Planting Noise Blockers You should plant noise reducing plants as you would a hedge. Space them so that there won’t be gaps between the plants when they reach maturity. You can even install dense layers of plants to provide optimum noise protection. Begin with a row of shrubs nearest the noise and plant a row of taller shrubs or trees behind them. Finish with a row of showy shrubs that face your home or garden....

It’s completely organic, doesn’t interact with any humans or animals, and will kill off most of the grasshoppers in your garden within one season. Using nosema locustae in the garden is possibly the easiest and safest way to rid your crops of grasshoppers, once and for all. Nosema Locustae Bait for Gardens What is nosema locustae and how does it work so well? It’s a one-celled organism called a protozoan that can infect and kill only grasshoppers....

What is Pink Root? Pink root is a disease that primarily attacks onions, though many other plants, including cereal grains, can be carriers. The fungal pathogen, Phoma terrestris, is able to survive many years in the soil without a host crop but reactivates and moves swiftly into weakened or stressed onions when it detects them. The plant then becomes unthrifty and will grow much more slowly than other non-diseased plants nearby....

I just love their showy petunia-like flowers and don’t want to see the final curtain fall. I had to ask myself, “Can you overwinter Calibrachoa? Is there a way of overwintering million bells and, if so, how?” Let’s see what we can find out about Calibrachoa winter care. Can You Overwinter Calibrachoa? Given that I live in zone 5, which experiences full-blown winter, maybe it’s just wishful thinking that I could keep a zone 9 to 11 plant, such as Calibrachoa million bells, ringing throughout the winter....

When to Fertilize a Peach Tree Established peaches should be fertilized twice a year. You should be fertilizing peach trees once in the early spring and again in late spring or early summer. Using peach tree fertilizer at these times will help support the development of peach fruit. If you have just planted a peach tree, you should fertilize the tree one week after you planted it, and again a month and a half afterwards....

Types of Peperomias More than 1,000 types of Peperomias exist, but not all are cultivated and grown for distribution to the public. Plant collectors may have an unusual variety, as may arboretums or indoor displays at botanical gardens. Several types of Peperomia houseplants can brighten your indoor displays. Following are some of the most widely available types of Peperomias: Emerald Ripple Peperomia: Heart shaped leaves and foliage texture similar to a waffle make growing Peperomia caperata a pleasure....

Caring for Phalaenopsis Orchids Post Bloom Phalaenopsis orchid care bears a simpler set of instructions compared to many other orchids, which is probably why this plant is one of the more commonly grown. Most Phals can be forced to bloom from the old flower spike and then the stem can be removed. A few species will only bloom off old stems, which should not be cut off. The most common moth orchids are the type which require the old stem to be removed after a secondary bloom....

Phyllosticta Symptoms in Prickly Pears Prickly pear leaf spot is a disease of that plant and others in the Opuntia family. The disease is brought about by tiny spores from the Phyllostica fungus. These colonize the tissues, primarily the pads, of the cactus and eat into it causing lesions. There is no recommended treatment for Phyllosticta fungus, but it can spread to other ornamental plants, and the removal of infected pads and plant material is suggested to prevent the disease from reaching other species....

Rust Pine Tree Diseases There are essentially two types of pine gall rust diseases: western pine gall and eastern pine gall. Western Pine Gall Rust (Pine-Pine) Also known as western pine gall rust or as pine-pine gall rust for its proclivity to spread from pine to pine, pine gall rust disease is a fungal disease that affects two and three needle pine trees. The disease, caused by a rust fungus known as Endocronartium harknesii, affects Scots pine, jack pine, and others....

How to Grow Pineapples Pineapples are a tropical herbaceous perennial belonging to the bromeliad family. They grow to about 5 feet (1.5 m.) in height with a 3 to 4 foot (1 m.) spread. The idea that pineapples are an exotic, decadent fruit isn’t farfetched. They were first introduced to Europe in the 1700’s where they were delicacies of great value sought after only by the very wealthy. Growing pineapples really is very simple....

Can You Plant an Apricot Seed? Query no more. Yes, growing apricots from seed is possible, cheap, and fun. So, how to start an apricot tree from a pit? Growing apricots from seed is an easy project and, in fact, pits from a variety of fruit can be used to grow trees. Cross pollination between varieties begets uncertain results, so most fruit trees are not grown from seeds. Instead, cuttings or buds of the most favorable specimens are grafted onto rootstock to produce trees that are near carbon copies of the parent trees....

What are Sweet 100 Cherry Tomatoes? Sweet 100 tomato plants produce red cherry tomatoes on indeterminate vining plants that may grow 4-8 feet (1.2 to 2.4 m.) tall. These vines produce high yields of fruit from early summer right up to frost. The high yields are indicated by the “100” in their name. However, this does not mean that the whole plant itself will only produce about 100 fruit. Instead, just one cluster of fruit on the plant can produce up to 100 cherry tomatoes, and the plant can produce many of these tomato clusters....

Suggested Plants for the Dining Room Here are a few tips for selecting and growing plants in the dining room. Cactus plants or succulents are ideal if you have plenty of bright light. Consider the location carefully, however, when it comes to prickly or thorny cacti and be sure to keep them out of reach of children. Water cacti and succulents whenever the fleshy leaves begin to look wilted – usually about once a month (and probably less during the winter)....

Caring for Orchids after They Bloom You don’t have to be a collector to love orchids. Even grocery stores carry a selection of orchids as gift plants. Usually, these are the easy-to-grow Phalaenopsis orchids, which produce a vigorous stalk with numerous flowers. This variety of orchid blooms may last up to 2 months with good care but, eventually, all good things must come to an end. When the flowers have all fallen from the stalk, it is time to consider how to keep the plant in good condition and possibly encourage a rebloom....

What is Potato Dickeya – Blackleg Potato Symptoms Two groups of bacteria cause this infection: Dickeya, which is one alternate name for the disease, and Pectobacterium. Previously these groups were both classified under the name Erwinia. Blackleg caused by Dickeya is more likely in high-temperature conditions, and is, therefore, more common in warmer climates. The symptoms of this bacterial infection begin with lesions that appear water soaked. These turn up on the base of the plant’s stem....

About Zone 9 Potatoes Although considered a cool season crop, potatoes actually grow in USDA zones 3 to 10b. Zone 9 potato growers are actually quite lucky. You can plant some late maturing varieties in early summer for a fall harvest and/or plant early potato varieties and midseason types a few weeks prior to the last spring frost date for your area. For instance, say your last spring frost date is around the end of December....

How to Propagate Cyclamen When you want to learn how to propagate cyclamen, remember that there are at least 20 different species of this plant. All are native to the Mediterranean region and require mild temperatures to thrive. Propagation methods that work well for one species may be problematic for another. Two of the most common species are hardy cyclamen and florist cyclamen. The former is easily propagated by cyclamen seed propagation or dividing cyclamen tubers....

Potted Fig Trees Figs for small spaces or areas with hard winters thrive in containers where they can be moved indoors for winter. Choose a fig variety that is suitable for your zone and with the degree of hardiness necessary to thrive where you live. If you want fruit, you will also need to choose a plant that can self-pollinate. Provide well-drained soil, a large container, and even moisture. Fertilize in spring to promote the new flush of growth and formation of fruit....

Kiwi Plant Trimming The only way to keep a kiwi vine vigorous and productive is to adhere to a regular pruning schedule. Pruning helps to establish a strong framework for the vine, balance growth with fruit production, and develop the type of open canopy that uses light efficiently. Do most of the kiwi plant trimming in the cool season while the plant is dormant. However, you’ll also need to prune the vine back several times during the summer to keep it under control....

When to Prune Viburnum While light pruning can be performed anytime throughout the year, it’s best to leave any major shearing or severe pruning for late winter or early spring. Of course, much of viburnum pruning depends on the variety grown too. In many cases, pruning just after flowering but before the setting of seedpods is sufficient. If frost is imminent in your area, you should put off pruning so as not to damage new shoots....