Honey as a Root Hormone We all know that honey has many health benefits. It is, after all, a natural antiseptic and contains anti-fungal properties — both of which are believed to be one of the reasons honey as a root hormone seems to work so well. In fact, just 1 tablespoon (15 mL.) of honey is said to contain about 64 calories and 17 grams of carbohydrates, most of which come from sugars, and seems to provide plants with a much needed boost just as it does for us....

When to Prune Honeysuckle Vines and Bushes Honeysuckles include both vines and shrubs. Prune honeysuckle bushes in the spring, as soon as the flowers drop off. You can prune honeysuckle vines lightly any time of year. Wait until fall or winter when the vine is dormant for major pruning jobs. Pruning Honeysuckle Plants Honeysuckle pruning begins with the removal of the three D’s: dead, damaged, and diseased stems. Next, correct stems that are growing in the wrong direction and those that rub against each other....

How to Trellis a Houseplant Houseplant trellising can be a fun and new way to grow and display your houseplants. Let’s explore a few different types. Tee Pee Trellis You can use bamboo stakes to make a tee pee for your indoor potted plants. Simply take bamboo stakes and cut them so that they are about twice the height of your pot. You can go a little bigger, but keep in mind that unless your pot is heavy, it will eventually become top-heavy and can fall over....

How to Make a Houseplant Screen for Privacy Dividers can be purchased, built by contractors, or put together yourself. They can be wood, metal, plastic, or engineered wood. Dividers can be free standing or mounted to the floor and ceiling. Here are considerations to think about before starting your design: How much do I want to spend on the project? Besides the divider, include cost for pots, plants, hardware, and a grow light or fluorescent light, if needed....

In addition, if you have plants that don’t like too much direct sun, you can easily diffuse the light in your western window by drawing a sheer curtain. In this way, it can be a very versatile window because you can grow a wider variety of plants. Houseplants for West Windows There are many great plants for west window light that will enjoy the afternoon direct sun and warmer temperatures....

Adams Crabapple as a Pollinizer What makes Adams crabapples ideal for pollinating other types of apples? Crabapple trees belong to the Rose family but they share the same genus, Malus, as apples. While there is some minor dissention on the point, the difference is arbitrary. In the case of apples vs. crabapples, fruit size is really the only thing that separates them. So, in other words, a Malus tree with fruit that is two inches (5 cm....

When Should You Repot a Plant? When determining how often to repot plants, it’s best to start with the species. Research the kinds of plants you have. Find out how quickly they grow and what experts recommend when it comes to repotting frequency. The fastest growing plants might need a new container every year. Slow growers can wait two, three, or even more years. In addition to looking at the specific species you have and their growth rates, look at these signs that a plant might need a new, bigger container:...

How to Propagate Guava Cuttings When choosing guava cuttings, it’s best to select a healthy stem of new growth that has matured to the point of being relatively firm. Cut off the terminal 6 or 8 inches (15-20.5 cm.) of the stem. Ideally, it should have 2 to 3 nodes worth of leaves on it. Immediately sink your cutting, cut end down, in a pot of rich, moist growing medium. For better chances of rooting, treat the tip with a rooting hormone before placing it in the growing medium....

How to Stake a Gladiolus Native to South Africa, southern Europe, and the Near East, these perennial favorites are grown from corms planted in the early spring. As mentioned, the weight of all these blooms, the sheer height of the plants – glads can grow as tall as 5 feet (1.5 m.) – and/or rainy or windy conditions may result in gladiolus that are falling over. So, how to hold up glads in the garden?...

How Toxic is Peace Lily? As glorious as peace lilies are when they are blooming, there is an underlying menace in these hooded flowering plants. The presence of peace lily and dogs can be an unfriendly equation. Is peace lily toxic to dogs? All parts of the plant, from stems to leaves and even the attractive blooms, contain an irritating toxin that can be dangerous to man’s best friend, so it is best to remove or fence off an area where peace lilies grow....

Planting Next to Hydrangeas When you are considering hydrangea plant companions, look for plants that are similar to hydrangea and those that are different. You can draw focus to your hydrangea’s features either by repeating them or contrasting them in companion plants. For example, the popular mophead hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) grows naturally as a rounded, mounding shrub with large, rounded leaves. You might choose other plants with rounded foliage as companions for hydrangea, like Hosta....

Common Dahlia Diseases Below you will find the most common diseases in dahlia plants: Powdery mildew – This fungal disease is easy to spot by a mealy, powdery growth that appears on leaves, usually late in the growing season. Although powdery mildew is rarely fatal, it can definitely affect the appearance of the plant. Botrytis blight – A fungal disease commonly known as gray mold, botrytis blight is initially evidenced by brown, water-soaked spots that enlarge and develop a fuzzy, gray or tan mold as the disease progresses....

Emerald Ash Borer Characteristics The emerald ash borer is so named for its emerald, green color. The insect is about ½ inch (1 cm.) long and leaves D-shaped holes when exiting the ash trees interior. The pest lays eggs and leaves the larvae to hatch inside the valuable ash trees, where they create serpentine tunnels that interfere with the tree’s ability to move water and nutrients throughout its tissues. Learning how to protect ash trees from ash borer can save your trees....

Plants to Overwinter You can overwinter any tender plant that will not survive your region’s winter. This doesn’t always mean forcing dormancy. Some tropical plants can simply become houseplants in winter. Dormant plants in winter require less care and maintenance. There are two main types of plants to overwinter this way: those with bulbs and similar root structures and those without. Some examples of plants in the former category to overwinter include:...

Caring for Chinese Juniper Chinese junipers prefer moist, well-drained soil, but they will adapt almost anywhere as long as they get plenty of sun. They tolerate drought better than excessively wet conditions. Keep the soil evenly moist until the plants become established. Once they begin to grow, they are practically carefree. You can reduce the maintenance even more by reading the mature plant measurements on the plant tag and choosing a variety that fits the space....

Flowering Tops on Herbs In the early stages of plant growth, the herb plants put all of their energy into producing leaves and roots. This is because the leaves and root will produce energy for a plant– enough energy so that the plant can do what a plant thinks it should do. To a plant, its only reason to exist is to produce other plants. In order to do this, most plants must produce seeds....

How to Build a Small Pond Below you will find the steps for how to build a small pond: Choose a location – A miniature garden pond should be located where it can get four to six hours of sunlight. This will help to keep the pond healthy and clean. Avoid placing the pond where runoff from rain will run into the water. This may wash debris in and a miniature pond simply will not be able to function correctly with too much foreign matter....

Can You Compost Wine? You might wonder why anyone would waste wine by pouring it on a compost heap in the first place. But sometimes you purchase wine that doesn’t taste good, or you let it sit around so long it turns. That’s when you might think of composting it. Can you compost wine? You can, and there are a lot of theories about wine’s effect on compost. One is certain: as a liquid, wine in compost will stand in for required water....

What is a Kirpi? A kirpi Indian hoe is a tool designed to serve more than one purpose in the garden. Some compare the shape of the blade to the lower half of a human leg. Using this analogy for the kirpi weeding hoe, you can hoe with the smooth back of the tool that ends in the heel of the “foot.” When you want to saw something tougher than a weed, the kirpi weeder saws well....

Knock Out Rose Diseases There are five common diseases of Knock Out roses and one serious virus that they now must also deal with. The five common Knock Out rose diseases are: Black Spot Fungus Botrytis Blight (aka: Gray Mold) Powdery Mildew Rust Stem Canker A well fed, well hydrated and actively growing Knock Out rose bush will be able to fend off these diseases. However, if we add into the scenario the stresses of injury (perhaps due to a weed whacker), heat stress, lack of water, poor soil, or insect and mite invasion, the rose bushes become a far more easy target for diseases to attack....