Spore Collection Techniques The reproductive bodies of fungi, mushrooms’ purpose in life is to produce spores, or seeds. Each type of fungi has a different spore type and releases them in unique patterns dependent upon the form of the underside of the mushroom cap. Gill mushrooms are the easiest from which to harvest spores, but with some experimentation, all types can be harvested. Intrigued? So how to harvest mushroom spores, then?...

Spur Blight in Brambles What is spur blight likely to do to your raspberries and other brambles? Nothing too nice. Spur blight infects both the leaves and the canes of brambles. Leaves are usually the first part of the plants to show spur blight symptoms. The outer edges turn yellow, then the leaves die. Since lower leaves are usually the first infected, it’s easy to view the damage as normal leaf senescence....

Preserving Garden Green Beans One of the easiest methods for preserving fresh green beans is to freeze them. Frozen green beans retain their texture, color and flavor. They can be microwaved for a quick and easy side dish or used in a variety of recipes. Follow these steps to freeze fresh green beans: Harvest tender, crisp pods that are free of damage. Whole or cut beans can be frozen, but whole beans store more compactly if they are straight....

Squash Seed Harvesting More and more often of late, plants and seeds available at the local home and garden center are comprised of hybrid varieties that have been engineered to retain selected characteristics. This hybridization, unfortunately, breeds out the plants’ innate ability to adapt to inhospitable or challenging conditions. Luckily, there is a resurgence to save some of our heirloom fruit and vegetable varietals. Saving squash seeds for future propagation can be a bit of a challenge since some squash will cross pollinate, resulting in something less than appetizing....

When to Thin Strawberry Patches Strawberry plants are most productive in their second and third fruiting seasons. Beds that are thick with older plants produce a poor crop and the plants are more susceptible to foliage and crown diseases. Wait until the plants go dormant to thin out overgrown strawberry beds. Dormancy begins four to six weeks after the harvest and lasts until the bed gets some drenching rains. Try to thin strawberry beds before late summer rains revive the plants....

Sugar Ann Pea Facts Spring means the first vegetables of the season, and Sugar Ann pea plants are right at the top of the produce available. What are Sugar Ann peas? They are not shelling peas, since you eat the entire tasty pod. The pods are delicious fresh or cooked and add flair to salads, stir fries, and dunked in your favorite dip. Snap peas are the early birds of the growing season....

Why is My Sunflower Not Blooming? Sunflowers are the cheeriest of blossoms. Their happy yellow faces turn to follow the sun’s progress across the sky. Many contain edible seeds beloved by humans and birds alike. So it’s distinctly disappointing when you have sunflower plants with no flowers, but understanding your sunflower blooming problems is the first step to solving them. Look at growing conditions Why, you may ask, are my sunflower plants not blooming?...

Why is My Swiss Chard Wilting? Of all the greens you can grow in your garden, Swiss chard is always the most fun. The deep green leaves of this beet cousin create a dramatic backdrop for the bright, cheery stalks that provide a riot of color for at least one little corner of your garden. When those happy lights suddenly start to look sad and limp, it’s hard to not take it personally....

Phytoplasma Life Cycle Phytoplasmas infect plants and insects. They are spread by insects through their feeding activities which inject the pathogen into the phloem of the plants. The pathogen causes a host of symptoms, most of which are potentially damaging to plant health. Phytoplasmas live in the phloem cells of a plant and usually, but not always, cause disease symptoms. These tiny pests are actually bacteria with no cell wall or nucleus....

How to Photograph Plants It would seem that moving targets such as pets and kids would be more difficult to photograph than plants, and they generally are, but getting the right shot of your prized dahlia might be tougher than you think. The trick is to take the shot from a different angle or focus on an entirely surprising area of the dahlia. Instead of taking a straight shot of the flower head, maybe take a shot from the side or just focus on the pistil, the center of the flower....

Carefully crafting a beautiful Thanksgiving centerpiece is just one important aspect of this celebration. However, doing so by using plants and flowers can take your décor to the next level – especially if you’ve grown them yourself. Growing Plants for the Thanksgiving Table It is undeniable that the Thanksgiving table is synonymous with plants. From cornucopias to pumpkins, images of this holiday almost always involve bountiful harvests from the vegetable garden....

Thinning Canopies in Trees The reasons for thinning tree canopies go beyond increasing light and air. The practice is also useful to keep a tree in a certain growth habit, prevent it from getting too tall, or keep limbs from getting invasive. Whatever the motivation, canopy thinning is a selective pruning practice that should be done when the plant is dormant for best results. The goal with tree thinning is to reduce the number and thickness of the tree branches in the crown....

Tomato Do’s and Don’ts Enthusiastic gardeners usually have a list of tomato do’s and don’ts but must be prepared for surprises as well. End of season tomato plants may be subject to a sudden freeze and are in danger of a quick kill. However, all is not lost in fall. Even northern gardeners can save that last crop and ripen it with better results than store bought fruit. It is important to have good soil, the right kind of tomato for your zone, and good cultivation practices....

Tomato Plant Allergies Everyone’s sensitivity to plants is somewhat different, and what bothers one person may have no impact whatsoever on someone else. There are several different types of reactions that people can have to plants. A skin rash may develop even if a person has not been previously exposed to a plant. A good example of this happens with stinging nettles. When you brush up against them, they cause a tingling sensation on the skin that comes quickly and leaves quickly....

Best Fall Color Trees Fall color changing trees turn autumn into a kaleidoscope of reds and yellows. For the best fall colors, try planting a few of these good fall color trees:

Does My Houseplant Have Mealybugs? Mealybugs will commonly leave a white residue on a plant’s leaves that resembles cotton. You will find this residue mostly on the stems and leaves. This residue is either the egg sacs of the mealybugs or the pests themselves. You may also find that the plant has a sticky residue on it. This is honeydew and is secreted by the mealybugs. It can also attract ants....

Basil lovers are in for a treat when growing tree basil. Its statuesque form and delicious scent really add a touch of the exotic to the garden. The tree basil plant is a monstrous example of this favorite herb, but is not a Mediterranean species. Instead, it grows naturally in warm regions and is only hardy to United States Department of Agriculture zone 10. The rest of us can enjoy it as an annual or overwinter the plant....

What are Triumph Tulips? Triumph tulips constitute the largest group of tulip varieties with a number of cultivars and colors to choose from for fall bulb planting. The blooms are single and have the classic tulip cup shape. They grow between 10 and 24 inches (25.5 to 60.5 cm.) tall. These tulips bloom in mid- and early spring. They have very sturdy stems, so they stand up well even in bad weather and are excellent plants for cutting gardens....

What’s Wrong with My Chinese Pistache? No landscape tree is entirely problem free, and this includes Chinese pistache. This ornamental is prized for its brilliant fall color before leaf drop, but if your Chinese pistache leaf drop starts before summer’s end, you’ll need to evaluate the care the tree is getting and its state of health. Are you seeing problems with your tree and wondering: “what’s wrong with my Chinese pistache?...

Fortunately for the flower gardener, the also edible tiger lily distracted these amateur chefs from using all the bulbs of turk’s cap flowers, and the plant was able to re-establish readily. Growing turk’s cap lilies is fairly simple and the tough specimen again blooms in abundance. Whorls of foliage sprout from the tall stems, along with orange flowers mottled with purple and numerous black seeds. Turk’s cap lily information says flower colors range from burgundy to white, with the orange freckled ones being the most common....