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Steps to Starting Gladiolus Early Indoors You can start your gladiolus corms indoors about four weeks before your last frost date. Gladiolus can be started in either soil or water. Which method you use for starting your gladiolus early is up to you. Starting Gladiolus Early in Water Depending on how many gladiolus you have to start, choose either a shallow bowl or some other flat container that will hold a small amount of water and all of the gladiolus corms spread out....

Planning an Aquarium Herb Garden Three plants are plenty for most aquarium gardens. A larger tank will accommodate more but allow at least 3 to 4 inches (7.5-10 cm.) between plants. Be sure the plants have the same growing conditions. Don’t grow moisture-loving basil with herbs that like dry conditions, for instance. An internet search will help you determine what herbs make good neighbors. Growing Herbs in a Fish Tank Here are some tips for planting herbs in an aquarium:...

Container Grown Lilacs Planting a lilac shrub in a pot is doable, but it isn’t ideal. Lilacs can get huge, and they grow best when their roots are free to spread out. When growing lilacs in containers, the first step is to pick a variety that stays relatively small. Some dwarf varieties exist, such as: Minuet Pixie Munchkin Some non-dwarf varieties that stay small include: Syringa meyeri S. pubescens S. patula...

Cultivation of Oyster Mushrooms What are oyster mushrooms? Oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus) is a variety of mushroom that grows especially well indoors. While many mushrooms will grow only in the wild (making mushroom hunting a popular hobby and certain mushroom price tags especially high), oyster mushrooms will grow with a very high success rate in a box or bucket with virtually any moist, organic material to feed on. How to Grow Oyster Mushrooms at Home So how do start growing oyster mushrooms?...

Plants in the Solanaceae or nightshade family need plenty of sun and heat to produce fruit. Peppers are one such group. The indoor pepper plant can provide you with hot peppers if they enjoy enough sun and heat. An ornamental pepper plant needs sunshine eight hours per day to promote fruiting. Some tips on how to grow peppers indoors will help gardeners produce the bold tasting fruit, all while enjoying their rainbow of colors....

About Taro in Planters Taro is a perennial tropical and subtropical plant, also known as dasheen. It is native to south and southeast Asia but has been cultivated in many other areas, including Hawaii where it has become a dietary staple. The tuber of taro is starchy and a little sweet. You can cook it into a paste known as poi. You can also make flour out of the tuber or fry it to make chips....

How to Hand Pollinate Melons In order to hand pollinate melons, you need to make sure that your melon plant has both male and female flowers. Male melon flowers will have a stamen, which is a pollen covered stalk that sticks up in the center of the flower. Female flowers will have a sticky knob, called a stigma, inside the flower (that the pollen will stick to) and the female flower will also sit on top of an immature, tiny melon....

You can change your luck if you grow indoor plants that are hard to kill, and yes– they do exist. Growing low-maintenance plants indoors isn’t impossible if you choose the right plants. Hard to Kill Houseplants Here are some of the more commonly grown hard to kill houseplants: Snake Plant – With its sturdy, sword-shaped leaves, the snake plant is a toughie that thrives with neglect. In fact, too much attention will harm this hard-to-kill plant....

Hardy Magnolia Trees Lots of gardeners think of the spreading magnolia as a tender plant that only thrives under southern skies. The truth is very different. Cold hardy magnolia trees exist and thrive even in zone 4 backyards. U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 4 includes some of the coldest regions of the nation. Yet, you’ll find a number of magnolia trees in zone 4 gardens. The key to growing magnolia trees in zone 4 is to pick cold hardy magnolia trees....

Harvesting cabbage at the right time results in the best flavor as well. If done at the proper time, you are better able to take advantage of the nutritional benefits cabbage plants provide, like Vitamins A, C, K, B6, and dietary fiber. When to Harvest Cabbage The right time for cabbage harvesting will depend on the variety of cabbage planted and when the heads mature. Mature heads that are ready to pick need not be of a certain size to pick cabbage....

Help, My Seed Packets Got Wet! First of all, don’t panic. Take a “glass is half full” approach and stay positive. You may, indeed, be able to save wet seed packets. Perhaps, only the seed packet is wet. Open it and check the seeds. If they are still dry, repackage them in a dry bag or jar, seal and re-label them. What to do with wet seed packets depends on WHEN the seed packets get wet....

There are actually a number of garden related activities you can do that can help build your child’s language and writing skills, and even tie into social studies while using the garden. Language/Literacy in the Garden Young children can practice writing letters by using a stick or even just their finger to make letters in the dirt or soil. They can be given letter cards to use or you can tell them a letter to write, which also helps with letter recognition....

Honey Mesquite Information Honey mesquite trees can add summer shade and winter drama to your landscape. With twisted trunks, formidable thorns, and yellow spring flowers, honey mesquites are unique and interesting. These trees grow relatively quick to about 30 feet (9 m.) tall and 40 feet (12 m.) wide. The roots delve down even deeper – sometimes to 150 feet (46 m.) – which is what helps to make them so drought resistant....

About Honeybee Swarms Warm spring and summer temperatures and the lure of sweet nectar bring the active bees out to gather food. Bee colonies form over time and honeybee swarm nesting may be in a tree, under your eaves or even your attic. This close proximity to a large number of stinging insects can pose a problem. Honeybee swarms en masse pose a real threat to children, pets and even adults, especially those with severe allergic reactions to stings....

Hops Plant History As long as humankind has been brewing ale, someone’s been trying to improve it, but it wasn’t until 822 A.D. that a French monk decided to try wild growing hops plants. History tells us that it wasn’t until somewhere around 1150 A.D. that Germans began regularly brewing with hops. Flowering plants, however, weren’t introduced to the cultivated garden for another few hundred years. As a matter of fact, hops plant history records quite a controversy in 15th and 16th century England....

My Hops Stopped Growing Even if you aren’t a home brewer, hops plants make elegant ornamental vines when trained over an arbor or trellis. The plants need at least 120 growing days, nutrient rich, well-draining soil, a soil pH of 6.5 to 8.0, full sun, and plenty of water. These twining vines should be female to produce cones and should come from healthy, robust rhizomes. Failure to meet all these conditions can cause stalled growth on hops....

Hops Plant Propagation Methods Approximately 98% of the world’s hops are used in the production of beer. Plants grow from a perennial crown that produces annual shoots, or bines. Bines may grow up to 25 feet (7.5 m.) in length. Once established, hops are hardy, resilient plants with taproots that penetrate 15 feet (4.5 m.) into the earth. Growing hops rhizomes is the quickest method to establish new plants but propagating hops plants from bine cuttings or seed is also possible....

About Zone 9 Onions Onions feature prominently in almost every cuisine. Members of the lily family, Amaryllidaceae, onions are close relatives to leeks, shallots, and garlic. Bulbing onions likely arose from the region of the world now known as Pakistan and have been an important food source since the time of the ancient Egyptians, around 3,200 BC. Onions were later brought to the New World by the Spaniards. Today, most folks probably have onions in some food item we eat every day, albeit it may be onion powder....

Learning how to clean houseplants isn’t difficult. There are several methods of keeping houseplants clean. You may wonder what to use for cleaning houseplant leaves. Keep reading to learn more and find out. What to Use for Cleaning Houseplant Leaves You don’t need to purchase an expensive houseplant cleaner; you likely already have the ingredients to make your own. Commercial houseplant cleaner that promises to polish plant leaves can actually clog the plant’s stomata (pores) and decrease the transpiration that allows houseplants to clean indoor air....

How are Radishes Grown? Radishes are generally grown from seed and require a loose soil for proper root formation. Composted manure, grass and leaves can be added to improve soil fertility. Removing rocks, sticks and inorganic debris from the planting site is recommended. Radishes grow best in cool weather and consistently moist soils. Heavy rains can compact soil and form a hard crust on the surface which inhibits root formation. On the other hand, drought stress makes radishes tough and alters their mild flavor....