Why Use Soilless Potting Mix? Primarily, the very best reason for utilizing soilless planting medium is that you can control any types of insects, diseases, bacteria, weed seeds and or other pesky additions which are commonly found in garden soils. When starting seeds indoors, there are no longer the checks and balances of weather or natural predation that aid in containing these unwanted additions, unless the soil has been sterilized first, usually with a heat treatment of some sort....

The downside is that the plant is extremely aggressive and produces needle-like seeds that cling to everything they touch, including hair, fabric, and fur. When you consider that one plant can produce 1,000 prickly seeds, you can understand why Spanish needle plant isn’t a welcome visitor in most gardens. If this sounds familiar, keep reading to learn about Spanish needle control. Controlling Spanish Needles Young Spanish needle weeds aren’t difficult to pull when the ground is moist, and unless you have a huge infestation, hand-pulling is the most effective and safest solution....

Albuca Spiral Plant Info Albuca is a genus of over 100 types of plants, most of which originated in South Africa. Albuca spiralis are also known as frizzle sizzle plants and corkscrew Albuca. The unusual foliage actually grows in a spring shape and coils up from the bulb with unique eye appeal. The bulb requires a cooling period to produce foliage and finally the flowers, so indoor plants can be challenging to grow....

What is Okra Leaf Spot? Spots on okra leaves may be the result of several leaf spotting organisms, among these include Alternaria, Ascochyta, and Phyllosticta hibiscina. For the most part, none of these have been shown to cause any serious economic loss. No fungicides are available or required for these diseases. The best way to control okra with leaf spots caused by these organisms is to practice crop rotation and utilize a consistent fertilization program....

As home and garden plants, they are often mounted on wood or rock, or hung in wire baskets to simulate their natural growing conditions. Natively, they grow in areas with high humidity and frequent periods of rain. In the home or landscape, these conditions may be hard to mock, and regularly watering a staghorn fern may be necessary. Continue reading to learn how to water staghorn ferns. Staghorn Fern Water Requirements Staghorn ferns have large flat basal fronds that grow in a shield-like fashion over the plant’s roots....

Bringing plants inside for winter isn’t as easy as simply moving their pots from one place to another; there are a few precautions you need to take when acclimating plants from outdoors to indoors to prevent sending your plant into shock. Let’s look at how to acclimate plants indoors for winter. Before Bringing Plants Inside for Winter One of the most common issues houseplants have when coming back indoors is bringing unwanted pests with them....

What is a Summer Solstice Party? There are party-goers and party givers. If you fall into the latter camp, hosting a summer solstice garden party is right up your alley. And you will be in good company since the holiday is celebrated with different traditions all over the world, from sunrise at Stonehenge to Swedish flower crowns and maypoles. The word ‘solstice’ is derived from the Latin words ‘sol,’ meaning sun, and ‘sister,’ which means to stand....

Sweet Corn Crazy Top Info Downy mildew of sweet corn is a fungal disease caused by the pathogen Sclerophthora macrospora. It is a soil borne fungal disease that can remain dormant in the soil for up to ten years, until perfect weather conditions activate its growth and spread. These perfect conditions are generally caused by flooding or waterlogged soils that last for at least 24-48 hours. Crazy top downy mildew can also infect other plants such as oats, wheat, foxtail, sorghum, millet, rice and a variety of grasses....

Growing Swiss Chard in a Pot ‘Bright Lights’ a cultivar awash with red, white, gold, yellow, violet, and orange hues was introduced to the market 20 years ago and since then other cultivars have been introduced. Among these is ‘Fordhook Giant’ a heat tolerant variety for those folks with warmer growing seasons. There’s also the brilliant ruby red ‘Rhubarb’ and brilliantly white types of Swiss chard. The plethora of colors available makes container gardening with Swiss chard a delight....

DIY Pinecone Christmas Tree When it comes right down to it, all Christmas trees are made of pinecones. Those brown cones are the seed-bearers of evergreen conifer trees like pines and spruce, the most popular types of live and cut Christmas trees. Maybe that’s why the pinecone Christmas tree craft just feels so right. A tabletop pinecone tree, however, is actually constructed of pinecones. They are fixed in a cone shape, with a wider base tapering to a smaller top....

What is Tea Tree Mulch? Mulch is any product that you spread over the soil in your garden. The best kinds of mulch accomplish many good deeds in your backyard. What can mulch do? It regulates the temperature of the soil, keeping your plant roots cool in summer and warm in winter. It “locks” moisture into the soil, prevents weeds from sprouting up, and enriches the soil as it decomposes. Tea tree mulch is an excellent product....

Texas Madrone Plant Info Native to West Texas and New Mexico, the spring blooms of Texas madrone trees (Arbutus xalapensis) are a welcome sight among the scrub pines and bare prairies found there. Multi-stemmed trunks grow to about 30 feet (9 m.). The trees have a vase shape, round crown, and orange-red, berry-like drupes in summer. Branches are strong, growing to withstand the strong winds and resist drooping and breakage. The attractive, white to pink fragrant blossoms grow in clusters as long as 3 inches (7....

Garden train layouts can be simple ovals or elaborate winding paths up hills and through tunnels. The most important part of how to design a train garden is to add smaller plants so they don’t overwhelm the train itself. Whether you choose an antique model or a modern design, creating a garden train track can be a fun project for the whole family to enjoy. Train Gardening Information Train gardens should be planned out ahead of time....

All you need to do is learn how to train a clematis to climb. Read on for information about training clematis vines. Training Clematis Vines Some vines climb by wrapping tightly twining stems or aerial roots around supports. Not clematis. If you want to know how to train a clematis to climb, first understand their climbing mechanism. Clematis manage to climb trees and poles by twining their leaf petiole around appropriately sized support structures....

As a gardener, you may be wondering “Can I transplant peonies?” The answer is yes. Successfully moving established peonies is achievable. Knowing how and when to transplant peony is the key. How Do You Transplant a Peony? Choose the correct time of the year. Moving established peony plants should be done in the fall, at least six weeks before the ground freezes. This gives the plant time to recover before going dormant for the winter....

What is Pecan Cotton Root Rot? Outside of Texas, when this infection strikes a pecan tree or other plant, Texas root rot is the more common name. In Texas it is called cotton root rot. It is one of the deadliest fungal infections — caused by Phymatortrichum omnivorum — that can strike any plant, affecting more than 2,000 species. The fungus thrives in hot and moist weather, but it lives deep in the soil, and when and where it will attack plant roots is impossible to predict....

What is Alternaria? The fungal pathogens in the genus Alternaria can be devastating to plants year after year. The spores overwinter on old plant debris and attach themselves to seeds, making Alternaria leaf spot especially tricky to completely eliminate if you save your own seeds. Garden vegetables are common targets of these wind-blown spores, but Alternaria is not discriminatory in the plants it attacks– apples, citrus, ornamentals, and weeds have been known to develop leaf spots caused by this fungus....

Kalanchoe This houseplant with little orange flowers also comes in shades of red, pink, yellow, and white. You’ll often see Kalanchoe blossfeldiana for sale at the end of winter and into spring. It’s a common houseplant you can find nearly anywhere plants are sold, including grocery stores. Native to Madagascar, kalanchoe is a succulent with fleshy, waxy, and dark green leaves. The small flowers grow in clusters. You can also find double-blooming varieties....

Causes of Yellow Leaves on Spider Plants Spider plants are charming houseplants that are often in the family for generations. The babies they produce will live on for years and produce spiderettes of their own. It is not unusual for many copies of an original spider plant to exist within a family or group due to these spiderettes. If you have the mama spider plant, it can be quite precious since it is the source of so many copies of itself....

Read on to learn how to grow Turquoise Puya and astound your friends and make fellow gardeners envious with the daring and bold form. What is Turquoise Puya? Puya berteroniana is an arid climate terrestrial bromeliad. The plant is sold under the name Aqua Sapphire Tower which is an appropriate description for the infrequent colossal flower clusters it produces when mature. The Blue Puya plant is found in the upper elevations of arid Chile....