? You are not alone. There are around 23,000 species of spittlebugs (Family: Cercopidae), yet few are the gardeners that have ever really seen one. Most probably have seen the protective covering or nest they make, wondered what it was (or if someone had spit on their plant), and then blasted it off with a hard stream of water. Learn About Spittlebugs Spittlebugs are very good at hiding too, so they’re not really easy to spot....

Scratch and Sniff Garden Theme A scratch and sniff garden theme not only makes a fun addition to the landscape but it affords the opportunity to become a crucial teaching element. Kids can learn about different textures, scents, and more. Watching their ‘Scratch N Sniff’ plants grow teaches them about plant growth and the life cycle of plants. Plant parts can even be used for craft projects. For instance, leaves and flowers can be dried and used to make fragrant potpourri....

Where to Plant Fruit Trees Site selection is critical to the success of fruit tree production. Fruit trees require full sun but will tolerate part shade; however, fruit quality will be diminished. Deep, sandy loam soils that drain well are best. For heavy soils, plant fruit trees in raised beds or on berms built up to improve drainage. For those with a limited garden area, small-sized fruit trees can be planted amongst ornamentals....

Albuca Spiral Plant Info Albuca is a genus of over 100 types of plants, most of which originated in South Africa. Albuca spiralis are also known as frizzle sizzle plants and corkscrew Albuca. The unusual foliage actually grows in a spring shape and coils up from the bulb with unique eye appeal. The bulb requires a cooling period to produce foliage and finally the flowers, so indoor plants can be challenging to grow....