When we talk about bees and pollination, most people automatically think of honeybees. And it’s true. Honeybees do a lot of pollination for us, plus, they make us honey. So, we consider them to be a valuable resource. But did you know that honeybees are not native to the United States? And that 80% of…
Category: Gardening
Squash Bugs: Pests Sucking Life Out of Your Plants
Cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins are all staples of a summer garden, and for good reason. They are typically very productive and easy to grow even for a beginner gardener. Unfortunately, depending on where you live, pests tend to get in the way. The pests and pest transmitted diseases that cucurbits (squash family plants) are susceptible to,…
Tomato Hornworm: Is Something Eating Your Tomatoes?
Today we are going to take a quick look at the big ugly tomato hornworm. Many times, they seem to appear and demolish big chunks of your tomato plants almost overnight. Fortunately, they are easy to manage, and they do not require any pesticide usage to control. If you are unfamiliar with this garden pest,…
How To Keep Garden Weeds At Bay
Weeding. Most gardeners consider this to be one of their least favorite tasks. It can be tedious, monotonous, and thankless enough to put some people off gardening all together. Weeds grow incredibly fast and can overtake your garden seemingly overnight. They can quickly result in crop yield reductions or the death of ornamental plants. Thus,…
Brown Rot: The Bane of Growing Stone Fruit
If you have ever tried growing stone fruits like peaches or plums, then you might have struggled to ever get fruit. This is particularly if you live in the hot humid environment of the southeast. In the spring your trees flower, you get a promising set of happy looking fruit, then shortly before they start…
Saving Seeds: How To Maximize Color on a Budget
If you’re a budget conscious gardener (and who isn’t in today’s economy), then you might be interested in saving seeds. Many annuals are grown from seed, and they are a fantastic addition to the garden. Annuals are the best way to get copious amounts of long-lasting color. Unfortunately, buying them over and over every year…
Dwarf Abutilons: Not Your Grandmother’s Flowering Maple
If you pay any attention to the horticulture industry, then you know that plants come and go in fads just like almost any thing else. Colors are popular, then they’re not. Variegated foliage is all the rage, then it’s not. However, one thing that never becomes unpopular is bountiful blooms. Most people who grow plants…
How To Propagate Plants Part 3: Grafting
Today is part 3 of our how to propagate plants series. We will be discussing a more difficult, but no less important method: grafting. If you are unfamiliar with what grafting is, it is taking a small piece of one plant (called a scion) and attaching it to a different plant (called the rootstock) in…
How To Propagate Plants Part 2: Cuttings
Last time we started talking about how to propagate plants by discussing seeds and the various requirements that sometimes must be met before germination is successful. Today we are going to discuss propagation via cutting. Cuttings are stem or root pieces that are induced to create a new plant. Propagating plants using this method can…
How To Propagate Plants Part 1: Seeds
Today we are going to start a mini-series on how to propagate plants. Different plants are successfully propagated using different methods. There is no one size fits all solution to making more of your garden plants. So in the next several articles we will be discussing tips for propagation via seed, cuttings and grafting. Because…
