文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月23日
Despite all your planning and care, nature and animals have a way of messing up the garden and landscape in ways that may seem needlessly cruel to the plants involved. Uprooted garden plants are a very common gardening problem, especially in areas prone to high winds. Trees, garden vegetables and perennials are frequent victims. Keep reading for information on what to do about plant roots coming out of ground.
Can Uprooted Plants be Saved?
Yes, sometimes uprooted plants can be saved. That’s the best answer you’ll get out of an experienced gardener because dealing with uprooted plants is a gamble at best. Uprooted plant damage ranges in severity from annoying and cosmetic to extremely damaging, especially when large portions of the root system are broken or left exposed to the air for extended periods.
Tree roots coming out of the ground are especially problematic, both because of the challenge of up-righting the tree and that of re-anchoring it. Small plants that have been uprooted for a very short time and not allowed to dry out are the easiest to save. These plants may have lost a few root hairs but aren’t going to experience anything more than minor transplant shock.
As plant size and exposure time increases, the outcome of your rescue operation is much less certain, but it’s always worth trying. If you just leave the plant uprooted, there’s zero chance it’ll survive, where even the most stressed uprooted plant might survive with enough care.
How to Replant an Uprooted Plant
When a plant has been uprooted, you must act quickly and decisively in order to save it. First, inspect the rootball carefully for breaks and damage. If the roots are white and relatively intact, your plant is healthy, so wet the rootball well and replant it where it belongs. Small plants dug by dogs or other wild animals can usually be convinced to remain stable simply by watering them well and leaving them alone. Bigger plants, however, will need more convincing. You’ll need to supply extra support for larger bushes and trees uprooted by wind or other accidents, since they’re often top heavy and won’t be able to compensate right away. Resist the urge to trim trees and bushes at this time – they’re going to need all the leaves they have to feed their new root growth.
Many gardeners tie them to posts or pins secured in the ground, with the tension pulling in the opposite direction of the tree’s new lean. Boards can also be wedged between the trunk and the ground at an angle to help hold the tree upright. Using both methods in combination may yield the best results. Wait to fertilize your plant with nitrogen until it starts to show signs of new growth, since it doesn’t need the added stress associated with putting out a lot of shoots while it’s trying to anchor itself to the ground.
Remove the supports several times a month to check the steadiness of your plant; reinstall them if the tree can be wiggled in its hole even a little bit. Remember to water your troubled plant well and often – it may be missing a significant portion of its roots and unable to bring enough water into its system to meet its needs.
Can Uprooted Plants be Saved?
Yes, sometimes uprooted plants can be saved. That’s the best answer you’ll get out of an experienced gardener because dealing with uprooted plants is a gamble at best. Uprooted plant damage ranges in severity from annoying and cosmetic to extremely damaging, especially when large portions of the root system are broken or left exposed to the air for extended periods.
Tree roots coming out of the ground are especially problematic, both because of the challenge of up-righting the tree and that of re-anchoring it. Small plants that have been uprooted for a very short time and not allowed to dry out are the easiest to save. These plants may have lost a few root hairs but aren’t going to experience anything more than minor transplant shock.
As plant size and exposure time increases, the outcome of your rescue operation is much less certain, but it’s always worth trying. If you just leave the plant uprooted, there’s zero chance it’ll survive, where even the most stressed uprooted plant might survive with enough care.
How to Replant an Uprooted Plant
When a plant has been uprooted, you must act quickly and decisively in order to save it. First, inspect the rootball carefully for breaks and damage. If the roots are white and relatively intact, your plant is healthy, so wet the rootball well and replant it where it belongs. Small plants dug by dogs or other wild animals can usually be convinced to remain stable simply by watering them well and leaving them alone. Bigger plants, however, will need more convincing. You’ll need to supply extra support for larger bushes and trees uprooted by wind or other accidents, since they’re often top heavy and won’t be able to compensate right away. Resist the urge to trim trees and bushes at this time – they’re going to need all the leaves they have to feed their new root growth.
Many gardeners tie them to posts or pins secured in the ground, with the tension pulling in the opposite direction of the tree’s new lean. Boards can also be wedged between the trunk and the ground at an angle to help hold the tree upright. Using both methods in combination may yield the best results. Wait to fertilize your plant with nitrogen until it starts to show signs of new growth, since it doesn’t need the added stress associated with putting out a lot of shoots while it’s trying to anchor itself to the ground.
Remove the supports several times a month to check the steadiness of your plant; reinstall them if the tree can be wiggled in its hole even a little bit. Remember to water your troubled plant well and often – it may be missing a significant portion of its roots and unable to bring enough water into its system to meet its needs.
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文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月23日
Gardening can be expensive when you start buying lots of plants and pots. What if you could double, triple, even quadruple the number of plants you currently have without spending a dime? If you have a little bit of time on your hands, along with a lot of patience, you can do just that. Let’s dig into a propagation of cacti and succulents!
Instructions
1. Propagation is the process of creating new plants from a variety of sources. This could be from seeds, bulbs, cuttings or other parts of the plant. Cacti and succulents are very easy to propagate. You can take pups from certain species, a stem cutting, or even root new plants from just one leaf!
2. Echeveria, along with other succulents that form rosettes, are a great example of plants that can easily benefit from beheading. If you ever notice your Echeveria with a gangly, long stem and a beautiful rosette on top, it could benefit from beheading — especially if it seems to be slow growing or not producing as many leaves. Use a sharp sterilized knife to cut the top part of the rosette off, leaving some of the stem on it. Let the cutting sit for a few days until it forms a callous on the bottom of the stem. This is a very important step, or you risk rotted stems or leaves.
3. Once the cutting forms a callus, you can pot it in a container where it will form new roots and become a new plant. The remaining part of the stem can also form tiny plantlets at the top or down the stem, and you can eventually cut these off and form new plants in the same way.
4. Propagating from pups is probably the easiest. Let’s use the Aloe plant as an example of a plant that will produce pups. Have you ever noticed when they produce a small offset that looks like the mother plant? This is a pup, and you can either cut it from the mother plant or carefully twist it off. These can generally be potted right away.
5. Being able to propagate from just a tiny leaf might be surprising to the newbie gardener, but yes, you can! To try your hand at this form of propagation, take a leaf and twist or cut it from the stem. It’s very important to try to get the entire base of the leaf stalk. You can place the leaves on top of a layer of soil, where they will form a callus. This is where a shallow tray or saucer comes in handy, as it will give you room to do many at one time. It’s always smart to do a bunch, as you may only have success rooting half of them.
6. In weeks to a few months you should notice them calloused over and producing roots. If the roots are growing towards the air instead of the soil, you might just want to turn the roots to help them find the soil or plant them in their own pot. You can also try placing some of the leaves with the base of the stem inserted shallowly into the soil. Place the trays in bright but indirect light so the leaves do not scorch.
7. Your new little plant cuttings will need to be treated a little more gently than typical hardy cacti and succulents. They will not tolerate bright, direct sun. When it comes to watering, you want to first wait until they have calloused and in some cases, formed roots. Mist lightly in the beginning until roots appear, and then you can begin watering them more frequently. In general, they will need to be babied and watered a little more often in the beginning, but the soil should still dry between waterings. There can be a little bit of trial and error, depending on your individual house. A house that’s drier because of air conditioning or radiators will mean you need to water your cuttings more frequently than if they are in an area with high humidity.
Instructions
1. Propagation is the process of creating new plants from a variety of sources. This could be from seeds, bulbs, cuttings or other parts of the plant. Cacti and succulents are very easy to propagate. You can take pups from certain species, a stem cutting, or even root new plants from just one leaf!
2. Echeveria, along with other succulents that form rosettes, are a great example of plants that can easily benefit from beheading. If you ever notice your Echeveria with a gangly, long stem and a beautiful rosette on top, it could benefit from beheading — especially if it seems to be slow growing or not producing as many leaves. Use a sharp sterilized knife to cut the top part of the rosette off, leaving some of the stem on it. Let the cutting sit for a few days until it forms a callous on the bottom of the stem. This is a very important step, or you risk rotted stems or leaves.
3. Once the cutting forms a callus, you can pot it in a container where it will form new roots and become a new plant. The remaining part of the stem can also form tiny plantlets at the top or down the stem, and you can eventually cut these off and form new plants in the same way.
4. Propagating from pups is probably the easiest. Let’s use the Aloe plant as an example of a plant that will produce pups. Have you ever noticed when they produce a small offset that looks like the mother plant? This is a pup, and you can either cut it from the mother plant or carefully twist it off. These can generally be potted right away.
5. Being able to propagate from just a tiny leaf might be surprising to the newbie gardener, but yes, you can! To try your hand at this form of propagation, take a leaf and twist or cut it from the stem. It’s very important to try to get the entire base of the leaf stalk. You can place the leaves on top of a layer of soil, where they will form a callus. This is where a shallow tray or saucer comes in handy, as it will give you room to do many at one time. It’s always smart to do a bunch, as you may only have success rooting half of them.
6. In weeks to a few months you should notice them calloused over and producing roots. If the roots are growing towards the air instead of the soil, you might just want to turn the roots to help them find the soil or plant them in their own pot. You can also try placing some of the leaves with the base of the stem inserted shallowly into the soil. Place the trays in bright but indirect light so the leaves do not scorch.
7. Your new little plant cuttings will need to be treated a little more gently than typical hardy cacti and succulents. They will not tolerate bright, direct sun. When it comes to watering, you want to first wait until they have calloused and in some cases, formed roots. Mist lightly in the beginning until roots appear, and then you can begin watering them more frequently. In general, they will need to be babied and watered a little more often in the beginning, but the soil should still dry between waterings. There can be a little bit of trial and error, depending on your individual house. A house that’s drier because of air conditioning or radiators will mean you need to water your cuttings more frequently than if they are in an area with high humidity.
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2
文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月19日
It’s been said that succulents are the perfect plant for forgetful gardeners. They’re great for indoor gardening and require very little maintenance. As nearly indestructible as they can be, however, I’ve still managed to kill every succulent I’ve had. Perhaps it’s the busy lifestyle that causes my negligent gardening care, or the fact that I’ve come to the realization that I actually don’t know the proper way to care for my ounce of greenery. If you’re like me, don’t wallow in distress! Here we’ve compiled some tips for keeping your succulent happy and alive!
First, let’s learn a bit about succulents. Succulents are plants that thrive in hot, dry places. This doesn’t mean, however, that these desert plants don’t love their sunshine. With thick and fleshy organs, they’re able to store water in their leaves, stems or roots – taking advantage of what ever water is available and holding onto it for later use. This makes succulents highly adaptable to arid conditions or any environment too dry for most other plants.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s talk about light. As mentioned before, desert plants need sunshine too! As much as you’d like your succulent to thrive in the dim corner of your room, they can’t. Giving your indoor succulent as much natural light as possible is imperative. While succulents might prefer the direct sunshine, they can easily adapt to lower light. As long as there’s at least some exposure to light, your succulent should be happy.
In addition to lighting, water is an important element. As a general rule of thumb, succulents don’t like to be watered that often. Typically in the summer, you might water your succulent once a week. In the winter, that might change to once a month. Be weary about overwatering your plant. Succulents don’t like to sit in water. Instead, water sparingly. Allow the soil to dry out completely between watering.
Lastly, think about the environment. Typically, the greener the succulent, the greater the chances they’ll survive indoors. Indoor succulents increase their life expectancy when they’re spaced apart. This allows for maximum sunlight. Succulents that are outdoors, however, can thrive in crowded compositions.
So what are you waiting for? Stop yearning for that greenery, and start planting! You’re already one step closer to mastering the art of urban, indoor gardening.
First, let’s learn a bit about succulents. Succulents are plants that thrive in hot, dry places. This doesn’t mean, however, that these desert plants don’t love their sunshine. With thick and fleshy organs, they’re able to store water in their leaves, stems or roots – taking advantage of what ever water is available and holding onto it for later use. This makes succulents highly adaptable to arid conditions or any environment too dry for most other plants.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s talk about light. As mentioned before, desert plants need sunshine too! As much as you’d like your succulent to thrive in the dim corner of your room, they can’t. Giving your indoor succulent as much natural light as possible is imperative. While succulents might prefer the direct sunshine, they can easily adapt to lower light. As long as there’s at least some exposure to light, your succulent should be happy.
In addition to lighting, water is an important element. As a general rule of thumb, succulents don’t like to be watered that often. Typically in the summer, you might water your succulent once a week. In the winter, that might change to once a month. Be weary about overwatering your plant. Succulents don’t like to sit in water. Instead, water sparingly. Allow the soil to dry out completely between watering.
Lastly, think about the environment. Typically, the greener the succulent, the greater the chances they’ll survive indoors. Indoor succulents increase their life expectancy when they’re spaced apart. This allows for maximum sunlight. Succulents that are outdoors, however, can thrive in crowded compositions.
So what are you waiting for? Stop yearning for that greenery, and start planting! You’re already one step closer to mastering the art of urban, indoor gardening.
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文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月19日
There’s a lot to love about gardening with succulents. These attractive plants are drought-tolerant and low-maintenance, making succulents ideal for busy gardeners of all ages. Under the right growing conditions, these carefree plants rarely suffer from diseases or pests. To get you started, here are several helpful tips for growing succulents.
What is a Succulent?
Succulents are basically plants that store water in their thick, fleshy stems and leaves. Included in this group of plants are cacti, Aloe and many other genera. Succulents come in a wide array of colors, shapes and textures.
Many succulents flower in different colors, but the plants are often valued most for their foliage. The leaves can be variegated and come in colors ranging from blue-gray and green to yellow, red and pink.
Raised Beds or Gardens
Succulents require excellent drainage. If you have a heavy clay soil, consider gardening with succulents in raised beds, which have plenty of coarse sand or pea gravel mixed with organic matter. Don’t mulch heavily with wood chips, as this could retain too much moisture in rainy areas.
Gardening with Succulents in Containers
Succulents grow well in containers, which makes it convenient for bringing the plants indoors during colder weather. Terracotta containers are excellent for gardening with succulents, because they provide good drainage.
When growing succulents in containers, use a fast-draining planting mix designed for cacti and succulents. Or, consider adding perlite to increase drainage in your potting soil.
Many succulents tend to be shallow rooted, so they grow well in shallow containers with drainage. Cover drain holes with fine screens so the soil doesn’t wash out.
Experiment with mixing succulents, with Agaves, Echeverias, Sedums and other drought-tolerant plants for a dramatic effect. Or, plant a single species in a pot to showcase its beauty.
What is a Succulent?
Succulents are basically plants that store water in their thick, fleshy stems and leaves. Included in this group of plants are cacti, Aloe and many other genera. Succulents come in a wide array of colors, shapes and textures.
Many succulents flower in different colors, but the plants are often valued most for their foliage. The leaves can be variegated and come in colors ranging from blue-gray and green to yellow, red and pink.
Raised Beds or Gardens
Succulents require excellent drainage. If you have a heavy clay soil, consider gardening with succulents in raised beds, which have plenty of coarse sand or pea gravel mixed with organic matter. Don’t mulch heavily with wood chips, as this could retain too much moisture in rainy areas.
Gardening with Succulents in Containers
Succulents grow well in containers, which makes it convenient for bringing the plants indoors during colder weather. Terracotta containers are excellent for gardening with succulents, because they provide good drainage.
When growing succulents in containers, use a fast-draining planting mix designed for cacti and succulents. Or, consider adding perlite to increase drainage in your potting soil.
Many succulents tend to be shallow rooted, so they grow well in shallow containers with drainage. Cover drain holes with fine screens so the soil doesn’t wash out.
Experiment with mixing succulents, with Agaves, Echeverias, Sedums and other drought-tolerant plants for a dramatic effect. Or, plant a single species in a pot to showcase its beauty.
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1
文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月19日
Succulents are the perfect plant to fall in love with. They have low moisture needs and can be a cinch to cultivate. And, they’re everywhere: all over Pinterest, gracing gardening magazines and blogs, and even in featured in retail displays in jewelry stores, furniture stores, and more.
It’s not really a surprise: Succulents are beautiful and offer gorgeous tones of silver, blue, and purple as well as the more traditional tones of green found in more familiar houseplants.
Ever wonder how to care for them? Here are three easy tips:
1. Shine On
Low-water succulents thrive in lots and lots of light. If you’ve been told to keep your houseplants out of direct sun, forget that rule with succulents. They love the sun, both indoors and out.
Don’t have a sunny spot? Don’t worry! Succulents also do great in artificial light. And you don’t need to have special bulbs; regular florescent or LED bulbs are ideal. In fact, an inexpensive shop light will give succulents good light. Suspend the shop lights 6 inches (15 cm) over your succulents. When it comes to light, more really is better with succulents. Too little light is the most common issue when growing succulents indoors.
2. Don’t Drench
The second most common problem folks have with succulents is watering – too much of it. Most of the time, water your succulents once every two weeks or so.
To test if succulents need water, just insert a toothpick up the drainage hole of the container. If the toothpick comes out with soil sticking to it, you don’t need to water.
3. Avoid Chills
If you live in a cold-weather area, ensure your succulents don’t get cold. Keep them out of a chilly window. Window sills, particularly drafty ones, may be substantially colder than the surrounding room.
See! It’s easy! With these three tips you’re sure to enjoy success with beautiful low-water indoor succulents.
It’s not really a surprise: Succulents are beautiful and offer gorgeous tones of silver, blue, and purple as well as the more traditional tones of green found in more familiar houseplants.
Ever wonder how to care for them? Here are three easy tips:
1. Shine On
Low-water succulents thrive in lots and lots of light. If you’ve been told to keep your houseplants out of direct sun, forget that rule with succulents. They love the sun, both indoors and out.
Don’t have a sunny spot? Don’t worry! Succulents also do great in artificial light. And you don’t need to have special bulbs; regular florescent or LED bulbs are ideal. In fact, an inexpensive shop light will give succulents good light. Suspend the shop lights 6 inches (15 cm) over your succulents. When it comes to light, more really is better with succulents. Too little light is the most common issue when growing succulents indoors.
2. Don’t Drench
The second most common problem folks have with succulents is watering – too much of it. Most of the time, water your succulents once every two weeks or so.
To test if succulents need water, just insert a toothpick up the drainage hole of the container. If the toothpick comes out with soil sticking to it, you don’t need to water.
3. Avoid Chills
If you live in a cold-weather area, ensure your succulents don’t get cold. Keep them out of a chilly window. Window sills, particularly drafty ones, may be substantially colder than the surrounding room.
See! It’s easy! With these three tips you’re sure to enjoy success with beautiful low-water indoor succulents.
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1
文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月19日
Succulents are undoubtedly growing in popularity. They come in dozens of varieties, boasting different colors and shapes that can be mixed and matched to create a centerpiece or other decorations in the home. If you’re new to gardening or have had bad luck with houseplants in the past, try your hand at caring for succulents indoors.
Succulents are grown outdoors but are brought indoors during the winter months. It’s possible to grow succulents indoors year-round, though. You may be familiar with some types of succulents, like Aloe vera, Jade Plant and Snake Plant.
Environment
While succulents can also be placed outdoors during the growing season, keep them indoors in a bright, sunny location, like a south-facing or west-facing window.
Most succulents thrive if the relative humidity of the house is between 10 and 30 percent. Keep succulents away from drafty locations.
Light
Rely on natural lighting if possible when growing succulents indoors.
You can use artificial lighting, like a cool white fluorescent tube, in place of natural light if necessary, or in combination with natural light. If you’re using cool white fluorescent tubes, keep them 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) above succulents, and keep them on for 12 to 16 hours each day.
Soil
Plant succulents in well-draining, sandy soil. Cornell Cooperative Extension suggests planting succulents in two parts garden soil, two parts sharp builders soil and one part peat. Or, you can use a combination of one part potting soil and one part coarse sand, as recommended by Minnesota State University Extension. Soil that doesn’t drain well may contribute to root and stem rot.
Consider planting succulents in porous containers with drainage holes, like unglazed terracotta or clay pots.
Watering
Succulents don’t require as much water as some other houseplants.
Water sparingly. Allow the soil to dry out completely before watering succulents. Allow water to drain out, then discard the excess water. If you water succulents too much, the stems and roots may rot and the leaves will drop. Succulent leaves will wilt if you haven’t watered enough.
Avoid watering in frequent, small amounts. This can affect growth by making plants sickly and by causing roots to become weak and shallow. Also, be careful not to water too much during winter, which is the dormant period for succulents.
Fertilizer
Succulents can be fertilized with houseplant food that’s diluted to half its recommended rate. The houseplant food should be higher in phosphorus than nitrogen.
During the growing season, fertilize succulents once or twice a month.
Pest Control
Sometimes, succulents can become affected by mealybugs, scales and spider mites. To control mealybugs and scales, soak cotton swabs in rubbing alcohol and dab the plant. To control spider mites, spray succulents with insecticidal soaps.
Succulents are grown outdoors but are brought indoors during the winter months. It’s possible to grow succulents indoors year-round, though. You may be familiar with some types of succulents, like Aloe vera, Jade Plant and Snake Plant.
Environment
While succulents can also be placed outdoors during the growing season, keep them indoors in a bright, sunny location, like a south-facing or west-facing window.
Most succulents thrive if the relative humidity of the house is between 10 and 30 percent. Keep succulents away from drafty locations.
Light
Rely on natural lighting if possible when growing succulents indoors.
You can use artificial lighting, like a cool white fluorescent tube, in place of natural light if necessary, or in combination with natural light. If you’re using cool white fluorescent tubes, keep them 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) above succulents, and keep them on for 12 to 16 hours each day.
Soil
Plant succulents in well-draining, sandy soil. Cornell Cooperative Extension suggests planting succulents in two parts garden soil, two parts sharp builders soil and one part peat. Or, you can use a combination of one part potting soil and one part coarse sand, as recommended by Minnesota State University Extension. Soil that doesn’t drain well may contribute to root and stem rot.
Consider planting succulents in porous containers with drainage holes, like unglazed terracotta or clay pots.
Watering
Succulents don’t require as much water as some other houseplants.
Water sparingly. Allow the soil to dry out completely before watering succulents. Allow water to drain out, then discard the excess water. If you water succulents too much, the stems and roots may rot and the leaves will drop. Succulent leaves will wilt if you haven’t watered enough.
Avoid watering in frequent, small amounts. This can affect growth by making plants sickly and by causing roots to become weak and shallow. Also, be careful not to water too much during winter, which is the dormant period for succulents.
Fertilizer
Succulents can be fertilized with houseplant food that’s diluted to half its recommended rate. The houseplant food should be higher in phosphorus than nitrogen.
During the growing season, fertilize succulents once or twice a month.
Pest Control
Sometimes, succulents can become affected by mealybugs, scales and spider mites. To control mealybugs and scales, soak cotton swabs in rubbing alcohol and dab the plant. To control spider mites, spray succulents with insecticidal soaps.
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文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月18日
Succulents are a popular gardening trend that won’t be dying anytime soon. Enthusiasts love their geometric forms and exquisite, often intricate patterns and details. No longer viewed as just a desert or house plant, succulents can grow and actually thrive in various climates, depending on the type of succulent. In regions affected by drought, they are a smart, drought-tolerant alternative to thirsty lawns and other water-guzzling plants.
With very little effort, succulents can look so good. But they still require attention. Discover how to not only keep them alive, but get them to thrive.
1. Don’t Overwater Them
You love your succulents so much, you want to water them every other day to make them grow plump and lush. But what you’ll get is a soft, shriveled, squishy mess. Overwatering is a bigger problem for succulents than underwatering. Roots can rot. If it’s too late, look for healthy tissue, take some cuttings, and allow the cut end to callus (seal itself) and then replant it. Get rid of the soil in which the oversaturated succulent was in.
2. Don’t Neglect Them
Succulents and cacti: those are the desert-like plants that don’t need to be watered, like, ever—right? Wrong. Their watering needs are minimal, but they still need it to survive. If you live in a region that doesn’t get much rain, water succulents regularly during their periods of active growth. This would be spring through fall.
Container plants can be watered about once a week. Occasionally, let the hose drench the pot until water flows out, to remove built-up salts from the soil.
3. Group Plants with Similar Water Needs
In other words, don’t plant succulents next to super-fussy perennials that require rich soil and frequent watering. Ideally, you want to have a drought-tolerant, low-water area in your garden, a moderate water area, and so on. It just makes things easier for you and your plants will be happier.
4. The Right Soil
Cactus and succulent-mix soil is available by the bag at nurseries and home centers. While it’s useful for container plants, especially those that will be used as houseplants, it’s not always practical or necessary for succulents planted in the garden. Learn more about the type of soil that’s in your yard, and add amendments to make it fast-draining and on the dryer side.
While some succulents are so forgiving and will grow almost anywhere, even in clay, it’s best to give them optimal growing conditions for healthy roots and beautiful plants.
5. Shed Some Light
Most succulents need a mix of sunlight and shade to grow healthy. One extreme or the other is not going to result in a beautiful, happy plant. Learn about your particular succulent’s light requirements, and find the best place in your yard or space in which it plant it.
A hint: the color of the plant is a tip-off to its light needs. For example, shade-loving succulents are usually in hues of yellow and green. Sun lovers are more reddish and orange.
6. Protect from Frost
Succulents go dormant during the winter months, when they don’t need to be watered. In fact, watering them during dormant season can make their roots more susceptible to rot, and kill them. What they really like is a cool and dry climate.
If your area is experiencing lots of rain, and your succulents are in pots, move them under eaves to avoid over-saturation, or bring them inside.
Frost is another matter. Pay attention to freeze warnings. Cover with a cloth or plant under a tree, which protects succulents during the winter and summer.
7. Put Them in the Ground
Some people think that succulents are houseplants, and when they are grown outdoors, must be relegated to containers and pots. While they look great in a well-designed container arrangement, succulents, just like any other plant, love to be planted in garden beds where they can be fruitful and multiply. In warmer regions that don’t experience freezing temperatures during the winter, succulents will do just fine growing in the ground or raised beds.
Some are so forgiving of soil conditions that they can grow almost anywhere that has at least some soil to which they can attach their roots.
8. Allow to Callus Before Transplanting
Succulents are one of the easiest plants to propagate: just take a snippet, some leaves, a stem, offset, or “baby” and plop into the soil or another pot. But before you do, allow the stem to callus-over for a few days to prevent rot. This can be done by either placing cuttings or a paper towel and leaving them for up to five days, or putting them in a container or other place where you will remember to replant them.
9. Get Rid of Harmful Insects
One thing is certain: your succulent or cacti is not looking good. Symptoms include: buds that won’t open, distorted growth, cotton-like attachments to roots, tiny insects on new growth, paprika-like dots on leaves, brown bumps on stems, collapsed outer leaves, holes in leaves.
The culprit? Insects. Some gardeners believe that hardy succulents and cacti are resistant to insects–not so. Consult a master gardener site online or get one of the books about succulents and cacti to help you identify the symptom, insect, and solution.
10. Protect from Disease
One sign of disease in succulents is an orangeish, cancerous-like growth near or on the stem. It has probably become infected by a microscopic mite. To treat: remove the infected tissue and put the succulent in a separate container until new, healthy growth appears. To prevent spreading to other plants, remember to clean your tools after using them on infected succulents.
With very little effort, succulents can look so good. But they still require attention. Discover how to not only keep them alive, but get them to thrive.
1. Don’t Overwater Them
You love your succulents so much, you want to water them every other day to make them grow plump and lush. But what you’ll get is a soft, shriveled, squishy mess. Overwatering is a bigger problem for succulents than underwatering. Roots can rot. If it’s too late, look for healthy tissue, take some cuttings, and allow the cut end to callus (seal itself) and then replant it. Get rid of the soil in which the oversaturated succulent was in.
2. Don’t Neglect Them
Succulents and cacti: those are the desert-like plants that don’t need to be watered, like, ever—right? Wrong. Their watering needs are minimal, but they still need it to survive. If you live in a region that doesn’t get much rain, water succulents regularly during their periods of active growth. This would be spring through fall.
Container plants can be watered about once a week. Occasionally, let the hose drench the pot until water flows out, to remove built-up salts from the soil.
3. Group Plants with Similar Water Needs
In other words, don’t plant succulents next to super-fussy perennials that require rich soil and frequent watering. Ideally, you want to have a drought-tolerant, low-water area in your garden, a moderate water area, and so on. It just makes things easier for you and your plants will be happier.
4. The Right Soil
Cactus and succulent-mix soil is available by the bag at nurseries and home centers. While it’s useful for container plants, especially those that will be used as houseplants, it’s not always practical or necessary for succulents planted in the garden. Learn more about the type of soil that’s in your yard, and add amendments to make it fast-draining and on the dryer side.
While some succulents are so forgiving and will grow almost anywhere, even in clay, it’s best to give them optimal growing conditions for healthy roots and beautiful plants.
5. Shed Some Light
Most succulents need a mix of sunlight and shade to grow healthy. One extreme or the other is not going to result in a beautiful, happy plant. Learn about your particular succulent’s light requirements, and find the best place in your yard or space in which it plant it.
A hint: the color of the plant is a tip-off to its light needs. For example, shade-loving succulents are usually in hues of yellow and green. Sun lovers are more reddish and orange.
6. Protect from Frost
Succulents go dormant during the winter months, when they don’t need to be watered. In fact, watering them during dormant season can make their roots more susceptible to rot, and kill them. What they really like is a cool and dry climate.
If your area is experiencing lots of rain, and your succulents are in pots, move them under eaves to avoid over-saturation, or bring them inside.
Frost is another matter. Pay attention to freeze warnings. Cover with a cloth or plant under a tree, which protects succulents during the winter and summer.
7. Put Them in the Ground
Some people think that succulents are houseplants, and when they are grown outdoors, must be relegated to containers and pots. While they look great in a well-designed container arrangement, succulents, just like any other plant, love to be planted in garden beds where they can be fruitful and multiply. In warmer regions that don’t experience freezing temperatures during the winter, succulents will do just fine growing in the ground or raised beds.
Some are so forgiving of soil conditions that they can grow almost anywhere that has at least some soil to which they can attach their roots.
8. Allow to Callus Before Transplanting
Succulents are one of the easiest plants to propagate: just take a snippet, some leaves, a stem, offset, or “baby” and plop into the soil or another pot. But before you do, allow the stem to callus-over for a few days to prevent rot. This can be done by either placing cuttings or a paper towel and leaving them for up to five days, or putting them in a container or other place where you will remember to replant them.
9. Get Rid of Harmful Insects
One thing is certain: your succulent or cacti is not looking good. Symptoms include: buds that won’t open, distorted growth, cotton-like attachments to roots, tiny insects on new growth, paprika-like dots on leaves, brown bumps on stems, collapsed outer leaves, holes in leaves.
The culprit? Insects. Some gardeners believe that hardy succulents and cacti are resistant to insects–not so. Consult a master gardener site online or get one of the books about succulents and cacti to help you identify the symptom, insect, and solution.
10. Protect from Disease
One sign of disease in succulents is an orangeish, cancerous-like growth near or on the stem. It has probably become infected by a microscopic mite. To treat: remove the infected tissue and put the succulent in a separate container until new, healthy growth appears. To prevent spreading to other plants, remember to clean your tools after using them on infected succulents.
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Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月13日
Plants need insects for pollination, so no garden should be insect-free, but there's no denying some insects are garden pests. Learning to identify which insects to worry about and which to welcome is part of the learning process of gardening. Here are a handful of common garden insects. Some are garden pests, some are beneficial and some are just passing through. Always assess the situation before spraying. But when you must treat the problem, the info offered here will be helpful.
Lady Beetle (Ladybug) Nymphs
Not all bugs are bad. Most gardeners know that ladybugs or lady beetles are voracious aphid eaters and very welcome in the garden. What many don't know is that the in the nymph stage, these beetles are almost unrecognizable and they look like something you don't want on your plant's leaves. Learning to recognize the good guys is an important part of integrated pest management in the garden.
Leaf Miners
Squiggly lines through a plant's leaves usually signal the work of leaf miners. Leaf miners are the larva of various insects. Eggs that were laid on the leaves hatch and the larva burrow inside the leaf tissue, feeding their way through the leaf and leaving a transparent trail of where they've been. Some plants, like columbine, are especially prone to leaf miners. Gain some tips for controlling or even avoiding leaf miner damage.
Scale Insects
Scale insects look like little bumps along the stems of plants and are often mistaken for some type of disease. They adhere themselves to the plant and suck on the plant's juices, drying it out and causing serious damage. There are thousands of species of scale and each type has their favorite plants to feast on, so many plants can become infected with scale. Mealy bugs, those fussy, cotton covered insects often found on stems and in the stem and leaf joints, are in the scale family. Here's how to get rid of scale insects on plants.
Japanese Beetle Control
Is there any garden pest as reviled as the Japanese beetle? As an adult, it can defoliate plants in an afternoon. As a grub, it destroys your lawn. And there alarming rate of reproduction makes matters even worse. The pheromone traps that are often sold to control adult Japanese beetles in your yard were actually developed to monitor the size of the Japanese beetle population: meaning they were designed to attract every beetle in the area, which is exactly what you don't need. Find some better suggestions here.
Spittlebugs (or Froghoppers)
Every now and then you'll see a clump of foam on one of your plants that looks like someone spit on it. Close -- more likely it's the spittlebug at work. The actual bug is very tiny and he's hiding from predators under this mass of froth. It fools the birds, but it's a red flag for gardeners. Don't let it worry you. Spittlebugs do little damage to the plant and they'll be on their way in no time flat. Curious about what's in the foam? Read on for more about spittlebugs.
Lady Beetle (Ladybug) Nymphs
Not all bugs are bad. Most gardeners know that ladybugs or lady beetles are voracious aphid eaters and very welcome in the garden. What many don't know is that the in the nymph stage, these beetles are almost unrecognizable and they look like something you don't want on your plant's leaves. Learning to recognize the good guys is an important part of integrated pest management in the garden.
Leaf Miners
Squiggly lines through a plant's leaves usually signal the work of leaf miners. Leaf miners are the larva of various insects. Eggs that were laid on the leaves hatch and the larva burrow inside the leaf tissue, feeding their way through the leaf and leaving a transparent trail of where they've been. Some plants, like columbine, are especially prone to leaf miners. Gain some tips for controlling or even avoiding leaf miner damage.
Scale Insects
Scale insects look like little bumps along the stems of plants and are often mistaken for some type of disease. They adhere themselves to the plant and suck on the plant's juices, drying it out and causing serious damage. There are thousands of species of scale and each type has their favorite plants to feast on, so many plants can become infected with scale. Mealy bugs, those fussy, cotton covered insects often found on stems and in the stem and leaf joints, are in the scale family. Here's how to get rid of scale insects on plants.
Japanese Beetle Control
Is there any garden pest as reviled as the Japanese beetle? As an adult, it can defoliate plants in an afternoon. As a grub, it destroys your lawn. And there alarming rate of reproduction makes matters even worse. The pheromone traps that are often sold to control adult Japanese beetles in your yard were actually developed to monitor the size of the Japanese beetle population: meaning they were designed to attract every beetle in the area, which is exactly what you don't need. Find some better suggestions here.
Spittlebugs (or Froghoppers)
Every now and then you'll see a clump of foam on one of your plants that looks like someone spit on it. Close -- more likely it's the spittlebug at work. The actual bug is very tiny and he's hiding from predators under this mass of froth. It fools the birds, but it's a red flag for gardeners. Don't let it worry you. Spittlebugs do little damage to the plant and they'll be on their way in no time flat. Curious about what's in the foam? Read on for more about spittlebugs.
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文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月13日
No one likes to find their flower gardening efforts thwarted by hungry insects intent on making a meal of our prize specimens. However, some insect pests do more than just snack on our plants; they can introduce fungi and other diseases than can sound the death knell for our favorite flowers.
Aphids
Gardeners everywhere curse the presence of tiny aphids on rose, honeysuckle, and other flowering foliage growth tips in the springtime. The sucking action of these insect pests causes stunted growth and deformed leaves and flowers. However, aphids bring more havoc to the flower garden in the form of plant viruses and black sooty mold fungus.
Start your aphid battle the natural way: Plant sweet alyssum in the flower garden to draw beneficial wasps, include cosmos to attract hungry lacewings, and add penstemon or yarrow to attract ladybugs. Insect soap and a strong blast of water will take care of heavy infestations.
Borers
Borers are an insidious pest, destroying your flowering plants from the inside out. The worst borer in the flower garden is the iris borer, which will tunnel through an entire iris rhizome, leaving bacterial rot in its wake. You should be suspicious if you notice sawdust material around the base of your irises or ragged leaf margins.
Discourage borers by removing iris leaves in the fall, which provide a host for borer moth eggs. In the spring, you can apply the systemic pesticide Merit or the nontoxic spray Garden Shield.
Leafhoppers
Only about an eighth of an inch long, leafhopper insects look innocuous enough. The green insects don’t congregate in large numbers on plants, and hop away when you approach. However, what you won’t notice is the toxin these hungry pests inject every time they insert their mouthparts into the underside of your flower’s foliage. This allows the damage to travel beyond the chewed part of the leaf, showing up as distorted leaf tips and edges. The insects also spread the aster yellows virus.
Blast leafhopper nymphs from plants with a strong jet of water. Spray adults with insect soap, pyrethrin, or Sevin. Keep dandelion and thistle weeds away from the flower garden, as they provide cover for leafhoppers.
Mealybugs
Mealybugs don’t draw much attention, as the pests are only 3/16 of an inch long and move very slowly. The honeydew they excrete supports sooty mold growth. When enough sooty mold accumulates on foliage, it can reduce photosynthesis, weakening the plant and making it even more susceptible to garden pests.
If you notice white fuzzy growths on your plants, you may have mealybugs. Dip a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and touch it to the pests to desiccate and kill them instantly. You can also spray the pests away with water, or apply Malathion or Orthene pesticide sprays.
Plant Bugs
Like leafhoppers, plant bugs inject a toxin into your plants’ leaves, buds, and shoots as they feed. The result is a plant mottled with brown or black spots and deformed growth. Dahlias, azaleas, daisies, liatris, and asters are just a few of the flowering plants these bugs feast upon. Gardeners should be on the lookout for tarnished plant bugs and four-lined plant bugs, growing up to ¼ inch long.
Plant bugs are fast moving pests, but you can pluck them off and drop them into a bucket of soapy water if you’re an early riser, as the bugs are sluggish in the morning. Otherwise, spray your plants with neem, Sevin, or diazinon.
Scale
At first glance, scale insects may not even seem alive. The waxy covering that serves as a protective shield on the bugs makes them resemble lichen or other natural growths on their host plants. The scale insect under this waxy covering is very alive indeed, feeding on garden plants throughout the entire growing season and houseplants throughout the year. Damage appears as stunted growth, leaf drop, yellow spots on leaves, and sooty mold growth that thrives on the scale’s honeydew.
Parasitic wasps love to use scale insects as hosts, and you may see evidence of this as tiny holes piercing the scale’s armor. This same armor makes scale resistant to many pesticides, but dormant oil can suffocate the insects during the winter season.
Whiteflies
Upon disturbance, whiteflies flutter about their host plants like an ephemeral cloud, but their damage is formidable. This is another honeydew-secreting pest, encouraging sooty mold while simultaneously leaving plants yellow and stunted after sucking on plant juices. Some whiteflies also carry plant viruses. Whiteflies are the bane of greenhouse growers, who detect their presence with yellow sticky traps.
Take advantage of the small size and weakness of these insects by using a vacuum to remove them from plants. You can also spray them with insect soap, pythrethrins, and malathion.
Aphids
Gardeners everywhere curse the presence of tiny aphids on rose, honeysuckle, and other flowering foliage growth tips in the springtime. The sucking action of these insect pests causes stunted growth and deformed leaves and flowers. However, aphids bring more havoc to the flower garden in the form of plant viruses and black sooty mold fungus.
Start your aphid battle the natural way: Plant sweet alyssum in the flower garden to draw beneficial wasps, include cosmos to attract hungry lacewings, and add penstemon or yarrow to attract ladybugs. Insect soap and a strong blast of water will take care of heavy infestations.
Borers
Borers are an insidious pest, destroying your flowering plants from the inside out. The worst borer in the flower garden is the iris borer, which will tunnel through an entire iris rhizome, leaving bacterial rot in its wake. You should be suspicious if you notice sawdust material around the base of your irises or ragged leaf margins.
Discourage borers by removing iris leaves in the fall, which provide a host for borer moth eggs. In the spring, you can apply the systemic pesticide Merit or the nontoxic spray Garden Shield.
Leafhoppers
Only about an eighth of an inch long, leafhopper insects look innocuous enough. The green insects don’t congregate in large numbers on plants, and hop away when you approach. However, what you won’t notice is the toxin these hungry pests inject every time they insert their mouthparts into the underside of your flower’s foliage. This allows the damage to travel beyond the chewed part of the leaf, showing up as distorted leaf tips and edges. The insects also spread the aster yellows virus.
Blast leafhopper nymphs from plants with a strong jet of water. Spray adults with insect soap, pyrethrin, or Sevin. Keep dandelion and thistle weeds away from the flower garden, as they provide cover for leafhoppers.
Mealybugs
Mealybugs don’t draw much attention, as the pests are only 3/16 of an inch long and move very slowly. The honeydew they excrete supports sooty mold growth. When enough sooty mold accumulates on foliage, it can reduce photosynthesis, weakening the plant and making it even more susceptible to garden pests.
If you notice white fuzzy growths on your plants, you may have mealybugs. Dip a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and touch it to the pests to desiccate and kill them instantly. You can also spray the pests away with water, or apply Malathion or Orthene pesticide sprays.
Plant Bugs
Like leafhoppers, plant bugs inject a toxin into your plants’ leaves, buds, and shoots as they feed. The result is a plant mottled with brown or black spots and deformed growth. Dahlias, azaleas, daisies, liatris, and asters are just a few of the flowering plants these bugs feast upon. Gardeners should be on the lookout for tarnished plant bugs and four-lined plant bugs, growing up to ¼ inch long.
Plant bugs are fast moving pests, but you can pluck them off and drop them into a bucket of soapy water if you’re an early riser, as the bugs are sluggish in the morning. Otherwise, spray your plants with neem, Sevin, or diazinon.
Scale
At first glance, scale insects may not even seem alive. The waxy covering that serves as a protective shield on the bugs makes them resemble lichen or other natural growths on their host plants. The scale insect under this waxy covering is very alive indeed, feeding on garden plants throughout the entire growing season and houseplants throughout the year. Damage appears as stunted growth, leaf drop, yellow spots on leaves, and sooty mold growth that thrives on the scale’s honeydew.
Parasitic wasps love to use scale insects as hosts, and you may see evidence of this as tiny holes piercing the scale’s armor. This same armor makes scale resistant to many pesticides, but dormant oil can suffocate the insects during the winter season.
Whiteflies
Upon disturbance, whiteflies flutter about their host plants like an ephemeral cloud, but their damage is formidable. This is another honeydew-secreting pest, encouraging sooty mold while simultaneously leaving plants yellow and stunted after sucking on plant juices. Some whiteflies also carry plant viruses. Whiteflies are the bane of greenhouse growers, who detect their presence with yellow sticky traps.
Take advantage of the small size and weakness of these insects by using a vacuum to remove them from plants. You can also spray them with insect soap, pythrethrins, and malathion.
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文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年09月02日
It’s a beautiful thing when a landscape comes together, even if it takes many years for your plants to mature into your dream garden. Sadly, many problems can interfere with gardening goals, including oak wilt disease, a serious fungal disease of oak trees. In some areas, oak wilt is becoming endemic, affecting both young and mature oak trees. Read on to learn about this important disease of oaks.
What is Oak Wilt?
Oak wilt is a serious disease of oak trees, caused by the fungal pathogen Ceratocystis fagacearum, which is believed to be native. It can be spread by boring beetles or through root-to-root contact between trees. The fungus grows in the transport tissues of infected trees, making it highly communicable between trees that are sharing connections in their root systems. Red and black oaks are considered highly susceptible to oak wilt, and may die completely within four months of initial infection. White oaks are more tolerant, often displaying only vague symptoms of oak wilt disease, if they show any at all. These oaks also eventually succumb to oak wilt, but may linger up to seven years.
How to Diagnose Oak Wilt
Oak wilt disease can be difficult to diagnose without professional help because the symptoms are similar to those found in other diseases, such as anthracnose, boring beetles, lightening damage and a myriad of environmental stressors. If your tree is suddenly showing yellowing or browning of the leaves of entire branches and is shedding leaves with significant areas of green remaining, it’s a good idea to cut a wilted branch or two across the grain. Dark circles in the otherwise lighter inner tissues are a good indicator that you need help, and fast.
Oak wilt treatment and prevention is serious business, requiring the use of heavy equipment to break your tree’s connection to any other oaks within 50 feet. Fungicidal injections of propiconazole have shown some promise in uninfected trees in high risk areas, but this treatment will do little for trees with oak wilt fungus in their root systems.
Minimize the risk to your tree from beetle-spread oak wilt spores by pruning only during the winter and painting all wounds with a latex paint as soon as they happen. Bark beetles often find damaged trees within the first three days, attracted by the scent of fresh sap – your timing is vital. Oak wilt is bad enough, but the addition of bark beetles may create a situation that’s hopeless for your tree.
What is Oak Wilt?
Oak wilt is a serious disease of oak trees, caused by the fungal pathogen Ceratocystis fagacearum, which is believed to be native. It can be spread by boring beetles or through root-to-root contact between trees. The fungus grows in the transport tissues of infected trees, making it highly communicable between trees that are sharing connections in their root systems. Red and black oaks are considered highly susceptible to oak wilt, and may die completely within four months of initial infection. White oaks are more tolerant, often displaying only vague symptoms of oak wilt disease, if they show any at all. These oaks also eventually succumb to oak wilt, but may linger up to seven years.
How to Diagnose Oak Wilt
Oak wilt disease can be difficult to diagnose without professional help because the symptoms are similar to those found in other diseases, such as anthracnose, boring beetles, lightening damage and a myriad of environmental stressors. If your tree is suddenly showing yellowing or browning of the leaves of entire branches and is shedding leaves with significant areas of green remaining, it’s a good idea to cut a wilted branch or two across the grain. Dark circles in the otherwise lighter inner tissues are a good indicator that you need help, and fast.
Oak wilt treatment and prevention is serious business, requiring the use of heavy equipment to break your tree’s connection to any other oaks within 50 feet. Fungicidal injections of propiconazole have shown some promise in uninfected trees in high risk areas, but this treatment will do little for trees with oak wilt fungus in their root systems.
Minimize the risk to your tree from beetle-spread oak wilt spores by pruning only during the winter and painting all wounds with a latex paint as soon as they happen. Bark beetles often find damaged trees within the first three days, attracted by the scent of fresh sap – your timing is vital. Oak wilt is bad enough, but the addition of bark beetles may create a situation that’s hopeless for your tree.
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文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年08月28日
How many types of hosta are there? The short answer is: a whole lot. Hostas are extremely popular in gardening and landscaping due to their ability to thrive even in deep shade. Maybe because of their popularity, a different hosta variety can be found for pretty much any situation. But what are the different types of hosta? Keep reading to learn more about the types of hosta plants.
Different Types of Hostas
Different varieties of hosta can be split into some basic categories. Some are bred not just for their foliage and shade tolerance, but also for their fragrance. Hostas produce stalks of delicate, trumpet shaped flowers in shades of white and purple, and certain varieties of hosta are known especially for their scent.
Types of hosta noted for their excellent, fragrant blossoms include:
“Sugar and Spice”
“Cathedral Windows”
Hosta plantaginea
Hostas also vary greatly in size. If you’re planting hostas to fill out a large shady space, you may want the biggest hosta you can find.
“Empress Wu” is a variety that can grow to 4 feet in height.
“Paradigm” is another one that can reach 4 feet high and 4 feet wide.
Some varieties of hosta come in at the other end of the spectrum.
“Blue Mouse Ears” is only 5 inches tall and 12 inches wide.
“Banana Puddin” is 4 inches high.
Of course, there are innumerable varieties in between the largest and the smallest, meaning you should be able to find just the right one for the spot you have picked out.
Hosta colors are usually some shade of green, though there is a lot of variety here too. Some, like “Aztec Treasure,” are much more gold than green, making for a sunny splash in the shade. Others are green, like the “Humpback Whale,” and blue, like the “Silver Bay,” and many are variegated, like “Ivory Queen.” Options are nearly endless when choosing hosta plants for the garden.
Different Types of Hostas
Different varieties of hosta can be split into some basic categories. Some are bred not just for their foliage and shade tolerance, but also for their fragrance. Hostas produce stalks of delicate, trumpet shaped flowers in shades of white and purple, and certain varieties of hosta are known especially for their scent.
Types of hosta noted for their excellent, fragrant blossoms include:
“Sugar and Spice”
“Cathedral Windows”
Hosta plantaginea
Hostas also vary greatly in size. If you’re planting hostas to fill out a large shady space, you may want the biggest hosta you can find.
“Empress Wu” is a variety that can grow to 4 feet in height.
“Paradigm” is another one that can reach 4 feet high and 4 feet wide.
Some varieties of hosta come in at the other end of the spectrum.
“Blue Mouse Ears” is only 5 inches tall and 12 inches wide.
“Banana Puddin” is 4 inches high.
Of course, there are innumerable varieties in between the largest and the smallest, meaning you should be able to find just the right one for the spot you have picked out.
Hosta colors are usually some shade of green, though there is a lot of variety here too. Some, like “Aztec Treasure,” are much more gold than green, making for a sunny splash in the shade. Others are green, like the “Humpback Whale,” and blue, like the “Silver Bay,” and many are variegated, like “Ivory Queen.” Options are nearly endless when choosing hosta plants for the garden.
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文章
Dummer. ゛☀
2017年08月27日
Growing pincushion cactus is an easy gardening project for the novice gardener. The plants are drought tolerant and native to the arid upper Sonoran desert. They are small cacti that make excellent additions to succulent displays. Pincushion cactus plant is a perennial that is most often found in heavily grazed pastureland and woody scrub.
Pincushion Cactus Plant Varieties
Pincushion cactus is a member of a family called Mammillaria, which includes 250 species of cactus. Some of the species of pincushion have colorful names. The Giant Snake or Crawling Log cactus (Mammillaria matudae) produce long stems. Snowball cushion cactus (Mammillaria candida) is a ball-shaped plant with white felt or fuzz on the skin of the plant. Old Lady cactus (Mammillaria hahniana) is a solitary cactus with white fuzzy hair-like spines and purplish red flowers. There are also Powder puff (Mammillaria bocasa-na) and Rose (Mammillaria zeilmanniana) among many others. Cactus and succulent stores can provide you with more pincushion cactus information.
Pincushion Cactus Information
Pincushion cacti are small, squat plants that usually don’t grow more than 6 inches in height. They can be ball or barrel shaped, and are native to the warmer regions of the United States. The pincushion cactus plant is most commonly grown indoors but it can tolerate some chilling temperatures if grown outside. Pincushion cactus is so called because it is covered in white spines over the entire surface of the plant. It is a very prickly little specimen that is best handled with thick gloves.
Growing Pincushion Cactus
Pincushion cactus care is very simple and suitable for the beginning gardener. Cactus plants are used to dry conditions and limited fertility. The soil for a pincushion needs to be well drained and gritty. The soil needs to dry out between watering, which is best accomplished with a sandy topsoil. The cactus goes dormant in winter and needs no additional irrigation until spring. Potted plants do well in unglazed clay pots, which allow any extra moisture to evaporate. Temperatures should be between 50 and 75 F. (10-24 C.). Small gravel spread around the base of the plant out to the root zone will act as a mulch to deter stem rot. The cactus produces offsets when it is mature. These can be divided from the mother plant and potted in a sandy soil mixture. You can also start the plants from seed in spring. Plant seed in a flat filled with cactus mix. Surface sow and then sprinkle sand lightly over the top and moisten the soil evenly. Place the flat in a warm location of at least 70 F. (21 C.). Keep seeds wet when growing pincushion cactus. Seedlings are transplanted when they can easily be moved.
Flowering Pincushion Cactus
If optimum heat and watering conditions are met, the pincushion cactus may reward you with flowers in spring. Enhance the chance of blooming by holding off watering until several weeks into spring. You can also apply a cactus food in early spring to give the plant the nutrients it needs to produce blooms.
Pincushion Cactus Plant Varieties
Pincushion cactus is a member of a family called Mammillaria, which includes 250 species of cactus. Some of the species of pincushion have colorful names. The Giant Snake or Crawling Log cactus (Mammillaria matudae) produce long stems. Snowball cushion cactus (Mammillaria candida) is a ball-shaped plant with white felt or fuzz on the skin of the plant. Old Lady cactus (Mammillaria hahniana) is a solitary cactus with white fuzzy hair-like spines and purplish red flowers. There are also Powder puff (Mammillaria bocasa-na) and Rose (Mammillaria zeilmanniana) among many others. Cactus and succulent stores can provide you with more pincushion cactus information.
Pincushion Cactus Information
Pincushion cacti are small, squat plants that usually don’t grow more than 6 inches in height. They can be ball or barrel shaped, and are native to the warmer regions of the United States. The pincushion cactus plant is most commonly grown indoors but it can tolerate some chilling temperatures if grown outside. Pincushion cactus is so called because it is covered in white spines over the entire surface of the plant. It is a very prickly little specimen that is best handled with thick gloves.
Growing Pincushion Cactus
Pincushion cactus care is very simple and suitable for the beginning gardener. Cactus plants are used to dry conditions and limited fertility. The soil for a pincushion needs to be well drained and gritty. The soil needs to dry out between watering, which is best accomplished with a sandy topsoil. The cactus goes dormant in winter and needs no additional irrigation until spring. Potted plants do well in unglazed clay pots, which allow any extra moisture to evaporate. Temperatures should be between 50 and 75 F. (10-24 C.). Small gravel spread around the base of the plant out to the root zone will act as a mulch to deter stem rot. The cactus produces offsets when it is mature. These can be divided from the mother plant and potted in a sandy soil mixture. You can also start the plants from seed in spring. Plant seed in a flat filled with cactus mix. Surface sow and then sprinkle sand lightly over the top and moisten the soil evenly. Place the flat in a warm location of at least 70 F. (21 C.). Keep seeds wet when growing pincushion cactus. Seedlings are transplanted when they can easily be moved.
Flowering Pincushion Cactus
If optimum heat and watering conditions are met, the pincushion cactus may reward you with flowers in spring. Enhance the chance of blooming by holding off watering until several weeks into spring. You can also apply a cactus food in early spring to give the plant the nutrients it needs to produce blooms.
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Dummer. ゛☀
2017年08月25日
Chamomile tea is a mild herbal tea often used for its calming effects and for its ability to calm mild stomach upsets. However, using chamomile tea for gardening may offer surprising benefits that most people haven’t considered. Here are three easy ways to use chamomile tea for gardening.
Chamomile Tea Uses in Gardens
Chamomile flowers are not only attractive additions to the garden, but useful ones too. The plants are often utilized in the making of tea that many people find quite calming. But did you know this tea can be used for other stuff in the garden? Below are some interesting uses of chamomile tea for plants.
Prevent damping off
Prevention of damping off is probably the most common uses for chamomile tea in gardens. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, damping off is a common but extremely frustrating fungal disease that befalls seedlings. The tiny plants rarely survive, but instead collapse and die. To protect seedlings with chamomile tea, brew a weak solution of tea (The tea should be pale yellow). Mist the seedlings and the surface of the soil lightly three to four times per week, and then allow the seedlings to dry in the sunlight. Continue until the seedlings are sturdy enough to plant outdoors. Spray seedlings immediately if you notice a fuzzy white growth on the surface of the soil. Make a fresh batch of chamomile tea for plants every week or so.
Seed germination
Chamomile tea contains tannins, which can promote seed germination by softening seed casings. Soaking seeds in chamomile tea will also help prevent damping off. To use chamomile tea for seed germination, brew a cup or two of weak tea, then allow the tea to cool until it feels slightly warm to the touch. Place the water in a bowl, then add the seeds and leave them until they begin to swell – generally eight to 12 hours. Don’t leave the seeds longer than 24 hours because they may begin to rot. Chamomile tea seed germination works best for larger seeds with hard outer coats, such as corn, beans, peas, squashor nasturtiums. Smaller seeds generally don’t require soaking, and can be extremely difficult to handle when wet.
Natural insecticide
Using chamomile tea in the garden as a natural insecticide works well too, and when used properly, chamomile tea for plants has a low toxicity and doesn’t present a huge risk for bees and other beneficial insects. To use chamomile tea as a natural insecticide, brew a strong (triple strength) batch of tea and let it steep for up to 24 hours. Pour the tea into a spray bottle with a targeted sprayer. Use the tea to spray infested plants, but be careful not to spray the plant when bees or other beneficial insects are present. Also, don’t spray during the heat of the day or when the plant is in direct sunlight.
Chamomile Tea Uses in Gardens
Chamomile flowers are not only attractive additions to the garden, but useful ones too. The plants are often utilized in the making of tea that many people find quite calming. But did you know this tea can be used for other stuff in the garden? Below are some interesting uses of chamomile tea for plants.
Prevent damping off
Prevention of damping off is probably the most common uses for chamomile tea in gardens. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, damping off is a common but extremely frustrating fungal disease that befalls seedlings. The tiny plants rarely survive, but instead collapse and die. To protect seedlings with chamomile tea, brew a weak solution of tea (The tea should be pale yellow). Mist the seedlings and the surface of the soil lightly three to four times per week, and then allow the seedlings to dry in the sunlight. Continue until the seedlings are sturdy enough to plant outdoors. Spray seedlings immediately if you notice a fuzzy white growth on the surface of the soil. Make a fresh batch of chamomile tea for plants every week or so.
Seed germination
Chamomile tea contains tannins, which can promote seed germination by softening seed casings. Soaking seeds in chamomile tea will also help prevent damping off. To use chamomile tea for seed germination, brew a cup or two of weak tea, then allow the tea to cool until it feels slightly warm to the touch. Place the water in a bowl, then add the seeds and leave them until they begin to swell – generally eight to 12 hours. Don’t leave the seeds longer than 24 hours because they may begin to rot. Chamomile tea seed germination works best for larger seeds with hard outer coats, such as corn, beans, peas, squashor nasturtiums. Smaller seeds generally don’t require soaking, and can be extremely difficult to handle when wet.
Natural insecticide
Using chamomile tea in the garden as a natural insecticide works well too, and when used properly, chamomile tea for plants has a low toxicity and doesn’t present a huge risk for bees and other beneficial insects. To use chamomile tea as a natural insecticide, brew a strong (triple strength) batch of tea and let it steep for up to 24 hours. Pour the tea into a spray bottle with a targeted sprayer. Use the tea to spray infested plants, but be careful not to spray the plant when bees or other beneficial insects are present. Also, don’t spray during the heat of the day or when the plant is in direct sunlight.
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Dummer. ゛☀
2017年08月21日
Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) are popular houseplants. Flexible about the level of care they receive and tolerant of abuse, they are perfect for gardening beginners. When should you repot a spider plant? These plants grow fast and the tuberous roots can crack open a flower pot. It’s important to start spider plant repotting before this happens. Read on for information on moving spider plants to larger pots.
Spider Plant Repotting
Repotting spider plants simply means moving spider plants to larger pots. It is often necessary to repot houseplants as they outgrow their pots, and spider plants tend to grow faster than most. Spider plants are native to the coastal areas of South America. The plant’s tuberous roots allows the species to thrive despite varying levels of precipitation in the wild. These same water-storing tuberous roots assist your spider houseplant to survive when you forget to water it for a few weeks. The roots grow fast, however. At some point before the roots crack open the pot, it’s time to think about spider plant repotting.
When Should You Repot a Spider Plant?
Spider plants grow best when they are slightly pot bound. However, the plants, roots included, grow fast. You’ll want to think about repotting spider plants before the plants crack their pots. Plants get different cultural care, so their growth rates vary. You just have to keep an eye on your spider plant. When you see roots showing above the soil, it is time to start moving spider plants to larger pots.
How Do You Repot a Spider Plant?
How do you repot a spider plant? Repotting a spider plant is fairly easy. You gently remove the plant from its current pot, rinse and trim its roots, then replant it in a larger pot. When you are moving spider plants to larger pots, make sure the new pots have good drainage holes. Spider plants don’t tolerate wet soil for very long. Use a general-purpose potting soil or soilless medium for spider plant repotting. Fill the bottom of the pot with soil, then place the plant’s roots in the soil. Keep adding soil and tucking it around the roots until all the roots are covered. Water the plant well and care as usual.
Spider Plant Repotting
Repotting spider plants simply means moving spider plants to larger pots. It is often necessary to repot houseplants as they outgrow their pots, and spider plants tend to grow faster than most. Spider plants are native to the coastal areas of South America. The plant’s tuberous roots allows the species to thrive despite varying levels of precipitation in the wild. These same water-storing tuberous roots assist your spider houseplant to survive when you forget to water it for a few weeks. The roots grow fast, however. At some point before the roots crack open the pot, it’s time to think about spider plant repotting.
When Should You Repot a Spider Plant?
Spider plants grow best when they are slightly pot bound. However, the plants, roots included, grow fast. You’ll want to think about repotting spider plants before the plants crack their pots. Plants get different cultural care, so their growth rates vary. You just have to keep an eye on your spider plant. When you see roots showing above the soil, it is time to start moving spider plants to larger pots.
How Do You Repot a Spider Plant?
How do you repot a spider plant? Repotting a spider plant is fairly easy. You gently remove the plant from its current pot, rinse and trim its roots, then replant it in a larger pot. When you are moving spider plants to larger pots, make sure the new pots have good drainage holes. Spider plants don’t tolerate wet soil for very long. Use a general-purpose potting soil or soilless medium for spider plant repotting. Fill the bottom of the pot with soil, then place the plant’s roots in the soil. Keep adding soil and tucking it around the roots until all the roots are covered. Water the plant well and care as usual.
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Dummer. ゛☀
2017年08月16日
The question, “why is my Christmas cactus dropping buds,” is a common one here at Gardening Know How. Christmas cactus plants are succulents and hail from the tropical forests of Brazil. Most of these are sold straight from greenhouses where they have experienced strictly controlled lighting, moisture and temperature conditions. Just moving these lovely plants into your home can cause bud drop on Christmas cactus, but there may be other factors at work as well. Read on to prevent Christmas cactus buds falling off and preserve the incredible flower display.
Why is My Christmas Cactus Dropping Flower Buds?
Sometimes I feel like the world is conspiring against me and my plants. There are so many factors that can cause them to fall ill or fail to flower or produce fruit. In the case of Christmas cactus bud drop, the causes can range from cultural care, lighting, and even the fickleness of the plant to its situation. These plants need more water then true cactus and require a photoperiod of at least 14 hours of darkness to set buds. Other issues that may result in a Christmas cactus dropping flower buds are incorrect moisture, drafty conditions, hot or cold temperatures, and an excessive number of buds.
Outside of root rot, bud drop on Christmas cactus is the most common problem. It is often caused by a change in environment, as these are sensitive plants brought up in carefully controlled environments. Simply moving your plant to a new location in the home can induce bud drop but new plants are in for a whole set of shocks that may contribute to falling buds. New temperatures, humidity levels, lighting, and care will confuse the plant and cause it to stop production on all those glorious flowers. Mimic the care from a greenhouse as closely as possible. Water evenly but do not allow soil to get soggy. Suspend fertilizing in late summer. Keep temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees F. (15-26 C.). Anything above 90 F. (32 C.) can result in Christmas cactus bud drop. Christmas cactus reside in the deeply vegetated tropical forests of Brazil. The dense tree canopy and other vegetation make a warm, shady womb in which these epiphytic plants develop. They require a period of time without much light to force bud formation. To ensure that there are no Christmas cactus buds falling off and production is dense, provide 14 hours of darkness in September until the end of November, but bright light the rest of the year. These forced “long nights” are naturally experienced by the plant in its native region. During the day, the plant should be placed in bright light for the remaining 10 hours but avoid scorching sun from southern windows. Once buds have set and begun to open, the false lighting regimen can end.
Other Causes of Christmas Cactus Dropping Flower Buds
If photo period and care are all correctly followed, there may be other problems with the plant. Incorrect fertilizer can cause the plant to push out so many blooms that it drops some off to make room for full development of the others. This abortive behavior is common in fruit plants, as well. Keep the cactus away from drafty doors and blowing heaters. These can dry the plant out and cause ambient temperatures surrounding the plant to fluctuate too drastically. The shock of such variant temperatures may cause bud drop. Indoor conditions in winter often reflect dry air, which is a condition Christmas cactus can’t tolerate. They are native to a region with rich, humid air and require some moisture in their atmosphere. This is easy to accomplish by placing a saucer filled with pebbles and water under the plant. Evaporation will moisten the air. Simple changes like these are often the answer to bud drop and can have you on your way to a fully blooming plant just in time for the holidays.
Why is My Christmas Cactus Dropping Flower Buds?
Sometimes I feel like the world is conspiring against me and my plants. There are so many factors that can cause them to fall ill or fail to flower or produce fruit. In the case of Christmas cactus bud drop, the causes can range from cultural care, lighting, and even the fickleness of the plant to its situation. These plants need more water then true cactus and require a photoperiod of at least 14 hours of darkness to set buds. Other issues that may result in a Christmas cactus dropping flower buds are incorrect moisture, drafty conditions, hot or cold temperatures, and an excessive number of buds.
Outside of root rot, bud drop on Christmas cactus is the most common problem. It is often caused by a change in environment, as these are sensitive plants brought up in carefully controlled environments. Simply moving your plant to a new location in the home can induce bud drop but new plants are in for a whole set of shocks that may contribute to falling buds. New temperatures, humidity levels, lighting, and care will confuse the plant and cause it to stop production on all those glorious flowers. Mimic the care from a greenhouse as closely as possible. Water evenly but do not allow soil to get soggy. Suspend fertilizing in late summer. Keep temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees F. (15-26 C.). Anything above 90 F. (32 C.) can result in Christmas cactus bud drop. Christmas cactus reside in the deeply vegetated tropical forests of Brazil. The dense tree canopy and other vegetation make a warm, shady womb in which these epiphytic plants develop. They require a period of time without much light to force bud formation. To ensure that there are no Christmas cactus buds falling off and production is dense, provide 14 hours of darkness in September until the end of November, but bright light the rest of the year. These forced “long nights” are naturally experienced by the plant in its native region. During the day, the plant should be placed in bright light for the remaining 10 hours but avoid scorching sun from southern windows. Once buds have set and begun to open, the false lighting regimen can end.
Other Causes of Christmas Cactus Dropping Flower Buds
If photo period and care are all correctly followed, there may be other problems with the plant. Incorrect fertilizer can cause the plant to push out so many blooms that it drops some off to make room for full development of the others. This abortive behavior is common in fruit plants, as well. Keep the cactus away from drafty doors and blowing heaters. These can dry the plant out and cause ambient temperatures surrounding the plant to fluctuate too drastically. The shock of such variant temperatures may cause bud drop. Indoor conditions in winter often reflect dry air, which is a condition Christmas cactus can’t tolerate. They are native to a region with rich, humid air and require some moisture in their atmosphere. This is easy to accomplish by placing a saucer filled with pebbles and water under the plant. Evaporation will moisten the air. Simple changes like these are often the answer to bud drop and can have you on your way to a fully blooming plant just in time for the holidays.
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