Division allows each repotted part to grow and fill another container. Plants grow more quickly during their growing season. Some succulents are spring and summer growers, but many, like aeoniums, are winter growers. Check for each plant. Read on to learn more about dividing a succulent plant. When Can I Divide Succulents? While repotting and dividing a succulent is best done in spring, you can do it any time of year....
Understanding Seed Expiration Dates If you look on the back of your seed packet, there should be some type of dated information, at least with most reputable sources. For example, it may have a “packed for” date, which is typically when the seeds were packed, not necessarily when they were harvested. As with many items you find at the grocery store, you may have “sell by” or “best by” date, which normally indicates the end of the year those seeds were packed....
Prepping for Planting Pansies Outside Pansies have the incredible ability to survive freezing winter temperatures and come out strong in the spring season. However, they can only be resilient if they’re planted at the proper time and in an ideal setting. Fall is the best time to plant pansies. For best results, prepare the planting bed with a 3 to 4 inch (8-10 cm.) layer of organic material, like compost or peat moss....
Reasons for Wilting, Brown Aloe Plants Aloe plants feature chubby, cherubic leaves that are also a helpful medicinal. The plants tend to like to be a bit on the dry side and most problems are caused by overwatering or incorrect potting medium. Brown aloe vera plants may be suffering from too much or too little moisture, but other causes might be excess salt in soil, fungal disease, sun scorch, chemical toxicity, or nutrient deficiency....
Why Fertilizing in Summer Heat Is a Bad Idea When the temperature soars, your plants may suddenly lose their comfort zone. That’s when heat stress is likely to develop in the form of wilted, curled, or burnt leaves. You might think a little fertilizer would perk them up, but overfertilization results in excess salts near the roots of the plants, which can damage them, restricting the flow of water upwards. Salt also can affect plant tissues, causing dieback or brown edges on leaves....
Why Won’t My Asters Bloom? A blooming aster is a welcome sight. No matter the season, the cheery, daisy-like flowers always seem to light up the garden. Although generally pretty hardy, asters can seriously disappoint when they refuse to bud or flower. If your aster plants don’t bloom, don’t worry, fixing an aster with no flowers isn’t that difficult once you find the reason behind it. Growing asters is usually a pretty simple undertaking until it isn’t....
Check out these potential wild vegetable plants and get tips on their care. What are Wild Vegetables? Foraging is a fun way to introduce wild and natural foods to your family, but you might also consider growing wild vegetables. Since these foods are native and have been adapted to local weather and other conditions, wild vegetable care is minimal. This makes eating wild vegetables as easy as walking out your back door and harvesting them....
Do Marigolds Repel Bees? Honeybees are beneficial insects that drive pollination to many of our plants. However, there are other insects that we lump into the classification of “bees,” which can be irritating and even down-right dangerous. These might include hornets and yellow jackets, whose swarming behavior and vicious stings can ruin any outdoor picnic. Using natural methods to repel these insects is smart when animals and children are present. Planting marigolds to deter bees may be just the right solution....
Willow Oak Information Willow oak trees (Quercus phellos) are native to the United States. They are hardy in USDA zones 5 or 6a through 9b, making their range the whole of the west coast, most of the east coast, and the entire south and southwest. The trees are fast growing. When they are young, they have a pyramidal shape, but as they mature their branches take on a wide, even spread....
Winter Care for City Gardens Winter plant treatment all depends upon the type of plants you’re growing. If it’s annuals you’ve got, they’re going to reach the end of their life cycle with the cold no matter what you do. Once they’ve died, chop them up and place them in a compost bin if you have one. If your space is too small for compost, you can still benefit from their nutrients by chopping them up and laying them back on top of the soil: over winter they’ll decompose and enrich the soil for the spring....
Winter Honeysuckle Propagation Winter honeysuckle is easy to propagate from seeds or cuttings. Purchase seeds or remove them from ripe berries. Softwood cuttings root well in plain water. Cut the tips of new growth under the second pair of leaves and follow these easy steps: Nip out the flower head from the top of the stem and remove the pair of leaves from the bottom of the cutting. New roots will grow from the nodes where these leaves were once attached....
How to Clean Garden Tools for Winter A good first step in preparing garden tools for winter is to thoroughly clean all your tools. Use a coarse metal brush, like one used for cleaning grills, to scrape dirt off of the metal parts of your tools. Follow up with a dry rag and, if necessary, a damp rag. Rub any rust away with a piece of sandpaper. Once your tool is clean, wipe it down with an oiled rag....
What Does Marcescence Mean? What is marcescence? Have you ever seen a tree that has retained its leaves through the winter? Depending upon the variety, the tree may be experiencing marcescence. This occurs when some deciduous trees, usually beech or oak, fail to drop their leaves. This results in trees that are full or partially full, covered in brown, papery leaves. Winter marcescence is caused by the lack of enzymes produced by the tree....
About Zone 8 Kale Plants Kale has been getting a lot of attention in the last few years due to the high amounts of vitamins and minerals it contains. Packed with vitamin A, K, and C, along with a good percentage of daily recommended minerals, it’s no wonder that kale is categorized as one of the super foods. The type of kale most commonly found at the grocers is grown for its ability to withstand handling, transport, and display time, not necessarily for its flavor....
What Does Well Established Mean? Let’s take a moment to think about our jobs. When you started a new job, you initially needed a lot of nurturing and support in your position. Over the course of a period of time, perhaps a year or two, the level of support you received was gradually reduced until you were able to begin thriving in your position by yourself with a good support system from above....
Small and Medium Types of Tropical Plants Smaller tropical plants are great for windowsills, tabletops, and shelving units. Get more than one to create a tropical landscape: Large Tropical Indoor Plants To anchor a larger space and to enjoy a jungle-like atmosphere inside your house, try these big, tree-like tropical houseplants:
Types of Tillandsia Tillandsia plant types are epiphytes, a huge group of plants with roots that anchor the plant to a host – often a tree or a rock. Epiphytes are different from parasitic plants because, unlike parasites, they take no nutrients from the host plant. Instead, they survive by absorbing nutrients from the air, from composted material on the host plant, and from the rain. Examples of well-known epiphytes include various mosses, ferns, lichens, and orchids....
If you’ve never considered growing hybridum alsike clover, perhaps you should. Read on to learn more. Alsike Information What is alsike clover used for? Alsike clover isn’t planted on its own. Rather, it is seeded along with grass or other plants, such as red clover, to improve soil, or as hay or pasture. It is rich in nutrition, providing food and protective cover for livestock and wildlife. It can be difficult to tell alsike clover from red clover, but it can be an important distinction....
Cardboard toilet paper rolls now serve their purpose in the bathroom then go on to a second life of cradling little seeds as they germinate. Even broken dishes, mirrors, etc. can find a new home in the garden when crafted into mosaic stepping stones, pots, birdbaths or gazing balls. You can even recycle tin foil in the garden! Read more about uses for aluminum foil in the garden. Aluminum Foil Gardening There are many benefits to using aluminum foil in the garden....
What are Beet Greens? Beet greens are the leafy foliage that grows just above the beet root. Some beet varieties, such as Green Top Bunching beets, were developed just for growing greens. You can also harvest leafy beet tops from standard varieties of beets, such as Early Wonder and Crosby Egyptian. When growing beets just for the greens, sow the seeds 1/2 inch (1 cm.) apart and don’t thin them....
