What is Buttoning? Buttoning is the result of stress, brought about by unfavorable weather or other reasons in both cole crop vegetables and stone fruit trees. Buttoning produces misshapen vegetables and fruits as well as stunted growth. Cole Crop Buttons Kale, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage are cool-season vegetables known as cole crops. The word cole refers to stem and is not relative to the fact that these particular vegetables are tolerant of cold weather....

Himalayan Birch Trees The white barked Himalayan birch is typically grown as an ornamental and known for its brilliantly bright white bark. It thrives in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 7. Whitebarked Himalayan birch (Betula jacquemontii), when heathy, is truly a delightful ornamental. Most birches have a graceful look, but this species is especially so. Its open, pyramidal form is draped with showy catkins – to 5 inches (12.7 cm.) long – in spring....

Dwarf Pine Trees Planting dwarf pines is a great idea when you want the green color and the conifer texture but your space is too tall for a forest. There are a large number of dwarf pie varieties that make growing dwarf pines easy. Your best bet is to review the different dwarf pine varieties. Pick dwarf pine trees based on their mature size, hue of needles, hardiness zone, and other particulars....

Can You Grow Grocery Store Herbs? There are a few types of herbs you’ll see at the grocery store: fresh cuttings with no roots, small bundles of herbs with some roots still attached, and small potted herbs. With the right strategy, you can potentially take any one of these and turn them into a new plant for your home herb garden, but the simplest to grow are the potted herbs from the grocery store....

Griselinia Growing Season Griselinia littoralis is grown for its evergreen foliage, which looks neat and tidy all year long. The shrub produces tiny greenish yellow flowers in spring, but they are seldom noticed. If you’ve planted both a male and female plant, the flowers are followed by purple, berry-like fruit. Griselinia self-seeds as the fruit drops to the ground. Spring and fall are good times for planting griselinia shrubs. Plant the shrub in a hole as deep as the root ball and twice as wide....

Companion Planting with Mint Companion planting is when different crops are planted near each other to control pests, aid in pollination, and to harbor beneficial insects. The byproducts of companion planting maximize garden space and increases healthy crop yields. Mint is no exception to this practice. The aromatic aroma of mint isn’t as pleasing to many crop pests, so planting crops next to mint can deter these plant nemeses. So, what plants grow well with mint?...

The answer depends on where you live, but planting sunflowers late in summer is a viable option for many gardeners. Can You Plant Sunflowers in Late Summer? Sunflowers are generally planted in spring or early summer for late summer and fall blooming. However, if you live in a warmer climate, you can get a second planting in for mid and late fall flowers. Late season sunflowers may grow a little shorter or produce fewer flowers because there will be fewer daylight hours....

So what does smoke from cigarettes do to their health? Can plants filter cigarette smoke? Does Cigarette Smoke Affect Plants? Studies have already found that the smoke from forest fires negatively impacts trees that survive big blazes. The smoke seems to decrease a tree’s ability to photosynthesize and grow efficiently. There have also been a few studies about how cigarette smoke affects the growth and health of indoor plants. One small study found that plants exposed to cigarette smoke for 30 minutes per day grew fewer leaves....

Budding fruit trees is the principal method of propagating new fruit trees, but it is frequently used for a variety of woody plants. The technique is extensively used by commercial growers. Although it may seem complicated and mysterious, with a little practice and a lot of patience, budding can be done by home gardeners. As a rule, even beginners have better luck with budding than most other propagation techniques....

Life Cycle of Plum Curculio Worm The adult is a 4 to 6 millimeter long beetle with a rough covering of mottle black, gray, brown, and orange. Wicked looking jaws are located at the tip of a long snout. These insects overwinter under debris in and around the yard. Plum curculio damage begins as soon as the adults emerge in the spring, soon after peaches bloom. The adults feed on buds, flowers, and newly set fruit as well as mate and lay eggs in the newly emerging fruit....

Identifying Cilantro Powdery Mildew White, fluffy growth on the leaves of a cilantro plant signify an outbreak of a fungus, powdery mildew. Powdery mildew of cilantro is unlikely to kill the plant but does make it less productive and the leaves can develop an “off” flavor. The fungus appears on leaves and stems. Simple cultivation tips early in the season, as well as an understanding of why powdery mildew on cilantro occurs, can help nip this fungus in the bud....

Identifying Thrips on Roses Thrips are extremely active, slender, brownish yellow, winged insects. They seem to favor the lighter colored blooms and will typically leave red spots and brown streaks on the petals. The flower buds are often deformed and typically will not open. The chili thrips will attack the foliage and basically the entire host plant. The amount of damage they can do in a very short time is astounding!...

While nemesia plant problems aren’t usually serious, this long period of growth provides more opportunity for disease to develop and pests to attack. These are common nemesia issues for which to keep an eye out. Learn how to spot them in early development so they don’t mar your beautiful flowering plants. What’s Wrong with My Nemesia? Problems with nemesia may include the following: Powdery Mildew: A white powdery substance on leaves and stems is often fungal mold, also called powdery mildew....

Problems with Sweet Corn Seedlings If your corn seedlings are dying, they are probably suffering from a type of disease that particularly affects the seeds of the sweet corn plant. These diseases can kill the seedlings or affect them enough that the stands don’t grow well. They are caused by a few different types of fungus and sometimes by bacteria, and may or may not cause rot. Diseased or rotting corn seedlings are more likely to simply die if they are planted in cold soil, but if planted in warmer soil, they may still sprout and grow....

Growing Herbs from Seeds To give your garden a head start, you can grow seedlings in pots on a sunny windowsill about six weeks before the last frost date in your area. Plant the seeds in a good potting soil mix according to package directions. Thin out the seedlings to one per pot by using tweezers to remove any unwanted growth, or snip the weaker seedling at the soil line. After all danger of frost is over, harden off your seedlings by taking them outside for lengthening time periods over the course of two weeks before planting them in their permanent spots in your garden....

What are Psyllids? Psyllids, also known as plant lice, are tiny, sap-sucking insects with very host-specific feeding preferences. Most species of psyllids will feed exclusively on a single type of plant, though some may expand their horizons to closely related family members. There are over 100 species, ranging in size from one tenth to one fifth inch (25-51 mm.) long. Like other sap-feeders, psyllids penetrate plant tissues, tapping into transport tissues and siphoning off part of the nutrient-laden liquids running through them....

Collecting Rainwater for Gardening During the summer, much of our potable water is used outdoors. We fill our pools, wash our cars, and water our lawns and gardens. This water must be chemically treated to make it safe for drinking, which is great for you, but not necessarily great for your plants. Collecting rainwater for gardening can eliminate many of these chemical salts and harmful minerals from your soil. Rainwater is naturally soft....

Why Does Fruit Split on Trees? Walking out in the home orchard and noticing that young fruit is cracking never makes a gardener happy. But it doesn’t mean you did anything wrong. Fruit cracking is most often a physiological response to an erratic water supply. It happens most often in July but can continue through harvest. Each fruit has a set number of cells that expand to retain water, both water that falls on the fruit and water uplifted through the root system....

Crimson fountain grass is a warm weather plant, suitable for growing as a perennial in USDA plant hardiness zones 9 and 10. However, gardeners in cooler climates can grow this fast growing beauty as an annual. Interested in learning more about growing red fountain ornamental grass? Read on for helpful tips. How to Grow Red Fountain Grass: Tips on Red Fountain Grass Care Red fountain ornamental grass prefers full sunlight, which brings out the intense color; however, it tolerates partial shade....

What is Red Rooster Leatherleaf Sedge? Red rooster is a cultivar of the sedge species Carex buchananii. Also known as red rooster leatherleaf sedge, it comes from New Zealand where it grows in the mountains, forests, and even along rivers and beaches. This is an easy grass to grow, which along with its unique color has made it a popular ornamental grass choice in many gardens. Red rooster sedge grass grows in clumps of tight leaves up to 24 inches (61 cm....