Molokhia Cultivation What is Egyptian spinach? It’s a plant with a long history, and molokhia cultivation goes back to the times of the Pharaohs. Today, it’s still one of the most popular vegetables in Egyptian cooking. It’s very fast growing, usually ready to harvest about 60 days after planting. If it goes uncut, it can reach as tall as 6 feet (2 m.) in height. It likes hot weather and produces its leafy greens throughout the summer....

Pindo Palm Pests Pindo palms are small palm trees, no more than 25 feet (8 m.) tall and half that wide. They are ornamental and planted for their graceful fronds and showy yellow date-like fruit clusters. The fruits are edible and very eye-catching. Pindo palms thrive in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8b through 11. They are slow-growing, attractive plants. Give it a warm, sheltered location, plenty of sun, and rich, well-draining soil to keep it healthy....

What Shouldn’t You Put in a Fish Tank? Buying aquatic plants for the aquarium can add a unique design to tanks. Not only can live aquatic plants provide natural habitat for fish, but may also improve the overall water quality of your tank. While bright and vibrant foliage is appealing and adds visual interest, owners may frequently find that these are plants that die in aquariums. When purchasing plants for the aquarium, it is important to thoroughly research each type to be used....

Companion Plants for Corn The Three Sisters are made up of corn, winter squash, and mature dry beans, not summer squash or green beans. Summer squash has a short shelf life and hardly any nutrition or calories while winter squash, with its thick outer rind, can be stored for months. Dried beans, unlike green, store for long periods of time and are packed with protein. The combination of these three created a subsistence diet that would have been augmented with fish and game....

About Plum Tree Nematodes Nematodes are microscopic roundworms that are not uncommon in the soil. Plum trees and plum rootstock are susceptible to damage from root knot nematodes. This type of nematode burrows into the cells of roots and stays there, feeding for its entire life. Signs of root knot nematodes in plums include a root system that is poorly developed. Above the soil, trees will show a general lack of vigorous growth, smaller leaves, and twigs or branches that die back....

Hyacinth Propagation by Seed Warning: According to many sources, hyacinth seeds are often sterile, while others state that planting seeds is an easy, dependable way to start a new plant. If you decide to give propagation of hyacinths by seed a try, remove the seeds from a healthy hyacinth bloom after the flower has faded. Fill a planting tray with a compost-based potting mix formulated for seed starting. Spread the seeds evenly on the surface of the potting mix, then cover the seeds with a thin layer of clean horticultural grit or clean, coarse sand....

When to Cut Back Daffodils Daffodil leaves should not be cut back until after they have turned yellow. Daffodils use their leaves to create energy, which is then used to create next year’s flower. If you cut back daffodils before the leaves have turned yellow, the daffodil bulb will not produce a flower next year. When Do I Prune Daffodil Flowers? While daffodil leaves must be left on the plant, daffodil flowers can be cut off of the plant, if you want....

Pumpkin Insect Problems Pumpkins are a favorite food of quite a few insects, and pests on pumpkins can be a real problem. Most, however, are treatable or at least preventable. Here are the most common bugs on pumpkin plants and how to treat them: Beetles – Beetles are the most common but easily treated pests on pumpkins. Spray your vines with a mild pesticide and they should disappear. Snails and slugs – Snails and slugs love to eat the tender flesh of very young, giant pumpkins....

What is Gardening RDA? Recommended daily allowance, or RDA, is a term used most often to refer to daily dietary needs. These guidelines make suggestions regarding daily caloric intake, as well as suggestions regarding daily nutrient intake. However, some professionals have suggested that a recommended daily gardening allowance may contribute to an overall healthier lifestyle. British gardening expert, David Domoney, advocates that as little as 30 minutes a day in the garden can help burn calories, as well as reduce stress....

Rotting lucky bamboo plants seem a decided sign of ill fortune. But preventing rot in lucky bamboo is not too difficult if you are attentive to the plant and act quickly when you see a problem with the plant’s roots. Read on to learn how to keep a lucky bamboo from rotting, especially when it’s grown in water. Rotting Lucky Bamboo Plants The lucky bamboo is a little green plant with one or more slender stems that grow roots on the lower end and leaves on the upper end....

Seed harvesting provides an opportunity to preserve your beautiful garden flowers to replant next year or share with friends and family. Some gardeners also enjoy developing their own seed strains or hybridizing their plants by seed saving. When to Harvest Garden Seeds Knowing when to harvest garden seeds is the first step to saving plants for future use. Once flowers begin to fade at the close of the season, most flower seeds are ripe for picking....

What is Siberian Melic? Siberian melic grass is an ornamental grass with the scientific name Melica altissima. Native to Siberia, this pretty grass adapts well to many other areas and makes a nice decorative accent or focal point in beds with flowers. The perennial grass grows in attractive, neat clumps as tall as five feet (1.5 m.) by the second season in the garden. Each clump is approximately 20 inches (51 cm....

Picking Trees for Small Spaces Here are some good small urban garden trees: Juneberry– A little large at 25 to 30 feet (7.5-9 m.), juneberry trees are full of color. Its leaves start out silver and turn bright red in the fall and its white spring flowers give way to attractive, purple berries in the summer. Japanese Maple– An extremely popular and diverse choice for small spaces, many varieties of Japanese maple top out at under 10 feet (3 m....

Harvesting Spider Plant Seeds Do spider plants have seeds? Yes. Your spider plant should bloom naturally, but it will need to be pollinated in order to produce seeds. You can do this yourself by gently brushing a cotton swab against one flower after the other, or you can simply put your plant outside to allow insects to pollinate it naturally. After the flowers have faded, you should see bumpy green seed pods appear in their place....

About Spirea Pruning There are a number of spirea cultivars ranging in height from 2 to 3 feet (61-91 cm.) tall up to 10 feet (3 m.) and the same across. All spirea shrubs produce flowers on new wood, which is why cutting back spirea shrubs is so important. Spirea pruning not only rejuvenates the plant and encourages blooming, but it also helps to restrain the size of the shrub. Also, trimming spirea back, in many cases, will induce a second bloom....

Plants for Sunny Spots If you have lots of open spaces, choose plants that need full sun. Be sure to read the plant label on the tag. Some full sun plants also will designate “drought tolerant when established.” That means to water regularly the first season, so the plant has time to get established. Most full sun plants will perform well in a part sun situation as well. The following plants are sun lovers and can stand up to high heat: Trees and Shrubs Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia spp....

Hot Weather Effect on Broccoli When broccoli gets too hot, it will bolt or start to flower. Contrary to popular belief, hot weather will not cause bolting broccoli. What actually causes bolting broccoli is hot soil. Tips for Growing Broccoli in Hot Weather The best way to prevent broccoli flowers from appearing too early is to keep the soil the broccoli is planted in cool. Mulching The best way to grow broccoli if you expect hot weather is to make sure that the broccoli plant is well mulched....

Rotating Houseplants The process that causes a houseplant to lean toward light is called phototropism, and it doesn’t actually involve leaning at all. Every plant contains cells called auxins, and their growth rate determines the shape of the plant. Auxins on the side of the plant that receives full sun grow shorter and sturdier, while auxins that are on the shadier side of the plant grow longer and spindlier. This means one side of your plant grows taller than the other, making for that craning, bending effect....

How to Keep Kangaroos Out of My Garden Kangaroos in the garden can cause significant damage, eating their way through a number of plants, from flower beds to fruit trees and more. In fact, there are few plants kangaroos don’t eat! That being said, their least favorite seems to be plants that are prickly or highly aromatic, but like deer in the garden, when push comes to shove, even these will not stop their insatiable palate....

Toad Lily Flowers Toad lily flowers are often borne on upright, arching stems. Foliage varies with cultivar, as does the color of toad lily flowers, although most have the spotted appearance for which toad lilies are recognized. The toad lily plant grows taller in soils that are consistently moist. Tips for Toad Lily Care Tricyrtis hirta, the common toad lily, is most widely grown in residential gardens. Reaching 2 to 3 feet (61-91 cm....