动态第166页 - 绿手指 - 养花技巧、花生病了怎么办、花园打理和设计

2018年07月06日

Purple hull peas (Vigna unguiculata ssp. unguiculata), a type of southern pea, produce pale green beans with a pink eye in dull purple pods. They take about 90 days to reach maturity from planting. The seeds require warm soil and frost-free weather to sprout successfully, and they don't transplant well, so sow them directly in the garden in late spring or early summer after frost danger passes. [图片]Garden Selection Purple hull peas can tolerate light afternoon shade, especially in hot climates, but they grow best when they receive full, all-day sunlight. They thrive in any well-drained loam garden soil with a pH of between 6.0 and 6.5. Heavy clay or soil that doesn't drain quickly after rain or watering can slow germination or cause the seeds or seedlings to rot. Purple hull peas grow on vines, so select a site with room for stakes or supports and where the peas won't block sunlight to lower-growing plants. Soil Preparation Adding compost and a light fertilization about 10 days before planting gives the purple hull peas the nutrients they need for initial growth. Cover the bed with a 2-inch layer of compost and sprinkle 1 pound of 5-10-10 fertilizer along every 50-foot row. Turn the compost into the top 6 inches of soil. Right before planting, lightly moisten the seed and place it in a bag with Rhizobium bacteria powder, shaking the bag gently to coat the seeds. The bacteria treatment allows the purple hull peas to fix their own nitrogen in the soil after planting, minimizing the need for later fertilization. Planting Basics The seeds sprout and begin putting on healthy growth when soil temperatures are 60 degrees Fahrenheit and air temperatures are above 70 F. Plant the seeds about 1 ½ inches deep, spacing them 4 to 6 inches apart. Plant along the base of a bean trellis for support, or erect bean tepees and sow one seed at the base of each tepee pole. You can also install a 4-foot stake for each individual plant if you are only growing a few. If you plant multiple rows, set them about 2 feet apart so you have room to move between the plants for weeding, maintenance and harvest. [图片]Early Care Sprouting usually occurs within a week if you keep the soil moist. Water as needed so the top 6 inches of soil remains moist but not wet until germination. After sprouting, continue to water once or twice weekly, giving the plants about 1 inch of water a week or enough so the soil doesn't dry completely. Purple hull peas don't require watering if there is sufficient rain to keep the soil moist. Overhead watering can lead to flower loss or fungal problems as the plants mature, so water near the base of the plants to keep the foliage dry. Pull weeds as soon as they sprout so they don't compete with the peas for water or nutrients.

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Miss Chen

2018年07月05日

[图片]Vegetables that need a strong support system, such as squash, gourds, melons, cucumbers and tomatoes are your best choices to grow on a chain link fence. With its sturdy metal posts and strong wires, chain-link provides enough strength to withstand heavy loads. Chain-link also provides beans and tomatoes ample space for their long vines and branches to grow both vertically and horizontally. [图片]Green beans produce abundant crops. All beans, whether pole or bush, send out curling shoots that need the close-knit weaving of a chain-link fence. Even though you can grow bush beans without support, they do best and are more easily harvested when trained to grow vertically. Pole beans produce longer than bush beans and will cover a larger area of fencing, according to Dr. Leonard P. Perry, Professor at the University of Vermont Extension. All beans produce flowers before they produce the bean pods, but scarlet runner beans have attractive, red flowers that many vegetable gardeners love. Beans need a fence in full sun with soil that has good drainage. Gourds and Squashes [图片]Vegetable gardeners have a wide variety of gourds and squashes to choose from. The strength of a chain-link fence is especially beneficial when growing gourds and winter squash; the vines themselves require the nooks and crannies of the fence to pull themselves up. The wires provide places to tie cloth or netting support to hold up heavy individual squashes and gourds to prevent their stems from breaking. Train gourd and squash vines to grow both vertically and horizontally on the fence, as the vines can reach up to 25 feet for gourds and up to 10 feet for squash. Tomatoes [图片]Growing tomatoes on chain-link fencing prevents soil diseases from damaging plants. Most vegetables gardeners find that tomatoes quickly outgrow the standard tomato cages bought in the local garden store and using just one or two stakes doesn’t provide enough support. Chain-link fencing is a perfect alternative. Barbara Damrosch, author of "The Garden Primer," recommends a 5-foot high support, so add additional height to your fence if necessary by tying metal stakes or wooden dowels to the existing poles and stringing twine between the stakes. Use strips of cloth or soft twine to support the vines so that stems are not damaged. A chain-link fence allows you to train the tomato vines to grow both vertically and horizontally.

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Miss Chen

2018年07月05日

Split peas are made when regular peas, such as English peas, green peas and lentils are grown and dried. The peas are shelled, skinned and left out for drying. Once they are completely dry, the peas begin to split in half naturally along a center line. They can also be split mechanically to speed things up. After the peas have been naturally or mechanically split, they are packaged and sold as split peas, which are used in soups, stews and other recipes. [图片]Step 1 Plant your peas in late winter or early spring when the temperatures are still cool. The plants should receive full sunlight for at least six hours every day. Step 2 Til at least the top 6 inches of the soil to loosen the dirt. Remove any large rocks, sticks or other debris. Add 2 to 3 inches of organic compost into the soil to provide the peas with enough nitrogen to become established. Peas will not need additional fertilizer. Step 3 Use a hoe to make 2-inch deep rows. Drag the corner of the hoe down the garden in a straight line to make a small trench. Rows should be 18 to 24 inches apart. Step 4 Drop 3 to 4 seeds together in groups into the rows. Place the groups of seed at least 1 inch apart. Lightly cover the peas with native soil to fill the rows slightly higher than the surrounding ground. [图片]Step 5 Apply 1 to 2 inches of water on the growing peas every week. Step 6 Harvest the peas every few days when they begin to get full and swollen. Harvesting usually occurs 45 to 60 days after the pea plants have emerged.

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Miss Chen

2018年07月05日

A ripe rind is one sign a butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) is ready to pick, and there are other signs. An annual winter squash vine, butternut squash grows 3/4 to 1 1/2 feet tall with a vine 10 to 15 feet long. Creamy-white to orange-yellow flowers appear in late spring and orange-fleshed fruits develop, which ripen in fall. Changes in the vine and changes in the color and texture of the fruit are some signs to look for that tell you butternut squash is ready for harvesting. [图片]Days From Sowing Providing severe weather conditions such as drought or prolonged cold temperatures don't occur, butternut squash fruits ripen a predictable number of days after sowing. In regular growing conditions, it takes 80 to 100 days after the seed was sown. Drought stresses plants, and may speed up ripening. However, cold weather slows down butternut squash growth, and then fruit may ripen later than expected. Vine Condition When butternut squash fruits are ready for picking, the vine has done its job. It stops growing and begins to die back. If your butternut squash vine stops producing new shoots and leaves, and the existing leaves begin to yellow and wilt, the fruit is probably nearly ripe. Skin Appearance Butternut squash skin is light whitish-green, smooth and shiny while the fruit is growing. As they ripen, the fruits turn deep tan and become dull and dry. Skin Texture A change in skin texture is another sign of ripeness in butternut squash. Slightly soft when the fruit is growing, butternut squash skin becomes very tough when the fruit is ripe. Harvest Time When butternut squash fruit are ready to harvest, cut the stems with pruning shears or a sharp knife. [图片]Cut the squash stems 1 inch from the fruit, and put them in a cool, dark, dry place. Don't allow the fruit to touch each other. Store the squash at 50 degrees Fahrenheit and 50 to 75 percent humidity and it will keep for two to three months. Check the fruit every one or two weeks, and remove and discard any that look diseased or have begun to decay.

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Miss Chen

2018年07月05日

Whether your lettuce will regrow when you cut it depends on the type of lettuce in question. It also depends on the weather, and when you cut the lettuce within its growth cycle. [图片]Types Lettuce comes in five types: leaf, crisphead, butterhead, romaine (also called cos), and stem. Leaf lettuce will grow back up to three times if you cut it, according to plant expert and nursery owner Rose Marie Nichols McGee. Time Frame Lettuce is temperature sensitive, and quickly turns bitter and goes to seed when temperatures get too hot. Therefore, to successfully trim your leaf lettuces and have them regrow, you must plant early enough in the spring to have time for the lettuce to grow back after you trim it. Check with your local county extension office for the best planting times for your area. [图片]Method Called "cut-and-come-again harvesting" by Rose Marie Nichols McGee and the University of Maryland College of Agricultural and Natural Resources, cut your leaf lettuce with sharp shears when it reaches 6 to 10 inches high. Water and fertilize it to harvest again in two to three weeks. Stagger harvests and seed sowing to have a continual harvest before cool spring turns into hot summer.

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Miss Chen

2018年07月05日

Green beans are a popular vegetable for the home garden. They grow quickly and require only sun and water. Pole varieties grow between 5 and 10 feet high, according to Cornell University, and require staking. Bush beans are compact and need no support. [图片]Time Frame Bean seeds germinate within 8 to 10 days under optimal conditions. They emerge as a tiny hooked stem with one single lobe and perhaps a cracked seed coat. Within a few days, the first real leaves emerge. Green beans are harvested within 60 to 75 days, depending on the variety. Dried bean varieties may take as long as three or four months to mature, according to Purdue University. Considerations Bean seeds germinate best when soil temperatures are between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. They are slow to germinate when soil temperatures are below 60 F. They are not at all frost hardy, and are planted outdoors when daytime temperatures are above 75 F. They don't transplant well. [图片]Warning Bean seeds are damaged by soaking in water or by being planted in very wet soil. Plant them in warm, moist, but not soggy, soil at a depth of 1 inch beneath the surface.

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Miss Chen

2018年07月03日

Description: This perennial wildflower is about 1-2' tall. It is unbranched, except near the apex, where the flowerheads occur. The central stem is pale green and more or less covered with white cobwebby hairs. The alternate leaves are up to 6" long and 1" across, becoming slightly smaller as they ascend the stems. Each fern-like leaf is pale to medium green, elliptic in outline, and widest in the middle – however, its structure is either simple-pinnate or double-pinnate and its overlapping leaflets are either simple-pinnate or pinnatifid. The leaves and sometimes their leaflets (when they are simple-pinnate) are upward-angled along their rachises (central stalks), while pinnatifid leaflets and subleaflets are either curled, crinkled, or flat. Like the stems, the leaves and their subdivisions often have fine cobwebby hairs. The leaves are sessile. The upper stems produce flat-headed panicles (compound corymbs) of small flowerheads. Each flowerhead is about ¼" across, consisting of 5 ray florets (their petaloid rays are white, rarely rose or other pastel colors) and a similar number of disk florets that have cream or pale yellow corollas. The petaloid rays are often slightly notched at their tips. The floral bracts (phyllaries) are pale green and lanceolate-oblong; they often have cobwebby hairs. All parts of this plant exude a distinctive aroma that is somewhat soapy and astringent. The blooming period occurs from early to mid-summer and lasts about a month. Each floret is replaced by an achene that is oblong and somewhat flattened; it lacks a tuft of hairs. The root system produces abundant rhizomes, often forming clonal colonies of plants. [图片]Cultivation: The preference is full or partial sun, mesic to dry conditions, and a somewhat heavy clay-loam soil. Range & Habitat: Yarrow is a common plant that has naturalized in all counties of Illinois (see Distribution Map). The variety of Yarrow that occurs in Illinois is probably native to Eurasia, although there is a variety of this plant that is native to western North America. This latter variety tends to be smaller in size and its foliage is more heavily covered with woolly hairs. Habitats include mesic to dry prairies, pastures, fallow fields, grassy waste areas, and edges of paths, yards, or hedges. Disturbed areas are preferred; Yarrow persists in native habitats (e.g., prairies) to a limited extent. Yarrow is often cultivated in flower and herbal gardens, from where it occasionally escapes. [图片]Faunal Associations: The nectar of the flowers attracts many kinds of insects, especially flies and wasps. Among the flies are such visitors as bee flies, Syrphid flies (including drone flies), thick-headed flies, Tachinid flies, flesh flies, Anthomyiid flies, and others. Halictid and other short-tongued bees occasionally visitor the flowers, where they suck nectar and collect pollen. Many species of grasshoppers feed on Yarrow (see Grasshopper Table), as do several aphids, a seed bug, a flower thrips, leaf beetles, and caterpillars of some moths (see Insect Table). Sometimes Mordella spp. (Tumbling Flower Beetles) are found on the flowerheads. Because the foliage of Yarrow has a bitter and biting taste, it is rarely consumed by most mammalian herbivores. However, sheep will eat it when the opportunity arises. [图片]Photographic Location: Judge Webber Park and Meadowbrook Park in Urbana, Illinois. Comments: Among members of the Aster family, the fern-like foliage of Yarrow is rather unusual and it has a distinctive odor. Other members of the Aster family with this kind of foliage include Anthemis spp. (Mayweed), Matricaria spp. (Chamomile), and Tanacetum vulgare (Tansy). Unlike Yarrow, species of Mayweed and Chamomile produce daisy-like flowerheads with long petaloid rays. Tansy is a larger plant with medium to dark green foliage. While its flowerheads have a similar size and structure as compared to those of Yarrow, they are bright yellow and their petaloid rays are even smaller in size or absent.

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Miss Chen

2018年07月03日

Description: This plant is a summer annual about ½–2' tall that is either unbranched or occasionally branched. The stems are light to medium green, terete, and moderately covered with a combination of spreading hairs, curved hairs, and short pubescence. The alternate leaves are more closely spaced together toward the apex of the plant rather than the bottom, providing it with a flat-topped appearance. The leaf blades are up to 3" long and 1" across; they are medium green, lanceolate, and crenate with widely spaced blunt teeth to nearly smooth. The upper surfaces of the blades are sparsely canescent, sparsely covered with appressed hairs, or hairless. The slender petioles are up to 1" long; they are about one-third the length of their blades and usually short-pubescent. Virginia Mercury is monoecious, bearing both staminate (male) and pistillate (female) flowers on the same plant. Both male and female flowers develop within the same foliaceous bracts from the axils of the leaves. These bracts are sessile (or nearly so), up to ½" tall, and a little more across; they are either open or loosely folded around the flowers. Individual bracts are medium green, more or less hairy, palmately lobed (10-15 lobes), and ciliate along their margins. Individual lobes are linear-lanceolate. Within each bract, a spike of staminate flowers develops. At maturity, each spike is up to ¾" long. Each staminate flower is less than 1/8" (3 mm.) across, consisting of a 4-lobed calyx, no petals, and several stamens. The staminate flowers are densely packed along the upper half of each spike. Within the same bract, there are 1-3 sessile pistillate flowers that are largely hidden from view. Each pistillate flower is about ¼" across, consisting of insignificant sepals, no petals, and a 3-valved globoid ovary with short divided styles. The blooming period occurs from mid-summer into the fall and lasts about 2-3 months. Only a few flowers are in bloom at the same time. Cross-pollination is by wind. Each pistillate flower matures into a 3-celled seed capsule; each cell of the capsule contains a single ovoid-oblongoid seed about 1-2 mm. long. This plant reproduces by reseeding itself. Cultivation: The preference is partial sun, mesic conditions, and a fertile loam, although other soil types are tolerated. Most growth and development occurs during the summer and early fall. [图片]Range & Habitat: The native Virginia Mercury is occasional to locally common in the southern half of Illinois, becoming uncommon in the northern half of the state (see Distribution Map). Habitats include disturbed open woodlands, rocky woodlands, thinly wooded bluffs, woodland borders, thickets, disturbed areas of prairies and weedy meadows, partially-shaded gravelly seeps, cropland and abandoned fields, areas along railroads and roadsides, flower gardens underneath trees, and areas adjacent to the foundations of buildings. This plant has low fidelity to any particular habitat. Faunal Associations: The flea beetles Hornaltica bicolorata and Margaridisa atriventris feed on Acalypha spp. The Mourning Dove, Swamp Sparrow, and possibly other birds eat the seeds, while White-Tailed Deer browse on the foliage, primarily during the summer and fall. Virginia Mercury lacks the toxic white latex that is a typical characteristic of other species in the Spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). Photographic Location: A flower garden underneath a tree in downtown Urbana, Illinois. [图片]Comments: Virginia Mercury is somewhat weedy, although it is less aggressive and common than Acalypha rhomboidea (Rhomboid Mercury). In the past, Rhomboid Mercury and Acalypha deamii (Deam's Mercury) were considered varieties of Virginia Mercury, but they are now regarded as distinct species. Virginia Mercury differs from these latter two species by its more hairy stems, more narrow leaves, more numerous lobes (10-15) on its foliaceous bracts, and slightly longer staminate spikes that are exerted beyond the lobes of the bracts. Another species, Acalypha graciliens (Slender Mercury), has even more slender leaves than Virginia Mercury and its petioles are shorter (about one-fourth the length of its leaves). Slender Mercury usually has longer staminate spikes (at least 1" long), although there is an uncommon variety (var. monococca) that has staminate spikes about the same length as Virginia Mercury. Individual seed capsules of Acalypha graciliens var. monococca have one seed each, while seed capsules of Virginia Mercury have 3 seeds each. Another common name of Acalypha virginica is Virginia Copperleaf.

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Miss Chen

2018年07月03日

Description: This annual plant is ½–2' tall, and usually unbranched. The central stem has lines of fine white hairs, or is glabrous. The alternate leaves are up to 3½" long and 1" across, with long narrow petioles that are slightly hairy. They are lanceolate or ovate, with bluntly serrated margins and conspicuous pinnate venation. There is a tendency for the leaves to congregate together near the top of the central stem, or any side stems that may be present. Where the petiole of each leaf meets the stem, there is a conspicuous bract that wraps around the inflorescence consisting of a green cyathium. This bract is slightly ciliate along the edges, and has 5-9 lobes. The cyathium contains tiny staminate and pistillate flowers without sepals and petals. The staminate flower is covered with yellow pollen, while the pistillate flower produces a 3-lobed spheroid fruit that is typical of the spurges. Each fruit contains three seeds. The blooming period occurs from about mid-summer until frost during the fall, and lasts one or more months. There is no floral scent. The root system consists of a central taproot. Cultivation: The preference is light shade to full sun, and moist to slightly dry conditions. This plant often grows in fertile, loamy soil, but can tolerate gravelly or clay soil as well. This plant is easy and undemanding, and may volunteer spontaneously in a wildflower garden or ecological restoration. However, it is rather common and weedy. Range & Habitat: The native Rhomboid Mercury occurs in every county of Illinois, and it is quite common (see Distribution Map). This is a rather inconspicuous plant that is easily overlooked because of the lack of showy flowers. Habitats include disturbed areas of moist prairies, limestone glades, openings or lightly shaded areas of floodplain forests, thickets, seeps, stream banks, ditches, fields, fence rows, roadsides, areas along railroads, vacant lots, poorly maintained lawns and gardens, and waste areas. This plant prefers moist disturbed areas. Faunal Associations: Like other members of the Spurge family that occur in Illinois, the seeds are attractive to such birds as the Mourning Dove and Greater Prairie Chicken; they may also be attractive to the Bobwhite, Horned Lark, and Wild Turkey. The herbaceous Acalypha spp. in Illinois lack the poisonous white latex of other members in the Spurge family, and their foliage is probably less toxic as a result. Deer are known to browse on Acalypha spp. occasionally, and it is possible that other mammalian herbivores do this as well. There have been reports of cattle being poisoned by these plants, possibly because of accumulation of nitrates in the foliage. It is unclear to me if the flowers of Acalypha spp. are wind- or insect-pollinated, although I suspect the former. [图片]Photographic Location: The photographs were taken in a front yard along a roadside near Urbana, Illinois. Comments: There are several Acalypha spp. in Illinois; the number of seeds per fruit can range from 1 to 3 (usually the latter), depending on the species. The species described here, Acalypha rhomboidea, is very similar to Acalypha virginica, except that the latter has 9-15 lobes in the bract that surrounds the inflorescence at the base of the petiole. Some authorities consider the former species to be merely a variety of the latter. The foliage of Acalypha spp. often becomes purplish tan during the fall, which has inspired the common name, 'Copperleaf.' This common name is often used in the agricultural industry.

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Miss Chen

2018年07月03日

Description: This plant is a summer annual about 1–2½' tall, branching occasionally. The stems are terete or somewhat angular and they have spreading white hairs. The alternate leaves are up to 4" long and 2½" across. They are rather thin-textured and have raised veins on their undersides. The leaves are medium green, cordate or broadly ovate, and serrated along their margins. The long slender petioles often have spreading hairs like the stems. Hornbeam Mercury is monoecious with separate male and female flowers on the same plant. The male (staminate) flowers develop from the axils of the leaves in non-terminal spikes about ½–2" long. These cylindrical spikes are densely crowded with small flowers. Each male flower is about 1/8" (3 mm.) across, consisting of 4 sepals that are green or translucent white, several stamens that are white, and no petals. The spikes of female (pistillate) flowers terminate the upper stems; they are usually located above the male flowers. The pistillate spikes are also densely crowded with small flowers, but their appearance is less smooth and cylindrical than the staminate spikes because of the long styles and floral bracts. Each female flower is about ¼" across, consisting of several long branching styles that are white, a green ovary that is quite spiny in appearance, and no petals. At the base of each female flower, there is a surrounding floral bract with several narrow lobes. The blooming period occurs from mid-summer to early fall and lasts about 1-2 months. The flowers are cross-pollinated by the wind. Afterwards, the female flowers are replaced by 3-valved seed capsules; each valve of a capsule contains a single seed. The seeds are ovoid in shape, broader and rounder at one end than the other, and pitted or wrinkled across the surface. The root system consists of a taproot. This plant spreads by reseeding itself, and occasionally forms colonies. [图片]Cultivation: This plant is typically found in full or partial sun, moist to mesic conditions, and a fertile loamy soil. It also occurs in clay-loam and stony soil. At locations that are too hot and dry, the foliage often wilts. Range & Habitat: The native Hornbeam Mercury occurs occasionally in the southern half of Illinois (see Distribution Map). Habitats include thickets, riverbanks, lower slopes of bluffs, cropland, fallow fields, gardens, areas along buildings, and roadsides. This native species prefers disturbed areas and it is a minor pest of cropland in the southern half of the state. Faunal Associations: The flowers don't attract many insects because they are wind-pollinated. Two flea beetles, Hornaltica bicolorata and Margaridisa atriventris, feed on Acalypha spp. The seeds are occasionally eaten by the Mourning Dove and probably other granivorous birds. Deer browse on the foliage of these plants, and possibly other mammalian herbivores do this as well. The foliage may be mildly toxic to cattle because of excess nitrate accumulation. Unlike many other members of the Spurge family, the native Acalypha spp. lack a toxic white latex in their foliage. Photographic Location: A few plants were growing along the foundation of the webmaster's apartment complex in Urbana, Illinois. Comments: Hornbeam Mercury is a nondescript plant that is easily overlooked. Its leaves are supposed to resemble the leaves of hornbeam trees (e.g., Ostrya spp.), hence the common name. Another common name is Rough-Podded Copperleaf, which refers to the spiny-looking seed capsules and the tendency of the foliage to turn reddish brown during the fall. Hornbeam Mercury differs from other native Acalypha spp. by its monoecious flowers (separate spikes of male and female flowers) and its broad serrated leaves that are heart-shaped (cordate) at the base. The leaves remind me of the foliage of woodland plants in the Nettle family, but Hornbeam Mercury occurs in sunnier habitats and the female flowers are surrounded by the lobed bracts that are typical of native Acalypha spp. in Illinois.

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