What is a Pruning Saw? So exactly what is a pruning saw? Before you begin using a pruning saw, you’ll want to be able to find one in the toolbox. A pruning saw is a tool with the same sharp teeth as saws used for cutting lumber. Pruning saws, though, are intended for trimming live shrubs and trees. There are many types of pruning saws, each intended for a particular type of branch or stem....

What is Botryosphaeria Canker? Botryosphaeria canker is a common fungal disease of trees and woody shrubs, but it only attacks plants that are already stressed or weakened by other pathogens. Cankering can become quite extensive within the cambian layers, heartwood and inner bark of woody plants, cutting off the tissues that transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Affected tissues develop black, pimple-like fruiting structures or cankers on bark surfaces. When the bark is peeled back, the wood underneath will be reddish brown to brown instead of a healthy white to pale green....

Learning more about each plant type can help ornamental growers to discover which tropical plant with white flowers will fit best into their green spaces. As always, it’s essential to do some additional research to get a better understanding of the characteristics of each type of plant, such as the conditions they require for growth, whether there is any toxicity to be considered, and even their conservation status. Below, we have listed five popular white tropical flowers for your home ornamental flower garden....

Should I Put Ashes in My Garden? The short answer to if you should use wood ash as a fertilizer is “yes.” That being said, you need to be careful about how and where you use wood ash in the garden, and composting ashes is a good idea. Using Wood Ash as a Fertilizer Wood ash is an excellent source of lime and potassium for your garden. Not only that, using ashes in the garden also provides many of the trace elements that plants need to thrive....

But, no matter how often we tend to our plants, sometimes a disease affects our garden and the tomato plants suffer. These diseases can affect everyone from the gardener with just one patio tomato to the farmer with an acre-sized plot. Read on for a listing of the 10 most common diseases that affect tomato plants plus tips to cure and prevent infection. Prevention Many diseases can be prevented with the right planting methods and good practices: Plant tomatoes far enough apart to provide good air circulation and do not water overhead....

Autumn Blaze Tree Information If you think fast-growing trees are bad bets in the backyard, Autumn Blaze maple trees will make you think again. These hybrids shoot up to 50 feet (15 m.) tall and 40 feet (12 m.) wide without succumbing to insect pests or diseases. Anyone growing Autumn Blaze maples will find that the trees combine the finest traits of both parents. That’s one reason for the cultivar’s popularity....

Do Banana Trees Die After Harvest? The simple answer is yes. Banana trees do die after harvest. Banana plants take around nine months to grow up and produce banana tree fruit, and then once the bananas have been harvested, the plant dies. It sounds almost sad, but that isn’t the entire story. Reasons for Banana Tree Dying After Bearing Fruit Banana trees, actually perennial herbs, are comprised of a succulent, juicy “pseudostem” that is actually a cylinder of leaf sheaths which can grow up to 20-25 feet (6 to 7....

Types of Diatomaceous Earth The two types of diatomaceous earth include food grade and garden grade, also called pool grade. Food grade is the only type that is safe to eat, and you have probably eaten small quantities of diatomaceous earth without realizing it. That’s because it is mixed in with stored grain to prevent the grain from becoming infested with mealworms and other insects. Some people use food grade diatomaceous earth as a natural remedy for a variety of human and pet ailments....

What is the Best Soil for Houseplants? Potting mix for indoor plants must provide them with excellent drainage, air circulation, nutrients, and water retention. An indoor potting mix should also be free of pests, diseases, and weed seeds. To this end, commercial houseplant potting mix is often sterilized to kill pathogens and weed seeds, and is also comprised of ingredients specific to the needs of container grown houseplants. While ingredients vary, a good soilless potting mix will always contain an organic component such as compost, coir, bark or peat moss, vermiculite, or perlite to aid in moisture retention, sand, nutrients, and limestone....

Taking Cuttings from Boston Ivy Plants How to propagate Boston ivy when you’re faced with a clump of plants? The easiest way to get your cuttings to root is by beginning in the spring, when most plants want to grow the fastest. Spring stems of ivy are softer and more flexible than those in the fall, which can become woody and more difficult to root. Look for stems that are flexible and growing in the spring....

About Groundcover Mint Mint has been around and prized for centuries for its fresh scent and flavor. There are more than 600 mint varieties, some with an upright habit and some low growing mint more suitable as groundcover. Using mint as groundcover really does seem to be a win/win, provided that’s pretty much all you want in the space. Mint spreads quickly and stealthily by underground stems. It can live in a variety of climates and is easy to grow....

Companion Planting with Chard Utilizing companion plants for chard or other vegetables is a natural way to create diversity in the garden. A garden that is rich in diversity will in turn deter pests and diseases that seek out like species. It also engenders habitats that are safe havens for beneficial creatures. Planting companion plants for chard takes out some of the human involvement, allowing you to create a more organic garden....

How Do You Get Pests in Containers? Container plant pests can come in many different ways. They may come in the nursery pot where the plant originated. They may show up in reused potting soil or soil used from the garden. Interestingly, they can also occur from infected fruits and vegetables. In the outdoors, insects are plentiful and looking for food and habitation. Often your plants provide ideal accommodations and forage....

Meyer lilac trees are also known as dwarf lilac trees or compact Meyer lilacs because they are smaller than most lilacs, reaching a mature size of 4 to 8 feet (1 to 2.5 m.) tall and 6 to12 feet (2 to 2.5 m.) wide. These dwarf lilac trees work beautifully as specimens, or in mass plantings, borders, or hedges. Growing Meyer lilacs is suitable in USDA zones 3 through 8....

Fireplace Ashes for Compost Composting ashes is an ideal way to put them to use in the garden. Fireplace ashes for compost can be used to help maintain the neutral condition of the compost. It can also add nutrients to the soil. Decomposing materials in the compost pile can become somewhat acidic, and wood ash can help offset this, as it’s more alkaline in nature. However, it may not be a good idea to use charcoal ashes, such as those from grills....

Growing Lobelia in Containers Annual lobelia plants come in a wide range of types, including those which are often seen trailing from containers. These petite pink, white, or blue flowers create a dramatic impact in planters. The profusion of blooms makes growing lobelia in a pot an excellent choice. Deciding to grow lobelia in planters is a great way to ensure the success of this flower. Although these flowering plants are beautiful, they do require some specific growing conditions to truly thrive....

Daffodil Plant Facts What are some different types of daffodils and how many types of daffodils are there? Including hybrids, there are over 13,000 distinct daffodil varieties in existence. Those can be divided, however, into about a dozen different types of daffodils that are characterized by the size and shape of their petals (the outer part of the flower) and their coronas (the inner petals that are often fused into a single tube)....

DIY Cold Frames from Windows First, measure your windows for cold frames. Cut boards for the sides, allowing the window to overlap the frame by ½ inch (1 cm.). Each board should be 18 inches (46 cm.) wide. Join the wooden pieces, using steel angles and ¼ inch (6 mm.) hex bolts, with washers between the wood and the bolts. Use wood screws to attach metal hinges to the underside of the window frame....

Growing Fatsia as a Houseplant In nature, these plants grow in shaded to partially shaded areas. It is important that you don’t give your fatsia too much direct sun. In most locations indoors, an eastern exposure window would work very well for these plants. This is not a plant to place in the sunniest window that you have; otherwise, the foliage will burn. This is one plant that isn’t too picky about the type of soil that it grows in....

Why Papaya Fruit Drops If you see your papaya dropping fruit, you’ll want to know why. The causes of papaya fruit drop are many and varied. These are the most common reasons for fruit drop on papaya trees. Natural fruit drop in papaya. If papaya fruit is falling off when it is small, about the size of golf balls, the fruit drop is probably natural. A female papaya plant naturally drops fruit from flowers that were not pollinated....