Professional Gardening Tips
Identifying Plant Symptoms Problems Soil tests done in a lab are one way to check the health of your soil. However, the ultimate test is how well your plants are doing. By carefully observing your plants, you can tell which […]
Powdery mildew is a common disease on many types of plants. In fact, it is one of the oldest plant diseases on record – Theophrastis wrote of powdery mildew on roses in 300 B.C. Although different species of fungi cause […]
Weekly, remove dead plant material from plants and soil. Watch for slugs and other pests on plants, in pots, under trays, in corners, and beneath benches. Sterilize pots and flats with Physan 20 (#7620) before reusing them. At least once […]
We were fortunate to win at Half Moon Bay, California this year. The competition was intense with 80 entries, 10 of which were over 1,000 pounds. The weigh-off is always on Columbus Day. The winner stays until the following weekend […]
Misting Guidelines Apply mist only during daylight hours to avoid excessive humidity at night, which encourages disease. Remember, when the greenhouse cools at night, the relative humidity will rise even with the misting system off. Use a 24-hour timer to […]
Pansies are annual garden flowers (blooms for only one year, then dies) that are usually the first you find for sale in stores in spring. Pansies have been around for many years and are popular, being easy to grow and […]
This is that time of year when we take cuttings of our beloved plants. These are the indoor plants that grew too big over the summer months, the perennials we would like to increase in numbers rather than dividing, or […]
The colors chosen in the planning of a garden are very much a matter of personal taste but there are particularly pleasing combinations. Nature seldom, if ever, makes mistakes with color. Every hue seems to have full value and expression, […]
Gardeners today with busy schedules want less work in their gardens, and thus a need is established for plants that do just that. Their focus is more on leaf texture and foliage colour, rather than blooms and pruning schedules, consequently […]
When I moved to my current apartment I had windows along the south wall perfect for a winter garden, but no patio or yard in which to put my compost. The solution? A compost column built from two recycled two-liter […]