Growing a Ripple Jade Plant Place your ripple jade outside, if possible, when temperatures allow. If you live in an area that doesn’t have freezing temperatures, grow ripple jade plants in the ground. These plants make an attractive border or background plant for shorter succulents. Happy, healthy plants produce white blooms in spring to summer. When planted inland, morning sun is preferable. Locate ripple jade plants in full morning sun to keep them vigorous....

How to Keep Rodents Away from Cactus Some cacti are hardy plants that can survive an occasional nibble, but in many cases, rodents feeding on cactus can be deadly, so cactus plant protection is necessary. Here are a few tips for protecting cactus from rodents: Fencing: Surround your cactus with wire fencing. Bury the fencing at least 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm.) into the soil to discourage rodents from digging under....

Rosemary Lavender Sage Thyme If you live for fresh herbs in your cooking, you’ll want to know about managing rosemary beetles or if you are in a particularly homicidal mood, how to kill rosemary beetles. What are Rosemary Beetles? It’s always helpful when dealing with an adversary to read up on your foe. Gather as much knowledge as possible before deciding on your battle strategy. First, you need to know what rosemary beetles are....

Harvesting Rye Plants Rye is grown as a food crop in many parts of the world and the cereal is frequently a central ingredient in breads. However, in home gardens, rye is often grown as an inexpensive and effective cover crop. One of the hardiest cereal crops, rye can be seeded later in fall than similar crops. It is stronger and faster growing than wheat. As a cover crop, it offers an extensive soil-holding root system and does a great job at keeping weeds down....

Why You Should Harden Seedlings When plants are grown from seed indoors, they frequently are grown in a controlled environment. The temperature is pretty much maintained, the light is not as strong as full sunlight outside, and there will not be much environmental disturbance like wind and rain. Since a plant that has been grown indoors has never been exposed to the harsher outdoor environment, they do not have any defenses built up to help them deal with them....

Do I Deadhead Milkweed? Milkweed is a glorious perennial wildflower native to North America. All through summer and into fall the plant is covered with flowers. It is a perfect plant in the native garden or just to colonize a vacant field. The blooms are excellent cut flowers, and in the garden, they are attractive to bees and butterflies. Deadheading milkweed is not necessary but it will keep the plants looking tidy and may promote further blooms....

What is a Snakebush Plant? Native to Western Australia, snakebush bears the scientific name of Hemiandra pungens, and it’s also known as the snake plant. But the only thing snake-like about it is how it stays very close to the ground. Snakebush plant information tells you that this tiny plant offers dense, pointed foliage that looks like needles. Its mauve or light purple flowers arrive in spring and last much of the summer....

Plants for South-Facing Windows Many people would be shocked to find out that Sansevieria are actually good houseplants for direct light. These plants are commonly labeled as “low light” plants, but this simply means that they tolerate low light. This doesn’t mean that they REQUIRE low light! These plants will have sturdier growth in direct light and may also occasionally reward you with a spray of fragrant white flowers. Many succulents will thrive as south-facing window houseplants....

In order to grow the best crop of watermelons, it is best that growers better familiarize themselves with pests and diseases that may impact the overall health of plants. One such disease, watermelon southern blight, is especially harmful during the hottest parts of the growing season. What is Southern Blight of Watermelons? Southern blight on watermelons is a fungal disease caused by the fungi, Sclerotium rolfsii. Though the incidence of this specific type of blight has increased in other crops over the last several years, the blight of crops such as watermelon and cantaloupe is common and can often occur in the home garden....

Mandrake plants generally take about two years to mature, bloom, and produce berries. Mandrake root can be harvested after three to four years. Sowing mandrake seeds isn’t difficult, but don’t expect 100 percent success, as germination can be hit and miss. Read on for information on mandrake seed propagation. How to Grow Mandrake from Seed Purchase mandrake seeds from an herbal supply store or reputable online nursery. Otherwise, harvest seeds from ripe fruit in autumn....

What is Spanish Moss? What is Spanish moss anyway? Spanish moss is an epiphytic plant that makes its own food from nutrients and moisture that it captures from the air and absorbs from surface cracks and crevices on the host plant. It clings to the supporting tree by wrapping itself around the branches. So will Spanish moss kill a tree? Spanish moss is sometimes blamed for problems it didn’t cause. Spanish moss takes no nourishment or moisture from trees, and only uses them for protection and support....

Harvesting Spider Plant Seeds Do spider plants have seeds? Yes. Your spider plant should bloom naturally, but it will need to be pollinated in order to produce seeds. You can do this yourself by gently brushing a cotton swab against one flower after the other, or you can simply put your plant outside to allow insects to pollinate it naturally. After the flowers have faded, you should see bumpy green seed pods appear in their place....

Banana Plant Splitting In time, whether your banana plant is container grown or grown in ground, it will send out banana plant pups. Container grown banana plants may sprout suckers as a sign of stress — from being pot bound, under watered or unhappy for some other reason. Sending out suckers is their way of trying to survive conditions that they are struggling in. The new pups will grow new roots that can suck up more water and nutrients for the parent plant....

When to Divide Ginger The culinary ginger we know and love comes from Zinginber officinale but there are ornamental gingers in the genera Hedychium and Curcuma which produce beautiful flowers and attractive foliage as well. Most are natives of tropical to sub-tropical regions and require well-draining soil, sun, and warm temperatures. Rhizomes are the part of the plant which is divided in order to make new plants or simply to separate old rhizomes from new and increase growth....

Staghorn Fern Propagation If you’re interested in staghorn fern propagation, keep in mind there are no staghorn fern seeds. Unlike most plants that propagate themselves via flowers and seeds, staghorn ferns reproduce by tiny spores that are released into the air. Propagating staghorn ferns in this matter can be a challenging but rewarding project for determined gardeners. Don’t give up, as staghorn fern propagation is a slow process that may require numerous attempts....

Earthstar Plant Info Earthstar fungus isn’t hard to spot because of its distinct, star-like appearance. The colors aren’t star-like though, as the oddly beautiful earthstar fungus displays various shades of brownish-gray. The central puffball, or sac, is smooth, while the pointy arms have a crackled appearance. This interesting fungus is also known as barometer earthstar because it reacts to the level of humidity in the air. When the air is dry, the points fold up around the puffball to protect it from weather and from various predators....

How to Get Rid of Stink Bugs Once temperatures rise in spring, stink bugs begin to emerge from their winter hibernation. Females eventually begin laying their eggs on whatever plants are readily available. Both the larvae and adult stink bugs will then feed on plant juices but may also attack nearby fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, corn, beans, etc. Noticeable damage may appear as pin pricks surrounded by a yellow or green color....

Highly fragrant and attractive, you might wonder what is plant called stock? This may also lead to the question of when and how to grow stock flowers. Several varieties exist, with both single and double blooms. When growing stock plants, expect flowers to start blooming in spring and last through late summer, depending on your USDA hardiness zone. These fragrant blooms may take a break during the hottest days of summer....

How to Make Tomatoes Turn Red Getting tomatoes to turn red is not difficult. There are several methods that can be used for making tomatoes turn red. One way how to turn green tomatoes red is to ripen mature green tomatoes in a well-ventilated area at room temperature, checking their progress every few days and discarding unsuitable or soft ones. The cooler the temperature, the longer the ripening process will take....

Summer Pear vs. Winter Pear The pear tree is native to coastal and temperate regions of Western Europe and North Africa and east across Asia. There are more than 5,000 varieties of pears! They are divided into two main groupings: the soft-fleshed European pears (P. communis) and the crisp, almost apple-like Asian pears (P. pyrifolia). European pears are best when ripened off the tree and are again divided into two categories: summer pears and winter pears....