When and What to Spray on Peach Trees Before bud swell: Apply horticultural dormant oil or a bordeaux mixture (a mixture of water, copper sulfate, and lime) in February or March, or just before the buds swell and daytime temperatures have reached 40 to 45 F. (4-7 C.). Spraying peach trees at this time is critical in order to get the jump on fungal diseases and overwintering pests such as aphids, scale, mites, or mealybugs....

Pruning Back Gladiolus via Pinching Pinching, a way of pruning back gladiolus, is a task that you should do throughout the blooming season to keep the plant neat and healthy. To pinch glads, just remove faded glad blooms with your fingertips or garden shears. Pinching wilted blooms will encourage the opening of the remaining buds on the stalk. Additionally, some gardeners like to remove the top, unopened bud to speed up the blooming process for all of the buds up and down the stalk....

Crimson fountain grass is a warm weather plant, suitable for growing as a perennial in USDA plant hardiness zones 9 and 10. However, gardeners in cooler climates can grow this fast growing beauty as an annual. Interested in learning more about growing red fountain ornamental grass? Read on for helpful tips. How to Grow Red Fountain Grass: Tips on Red Fountain Grass Care Red fountain ornamental grass prefers full sunlight, which brings out the intense color; however, it tolerates partial shade....

Upper Midwest Planting Guide May is a transitional period in the garden. There is a lot to do, and much of that involves planting. This is when you’ll get most of your plants or seeds in beds for the coming growing season. Now is the time to sow seeds for summer vegetables, to plant summer bulbs, to put in annuals and any new perennials, to start certain seeds indoors, and to get transplants outdoors from seeds you began inside in early spring....

Seedless Vs. Seeded Breadfruit Does breadfruit have seeds? The answer to that question is a resounding “yes and no.” There are many different varieties and species of naturally occurring breadfruit, and these include several seeded and seedless types. When they do exist, seeds in breadfruit measure about 0.75 inches (2 cm.) long. They are oval shaped, brown with dark stripes, and pointed at one end and round at the other. Breadfruit seeds are edible and are usually eaten roasted....

Growing Vegetables in a Shady Garden Light conditions vary in the shady garden, depending on its source. While many vegetables need a lot of light, a select few will actually thrive in the cooler, darker areas of the shade garden. Therefore, it’s possible to grow vegetables in the shade. Leafy vegetables like greens are the most shade tolerant while root and fruit crops, which largely depend on light for their flowers, require more sun....

Shaving Down Tree Roots Shaving down tree roots is not recommended. It can compromise the stability of the tree. The tree will be weaker and more susceptible to blowing over in a windy storm. All trees, and especially large trees, need roots all the way around them to stand tall and strong. Shaving exposed tree roots leaves a wound where disease vectors and insects can penetrate. Shaving down tree roots is better than completely cutting the roots off, however....

Should I Keep My Volunteer Tomatoes? A volunteer plant of any type is a plant that grows somewhere you did not intentionally plant or seed it. These accidents happen because seeds drift through the wind, are carried by birds and feet, and therefore, they often get mixed into compost that you then spread around the garden or yard. When you see a tomato plant sprout somewhere you didn’t plant it, you may be tempted to keep it and let it grow....

What are Soldier Flies? What are soldier flies? These relatively large insects resemble black wasps, and yet they’re perfectly harmless to human beings and other mammals. They don’t have mouths or stingers, so they can’t bite or otherwise hurt you. The fly portion of this insect’s life is spent flying around and mating, then laying eggs and dying within two days. They don’t like to go in houses, they help to keep away the common housefly, and they prefer spots that humans shun such as manure piles and outhouses....

The downside is that the plant is extremely aggressive and produces needle-like seeds that cling to everything they touch, including hair, fabric, and fur. When you consider that one plant can produce 1,000 prickly seeds, you can understand why Spanish needle plant isn’t a welcome visitor in most gardens. If this sounds familiar, keep reading to learn about Spanish needle control. Controlling Spanish Needles Young Spanish needle weeds aren’t difficult to pull when the ground is moist, and unless you have a huge infestation, hand-pulling is the most effective and safest solution....

When to Split Anthuriums Anthurium is truly a tropical flower, so most of us have to be content with growing them indoors in containers. As a tropical jungle plant, anthurium thrives best in moist, warm conditions with indirect sunlight. Even without ideal conditions, this plant is tough and a survivor. It’s a great choice for someone who lacks a green thumb. On the other hand, some maintenance is required, including splitting anthurium plants, to keep them happy and healthy....

Digging and Storing Daffodil Bulbs Remove the wilted blooms, then leave the daffodils alone until the green foliage dies down and turns brown. Don’t rush; the green foliage absorbs sunlight, which provides energy that the bulbs will use later to create new blooms. Cut the wilted foliage at soil level, then lift the bulbs carefully from the ground. Dig several inches from the plant to avoid slicing into the bulbs. Use your hands to brush excess soil from the daffodil bulbs....

Can I Take Plants on an Airplane? Yes, you can bring plants on an airplane, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the U.S. The TSA allows plants in both carry-on and checked bags. You should know, however, that the TSA officers on duty can deny anything and will have the final say on what you can carry when you go through security. Airlines also set their own rules as to what is or isn’t allowed on planes....

As you thumb through seed catalogs in the fall and winter, consider trying some vegetable varieties that have ornamental value, such as Thai Pink Egg tomatoes. What is a Thai Pink Egg tomato? Thai Pink Egg Tomato Info As its name implies, Thai Pink Egg tomatoes originate in Thailand where they are valued for their appearance just as much as their sweet, juicy fruit. This dense, bushy tomato plant can grow 5 to 7 feet (1....

Can You Root Succulents in Water? The success of succulent water propagation may depend on the type of succulent you’re trying to root. Many jades, sempervivums, and echeverias take well to water rooting. If you decide to give this a try, follow the easy steps listed below to maximize your success: Allow succulent cutting ends to callous. This takes a few days to a week and prevents the cutting from taking up too much water and rotting....

Why Grow Perennial Legumes? What are perennial legumes? Legumes, plants that belong to the family Fabaceae, are grown specifically for their seeds. Beans and peas are the most well-known legumes, but the legume family also includes many others, such as: Alfalfa Lentils Chickpeas Mesquite Soybeans Clover Peanuts Agriculturally, legumes are valued cover crops for their ability to fix nitrogen in the soil. This ages-old technique, which involves growing plants in fall and winter before plowing them into the soil in spring, is also used by home gardeners....

Root Aphid Info – What are Root Aphids? The physical appearance of root aphids is very similar to that of other aphids. Most often, they can be identified by their tiny and almost translucent bodies. These pests use their mouths to feed on the roots of the plants, causing the plants to begin turning yellow. While plants begin to yellow for many reasons, growers are able to further investigate by examining the base of the plant....

What Causes Apricot Rhizopus Rot? Rhizopus rot of apricot trees is a fungal disease caused by the fungus Rhizopus stolonifer. It affects stone fruits such as peaches, nectarines, and apricots, and it most commonly strikes when fruit is ripe, often after it has been harvested or allowed to get overly ripe on the tree. The fungal spores live and thrive in debris on the orchard floor, especially in rotting, fallen fruit....

Aphids and Leaf Curl in Viburnums Aphids are common pests of viburnums. The tiny insects are easy to miss at first glance, but you may find them in mobs clustered on the undersides of leaves. Although there are many types of aphids, snowball aphids, bluish-gray pests that look like they’ve been lightly dusted with white powder, are a particular enemy of viburnum and certain types of cranberry bushes. As aphids suck the sweet sap from tender new growth, viburnum leaves take on a twisted, distorted appearance....

Single, Double, and Semi-Double Petals Let’s explore the concept of semi-double flower plants, along with a few tips for identifying a semi-double flower. Single flowers Single flowers are comprised of a single row of petals arranged around the center of the flower. Five is the most common number of petals. Plants in this group include potentilla, daffodils, coreopsis, and hibiscus. Flowers such as pansies, trillium, or mock orange generally only have three or four petals....