Before Moving Cacti in the Landscape Mature cactus plants can get quite large and require professional assistance to minimize plant damage. If you are determined to take on the process yourself, consider site preparation, have several extra hands available and prepare the plant carefully to avoid harming pads, limbs, and causing yourself and your helpers any pain. Only transplant healthy specimens that will have the best chance of re-establishing. A word of caution: wild cactus cannot be harvested legally in most areas, so this information applies to cultivated cacti in the landscape only....

Symptoms of Sweet Potato Root Knot Nematodes Root knot nematodes of sweet potatoes are white to yellow and live amongst the storage roots. Although tiny, these nematodes can be seen without a magnifying glass. They overwinter as eggs in the soil and complete their life cycle in about 30 days. Since a single female can lay up to 3,000 eggs, a severe infestation of root knot nematodes in sweet potatoes can seriously damage a crop....

Wasp Moth Identification Oleander wasp moths are quite striking insects and wasp moth identification is easy. They are deep blue with white polka dots and a fiery red abdomens, lending them the name Uncle Sam’s moth. These patriotic insects fly about during the day, making them easier to define than many other moths. The adults aren’t the source of drama, however. It is their larvae whose preferred feeding ground is oleander....

Becoming more familiar with potential diseases that may impact or diminish tree health is one way to accomplish this. Thyronectria canker on honey locusts, for instance, is an infection that can cause undue plant stress and decline. You can learn more about it here. What is Thyronectria Canker? Thyronectria canker on honey locusts is caused by a fungus called Pleonectria austroamericana. In most cases, ideal conditions for Thyronectria infections occur during extended periods of drought....

Passion Flower Vine Pruning Passiflora vines are rampant growers that scramble up any vertical surface. Without training and some sort of support, the vines will creep over the ground and take over other plants’ spaces. There are three reasons to cut passion flower vines: The first is to train the plant when young. The next is to promote thicker annual growth and higher fruit yields. The third is to rejuvenate damaged or old, neglected plants....

Triticale Plant Information Triticale is a grain, all of which are types of domesticated grass. Triticale is a hybrid cross between wheat and rye. The purpose of crossing these two grains was to get the productivity, quality of grain, and disease resistance from wheat and the hardiness of rye in one plant. Triticale was developed decades ago but never really took off as a grain for human consumption. It is most often grown as forage or feed for livestock....

What Are Tropical Spiderwort Plants? Tropical spiderwort (Commelina Benghalensis) is native to the tropical regions of Asia. Also known as Bengal dayflower, tropical spiderwort weeds are difficult to control due to their ability to spread. Within a short growing season, invasive tropical spiderwort is able to spread through rhizomes, as well as by rooting into the soil from stem segments. Tropical spiderwort plants are also unique in that they are able to produce seeds via flowers which develop both normally and below ground....

Common Diseases of Cosmos There are over 25 species of cosmos or Mexican aster as it is also known. Cosmos is in the Aster family of plants and its blooms have a distinct resemblance to that plant. Cosmos reseeds itself freely and is tolerant of low moisture and fertile soils. It is a very hardy plant with few special needs, and it will return year after year to brighten the garden space....

Why Do Radish Leaves Turn Yellow? Radish growing problems may stem from anything from overcrowding, lack of adequate sun, competing weeds, insufficient water, nutrient deficiency, pests and/or disease. Radish leaves that are turning yellow may be the result of any number of the above as well. There are a number of diseases that result in yellowing leaves as at least one sign of infection. This may include septoria leaf spot, which is a fungal disease....

So what is turtlehead? A member of the Figwort family, this interesting perennial wildflower is found in many parts of the eastern United States along stream banks, rivers, lakes, and damp ground. Turtlehead flowers are hardy, require minimal maintenance, and provide lots of late season color to the landscape. Turtlehead Garden Care With a mature height of 2 to 3 feet (61-91 cm.), a spread of 1 foot (31 cm....

Mullein as Herbal Treatments Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) is an herbaceous plant that produces large, woolly, grayish-green leaves and bright yellow flowers in summer, followed by egg-shaped, pale brown fruits in fall. Although mullein is native to Asia and Europe, the plant has naturalized across the United States since it was introduced in the 1700s. You may know this common plant as big taper, velvet dock, flannel-leaf, lungwort, or velvet plant. The plant has been utilized throughout history for its herbal properties....

Digging Fork Functions There are a few different types of garden forks. Each type is made for specific purposes. The basic garden fork, or compost fork, is a large fork with four to eight tines shaped with a horizontal curve and a slight upward curve at the bottom of the tines. These forks are generally used to move compost, mulch, or soil. The curves in the tines help you scoop up a large heap of mulch or compost to spread it into the garden or turn and mix compost piles....

Using Coke in the Garden, Really! A Confederate colonel by the name of John Pemberton was wounded during the Civil War and became addicted to morphine to alleviate his pain. He began searching for an alternative pain reliever and in his quest invented Coca Cola. He claimed that Coca Cola cured any number of ailments, including his morphine addiction. And, as they say, the rest is history. Since Coke started out as a health tonic, might there be some beneficial uses for Coke in the garden?...

About Meditative Gardening Meditation can mean different things to different people. Common definitions include a focus on mindfulness, curiosity, and intuition. Gardening as meditation can be both intentional or unintentional. As a matter of fact, the daily completion of growing tasks may naturally lend itself to the development of a closer connection with Earth and nature. The process of nurturing a garden requires patience and commitment. As the plants grow, gardeners learn how to best care for their plants....

Zone 7 Vegetable Planting The last frost date for zone 7 is usually between late March and mid-April, with the first frost date in autumn occurring in mid-November. Keep in mind that while it’s useful to know weather patterns, first and last frost dates can vary considerably due to topography, humidity, local weather patterns, soil type, and other factors. Your local cooperative extension office can provide average frost dates specific to your area....

How to Photograph Vegetables With today’s smart device technology, anyone can learn how to photograph vegetables. Start by taking a few minutes to familiarize yourself with your camera’s features, then follow these simple vegetable photography tips for the best results: Use perfect veggies – Nothing is more disappointing than getting that ideal shot, only to have it marred by a misshapen or blemished vegetable. Harvest in the morning for the freshest-looking veggies and soak them in ice water to brighten colors and crispness....

Early American Vegetables When we think of native American vegetables, the three sisters often come to mind. Pre-Columbian North American civilizations grew corn (maize), beans, and squash in symbiotic companion plantings. This ingenious method of cultivation worked well as each plant contributed something which the other species required. Corn stalks provided a climbing structure for the beans. Bean plants fixed nitrogen to the soil, which corn and squash utilize for green growth....

Growing Bamboo Plants in Zone 9 The biggest true grass is the bamboo. This monster of a plant is a tropical to temperate genera, with the biggest concentration found in the Asia Pacific region. However, there are not only warm weather bamboo, but some species found in cold mountain regions. Zone 9 bamboo will rarely experience freezing conditions, but it may suffer if it is grown in an arid area. If you do choose to plant bamboo in zone 9, extra irrigation may be necessary to fuel this grasses’ phenomenal growth....

Cold Hardy Watermelon Plants Watermelons are heat seekers, usually the warmer the better. That said, when looking for zone 5 watermelons, you’re not focusing on finding cold hardy watermelon plants, but on days to harvest. Look for watermelon varieties that ripen in less than 90 days. Suitable watermelons for zone 5 include: Garden Baby Cole’s Early Sugar Baby Fordhook Hybrid Yellow Baby Yellow Doll Another watermelon variety, Orangeglo, is one of the cold hardiest of all the watermelon varieties....

How to Grow Weigela As with any shrub planting, learn the mature size of the bush and allow room in the landscape for its full growth. Roots need room to grow and only so much pruning for size is effective. Weigela Florida grows to 10 feet (3 m.) in height and 10 feet (3 m.) across and around, so leave that much room when planting the small shrub from a 2 gallon (8 L....