Causes of Fungus on Potatoes The appearance of potato fungus happens mainly due to infected seed potatoes or planting in infected soil. Most potato fungi not only attack potatoes, but can survive (though may not kill) on other plants in the nightshade family such as tomatoes and peppers. Using Potato Fungicides to Control Fungus on Potatoes An excellent way to prevent blight fungus on your potatoes is to treat your seed potatoes with a fungicide before you plant them....

Mass Planting Ideas & How Tos As with any gardening endeavor, mass planting requires planning. First, you’ll need to figure out the size of your planting area in square feet (or square meters) by multiplying the length by its width. Then, depending on how much spacing is necessary for your desired plantings, you should be able to estimate the number of plants you’ll need for the project. Prior to planting anything, it’s usually helpful to amend the soil....

Growing Clover Indoors It is important that you give your indoor clover the sunniest window that you have. This is necessary for best growth and flowering. If your window is not sunny enough, you will find that the stems will become weak and more stretched out, and the leaves will be smaller. Being attentive to watering is another very important task in order to have thriving potted clover plants indoors. Clover likes to be kept evenly moist....

Growing Windowsill Orchids Far from needing lots of light, orchids are actually quite sensitive and will suffer in bright light. Orchids on windowsills perform best in east- or west-facing windows, where they receive some light in the morning or afternoon. The ideal amount of light is about five hours per day. If you place them in a south-facing window you may have to hang a screen or a curtain to scatter some of the light....

How to Grow Sweet Potato Plants When growing sweet potatoes, start out with “slips.” These are small pieces of potato tubers that are used to start the sweet potato plants. These slips are to be planted into the ground as soon as all chance of frost has ceased and the ground has warmed. In order to grow and harvest sweet potatoes, the soil needs to be kept moist during the season where the plants sprout....

What is a Gabion Wall? Wire gabion baskets or cages filled with rock are the substance of your rock wall. Gabion baskets are secured together to create length. This construction is among the strongest available and used commercially to stabilize shorelines and riverbanks from erosion. Originally used by the military, gabion baskets have now become an integral part of building decorative hardscape features in your landscape. Landscape contractors may use gabion walls to help correct erosion or control problems in your landscape, especially near a pond or river that might flow across your land....

Hardy gloxinia fern is perennial in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 7, or possibly up to zone 10 if you can protect the plant from hot afternoon sunlight. In cooler climates, grow hardy gloxinia fern as an annual. Read on and learn how to grow flowering fern plants. Hardy Gloxinia Care Plant hardy gloxinia fern in rich, well-drained soil, but first, work the soil to a depth of at least 8 inches (20 cm....

What are Mayhaw Trees? Mayhaw trees are most commonly found growing in moist soils in the southeastern United States. Each spring, trees produce red fruits called “haws.” Though the tart fruits are not commonly eaten raw, they are a wonderful choice for homemade jellies and syrups. While mayhaw trees are able to be grown from seed, there are quite a few obstacles which one may encounter. Mayhaw trees often grow “true to type....

What Causes Potato Curly Top Virus? The pathogen is transmitted by the beet leafhopper, Curculifer tenellus. As its name indicates, the leafhopper pest transmits the disease to a number of crops and weeds, including: Beets Tomatoes Peppers Squash Beans Cucurbits Spinach Both the leafhopper and virus survive on a wide range of weeds and wild plants. The leafhopper ingests cell sap, which contains the virus, which then incubates in the leafhopper for 4 to 21 hours before being transmitted....

Help! My Hyacinth is Turning Brown! Before you panic because your hyacinth is browning, take a deep breath. Browning hyacinth plants aren’t always a cause for concern. In fact, it’s often just a signal that they’ve done their thing for the year and are getting ready to shed their flowers or go into dormancy. If your plant is turning brown, check these things before panicking: Light. Indoor hyacinths need plenty of light, but they shouldn’t be in a window with direct sunlight....

Why You Should Be Removing Dead Flowers The question then becomes, “Should I pull the old flowers off the plant?” or “Will removing the old flowers hurt my plant?” The answer to the first question is “Yes, you should pull the old flowers off.” This process is called deadheading. Unless you plan on collecting seeds from the plant, the old flowers serve no purpose once they have lost their beauty. The best way to remove these faded blossoms is to snip or pinch the base of the flower to separate the flower from the stem....

Jacaranda Tree Not Blooming If your jacaranda tree fails to bloom, check these factors and adjust accordingly: Age: Depending on how they are grown, jacarandas may bloom for the first time between two and fourteen years after planting. Grafted trees tend to produce their first blooms on the earlier side of this range, while trees grown from seed can take much longer. If your tree is younger than this, patience may be all that is necessary....

What is a Gentle Gardening Approach? The gentle gardening approach, or gardening with kindness, is a phrase most commonly used by those who maintain their growing space by using sustainable methods. Whether growing houseplants in pots or planting a large vegetable patch, gardeners have started to focus on sustaining a healthy garden ecosystem through the use of natural means. Gardening with kindness dismisses the use of chemical sprays, fertilizers, and other potentially damaging products and replaces them with a more natural and holistic approach....

While you are looking at your options, consider Magenta lettuce plants. It’s a crisp variety with pretty, blushing leaves. For information about the lettuce ‘Magenta’ plant, read on. We’ll provide tips on planting Magenta lettuce seeds as well as Magenta lettuce care. What is a Lettuce ‘Magenta’ Plant? Some lettuce varieties are delicious, others are just plain lovely. Magenta lettuce offers both. It offers that crisp, crunchy texture you look for in a summer lettuce, but also attractive, bronze leaves loosely surrounding a bright green heart....

Lettuce ‘Loma’ Variety Loma Batavian lettuce produces attractive, apple-green heads, with shiny leaves frilled around the edges. The large leaves are thick and firm, but the heads are relatively small and compact. The plant reaches maturity and is ready to harvest in about 50 days. It is somewhat heat tolerant, but it does tend to bolt in summer heat. Loma Lettuce Plant Growing Instructions If you have decided to start growing Loma lettuce, you can begin early....

Reasons for Magnolia Trees with Yellowing Leaves If you see yellow magnolia leaves on the tree in your backyard, don’t panic. It might not be very serious. In fact, it might be natural. Magnolias shed their old leaves all year – it’s part of their growth cycle, and the older magnolia leaves turn yellow and fall to the ground. Look carefully to determine whether new leaves are growing in to replace those yellow magnolia leaves....

Missouri Planting Map Information for Gardeners Gardeners in Missouri benefit from information provided by the USDA plant hardiness map. New information, collected over the past 30 years, has been compiled to create the latest 2012 map. Some areas of the country have seen their growing zones rise due to warmer winter lows that are possibly due to global warming. The map of Missouri above is divided into planting zones according to the average extreme winter low temperatures over the last 30 years....

Marimo Moss Ball Information The botanic name for these fascinating green balls is Cladophora aegagropila, which explains why the balls are often known as Cladophora balls. “Moss” ball is a misnomer, as Marimo moss balls consist entirely of algae – not moss. In their natural habitat, Marimo moss balls can eventually reach diameters of 8 to 12 inches (20-31 cm.), although your home-grown Marimo moss ball probably won’t be quite this large – or maybe they will!...

Michigan Gardening in April Michigan covers USDA zones 4 through 6, so there is some variation in when and how to start gardening this month. Here is a tip for determining if the soil is ready for planting. Take a handful and squeeze it. If it crumbles, then you’re good to go. Once your soil is ready, you can start with some preparatory work. Consider getting a soil test, for instance....

Let’s learn about this Super Generation of monarch butterflies, who will live much longer and travel much farther than their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. Over the course of the summer, several generations of monarch butterflies are born, gradually migrating north along the way. Come fall, however, the newest generation embarks on an incredible journey south, covering all the distance their ancestors have traveled — some 3,000 miles all the way to Mexico....