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About Eastern Gamagrass Tripsacum dactyloides, or eastern gamagrass, is a native perennial. It is a warm season bunch grass that grows well in soil that is well-drained but also in poor-draining soils. It is well-adapted to wetter areas and can tolerate flooding. Among native grasses, gamagrass is one of the most productive. It is an excellent grass to grow if you have livestock needing summer forage. It is also a good option to make hay....

About Colletotricum Fruit Rot This fungal infection is caused by a species called Colletotrichum melongenae. The disease is also known as anthracnose fruit rot, and it is prevalent in temperate and sub-tropical climates. The infection usually strikes in fruits that are overly ripe or that are weakened in some other way. Warm and humid conditions especially favor the infection and its spread. So, what do eggplants with Colletotrichum rot look like?...

About Elm Trees Elms are native to Europe, Asia, and North America. They are used as specimen trees in residential landscapes and as street and park trees. They have a shallow root system that makes it difficult to grow anything under them, but their natural beauty and the quality of their shade makes it worth forgoing a garden under the tree. Chinese lacebark elm (U. parvifolia) is one of the best elms for residential properties....

Ericaceous Compost Info What is ericaceous compost? In simple terms, it is compost suitable for growing acid-loving plants. Plants for acidic compost (ericaceous plants) include: Rhododendron Camellia Cranberry Blueberry Azalea Gardenia Pieris Hydrangea Viburnum Magnolia Bleeding heart Holly Lupine Juniper Pachysandra Fern Aster Japanese maple How to Make Compost Acidic While there’s no ‘one size fits all’ ericaceous compost recipe, as it depends on the current pH of each individual pile, making compost for acid-loving plants is much like making regular compost....

Types of Fan Palms Chinese fan palms (Livistona chinensis) are very popular in the Florida landscape but also make an excellent indoor plant for a sunny room. This neat palm is slow growing and has a single, upright trunk and large leaves that can reach up to 6 feet (2 m.) in length. The European fan palm (Chamaerops humilis) is an attractive, multi-stemmed palm for indoor use. Fronds are fan shaped and sit atop a 4 foot (1 m....

Fordhook Hybrid Melon Info Many of us may look for open-pollinated heirloom types, proven to be wonderful to eat. However, if we have limited time to spend on the watermelon patch, we might consider growing Fordhook melons. This watermelon is drought tolerant once established and needs less care than most. Its taste is compared to that of the Sugar Baby icebox melon, and some say it tastes a little better. Fordhook melon information reminds us of certain considerations of Fordhook watermelon care....

Keep reading for some helpful tips on forget-me-not houseplant care. Growing Forget-Me-Nots Inside Plant annual forget-me-nots by seed or purchase small plants at a garden center. You can also start cuttings from established plants in midsummer. Place indoor forget-me-nots in containers filled with fresh potting mix. Be sure the pot has a hole in the bottom, as the plants will rot without adequate drainage. One plant per container is best for growing forget-me-nots inside, as the plants need plenty of air circulation....

Fruit Tree Quince Pruning If you have a quince tree growing in your backyard, you know how attractive these fruit trees can be. They grow to around 15 feet (5 m.) tall, offering bowl-shaped pink flowers and fuzzy leaves. Not to mention the large, edible fruit. These stunning trees can live to 50 years or more, so it’s well worth taking good care of them. Fruit tree quince pruning is part of that care....

Green Worms on Fruit Gardeners must closely monitor fruit trees to ensure that any number of pests do not infest them. Visual inspections during early to mid-spring may yield green worms on fruit. There is only one generation per year, but the larvae pupate and overwinter in the ground to emerge and feed when tender shoots and buds appear. The green worms on fruit may be armyworms or climbing cutworms depending on their behavior....

About Fuchsia Flowers Fuchsias look exotic. This fascinating flower offers blossoms that look like little hanging lanterns. You can get fuchsias that flower in shades of red, magenta, pink, purple and white. In fact, there are many kinds of fuchsias. The genus contains over 100 species of fuchsias, many with pendulous flowers. Their growing habits can be prostrate (low to the ground), trailing or upright. The fuchsia plants most familiar to many gardeners are those that are planted in hanging baskets, but other types of fuchsia flowers that are upright are also available in commerce....

What is Soil Fumigation? Fumigating soil means applying a special type of pesticide that turns into a gas. The gas passes through the soil and controls pests that live there, including nematodes, fungi, bacteria, insects, and weeds. Should You Fumigate Soil? The pesticides you use when you are fumigating soil turn into gas once you apply them. The gases pass into the air above the area where they were applied. They can also be pushed by the wind to other nearby areas....

What are Garden Gnomes? Garden gnomes are one of the perennial delights common to home landscapes. These small statuettes have been around for centuries and have a rich heritage in European gardens. What are garden gnomes? Garden gnomes are effigies of small, squat, little men with snowy beards and red pointed caps. They are endlessly charming and serve as garden mascots. The early history of uses for garden gnomes is rooted in legendary tales of living gnomes....

Eliminating Chipmunks with Traps Traps can be an effective way to rid chipmunks from your garden. Since chipmunks are small, you can use the same types of traps for chipmunks that you would for rats. Both snap traps and live traps are an option for getting rid of chipmunks. Snap traps will kill them, while live traps will make it so you can transport them to a more suitable location. Be aware that chipmunks are protected animals in some states....

When you have poison oak growing near your house, your thoughts turn to poison oak removal. Unfortunately, getting rid of poison oak is not an easy matter. The plant is an American native beloved by birds. They eat the berries then spread the seeds far and wide. Complete eradication is impossible, so you’ll have to consider your poison oak control options. What Does Poison Oak Look Like? In order to start poison oak removal, you have to be able to identify the plant....

How to Propagate a Ginkgo Depending on the growing zone, ginkgo trees can live hundreds of years. This makes them a great option for homeowners who wish to establish mature shade plantings that will thrive for decades to come. While impressively beautiful, ginkgo trees may be difficult to locate. Luckily, there are many ways to begin propagating ginkgo trees. Among these ginkgo propagating techniques are by seed and through cuttings....

Goldrush Apple Information Where do Goldrush apple trees come from? A Goldrush apple seedling was planted for the very first time in 1974 as a cross between Golden Delicious and Co-op 17 varieties. In 1994, the resulting apple was released by the Purdue, Rutgers, and Illinois (PRI) apple breeding program. The apples themselves are relatively large (6-7 cm. in diameter), firm, and crisp. The fruit is green to yellow with an occasional red blush at the time of picking, but it deepens to a pleasant gold in storage....

Green Zebra Tomato Information Green Zebra tomatoes are considered a classic tomato species these days and are a delight to add to your garden. As the common name suggests, these tomatoes are striped, and remain striped as they mature, although the color changes. These tomato plants produce fruit that is green with dark stripes. As the tomatoes ripen, they become a chartreuse green-yellow hue overlaid with mottled green and orange stripes....

That’s right! Many plants are useful as a substitute for this hygiene product. Leaves for toilet paper are often more soothing, softer, and as an added bonus, compostable and sustainable. Can You Grow Your Own Toilet Paper? Certain situations can cause toilet paper woes, so it’s best to be prepared. Few things are worse than being shy on some comforting tissue after you do your duty. Good news! You can use plants as toilet paper should the situation call for it....

Unusual berry plants add interest and exoticism to a backyard berry patch. When space is limited, berries are perfect container plants. Here are some tips to get you started with non-traditional container berries. Growing Berries in Containers Berry container gardening is an excellent option if you don’t have a lot of garden area. You’ll have to pick containers that are sufficiently roomy for the plants at mature size. One other essential to berry container gardening is good drainage....

Blue Agave Plant Uses The blue agave plant is used to make another alcoholic drink called pulque. A sweet liquid is captured after the flower stem is cut just prior to flowering and is then fermented. For the production of tequila and mezcal, the sugars are extracted from the heart of the blue agave plant and then distilled. Mezcal is similar to tequila but only made in select regions and from specific varieties of agave....