Feeding Sago Palms Fertilizing a sago palm plant isn’t too difficult. Your sago palms will absorb nutrients best when growing in well-drained, rich, and slightly acidic soil with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5. Otherwise they may develop either a magnesium deficiency, which is indicated by the yellowing of older leaves, or a manganese deficiency, in which the younger leaves yellow and shrivel. Keep in mind that a lawn fertilizer applied near sago palms may also adversely affect their nutritional balance....

What is a Samara? A samara is just one type of many fruits produced by flowering plants. The samara is a dry fruit, as opposed to a fleshy fruit, like an apple or cherry. It is further categorized as a dry indehiscent fruit. This means that it does not split open to release the seed. Instead, the seed germinates inside of its casing and then breaks free of it as the plant grows....

Is it Safe to Convert Sandbox to Vegetable Garden? The first step is determining the type of wood used for built-in sandboxes. Cedar and redwood are safe options, but pressure-treated wood is often southern yellow pine. Prior to January 2004, much of the pressure-treated lumber sold in the U.S. contained chromated copper arsenate. This was used as a pesticide to deter termites and other boring insects from damaging treated wood. The arsenic in this pressure-treated lumber leaches into the soil and can contaminate garden vegetables....

What is Santolina? An herbaceous perennial suited to hot, dry summers and full sun, Santolina (Santolina chamaecyparissus) is indigent to areas of sandy, rocky infertile soils but will also do well in garden loam and even clay provided it is well amended and well-drained. These evergreen shrubs have either silvery-grey or green leaves reminiscent of conifers. Santolina has a mounded, round, and dense habit reaching only 2 feet (0.5 m.) high and wide with vibrant yellow ½-inch (1....

About Shooting Star Plants Shooting star gets its name from the way the flowers hang from tall stems, pointing downward like falling stars. The Latin name is Dodecatheon meadia, and this wildflower is native to the Great Plains states, Texas, parts of the Midwest, and Canada. It is rarely seen in the Appalachian Mountains and northern Florida. This flower is most often seen in prairies and meadows. It has smooth, green leaves with upright stems that grow to 24 inches (61 cm....

About Soil Depth for Raised Beds Raised beds can be framed or unframed. Unframed raised beds are often called berms and are simply garden beds made of mounded up soil. These are most commonly created for ornamental landscape beds, not fruit or vegetable gardens. Unframed raised bed soil depth depends on what plants will be grown, what the soil conditions under the berm are, and what the desired aesthetic effect is....

Soil Preparation for a Vegetable Garden Some soil requirements for vegetable plants are the same, while others differ depending on the type of vegetable. In this article we will only focus on the general soil requirements for vegetable gardens. In general, vegetable garden soil should be well draining and loose. It should not be too heavy (i.e. clay soil) or too sandy. General Soil Requirements for Vegetables We recommend before preparing soil for vegetables that you have your soil tested at your local extension service to see if there is something your soil is lacking in from the lists below....

Either way, there are plenty of December gardening tasks to keep you busy. Your December gardening to-do list should include plenty of downtime; your garden rests during the winter, and so should you. Here are a few ideas for Southwest gardening in December. December Gardening To-Do List: Tips on Southwest Gardening in December Continue planting spring-blooming bulbs until the end of the year if the weather is comfortable and the ground isn’t frozen....

Choosing a Location for Starting an Herb Garden Most of the herbs that you can grow at home need two things — sunlight and well-drained soil. This means that when considering places in your yard to plant an herb garden, you need to look for a location that gets six or more hours of sunlight a day and that is well drained. Many people also consider convenience when selecting a place to start growing an herb garden....

Do You Have to Dig Up Tulip Bulbs? No law requires gardeners to dig up tulip bulbs each year, or at all. In fact, most bulbs prefer to stay in the ground, and, left in place, rebloom the following year. Gardeners only dig up tulip bulbs when the plants seem less vigorous and offer fewer flowers, which can indicate overcrowding. If you feel that your tulips aren’t doing as well as they did last year, dig them up....

When to Pick Strawberries Strawberry season only lasts three to four weeks, so it’s crucial that you know not only how to harvest a strawberry plant, but also when strawberry harvest time begins so that none of them go to waste. In their first year of planting, the berry plants will certainly try to set fruit, but you should be firm and disabuse them of this idea. Why? If the plants bear fruit, all their energy goes into doing so instead of sending off runners....

What is Leaf Scorch on Strawberry? Scorched strawberry leaves are caused by a fungal infection which affects the foliage of strawberry plantings. The fungus responsible is called Diplocarpon earliana. Strawberries with leaf scorch may first show signs of issue with the development of small purplish blemishes that occur on the topside of leaves. Over time, the spots will continue to grow larger and darken. In severe cases, dark spots may even cover entire portions of strawberry plant leaves and cause them to completely dry and fall from the plant....

What is Algal Leaf Spot? Algal leaf spot disease, also known as green scurf, is caused by Cephaleuros virescens, a type of parasitic algae. Algal leaf spot disease spores, which are spread by rain, create a big problem for more than 200 plant species, especially plants growing in warm, humid climates. Susceptible plants include those that have leathery leaves such as: Magnolia Camellia Boxwood Crepe myrtle Azalea Bougainvillea Wisteria Rhododendron Viburnum...

Thinning Plum Trees If you want to promote ample fruit set each year, thinning plum trees is imperative. There are three reasons for plum fruit thinning. The tree will bear larger, sweeter, and juicier plums if there are fewer on the tree maturing. Secondly, the enormous weight of too many ripening plums often causes the branches to crack, opening them up to silver leaf disease. Lastly, sometimes plum trees only fruit biennially instead of every year....

When to Till a Garden Before you can learn how to till a garden, you need to know when to till a garden. For most people, the best time for tilling dirt is in the spring. Before tilling your soil, you must wait for two things: the soil must be dry enough and warm enough. If you don’t wait for these two things, you may cause more harm than good to your soil and plants....

How and When to Prune Citrus Trees Major citrus tree pruning, which controls the size of the tree, should be done after risk of freeze has passed but well in advance of summer heat. Otherwise, uncontrolled growth results in a tree that is less vigorous and uses water less efficiently. You may need to prune the center of the tree if it is excessively dark and no fruit is produced in that area....

Holiday Poinsettia Plant Care Poinsettia care begins with proper light, water, and temperature conditions. During the holidays, while in full bloom, they typically enjoy semi-cool, humid locations in bright, indirect light with plenty of moisture. Poinsettia plants should be watered thoroughly, taking care not to drown them by ensuring adequate drainage is available. Likewise, avoid letting them sit in water-filled saucers, which can lead to root rot. Adding plants nearby can help increase humidity levels in dry rooms, as will humidifiers....

Should You Try Moving a Baptisia Plant? Baptisia is one of those easy to care for herbaceous perennials that attract beneficial insects, provide cut flowers, require little maintenance, and don’t usually need to be divided. After about 10 years, some plants do get floppy at the center and it may make sense to try to divide the root mass. This can be quite tricky due to the fragile, fibrous root system and deep taproot....

What is a Tosca Pear? As mentioned, Tosca pears are similar to Bartlett pears. Tosca pear trees are a hybrid between the early season Coscia and the Williams bon Cretien, aka the Bartlett pear. These pears were developed in Tuscany, Italy and, due to their Italian heritage, are thought to have been named after the infamous opera by Giacomo Puccini. The earliest pears to ripen (available in the late summer and early fall), Tosca pears are bell shaped with a greenish yellow skin and bright white, juicy flesh....