About Ficus Tree Propagation The main reason people propagate house plants is to create new plants. You can share them with friends or add another plant to your home. Another reason is to control growth. Weeping ficus is a large tree. In the wild it grows up to 50 feet (15 m.) tall. Indoors in a container it won’t grow so big, but you still may want to control its height and shape through propagation....

Separating and Repotting Yucca Offshoot Pups While yuccas do produce seeds, they are normally propagated through the division of offshoots or “pups.” Yucca pups are the small but fully formed plants that grow at the base of your yucca plant. These pups can be removed in order to produce new, self contained plants. These pups do not need to be removed from the parent plant but, if the pups are not removed from the parent plant, they will eventually grow up on their own where they are and you will have a clump of yucca....

About True Indigo Water Needs There are false indigo plants, but true indigo is Indigofera tinctoria. It grows best and as a perennial in zones 9 and up; in colder areas you can grow it as an annual. Indigo is a small or medium shrub, growing to about 5 feet (1.5 m.) tall. You can trim it to shape into a pretty flowering shrub that produces pinkish purple blooms. The dye comes from the leaves....

Lords and Ladies Plant Care The Lords and Ladies plant is a perennial that prefers light shade and moist but well-drained soil. It is hardy to USDA zone 7b and grows well in the British Isles. Mature plants will reach a height of 12 to 18 inches (31-46 cm.) and should be spaced 6 to 9 inches (15-23 cm.) apart. The plant will flower in the spring and produce bright red-orange berries on top of a stalk in autumn....

When it comes to lavender mulch, what type of mulch is best and what mulches should be avoided? Read on to learn more. How To Mulch Lavender Lavender requires well-drained soil and plenty of space to allow air circulation around plants. When it comes to lavender mulching, the goal is to keep the foliage and the crown as dry as possible. This means using about an inch (2.5 cm.) of mulch that won’t trap moisture around the roots....

My Butterfly Bush is not Blooming There are a few reasons a butterfly bush will not bloom, most of them related to stress. One of the most common is improper watering. Butterfly bushes require plenty of water, particularly in the spring during their main period of growth. In the summer, they need steady watering during periods of drought. At the same time, the roots will rot very readily in standing water....

Cotton Root Rot on Pear Trees The fungus causing cotton root rot only thrives in regions with high summer temperatures. It is usually found in calcareous soils with a high pH range and low organic content. The fungus causing the root rot is soil-borne, and natural to the soils of the southwestern states. In this country, these factors – high temperatures and soil pH – limits the geographic spread of the fungus to the southwest....

About Trimming Pentas Plants If you live in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 or 11, you can grow pentas as evergreen perennials. But in cooler zones across the country, these shrubs, also called Egyptian star flowers, are grown as annuals. Pruning pentas plants grown as annuals is not necessary to create a strong branch structure. However, it may help keep the shrub looking its best. One way to accomplish this is to regularly remove some of the blossoms to display indoors in cut flower arrangements....

Your Tree and Water Drainage The reason some trees die or grow poorly in wet areas is simply because they cannot breathe. Most tree roots need air as much as they need water. If they do not get air, they will die. Some water loving trees have developed the ability to grow roots without needing air though. This allows them to live in marshy areas where other trees would die. As a homeowner, you can take advantage of this trait to beautify your own wet and poorly drained areas....

What is Dormant Grass Seeding? Dormant seeding is the practice of putting down grass seed in late fall or early winter. The idea is that the seeds will remain dormant on the ground, ideally under a layer of snow, and germinate and sprout in spring. Where Dormant Seeding Works Planting grass seed in winter doesn’t work in all locations. The ideal scenario is a lawn that will soon be covered with snow and remain snow-covered for the rest of the season....

How to Grow a Perfumed Garden There’s a wide variety of plants for fragrant gardens. While it might be tempting to load your perfumed garden design up with these plants, keep in mind that scent can sometimes be overwhelming, especially if a lot of strong fragrances are competing in a small space. You don’t want your garden to smell like a candle store. Instead, intersperse your fragrant garden plants with scentless plants that complement their appearance....

How to Grow Bok Choy in Containers Bok choy is a good-sized plant. To grow potted bok choy, begin with a pot with a depth of about 20 inches (50 cm.) and a width of at least 12 inches (31 cm.) in order to grow one plant. Double the width of the container if you want to grow more potted bok choy plants. Fill the pot with fresh, lightweight potting mix containing ingredients such as finely chopped bark, compost, or peat....

Controlling Mold in Houseplants Mold in the soil of houseplants is common, but mold control on indoor plants can be done if you follow a few simple steps: Start with sterile soil – When you bring a new plant into your home, repot it using sterile soil. Your plant may have come home from the store with mold in the soil. Gently remove all the soil from the plants root ball and repot in new, sterile soil....

African Daisy Pruning African daisy is a perennial in the warm climates of USDA plant hardiness zone 9 or 10 and above, depending on the variety. Otherwise, the plant is grown as an annual. To keep them healthy and flowering, it helps to know a little about how to prune African daisy plants – which may consist of pinching, deadheading, and trimming. Pinching young African daisies two or three times early in the growing season creates a sturdy stem and a full, bushy plant....

Is Rosinweed a Weed? Rosinweed is an aggressive plant that spreads by seed, and to a lesser degree, by underground rhizomes. The plant shouldn’t be planted with smaller, less vibrant plants, but will do well where it has room to spread, such as a wildflower garden, prairie, meadow, or other area where it can naturalize freely. Rosinweed Plant Information Native to much of North America, rosinweed is hardy and drought tolerant, thanks to its long, sturdy root that taps into moisture deep in the soil....

What is Cherry Rusty Mottle? Several viral diseases attack cherry trees, and two of these diseases are called rusty mottle of cherry and necrotic rusty mottle. While experts have determined that rusty mottle diseases are caused by viruses, they do not have much other information. For example, scientists agree that your tree will get a rusty mottle cherry disease if you plant infected stock, but they don’t know how else the viruses are spread....

Variegated senecio may surprise you with pale yellow, daisy-like flowers, and, in bright sunlight, the stems and leaf edges take on a pink or purplish tint. You can plant in a hanging basket where the plump stems can cascade over the rim of the container. Senecio wax ivy is a sturdy, low-maintenance plant suitable for growing outdoors in USDA plant hardiness zones 10 and above. It isn’t cold-hardy and is most often grown as an indoor plant....

Removing Spent Blooms on Hydrangea Since hydrangea blossoms are so big, deadheading a hydrangea makes a real difference in diverting energy to more important parts of the plant’s growth. You should carry out this practice all through the blooming season to encourage new blossoms and keep your plant looking fresh. The method for deadheading hydrangea blooms depends upon the time of year. If it’s before August, you should cut the spent blooms with a long stem attached....

What is a Smart Garden? Pretty much what they sound like, an indoor smart garden kit is a technological gardening device that is controlled by a computer. They generally have an app that will help you manage the unit from your iOS or Android phone. These small units are designed for indoor use, providing their own nutrients to the plants and managing their own lighting. More than likely, they are also a self-watering indoor garden too....

What is Sooty Mold? Sooty mold is a type of plant mold. It is a type of mold that grows in the honeydew or secretion of many common plant pests, such as aphids or scale. The pests cover the leaves of your plant in honeydew and the sooty mold spore lands on the honeydew and begins to reproduce. Symptoms of Sooty Plant Mold Growth Sooty mold looks a lot like the name implies....