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About Charcoal Rot of Potatoes Potatoes are an important economic crop and one which is prey to several insect and disease problems. Charcoal rot is one that affects the tubers and the lower stems. It is a fungal disease that also affects over 500 other plants; beans, corn, and cabbage among them. In potatoes, charcoal rot causes tubers that are inedible and can’t even be used for seed. In many crops, charcoal rot will diminish yield and cause evident damage to stems....

Diseases in Orange Trees There are several common diseases that can impact citrus trees and that are caused by fungi, bacteria, or pests. Keep a close eye on your trees and look for the characteristic signs that you have sick orange trees. When you know the symptoms you can quickly diagnose and manage a particular disease. Greasy spot – Greasy spot is fungal infection that causes dark, greasy-looking spots on leaves, leaf drop, and reduced tree vigor....

Can You Dig Holes in Garden for Food Scraps? Yes, and this is actually one of the simplest and most effective methods of composting kitchen scraps. Variously referred to as trench or pit composting in gardens, there are a few different trench composting methods, but it all comes down to composting food scraps in a hole. How to Compost in a Hole in the Ground Composting food scraps in a hole is definitely not a new technique; it’s probably how your grandparents and great grandparents got rid of kitchen waste....

Diseases of Cauliflower Knowing diseases of cauliflower can also help with your other cruciferous crops, such as cabbage and rutabaga. Diseases may be caused by viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Alternaria leaf spot, or black spot, is caused by Alternaria brassicae. This fungus presents as brown to black ringed spots on lower leaves of the cauliflower. In its advanced stage, this fungal disease turns the leaves yellow and they drop. While Alternaria leaf spot primarily occurs on leaves, the curd may be infected as well....

Information About Trumpet Lilies and Their Care Planting trumpet lily bulbs is very similar to planting most lily varieties. You can plant the bulbs in either the fall or the spring in neutral soil. You want your soil to be fertile and well-draining, so add compost or gritty material if need be. Planting trumpet lily bulbs is possible both in containers and in the garden. Remember that the plants can reach 6 feet (2 m....

Diseases of Tulips Most problems with tulips are fungal in nature. One common tulip fungal disease is the Botrytis blight, also known as tulip fire or mycelial neck rot. This problem affects every part of the tulip. It appears as discolored, singed-looking spots on the leaves and petals. The stems may become weak and collapse, while the bulbs become covered with lesions. Gray bulb rot and tulip crown rot cause the bulbs to turn gray and wither, often without producing any growth....

Selecting Yew Plants for Zone 5 Deciduous plants offer springtime excitement, autumn color, and a range of forms, but evergreens have the tenacity and durable green beauty. Yew plants are shrubs to small trees which enliven the garden even in the middle of winter. There are many cold-hardy yews that fit the bill for zone 5, most of which are adapted to full or partial sun locations and even some shady areas....

Types of Evergreen Bushes Both needled and broad-leaf shrubs offer interesting berries as well as foliage. There are also many flowering evergreen shrubs for landscaping. Needle-leaf evergreen shrubs Coniferous evergreen shrubs exist and are oftentimes used to fill in low, empty spaces of the landscape. They also make excellent backdrops for many of the flowering shrubs. A couple favorites include: Juniper – Of the most common needle-leafed varieties is juniper. This sprawling evergreen has attractive blue-gray foliage....

Reasons for Planting Beneath Roses There are some rose bushes that have a growth habit of getting what is called “leggy,” which essentially means that for some reason the roses will shed all of their lower foliage, leaving nothing but their canes showing. The foliage and blooms are all up higher on the bush, making the lower portion bare and lacking a nice, eye-catching look that we like for our gardens....

Understanding Fruit Tree Forms You should train and prune your fruit trees every year, but it’s an easy job to procrastinate, especially if you don’t understand the hows and whys of different fruit tree shapes. But if you don’t shape your trees, they won’t give you high-quality fruit. A tree left to its own devices will grow tall and broad. Ultimately, its dense upper canopy will shade out most of the fruit on its lower branches....

Is Chicory Good for You? The benefits of chicory have been recognized by generations of our ancestors. This native European plant is most known for its ability to stand in for coffee. The actively used part of the plant is the root in that case, but the tender leaves are also used in salads or lightly sautéed. Chicory herb plants are also chock full of nutrients and offer a host of other attributes....

Tips to Help Design a Vegetable Garden For people who have plenty of time and space, the traditional garden plot is acceptable. These garden designs can be created strictly with long rows or broken down into smaller ones. While traditional designs don’t always look like it, most can be a chore when it comes to the upkeep. To lessen some of the labor, however, mulch generously around crops as well as in between the rows to discourage weeds from eventually overtaking the garden....

Common Weeds in Zone 5 Here are 10 types of cold hardy weeds most commonly found growing in zone 5 landscapes. Crabgrass (Annual, grass) Dandelion (Perennial, broadleaf) Bindweed (Perennial, broadleaf) Pigweed (Annual, broadleaf) Canada thistle (Perennial, broadleaf) Knotweed (Annual, broadleaf) Quackgrass (Perennial, grass) Nettle (Perennial, broadleaf) Sawthistle (Annual, broadleaf) Chickweed (Annual, broadleaf) Weed Management for Zone 5 Controlling cold climate weeds is basically the same for anywhere else. Using an old-fashioned hoe or pulling weeds are tried and true forms of weed management for all USDA plant hardiness zones, including zone 5....

About Weeping Blue Ginger Plant Ginger plants have amazing foliage and flowers. Weeping blue ginger flowers, though, are very different from those plants in the true ginger family. Their flowers have a distinctly tropical look while those of the weeping ginger are delicate and small. They dangle from the stems, leading to the name blue pendant plant. Blue ginger is a member of the spiderwort family and not affiliated with true gingers....

Groundcover Lawn Alternatives for Northern Plains States Groundcover is too often overlooked as a type of plant for filling in spaces in lawns. A good selection of groundcover has a lot of advantages over turf grass such as having more options for type of cover, less need to water, and are overall easier and less costly with maintenance. Options are also more suited to the local environment. When choosing a groundcover for West North Central lawns, select for shade or sun....

Mophead Hydrangea Information What are mophead hydrangeas? These deciduous hydrangea shrubs have large heads of blossoms. Gardeners love them because they are showy, easy care and bloom reliably every summer. Once you know that mopheads are also called bigleaf hydrangeas, it will be no surprise that the leaves are oversized, sometimes as large as a dinner plate. They are a fresh, bright green and give the shrubs a lush, rounded aspect....

It should be noted that, although sticky traps are intended for pesky insects only, they do not discriminate and will end up inadvertently trapping beneficial insects as well as snakes, lizards, and even birds. In fact, many organizations, like the Humane Society, strongly recommend against using these kinds of traps for this reason. What are Sticky Traps? Sticky trap pest control means using a glue-based trap to catch and immobilize pests....

For instance, did you know that there are orange cauliflower, purple carrots, yellow raspberries, blue corn, and yellow cherries? I don’t know about you, but that makes me feel like I’ve been living a very sheltered existence. For starters, what are yellow cherries? I did not know that there were cherries that are yellow, and now I want to know more about yellow cherry varieties. What are Yellow Cherries? Not all cherries are red....

What is a 20th Century Pear? According to 20th Century Asian pear info, this variety got its start as a happy accident. It is not known what the tree’s exact parentage was, but the seedling was discovered in 1888 by a young boy living in what was then, Yatsuhshira in Japan. The resulting fruit turned out to be larger, firmer, and more succulent than the popular varieties of the time. The plant does have an Achilles heel but, with good care, it surpasses many of the Asian pear varieties....

What is a Bulb Planter? When it comes time to plant bulbs, you can do it a couple of different ways. You can use a shovel and loosen the soil in the area to a depth of 8 inches (20 cm.) and then plant bulbs individually or in trenches. You can also use a bulb planter. These come in a couple different varieties. You may wonder, “do I need a bulb planter?...