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What is a Summercrisp Pear? If you don’t like the soft, grainy texture of most pear varieties, Summercrisp may be a perfect choice for you. Although Summercrisp pears definitely taste like pears, the texture is more akin to a crispy apple. While Summercrisp pear trees are grown primarily for their fruit, the ornamental value is considerable, with attractive green foliage and clouds of white blooms in spring. The pears, which show up in one to two years, are summery green with a bright blush of red....

How to Propagate Guava Cuttings When choosing guava cuttings, it’s best to select a healthy stem of new growth that has matured to the point of being relatively firm. Cut off the terminal 6 or 8 inches (15-20.5 cm.) of the stem. Ideally, it should have 2 to 3 nodes worth of leaves on it. Immediately sink your cutting, cut end down, in a pot of rich, moist growing medium. For better chances of rooting, treat the tip with a rooting hormone before placing it in the growing medium....

Storing Onion Sets – Step 1 Storing onion sets is much like storing plain old onions. Find a mesh type bag (like the bag your store-bought cooking onions come in) and place the onion sets inside the bag. Storing Onion Sets – Step 2 Hang the mesh bag in a cool, dry place with good air circulation. Basements aren’t ideal locations, as they tend to be damp, which can cause rot when storing onion sets....

What is Hull Rot? Nut crops with hull rot are often greatly diminished, and even worse, the disease will destroy the affected wood so that it dies. Hull rot can be caused by one of two fungal species: Rhizopus stolonifera causes black spores inside a split hull and Monilinia fructicola produces tan-colored spores inside and outside the hull after it has split. Before you can see the spores, though, you may see leaves on a small affected branch wither and then die....

About Plane Tree Lumber Planting of London plane tree, specifically for the timber industry, is very rare. While oriental plane trees are sometimes planted for these purposes, most plantings of London plane trees are made in landscaping and cityscaping. With this in mind, however, tree loss is not uncommon due to damage caused by severe thunderstorms, wind, ice, or other drastic weather events. Homeowners may also need to remove trees when undertaking various home additions or when beginning construction projects throughout their properties....

What is a Long Handled Shovel? Shovels are tools for digging and lifting. You use shovels for digging up a flower bed and working compost into the soil. A long-handled shovel is a shovel with a long handle, up to 48 inches (122 cm.). It usually does not have any type of metal grip on the tip of the shovel handle. The easiest way to recognize a long-handled shovel is when it is lined up against a wall with a short-handled shovel....

Tips for Lychee Trimming When grown from seed, lychee trees reach mature size at about four years old and do not produce fruit until they are about five. While they are still young, lychee trees are pruned regularly to promote a full, rounded shape. Select branches are pruned from the center of young trees to open up the canopy to good air flow and reduce wind damage. When pruning a lychee tree, always use clean, sharp tools to avoid the spread of disease....

Massachusetts USDA Plant Hardiness Map The USDA released a plant hardiness map for 2012 that reflects average winter low temperatures over the last 30 years. The map has changed somewhat from previous versions to take into account the general winter warming trend across the country. The Massachusetts planting map includes zones 5a, 6a, 6b, 7a and 7b. To see a closer image of the zones, you can click on the map above....

Crispin Apple Information The Crispin apple comes from a cross between Golden Delicious and a Japanese apple known as Indo. The fruits are prized for their complex flavor with notes of spice, sweetness, and honey. It is also very juicy. Crispin can be eaten raw and fresh, but it also stands up well and holds its shape in cooking and baking. These apples can also be stored for several months. Mutsu or Crispin apples ripen around the end of September, although one problem with these trees is that they may only produce fruit biennially....

Read on for a helpful tips and simple fixes that may resolve the problem of elderberries not fruiting. Flowers But No Berries On Elderberry: Pollination If there are plenty of blooms but no berries, the problem is probably lack of pollination. Elderberries are partially self-fruiting, which means they may set fruit, although not in abundance. To improve pollination, make sure there are at least two elderberry plants located within 50 to 60 feet (15 to18 m....

If you are in the market for a new type of basil, you’ll want to consider Osmin basil plants. What is Osmin basil? It offers that spicy basil flavor but adds to the package extremely ornamental leaves in deepest purple. Read on for more Osmin purple basil information. What is Osmin Basil? Osmin basil plants are not the only purple basils, but they definitely stand out from the crowd. Their leaves grow in a true dark maroon color, the deepest purple of any basil plant....

If you are hoping for tips on how to restore overgrown lawns without chemicals, you’ve come to the right place. Read on for an overview of how to embark on overgrown lawn care. Fixing an Overgrown Lawn You might have purchased a property with an overgrown backyard and need to deal with it. Or you might have simply failed to do lawn maintenance in your own yard for a spell and are dismayed with the results....

Pawpaw Propagation by Seed The most common and successful way of propagating pawpaws is the harvest and planting of seed. In fact, the harvest step isn’t even entirely necessary, as the entire pawpaw fruit can be planted in the ground the autumn, with very good likelihood that it will put up shoots in the spring. If you do wish to harvest seeds from the fruit, however, it’s important to let the fruit ripen to maturity first, as it tends to drop from the tree while still green....

What is Pine Bark? Pine bark mulch, as the name suggests, is made from the shredded bark of pine trees. In some cases, though, the bark of other evergreens, like fir and spruce, may be added into pine bark mulch. Like other wood mulches, pine bark mulch is available for purchase in different forms and textures, from finely shredded or doubled processed to larger chunks called pine nuggets. Which consistency or texture you choose depends on your own preference and the garden’s needs....

Plants for Winter Landscaping When considering plants for winter interest, there are a few aspects which you will need to consider. While plants for winter landscaping will undoubtedly need to be able to survive your winter garden climate, so too, they will need to be suited for growth during other conditions throughout the year. While many evergreen trees may thrive throughout winter and offer great color and texture, some may struggle to survive in more and hot and humid summer regions....

Blue Tit Plum Tree Info Blue Tit plums are a self-fertile (self-fruitful) variety of dark plums. Simply, self-fertile fruit trees are able to be planted as standalone plants in the garden. Unlike some other cultivars, this means that it will not be required to plant an additional variety of plum tree to ensure pollination of the plum crop. This makes them ideal candidates for smaller yards and beginner fruit growers. These yellow-fleshed plums are sweet and great for use in both baking and for fresh eating....

Ersinger Fruhzwetsche Plum Info Known for its use in cooking and in sweet treats, Ersinger Fruhzwetsche plums are believed to have originated in Germany. In early spring, these plum trees offer gardeners and pollinators a dazzling display of white flower blossoms. Though usually listed as self-fruitful or self-fertile, trees will produce the best harvests when additional pollinator plum trees have been planted. Prone to bearing large crops of fruit, healthy trees will reward growers with ample supply of crisp, marketable plums....

How to Grow Calceolaria Indoors While this annual can be grown both indoors and out, the most popular use may be as a potted houseplant. Once you look into the native environment for this bright flower, you’ll know how to grow Calceolaria. It comes from Central and South America in the cooler plains areas where water and bright sunlight aren’t so abundant. Pocketbook plant care works best when you try to imitate its native home....

How to Control Pondweed Before you use herbicides, there are a couple of other pondweed control methods that are worth considering. Prevention is the best method of control, so think carefully before you plant. If you decide to plant them, use containers to hold the roots rather than in the mud at the bottom of the pond. In small ponds, try getting rid of pondweeds by removing them manually. In large ponds, releasing grass carp in the pond will keep the plants under control....

Does Ponytail Palm Flower? You can grow ponytail palm in the ground or in very large pots. In either case, given sufficient patience, you may be lucky enough to see it flower. Flowering on a ponytail palm does not occur the first year you purchase the small plant nor is it likely to during the next decade. Before the plant flowers, it increases significantly in size and girth. The plant’s palm-like trunk sometimes grows to 18 feet (5....