About Rotting Lettuce Plants In order to gain a better understanding, it helps to recognize the most common symptoms of lettuce with soft rot disease. Soft rot of lettuce begins with small, reddish brown, water-soaked spots at the tips of leaves and between veins. As the spots enlarge, the lettuce wilts and soon becomes soft and discolored, often affecting the entire head. When lettuce is rotting, the collapsed vascular tissue causes slimy leaves with an unpleasant, putrid odor....

Controlling Nasturtium Plants While not too common, if spreading nasturtiums are smothering other flowers in your beds, you can remove and dispose of them or replant into other areas. Planting into a container is a good control measure. That way, you can still enjoy the beautiful blooms. How to Stop Nasturtium Spread If you truly want to get rid of all the nasturtiums in your landscape, you can dig them up....

What is Orange Peel Fungus? Orange peel fungus (Aleuria aurantia), or orange fairy cup fungus, is a striking fungi that can be found growing throughout North America, especially during the summer and fall. This fungus, like other members of the cup fungi family, has a cup-like body with folds and is a brilliant orange color, which some may mistake for a discarded orange peel. Spores are big and have spiny projections....

What are Ozark Beauty Strawberries? The Ozark Beauty strawberry was developed in Arkansas and is well suited for cooler regions, hardy to USDA zones 4-8, and with protection may even do well in USDA zones 3 and 9. This strawberry cultivar can survive winter temps down to -30 F. (-34 C.). Ozark Beauty strawberries are considered to be one of the best everbearing varieties. They are vigorous and extremely prolific producers....

Although the vine is relatively easy to grow, it is prone to a number of problems, including rotten passion fruit. Read on to learn about passionflower fruit rot and why your passion fruit is rotting. Why Does Passion Fruit Rot? Passion fruit is affected by several diseases, many of which can cause passionflower fruit rot. Diseases that cause rotten passion fruit are often the result of weather – primarily humidity, rain, and high temperatures....

How to Stake Peas How to stake peas will be determined by the variety of pea you plant and how tall it gets. Some peas climb to just 3 feet (90 cm.), while others reach over 6 feet (1.8 m.). Knowing the height your peas will reach helps when it comes to deciding the best way to support pea plants. Pea Plant Support Options The cheapest and often the best way to support pea plants is by using materials you already have....

What Causes Pear Leaf Blight? Pear leaf blight and fruit spot is caused by Fabraea maculata, a fungus that infects all parts of the tree. The bacteria are carried to other trees by insects, wind, splashing water, and rain. Pear Fruit Spot Info Symptoms of pear leaf blight and fruit spot are fairly easy to discern. Fruit spots appear as small, purplish spots, generally on the younger, lower leaves. As the lesions mature, they become purplish black or brown with a small pimple in the center....

What is Ball Moss? Ball moss is an epiphytic plant that commonly grows in the interior limbs of trees where conditions are moist and shady. You may also notice ball moss on fence posts, rocks, power lines, and other non-living hosts. Is ball moss bad for pecans? Opinions in the horticultural community are mixed. Many experts think ball moss in pecan trees is harmless because the plant isn’t a parasite – it takes nutrients from the air, not the tree....

Bugs That Eat Sesame Aphids, leafhoppers, and thrips: Aphids, leafhoppers, and thrips are common pests of sesame. All three are sucking pests that tend to cause stunted growth and may injure buds, thus preventing development of seedpods. When it comes to managing these small insects, sesame seed pest control is fairly easy to attain with insecticidal soap spray. However, you may need to spray several times if the infestation is severe....

Tips on Growing Protea Plants One of the first things necessary in growing protea is soil. Protea plants must have well-drained soil. Their roots grow mostly horizontally, just below the surface of the soil. If water is allowed to sit and pool on the surface, the roots will become waterlogged and the plant will die. If you’re planting your protea outside, mix bark and grit into your soil to improve drainage....

Rapeseed Information What is rapeseed? Rape plants (Brassica napus) are members of the brassica family, which means they’re closely related to mustard, kale, and cabbage. Like all brassicas, they are cool weather crops, and growing rape plants in the spring or autumn is preferable. The plants are very forgiving and will grow in a wide range of soil qualities as long as it is well-draining. They will grow well in acidic, neutral, and alkaline soils....

Ruffled Yellow Tomato Info and Growing Tips Plant Yellow Ruffled tomatoes where the plants are exposed to at least six to eight hours of sunlight per day. Allow 3 feet (1 m.) between each tomato plant to provide ample air circulation. Dig 3 to 4 inches (8-10 cm.) of compost into the soil before planting. This is also a good time to add a slow-release fertilizer. Plant tomato plants deeply, burying about two-thirds of the stem....

What is a Tillamook Strawberry? Tillamook strawberry is a cultivar of the summer berry that comes from Oregon. It is a great berry to grow just to eat in your backyard, but this is also a type of strawberry that is often used for processing. It stands up well to being processed because it produces large, sturdy fruits. Interesting Tillamook strawberry facts include the origin of the name. It comes from the tribe of Native Americans who lived on what is now called Tillamook Bay in Oregon....

But where do you begin? You know it can be a lot of work and you wonder how to make gardening easier than everyone says it is. What are the best time saving tips for gardeners? Read on to learn more. How to Make Gardening Easier The best gardening ideas for beginners require you to slow down, proceed methodically, and get organized. That may not sound like much fun, but it will be worth it in the long run....

How to Grow Endive Lettuce Because endive grows like lettuce, it is best planted in early spring. Start your early crop by growing endive in small pots or egg cartons in the beginning, then place them in a greenhouse or warm, moist environment. This will give your endive a great start. Endive lettuce (Cichorium endivia) grows best after having been started inside. When growing endive, transplant your tiny new plants after any danger of frost at the end of spring; frost will kill your new plants....

While old-fashioned ground covers such as pachysandra and English ivy are common, why not think outside the box with a prettier alternative that is just as hardy and tough? Flowering ground covers provide all of the above mentioned benefits, along with added color from their blooms. Even when not in flower, many are evergreen and provide interest year-round. Growing Ground Cover Flowers Here’s a short list of 10 of our favorite flowering ground covers (plus one additional honorable mention) for you to consider: Honorable mention: Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) This member of the Dogwood family is best grown in colder regions in a shady, woodland setting....

Assessing Wind Damaged Plants Following a huge windstorm or a tornado, your first step will be to assess the damage to your trees. Although garden plants may also be damaged, assess damaged trees and large shrubs first since broken limbs may be dangerous. Helping plants after a tornado is second to your family’s safety. So assess whether tornado plant damage to trees and shrubs have created risks to your home or family....

Signs of Alternaria Leaf Spot in Cole Crops The first sign of leaf spot on cole vegetables is small, brown or black spots on the leaves. Eventually, the spots enlarge into pale brown or tan circles. Dark, fuzzy or sooty spores and concentric, bull’s-eye rings may develop on the spots. Eventually, the leaves become papery and may take on a purplish color. A hole appears where the dead tissue drops out of the leaves....

Common Willow Tree Problems Willows are not picky trees and most thrive in almost any kind of soil as long as there is adequate sunlight. They grow best in sites with full sun. However, the tree is vulnerable to several diseases and pests, including a few that cause willow tree bark peeling. A few of the most serious willow tree problems do not cause peeling willow bark. These include infestation by gypsy moth caterpillars, willow leaf beetles, and bagworms that will defoliate the tree....

Zone 6 Bulb Gardening Many types of hardy bulbs require a cold dormant period in winter. While winters are still cold enough in zone 6 to provide this dormancy period, gardeners in warmer climates may have to simulate this cold period for certain bulbs. Below is a list of some of the cold hardy bulbs that perform well in zone 6. These bulbs are usually planted in fall, require at least several weeks of a cold, and oftentimes naturalize in the garden:...