Rice Leaf Smut Information What causes rice leaf smut is a fungus called Entyloma oryzae. Fortunately for your garden, if you see its signs, this infection is usually minor. It is widespread where rice is grown, but leaf smut doesn’t often cause serious damage. However, leaf smut can make your rice vulnerable to other diseases, and ultimately this can cause a yield reduction. The characteristic sign of rice with leaf smut is the presence of small black spots on the leaves....

What Does Sow Thinly Mean? Planting seeds is a joyful occupation, as you are beginning new plant life and the potential that each seed has to become food or simply an ornamental treasure. Many sowing instructions will ask you to sow thinly. This is a rather opaque instruction, however, as every gardener’s notion of what is thin would tend to vary. It is a little bit like old recipes that ask for a pinch or dash of something....

Balloon Cactus Info Balloon cactus is not a very common plant, but some retailers carry the succulents and the seeds are widely available on the internet. As one of the low growing, chubby, round types of cactus, it is adorable and well worth including in your cactus collection. Like many of the desert varieties, balloon cactus cannot tolerate frost and, in most climes, is suited only as a houseplant. If you aren’t a collector, you may wonder, “what is a balloon cactus....

What is a Black Willow? Not every gardener is familiar with black willow. Black willow trees are typical willows with long, thin leaves that drop in autumn. The leaves are shiny green on the tip and softer green below. Like most willows, black willow flowers are catkins. The flowers are yellow and produce a small reddish brown capsule that contains the small, furry seeds. Black willows can grow to a height of 100 feet (30....

What is a Community Garden? A community garden is a joint effort amongst interested parties to create a green space where all people involved share part of the upkeep and garden rewards. Many different groups of people may come together to form such a garden including homeowner associations, religious organizations, social service organizations, gardening clubs, corporations, and neighborhood groups, to name a few. Most community gardens are designed for growing food, vegetables, and fruits....

Miracle Plant Info: What Is a Miracle Berry? Miracle berry (Synsepalum dulcificum) is an evergreen shrub that is native to tropical West Africa. Outside of the tropics, it is a houseplant that is also known as sweet berry and miracle fruit. This interesting plant bears attractive and edible red fruit that are ¾ to 1 inch (2-2.5 cm.) long with a seed surrounded by fleshy pulp. The miracle that this fruit performs is to make everything taste sweet....

What is a Pink Zapotec Tomato? Pleats, ruffles, and fluting all describe the fruit of Zapotec pink pleated tomatoes. What is a pink Zapotec tomato? This tomato variety is also known as Oaxacan Ribbed, a nod to the region and appearance of the fruits. These heirloom tomatoes are late season, so you have to wait until late summer before you can enjoy their sweet-tangy flavor. Gardeners growing Zapotec tomatoes can expect indeterminate type plants which will vine and sprawl, requiring space and support....

About Semi-Hardwood Cuttings Semi-hardwood propagation is suitable for an amazing variety of plants, including evergreens and deciduous plants and trees such as: Evergreen Butterfly bush Holly Arborvitae Jasmine Barberry Camellia English ivy Yew Deciduous Dogwood Blueberry Honeysuckle Forsythia Rose Quince Semi-hardwood cuttings generally root easily and don’t require a lot of special knowledge. When to Take Semi-Hardwood Cuttings Semi-hardwood cuttings are propagated when the stems are partly, but not fully mature....

What is an Alpine Currant? Native to Europe, alpine currant, Ribes alpinum, is a low-growing, low-maintenance plant with bright green foliage present throughout the summer. It is most often used as a hedging or border plant, often in mass plantings. It is hardy to USDA zones 3-7. Alpine Currant Info Alpine currants grow to a height of between 3-6 feet (just under a meter or two) and the same distance widthwise....

What is an Enterprise Apple? Enterprise is a cultivar that was developed jointly by the Illinois, Indiana, and New Jersey Agricultural Experimental Stations. It was given the name ‘Enterprise’ with the ‘pri’ that stands for the universities involved in its creation: Purdue, Rutgers, and Illinois. One of the most notable features of this cultivar is its disease resistance. Battling disease in apple trees can be difficult, but Enterprise is immune to apple scab and highly resistant to cedar apple rust, fire blight, and powdery mildew....

What is Barley Stripe Mosaic Virus? Barley stripe mosaic virus is a seedborne condition which impacts vigor and yields of various grain plants, including barley, as well as some varieties of oats and wheat. Depending upon the virus, symptoms of the disease may vary greatly. Seeds infected with mosaic virus of barley will often appear misshapen, shriveled, or deformed. However, not all seeds may show cause for concern. If infected seeds are planted in the garden, resulting plants may be stunted and lack sufficient growth for seed production....

What is Calcium Nitrate? Diseases like blossom end rot are easy to control with calcium nitrate. What does calcium nitrate do? It provides both calcium and nitrogen. It is usually applied as a dissolved solution, allowing for quicker plant uptake but may also be applied as side or top dressing. Ammonium nitrate is a commonly used source of nitrogen but it interferes with calcium uptake and causes calcium deficiency disorders in plants....

What is Garden Upcycling? Upcycled garden projects are all over sites like Etsy, Pinterest, and others. Creative gardeners are eager to share their artistic approach to recycling in the garden. All it takes are a few interesting items and some crafting ingredients along with an interest in creating new forms of art work. We aren’t all artists, but with some guidance even the novice can fashion some fun and quirky statements for the landscape....

What is Joseph’s Coat Amaranth? Common names for this plant include Joseph’s coat or tricolor amaranth, fountain plant, and summer poinsettia. It grows as an annual from spring to fall and thrives in most USDA zones. You can grow tricolor amaranth in beds or in containers. The leaves are what make Joseph’s coat spectacular and appealing to gardeners. They start out green and grow to 3 to 6 inches (8-15 cm....

What is Olive Oil? Olive oil is a liquid fat pressed from the fruit of olive trees, which are native to the Mediterranean. After the olives are picked and washed, they are crushed. Long ago, the olives were painstakingly crushed between two stones, but today, they are crushed automatically between steel blades. Once crushed, the resulting paste is macerated or stirred to release the precious oil. They are then spun in a centrifuge to separate the oil and water....

It rushes down dirty roofs; it washes over dirty city streets, sidewalks, and driveways; washes over yards and fields which have been freshly dosed with pesticides and fertilizers; and then makes its way into our natural waterways, carrying all sorts of pathogens and pollutants with it. It can also make its way into the basement or home, not only costing you a fortune in repairs, but also threatening the health of your family....

The Latin name for rangoon creeper plant is Quisqualis indica. The genus name ‘Quisqualis’ means “what is this” and for good reason. Rangoon creeper plant has a form more closely resembling that of a shrub as a young plant, which gradually matures into a vine. This dichotomy flummoxed early taxonomists who eventually gave it this questionable nomenclature. What is Rangoon Creeper? Rangoon creeper vine is a woody climbing liana with green to yellow-green, lance-shaped leaves....

What is Reflective Mulch? Reflective mulches are reflective material such as aluminum or silver polyethylene mulch that reflects light up onto the leaves of plants. They are great for gardeners growing in partially shady conditions. They also come in colors such as silver, yellow, orange, and red, and have been reported to be effective for management of certain pests and, thus, possible virus transmission. How Does Reflective Mulch Work? As mentioned, reflective mulch increases the amount of light available to plants, but it also increases air temperature and photosynthesis, which means better growth....

Salal Plant Information Salal (Gaulthoria shallon) is an evergreen plant with glossy, waxy foliage that remains beautiful year-round. Fuzzy white or pink, bell-shaped flowers droop from the plant in spring, soon to be replaced by bluish black berries. Hikers who pick the berries often find themselves sharing the bounty with bears, deer, elk, beavers, and other wildlife. The berries are also enjoyed by grouse, songbirds, and hummingbirds. What is Salal Used For?...

Sweet Myrtle Plant Info Myrtle has been cultivated since the heyday of the Roman civilization. Among the many versatile methods of sweet myrtle care, topiaries were commonly fashioned from the plant, and it was a culinary and medicinal herb. Today, we can benefit from its sweet-smelling flowers, finely textured evergreen foliage, and its unlimited variety of form. Try growing sweet myrtle as a foundation plant, in containers, grouped as a hedge or border, or as standalone standards....