Can You Use Cedar Mulch in Vegetable Gardens? With all mulch comes the danger of wind. In areas with very high winds, it may be best not to apply mulch at all. If it’s only a little wind you’re battling, shredded wood mulch resists getting blown away better than chips. That said, cedar sawdust has been shown to negatively affect young plants and should be avoided. The problem with using any woody material as a mulch is that it draws essential nitrogen from the soil as it decomposes....

What are Citrus Bud Mites? Citrus bud mites are tiny, cigar-shaped pests, typically creamy white or translucent in color. Like most mites, citrus bud mites have four legs near the mouth. They usually hide in safe places, such as under bud scales, where they overwinter. Uncontrolled citrus bud mite damage may include deformed stems, leaves, flowers, and buds, and leaf, flower, or bud galls. The pests often feed inside the buds, resulting in malformed, stunted fruit....

What is a Mastic Tree? Mastic tree information describes the tree as a small evergreen in the Sumac family with a scientific name Pistacia lentiscus. It grows fairly slowly to a maximum of 25 feet tall (8 m.). Unfortunately for those with small gardens, this attractive tree has a spread even greater than its height. That means it can take up a lot of space in your backyard. However, it works well as a background screen tree....

What is a Mixed Graft Citrus Tree? Citrus trees with more than one fruit growing on them, often called fruit salad citrus trees, are a great choice for gardeners with big ambitions but little space. Most commercial fruit trees are actually the product of grafting or budding – while the rootstock comes from one variety of tree, the branches and fruit come from another. This allows gardeners with a range of conditions (cold, tendency toward disease, dryness, etc....

What is a Western Azalea? Western azalea plants (Rhododendron occidentale) are deciduous shrubs of about 3-6 feet (1-2 m.) tall and wide. They are commonly found in moist areas such as along the coast or along streambeds. They leaf out in the spring followed by brilliant blossoms of fragrant blooms in the late spring – May to June. The trumpet-shaped blooms may be pure white to pale pink and occasionally marked with orange or yellow....

Uses for Blackhawks Ornamental Grass Blackhawks bluestem grass is appreciated for its stature and interesting blooms. The colorful foliage is gray or bluish green in spring, morphing to green with red tints in summer, and finally ending the season with deep purple or lavender-bronze leaves after the first frost in autumn. This versatile ornamental grass is natural for prairie or meadow gardens, at the back of beds, in mass plantings, or any spot where you can appreciate its year-round color and beauty....

What is Lettuce Leaf Basil? As mentioned, Lettuce Leaf basil is a variety with extraordinary big leaves, up to 5 inches (12.5 cm.) long. The leaves are a brilliant green and crinkled and look much like lettuce leaves – hence the common name. Leaves are set closely on plants that reach about 18-24 inches (45.5-61 cm.) in height. It has a milder basil flavor and aroma but the extra-large leaves more than makeup for this....

How to Grow Lime Basil Lime basil plants are commonly grown as annuals. However, the plant is perennial in USDA plant hardiness zones 9 through 11. Place the plant where it receives at least six hours of sunlight per day. Lime basil herb requires well-drained soil. If drainage is poor, dig in a little compost before planting. If you’re growing lime basil herb in a container, use a good quality commercial potting mix....

What is Southern Corn Leaf Blight? In 1970, 80 to 85 percent of the corn grown in the U.S. was of the same variety. Without any biodiversity, it is easy for a fungus to move in and wipe out a crop, and that is exactly what happened. In some areas, the loss was estimated at 100 percent and amounted to a monetary loss of around a billion dollars. We are smarter about the way we grow corn today, but the fungus lingers....

How to Feed Your Indoor Potted Ferns In their natural environment, fern plants draw nourishment from a steady diet of decaying leaves and other organic matter. Although regular fertilization is important, indoor ferns don’t need heavy doses of fertilizer, which may scorch the leaves. Be sure to water well immediately after fertilizing indoor ferns; both organic and chemical fertilizers that may damage the roots when applied to dry soil. When to Feed Fern Houseplants If your fern is newly potted (or repotted), allow the plant time to adjust to its new environment before fertilizing....

If you want to know how and when to fertilize this plant, read on for tips on feeding crepe myrtles. Crepe Myrtle Fertilizer Needs With very little maintenance, crepe myrtles will provide brilliant color for many years. You will need to start by siting them in sunny spots in well-cultivated soil and then fertilizing crepe myrtle shrubs appropriately. Crepe myrtle fertilizer needs depend on a large part on the soil you plant them in....

What is Pine Blister Rust? Pine blister rust is a fungal disease of white pines caused by Cronartium ribicola. This fungus has a complicated life cycle, requiring nearby plants in the genus Ribes for intermediary hosts. Ribes plants, like gooseberry and currant, often develop leaf symptoms, but rarely see serious damage from pine blister rust, unlike white pine. Pine blister rust symptoms on white pines are much more dramatic and severe, including flagging of entire branches; swellings, cankers, and blisters on branches and trunks; and resin flow or orange pustules erupting from branches and trunks....

Why Do Beans Curl? Bent snap beans are often a huge surprise to beginning gardeners; after all, the beans at the store are perfectly straight in every way. There are many reasons that beans curl, but the most important one is variety. A lot of beans are just curly. They don’t necessarily advertise this on bean seed packages, but many varieties have some degree of curl to their pods. Sometimes, this straightens out on its own as beans mature, other times they grow curlier as time goes by....

How to Water an African Violet When watering African violets, the main thing to remember is that overwatering is the number one reason a plant fails to thrive, or just up and dies. Overwatering, without a doubt, is the worst thing you can do for your African violet. How do you know when to water an African violet? Always test the potting mix with your finger first. If the potting mix feels moist, try again in a few days....

Amaryllis Plant Info Amaryllis belladonna is an amazing plant that produces clumps of bold, strappy leaves in fall and winter. The showy foliage dies down by early summer and bare stalks emerge after about six weeks – a surprising development because the leafless stalks appear to grow directly from the soil. These bare stalks are why the plant is often known as “naked lady.” It is also known as “surprise lily” for its proclivity to pop up seemingly out of nowhere....

Apple Tree Companions For centuries, European gardeners have maximized the space in their gardens by growing fruits, veggies, herbs, and ornamental plants in combinations that benefit each other. Dwarf fruit trees are grown on espaliers surrounded by companion plants that deter pests and help each other grow. These gardens are also planned out in succession so that something is always ready to harvest or in bloom. This practice is not only useful but also aesthetically pleasing to the senses....

Cacti and Cotton Root Rot Cotton root rot in cactus generally shows up when the soil is warm between spring and early fall. The disease tends to spread through the soil slowly, but plant death occurs quickly when temperatures are high. Sometimes, even a healthy plant can wilt and die within three days. Cactus cotton root rot symptoms include primarily severe wilt and discoloration. During the rainy season in midsummer, you may also notice a white or pale tan, pancake-like spore mat on the surface of the soil....

Calla Lily Seed Info Calla lilies are elegant flowers that have been around a very long time. These beautiful flowers grow from a rhizome and produce huge green leaves that are usually covered with lighter spots. Colorful flowers ranging from pale pink to deep purple and yellow appear atop trumpet-shaped stems. Eventually, the blooms wither, leaving a pod-like capsule filled with calla lily flower seeds. One question that many gardeners have is, “Can I grow calla seed pods?...

Can Magnolia Trees Grow in Zone 5? Many types of magnolias are available in commerce, including trees with flowers that are pink, purple, white, or yellow. Most magnolia blossoms are very lovely and fragrant. They have been called the emblematic flower of the old south. If you think of magnolias as only heat-loving southern belles, think again. You can find magnolia trees suited for virtually every growing location and many different hardiness zones....

Can You Grow Lemongrass Indoors? Can you grow lemongrass indoors? Absolutely! In fact, growing lemongrass indoors is a necessity in colder climates, as lemongrass grown outdoors will not survive the winter. If you can find lemongrass for sale in your grocery store, buy some. Pick the stalks with the greenest centers and the bulbs still intact on the bottom. Place them, bulb down, in a glass with a few inches (7....