What Is Permaculture? Permaculture is a word that intimidates a lot of people. But it really shouldn’t, because when it all comes down to it, permaculture is just about doing the right thing. The phrase “permaculture” was first coined by Bill Mollison in Australia in 1978. It’s a combination of the words “permanent” and “agriculture,” meaning it sets itself apart from modern, more commercial forms of agriculture that are impermanent, or unsustainable....

What is Polyploidy? Molecules of DNA determine whether a living entity is a human, dog, or even a plant. These strings of DNA are called genes and genes are located on structures called chromosomes. Humans have 23 pairs or 46 chromosomes. Chromosomes come in pairs to make sexual reproduction easier. Through a process called meiosis, the pairs of chromosomes separate. This allows us to receive half of our chromosomes from our mothers and half from our fathers....

What is Soil Temperature? So what is soil temperature? Soil temperature is simply the measurement of the warmth in the soil. Ideal soil temperatures for planting most plants are 65 to 75 degrees F. (18-24 C.). Nighttime and daytime soil temperatures are both important. When are soil temperatures taken? Soil temperatures are measured once soils are workable. The exact time will depend upon your USDA plant hardiness zone. In zones with higher numbers, the soil temperature will warm up quickly and earlier in the season....

What Makes Apples Fall from the Tree? Let’s start with the simplest and most positive reason why apples may drop prematurely. Sometimes, early fruit drop in apple trees is just Mother Nature’s way of reducing a heavy fruit set. This isn’t necessarily bad at all; in fact, it is recommended that you thin apples to one per cluster, six weeks after full bloom so that each apple is 4-6 inches (10 to 15 cm....

What is White Leaf Spot? The fungus causes circular, light tan to yellow leaf spotting. The lesions are about ½ inch (1.5 cm.) across, sometimes accompanied by dark streaking and splotching. Brassica white leaf spot is a fairly uncommon and generally benign disease of cole crops. It often coincides with heavy winter rains. When conditions are favorable, a characteristic fuzzy white growth of spores can be observed on the leaf spots....

Is Squash Blossoms Falling Off Normal? The first thing is not to panic. This is very normal. Yes, you read right, it’s normal for squash vines to lose their blossoms, especially early in the growing season. Squash plants are monoecious, meaning that they have both male and female blossoms growing on the same plant. The female blossoms are the only ones that will eventually produce fruit. Early in the growing season, squash plants tend to produce more male blossoms than female blossoms....

Getting Shasta Daisy to Bloom So your Shasta daisies won’t bloom. What should you do? Below are the most common reasons for non-blooming in these plants and the steps you can take to ensure a healthy Shasta daisy bloom time. Regular pruning and deadheading – Regular deadheading of Shastas (removal of wilted blooms) promotes healthy blooming until the end of the season. Otherwise, blooming slows and the plant directs its energy into producing seeds....

Wicking Bed Facts What is a wicking bed? A wicking bed is a raised garden bed built over a water reservoir of the same size, allowing the plants in the bed to absorb water at a natural rate, even if the surrounding soil is dry. This is useful in arid climates, areas under water-hogging trees, and gardens that are destined to wait long periods of time between irrigations. The basic structure of a wicking bed includes a plastic lined reservoir of gravel with a hole-filled pipe running through it, on top of which is built a normal raised garden bed of the same size....

Is Foxglove Winter Care Necessary? Foxgloves can be a source of much frustration for the gardener. I frequently talk with customers who are upset about having lost their foxglove, wondering what they did wrong to kill it. Many times, it’s nothing that they did wrong; the foxglove plant just lived its life cycle and died. Other times, customers come to me concerned about why their foxglove grew leafy foliage but did not flower....

Reasons for Yucca Plant Leaning The three main causes of a yucca leaning over are root rot, drought, and shock. Root Rot – The number one cause of problems with all houseplants is overwatering, and yuccas grown indoors are no exception. Overwatering leads to root rot, which prevents the plant from taking up enough water. Drought – It is ironic that the symptoms of too much water and not enough water are the same: drooping stems, wilting leaves, and yellowing....

Yucca Plant Pod Info Yuccas produce a lovely white to cream flower stalk, decorated with dangling blooms. These panicles will last for several weeks, then the petals will drop off and the ovary will start to develop. Soon seed pods will form. You can allow these to mature on the plant until dry and then harvest them. Alternately, you can cut off the seed pods on yucca to avoid the plant self-seeding....

Can You Grow Hops in Zone 8? Yes, you can! As a rule, hops plants grow best in USDA zones 4 through 8. This means that in zone 8, you really don’t have to worry about your plants not making it through the winter. You should, however, make sure to get your rhizomes in the ground as early in the spring as possible before temperatures rise. Hops rhizomes are usually only available to purchase between March and May in the northern hemisphere, so buy them as early as possible and plant them as soon as you get them (some websites will allow you to pre-order)....

Also known as silberfeder grass, this plant adds beauty and interest to the landscape all year. As an added bonus, it is deer and rabbit resistant. While silver feather grass plant is a beautiful focal point, it is a versatile, ornamental grass that works well in large beds, or as hedges or privacy screens. Some gardeners like to surround silberfeder grass with tulips and other bulbs that bloom in early spring while the grass is still dormant....

Different Varieties of Pansies

Acacia Propagation Methods As a rule, acacia propagation tends to be by seed. Acacias produce big, distinctive seed pods that are hard to miss, and the seeds inside can usually be planted successfully. This method can be a problem, however, if you are looking to propagate a specific cultivar. Some seeds from cultivars and hybrids will not necessarily grow true to type – you may plants seeds from a parent with a very specific flower color or growth pattern, and find its child doing something completely different....

Accidental Herbicide Injury The type of injury can be determined by the time symptoms begin to show. Problems that appear right after new plants begin to germinate are often the result of carry-over from previous applications, high rates of application, shallow planting, and even poor timing. Herbicide plant damage that appears on mature plants may be due to drift, misapplication, high temperatures or humidity, incorrect treatment, and tank contamination. The home gardener will usually notice accidental herbicide injury on mature plants due to misapplication and timing....

All About Sword Ferns The sword fern (Polystichum munitum) plant is a lush, evergreen groundcover known for its bright green, sword-shaped fronds. You’ll find the young fronds, or fiddleheads, appearing in early spring from their underground rhizomes with most plants eventually reaching 4 to 6 feet (1-2 m.) long. In addition to spreading through rhizomes, sword ferns will also reproduce via spores that are found along the backside of the fronds....

How to Grow an Almond Tree When growing almond trees, it’s helpful to know that the trees don’t tolerate overly wet soil and are extremely susceptible to spring frost. They thrive in mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers in full sun. If your region doesn’t fall within these parameters, it’s unlikely an almond tree will set fruit for you. Additionally, very few varieties of almond tree are self fertile, and therefore need cross pollination for fruit production, so you’ll need to plant at least two trees....

Technically, caraway is considered a biennial, but in some climates, it can be grown as an annual. What’s the difference between annual and biennial caraway, and how long does caraway live? Read on to learn more. Biennial Caraway Plants Caraway is primarily a biennial. The first year, the plant develops a rosette of leaves and may grow tall enough to resemble a small, feathery, bush-like plant. Caraway generally doesn’t produce flowers the first year (unless you grow it as an annual....

Growing Apples in Zone 5 If you live in USDA zone 5, winter temperatures dip below zero most winters. However, you’ll find lots of apple trees growing in this zone, a region that includes the Great Lakes and the northwestern interior of the nation. In fact, many of the classic apple varieties thrive in USDA zones 5 to 9. From a list of those varieties, you should choose apple trees for zone 5 based on other important tree features....