What is Fig Souring? Symptoms of fig souring are usually easily recognizable. As the figs start to ripen, they will give off a fermented smell and a pink, syrupy liquid will begin to ooze from the eye, sometimes forming bubbles as it comes out. Eventually, the flesh inside the fruit will liquefy and become covered in a white scum. The fruit will go limp and black, then shrivel up and either drop from the tree or remain there until it is removed....

Gray’s Sedge Information Grassy type plants provide airy elegance in many garden settings. Gray’s sedge (Carex grayi) is a native species that has funny star-like flower heads and arching to erect sword shaped foliage from which its genus name is derived. What is Gray’s sedge? This plant grows wild in wet to moist deciduous forests, along streams, swamps and boggy areas. The plant grows wild in more than half of eastern North America....

What Causes Turf Scalping? A scalped lawn is a detraction to an otherwise green, lush grassy area. A lawn looks scalped because it is. The grass has literally been almost entirely removed. Usually, scalping a lawn is accidental and could be due to operator error, topography differentials, or improperly maintained equipment. Scalping a lawn is often caused when the mower blade is set too low. Ideal mowing should see you removing no more than 1/3 of the grass height each time....

Lomandra Information Nothing beats the sway and swish of ornamental grasses in the landscape. Not only are they acoustically appealing but their dimension and movement sends visitors into a pleasant swoon. One of the nicest grasses for dry to wet landscapes is Lomandra. Its main attraction comes with Lomandra maintenance, which can swing from outright neglect to brutal shearing. More lush growth and a fuller plant will result from average watering and feeding, but the plant has an attractive natural aspect even when left to its own devices....

What to Do with Potatoes The potato famine is past us and spuds are a common and inexpensive kitchen staple. Whether you fry them, mash them, or slather them with toppings as a baked extravaganza, using potatoes for projects is an exciting way to elevate the lowly tater. Rescue a soup, clean household items, and make art to name a few unusual potato uses. If you have a bumper crop of spuds and they seem to be a plague, try having fun with potatoes....

Don’t Cut Grass at This Time of Day The correct time to mow the lawn is indeed crucial. It isn’t more crucial than the height of the grass, or how often it’s mowed or whether you mulch, but it is one of the more important aspects of healthy lawn maintenance. When to cut your grass depends on a few factors. You don’t want the grass to be too wet from dew or irrigation for one thing, but how about the heat factor?...

When to Plant Mint Seeds Mint is a culinary herb of the Mediterranean and Asian regions. It is featured prominently in many recipes from savory to sweet and even in beverages. It is a hardy perennial herb and grows quickly, often becoming invasive. There are over 3,500 varieties with special characteristics which makes variety selection important. Once you have your cultivar, sowing mint seeds at the right time will ensure a big, beautiful crop of this versatile herb....

What is a Garden Knife? A garden knife is simplicity itself. It’s just a blade and a handle with no moving parts. Don’t let this simplicity fool you. I find it absolutely invaluable and use it every single time I’m in the garden. A hori hori garden knife, which is most popular, is a digging tool (and so much more!) that originated in Japan. The name stems from the Japanese word ‘hori,’ which means to dig and when doubled, ‘hori hori’ refers to the sound of digging in spoken Japanese....

Teak Tree Facts Few Americans grow teak trees (Tectona grandis), so it is natural to ask: what are teak trees and where do teak trees grow? Teaks are hardwood trees that grow in the south of Asia, usually in monsoon rainforests, including India, Myanmar, Thailand, and Indonesia. They can be found growing throughout that region. However, many native teak forests have vanished due to over-logging. Teak trees can grow to 150 feet (45....

Are All Nematodes Bad? Nematodes are microscopic, but multicellular, non-segmented round worms (earthworms are segmented, for comparison). If critters creep you out, don’t worry. You can’t see the millions of nematodes in your soil without magnification. Luckily for gardeners, of the approximately 80,000 species of nematodes, only about 2,500 are parasitic. Of those, only some are parasitic and damaging to crop plants. So, no, not all are harmful nematodes, and most are normal members of the soil ecosystem....

Learning more about each plant type can help ornamental growers to discover which tropical plant with white flowers will fit best into their green spaces. As always, it’s essential to do some additional research to get a better understanding of the characteristics of each type of plant, such as the conditions they require for growth, whether there is any toxicity to be considered, and even their conservation status. Below, we have listed five popular white tropical flowers for your home ornamental flower garden....

What is a Windowsill Garden? As the name would imply, a windowsill garden can be grown in a bright, sunny window indoors. The process of starting these small container gardens is relatively simple and cost effective. Before planting, check the windowsill to ensure that it is strong and sturdy. Growers will also need to make sure that temperatures near the window remain consistently warm. This will avoid any potential damage from excess heat or cold throughout the period of growth....

Should I Mulch Around Plants in Winter? Ideally, you should mulch your plants when nighttime temperatures are consistently at or below freezing, regardless of the time of year. Mulching plants in winter temperatures helps insulate them from rapid freezing and thawing, which can cause shallow rooted plants and bulbs to heave out of the ground and may bust delicate grafts. Not all plants in all locations need to be mulched, however....

Year Round Plants for Zone 7 Climates Conifersare the most common year round plants in just about every zone. Their needles retain their color even during winter in extremely cold climates. On chilly, winter days pines, spruces, junipers, firs, and golden mops (false cypress) can stand out against the gray skies and stick out of snowy beds, reminding us there is still life under the blanket of winter. Besides conifers, many other plants have evergreen foliage in zone 7....

About Peaches That are Yellow There are over 4,000 peach and nectarine varieties with new ones constantly being bred. Of course, not all of these cultivars are available on the market. Unlike apple varieties, most peaches look similar to the average person, so no singular variety has dominated the market, which allows peach tree breeders to continue to come up with new improved varieties. Perhaps the biggest choice a prospective grower must make is whether to grow clingstone, freestone, or semi-clingstone fruit....

Growing Yellow Potatoes Like other varieties, golden potato plant types are easy to grow. It’s best to start with certified potato seed so as not to introduce disease into the garden. Although potatoes do form true seeds from flowers, these seeds are too genetically diverse to produce true-to-type crops. The term “potato seed” generally refers to tubers containing eyes or buds. Before planting potatoes, cut the intact tuber into sections with each piece containing at least two eyes....

Popular Zone 9 Plants That Flower in Winter Leatherleaf Mahonia – A shrub that’s hardy from USDA zone 6 through 9. Leatherleaf mahonia produces clusters of small yellow flowers in the winter. Daphne – An extremely fragrant flowering shrub, many varieties of daphne are hardy in zone 9 and will bloom through the winter. Winter Jasmine – Hardy all the way from zone 5 through 10, winter jasmine is a vining shrub that produces bright yellow flowers in the winter....

How to Get Fruit on Apple Trees It goes without saying that most apple tree fruiting problems can be avoided by growing healthy trees. Obviously, a healthy apple tree will produce more fruit than a sick tree. Providing optimal conditions for your tree and sticking to a regular maintenance schedule will help your tree produce the most fruit possible. Address all insect or disease problems promptly, as fruit size and crop yield is dramatically influenced by both insect and disease damage....

Apricot Tree Facts The blushed orange, velvety skinned apricot has been cultivated for centuries and is an important food in many international cuisines. Apricot tree growing is suitable in most western states and regions with plenty of heat and sunshine. As a Mediterranean crop, apricots grow well where spring and summer are warm and plenty of water is available. Apricots are stone fruits, similar to plums, cherries and peaches. They can be grown from that stone or pit, but trees are not true to the parent and rarely produce fruit....

Are Artichokes Cold Hardy? Artichokes are native to the Mediterranean, which makes one think they wouldn’t tolerate the chill of winter very well. Surprisingly, given proper care, overwintering artichoke plants is very possible. The edible part of the plant is actually the flower head. When allowed to bloom, this is a neon purple that is quite stunning in its own right. Artichokes do not set flower buds until their second year of growth, so protecting artichokes in winter is essential....