Category: Tropical Style

Why Are Leaves Blow Off My Succulents?

Succulents, including that the fleshy-leaved plants we often associate with that title, as well as cactuses, respond to a lot of environmental stressors by discontinuing growing and dropping leaves, reducing their energy requirements. Heating, frost, low or higher light, improper watering and chemical jolt may all cause leaf drop, often very suddenly.

Temperature Trouble

Since most succulents are adapted to hot, arid areas where prolonged periods of heat would be the norm, they respond by dropping leaves when stressed by drought or heat. Although this is relatively normal, maintaining succulents in the colour when temperatures soar will help prevent this. Watch them closely: if they appear wilted or sunburned, transfer them or put a shade cloth over them. The opposite problem also happens: succulents don’t do well with freezes, which might blacken and burn their leaves. Sometimes these will drop away, but generally not until the plant grows new leaves to replace them, so resist the temptation to peel these protective dead leaves. “Autumn Joy” stonecrop (Sedum “Autumn Joy”) for instance, grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 11, and will tolerate a wide range of temperatures but might still drop leaves when restless.

Low Light

Succulents need enough light, especially since they are typically adapted to areas with a great deal of sun year-round. They do best in brightly lit places, and if lacking lighting, will turn light yellow or green and straggly, trying to grow toward the light. If the issue isn’t corrected, they will gradually drop leaves or perish. Low light isn’t the only issue — succulents which are moved to a new area without acclimation, or abruptly rotated at a bright place, can get a sunburn on the side which hasn’t seen sun for a short time. Make changes slowly, and wait for plants to adapt before moving on.

Chemical Burns

Shocking the process of a succulent can also cause leaf drop. When succulents contract ailments or fungal diseases, it is certainly tempting to respond immediately and forcefully, but you need to be careful. When using chemicals, always read package instructions thoroughly and don’t reapply more often than recommended by the tag. Always make sure that your succulent isn’t environmentally stressed before applying chemicals.

Unwise Watering

Succulents are famous for wanting little water, and while too little will make them wilt and don’t thrive, you should be careful about over-watering them. Giving succulents a lot of water too often will swell their leaves and, even if they don’t get an opportunity to dry out, then make them drop off the plant. Wait until dirt is nearly completely dry and the leaves seem a little limp before watering, then water thoroughly, until you observe trickles coming out of the bottom of the bud. Repeat the procedure. Always use pots with drainage holes for succulents.

See related

Does one Paper Weed Barrier Block Fertilizer?

Old newspaper, kraft cardboard and paper make excellent mulches, allowing water and nutrients into the dirt while keeping sunlight away from germinating weed seeds. This works best around established plants; it can keep flower seeds from germinating enjoy the grass seeds. It is ideal to fertilize before inserting the paper, but some fertilizers still work once you install the paper.

Stick to Liquid

After installing several layers of newspaper or other kinds of paper, then cover it with a heavier type of mulch, such as wood chips or stone, to keep it from flying away from the wind because it dissolves. Apply either granular or liquid fertilizer below the mulch — the paper allows water through to the dirt, so it helps transfer the fertilizer to the roots of your desired plants. After setup, however, stick to water-soluble or fluid ready-to-use fluid instead. A few of those granular fluid may soak through moist paper since the fluid softens and breaks down, but it is not quite as effective as using those already in fluid form.

See related

Kinds of Purple-Flowering, Almond-Smelling Clematis

Many clematis are deciduous climbers, but the family also has non-vining kinds that develop much more like herbaceous perennials. A couple of varieties are evergreen. While many clematis varieties are aromatic, especially those with smaller blooms, the scent of almonds is strongest from the evergreen varieties, such as C. armandii and C. vitalba, that have white flowers and blossom in early March. Just a few deciduous purple-flowered types have an almond scent. The fragrance of all varieties is strongest when planted in full sun.

C. Triternata Rubromarginata

A small-flowered, vining clematis with purple and white flowers, this plant has flowers with a pronounced almond scent and is recognized among the most aromatic of all varieties. A vigorous, drought-tolerant climber, it attains 20 feet tall and covers itself with blooms in late summer.

C. x aromatica

Another strongly scented variety, C. x aromatica is just a non-twining type that grows to 6 feet. Its little, star-shaped flowers are deep purple with white stamens and look from June through September.

C. jackmanii

One of the very popular clematis varieties, C. jackmanii creates large, deep-purple flowers on vigorous vines that reach 20 feet. It covers itself with fragrant blooms from mid-July through early fall, and the smell is multiplied due to the mass of flowers.

C. integrifolia

A non-climbing variety, C. integrifolia contains little, blue-purple, bell-shaped blooms. It attains only 3 feet tall, making it a intelligent selection for containers. The flowers have a small almond fragrance and look from June through September. C. integrifolia “Jan Fopma” produces flowers with burgundy outer petals. It grows 5 feet tall.

C. heraclefolia ‘Wyevale’

C. heraclefolia is just a non-climbing type of clematis, and the cultivar “Wyevale” has light purple flowers whose petals turn backward. It is unusual because it flowers in clusters, unlike most clematis. The sweetly scented flowers appear from July through September on a plant which reaches just 3 feet tall.

See related

Tree Cutting info

Even regular pruning can cause serious harm to trees under certain conditions. Harsh weather, fungus, bacteria and insect insects may take advantage of the open wound left when a tree limb is trimmed. Proper tree cutting techniques can help minimize the risk and assist trees heal over before they are threatened.

Reducing Purpose

Intentional cuts are made on trees for many reasons. Landscapers can remove co-dominant trunks from young trees to market the growth of a more powerful, central trunk. Old trees may need pruning that eliminates infection or disease or might gain from the elimination of interior branches that do not gain regular access to sunlight. Even roots are sometimes trimmed, preventing them from growing toward, and damaging, other landscape attributes.

No Jagged Edges

Following a tree is cut, sap will ooze out of pores and cover the wound. This coating is protective and aids the tree heal the wound. Because irregular edges stick out over the rest of the wound, complete coverage is sometimes not possible. Clean cuts with quite sharp pruning shears or a well-sharpened lopper make sure that sap quickly covers the wound completely and leaves nothing to decay or become contaminated.

Branch Collar

Many of the pruning cuts made to a tree are on the branches. Leaving these cuts properly signifies first finding the branch collar. This is the combined that supports the branch as it rises out from the back. Cutting branches on the outside of the branch collar, away from the central trunk, can help prevent any infection that might occur from reaching the back of the tree.

No Pruning Sealer

Several sealers are available that minimize the aesthetic impact of pruning on trees. While these sealers can help conceal cuts in the brief term, they can disturb the recovery process in the long term, leaving the tree available to disease. Letting the tree’s natural processes happen is a much better way to save the health of the tree.

A Branch Too Far

While pruning is vital for many reasons and can also help a tree into a desirable shape, over-pruning can starve a tree of sunlight, because it eliminates leaves that perpetuate photosynthesis. Even in full grown trees, pruning only about a third of the living tree crown is possible without undermining malnourishment and damage to the tree.

See related

Where to Plant a Miss All American Rose

The Miss All American Beauty rose debuted in the late 1960s and was appointed following a well-loved soprano who died at a young age. Thriving in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 7 to 10, this rose is a favorite in house and commercial gardens alike. Its beauty and hardiness make it to be planted in a wide variety of locations and garden sorts.

Attributes

Named after the American-born soprano singer Maria Callas, the Miss All American Beauty rose is considered an perfect hybrid for beginners and experienced rose gardeners alike. Particularly hardy for hybrid teas, this increased shows a strong resistance to several diseases and pests that commonly attack other roses. This rose is a moderate grower that attains a mature height and spread of 4 to 5 feet. With 55 petals on every deep, cupped blossom, the fragrant flowers are perfect for cuttings and landscapes alike.

Requirements

Like many other hybrid teas, the Miss All American Beauty rose prefers a sunny place with well-drained, average soil. It also shows a love for heat and is heat-tolerant, like many other precious roses. It can manage partial shade locations, but too much shade hinders the blossom production. This rose does best in a rose garden or among other plants that share its own requirements.

Rose Garden

Even one of the hybrid teas and delicate roses, the Miss All American Beauty will stick out. Its cupped, bright pink blooms will be one of the first to blossom among a number of different roses, and its average height of 4 to 5 feet will allow it to be planted in almost any area of a rose garden. Because of its deeply cupped blooms with a high petal count, the Miss All American will proudly stand as a focal point even in a committed rose garden.

Borders and Beds

Since it attains an eye-level height, this rose is frequently planted in sunny borders throughout landscapes. In a bed using shorter plants mixed in, it provides a stunning backdrop with its dark, leathery foliage and bright blooms. Mass plantings also garner attention in the landscape. Although this rose is a precious display specimen, its long stems and beautiful blooms fit nicely into arrangements. As such, a few specimens in a committed cutting garden marginally out of sight will give you with recurring flowers for vases and indoor arrangements.

See related

How to Plant "Solar Fire" Tomatoes

“Solar Fire” tomatoes are a hybrid developed to grow in high summer heat that would keep other tomatoes from placing fruit. “Solar Fire” tomatoes also resist cracking in wet climates. They’re resistant to Fusarium wilt, Verticillium wilt and gray leafspot. The tomato plants grow up to 5 feet tall in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 14. The fruit is medium-sized, weighing about 8 ounces. “Solar Fire” tomatoes can be planted in spring or summer and take 72 days to mature.

Dig or until compost to the top 8 inches of soil before planting. “Solar Fire” strawberries like a slightly acidic or neutral soil, so add peat moss to a alkaline soil or lime into your highly acidic soil to improve the pH. Insert the amendments in late autumn or early spring to give them time to incorporate into the soil. Insert 2 lbs per 100 square feet of 6-24-24 fluid in precisely the exact same time.

Plant the tomatoes in full sun once the soil temperature warms up to above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Space plants 3 feet apart. Stake every plant, or even put it in a tomato cage.

Fertilize each “Solar Fire” plant using a starter tomato soup in the time of planting according to the manufacturer label instructions. Insert a side dressing of a hydrogen peroxide following blooms appear, in a rate of 1/2 pounds of actual nitrogen per 100 feet of row. Insert another side dressing two weeks after the first tomatoes are selected, using a third additional a month after that.

Water tomatoes deeply, with 2 inches of water weekly. Mulch around every plant with 2 to 4 inches of organic mulch to keep soil moist. Do not enable the mulch to touch the plant stem.

Pull weeds should they look during the growing season. The mulch helps suppress weed growth.

See related

How to Force Blooms on a Lime Tree

There are two main species of lime trees, the Mexican lime (Citrus aurantiifolia), commonly called key lime and the Persian lime (Citrus latifolia). Although each species possess their particular varieties, there isn’t much variation between them. Growing in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 9 through 11, the lime tree is best produced in at least 8 hours of sunlight exposure every day, planted 15 to 20 feet away from buildings or other trees. Lime trees are very irritable and many common conditions induce the tree to never blossom, including over-pruning, substandard water drainage and lack of sunlight. Proper care is the main key when pushing a lime tree to blossom.

Water the lime tree to a depth of 18 inches throughout the growing season during periods of drought, as a great watering regimen is essential to an effective bloom production. Use a watering hose that’s put on a slow trickle. Begin watering at the back of this tree, slowly moving outward to the dripline.

Apply an even 6-inch layer of organic mulch around the base of the tree, starting 3 inches from the back and extending into the dripline. The mulch helps to conserve moisture and smother competitive weeds.

Fertilize the lime tree once a month from spring through fall with a 12-0-12 granular fertilizer, high in nitrogen and phosphorus. Hand spread the fertilizer around the base of this tree, following all package instructions. Nitrogen will encourage healthy green growth, while phosphorus will encourage flower production, forcing the tree to blossom on time.

Remove fragile or damaged divisions in the spring. Use pruning shears, which makes a 45-degree angled cut just above the leaf node or posterior division. If the branch is to be completely eliminated, make the cut flush with the back of this tree.

Remove suckers that originate in the tree trunk as soon as they form, as they deplete energy the tree would normally put toward thriving and finally producing fruit. Use pruning shears, making the cut just over the enlarged area where the sucker and the back match. Cut suckers growing in the ground across the back using a sharp shovel, which makes deep plunges to the ground Working in a circular motion.

See related

How to Stop a Washout on a Hillside Landscape

Sometimes the hillside of a yard develops problems with rainwater. If the hillside’s grass isn’t healthy or is exposed to lots of foot traffic, then over time it may develop washout places or ruts where the soil erodes. Avoid that from occurring, or prevent it from getting worse, by arranging landscaping plants to split the rainwater’s path.

Plant several trees around the hillside, spacing them to account for the spread of their limbs as they mature. The trees will pull in some of the rainwater that lands around the hillside and redirect other rainwater in different directions. A variety of trees may add firmness, including tulip tree magnolias (Magnolia x soulangeana), which prefer partial sunlight and grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant hardiness zones 4 through 9, and flowering plum trees (Prunus cerasifera), which enjoy full sunlight and grow well in USDA zones 8 through 10.

Set rocks along the hillside to reroute rainwater and also to split it into smaller, less damaging streams. Dig out some of the hillside’s soil so the stones can place without the potential for rolling. Place several medium-size stones, 12 to 24 inches in diameter, in groups to make their look natural, or form a small rock garden. Using rocks bigger than 24 inches in diameter can also be powerful, but these stones are a bit too difficult to maneuver up a hill without help or equipment.

Place small plants, such as rose impatiens (Impatiens walleriana), and ornamental grasses, such as mondo grass (Ophiopogon japonicus), between the stones to fill the spaces and make the landscape look natural, like the stones were there all along. The plants will hold dirt in place also, raising your chances of preventing additional washout. Rose impatiens function well in USDA zones 4 to 10 and prefer shady locations. Mondo grass does best in a sunny place in USDA zones 6 through 8.

Dig out dirt to create ledges if the washout is a significant issue and the hillside is too steep that you often trees and plants. Scoop the soil out to form flat surfaces or tiers, and contain the fronts of the tiers with landscape timbers or large rocks. Add trees and plants on the respective ledges, making a fully landscaped space. The rainwater will fall upon the flat surfaces and also be drawn more readily into the dirt than it would on a hillside without ledges. Plant examples for your ledges consist of sun-loving creeping zinnias (Sanvatalia procumbens), which can be annuals that grow well in most of USDA zones, ornamental grasses, such as mondo grass, and also Angel’s trumpet (Brugmansia), which prefers partial sun and grows best in USDA zones 9 through 11. Flowering plums are among trees that can be implanted on the hillside ledges.

See related

How to Plant Tomatoes in an Greenhouse

Tomatoes keep fruit prolifically and need very little care, so they’re one of the most popular vegetables for house gardens. Adequate warmth and long, sunny days are necessary for the plants to bear fruit, therefore they are only productive during the summer and fall months within U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 to 10. But planting tomatoes within a greenhouse will effectively expand the growing season and permit the plants to keep year-round, if they’re supplied with the appropriate light, dirt and temperature conditions.

Plant determinate, or bush-type, tomatoes in greenhouses rather than indeterminate varieties since the latter develop very large and will take up too much space. Choose cultivars such as “Legend,” “Patio Hybrid” and “Cherry Grande Hybrid.”

Plant greenhouse tomatoes in fall or early spring for a late or early return. Start the seeds indoors four to six weeks before transplanting them into the greenhouse to ensure they are older and hardened-off.

Ready the greenhouse before planting the tomatoes. Hang 10-percent shade fabric along the southerly wall of the greenhouse to prevent sun scald. Place a garden bench along the wall. Position a thermometer near the garden bench to track the temperature.

Pot the tomatoes in 5-gallon containers filled with a soil mixture of 3 parts loam, 2 parts compost, 1 part coarse sand and 1 part perlite. Plant the young tomatoes so the foundation of the stem is 1/2-inch below the surface of the ground to help produce sturdier, stronger plants that are mature.

Place the tomatoes on the garden bench near the thermometer. Supply water when the soil mixture feels dry at the upper inch. Feed the plants using low-nitrogen, 5-10-5 fertilizer one month after planting. Apply the fertilizer at half-strength. Feed once a month and water thoroughly after each feeding.

Preserve a constant daytime temperature of 70 to 80 F and a nighttime temperature of about 65 F. Do not allow the temperature to drop below 65 F at night since the fruit will become mealy and unpalatable. Do not let the greenhouse heat over 85 F since the fruit is going to be discolored.

Open the ventilation conduit to circulate the warm air and eliminate excessive moisture, which helps prevent leaf spot and blight. Turn on an oscillating fan if the temperature rises above 85 F or if relative humidity shirts 70 F.

Provide supplemental light using greenhouse lamps with fluorescent bulbs. Position the lamps approximately 3 feet over the tomato plants. Angle the lamps so the light glances off the tops of the plants. Turn on the lamps through the winter months when there is less than eight hours of direct sunlight.

Watch for signs of diseases such as leaf spot and blight, which are especially common in greenhouse conditions. Start looking for small lesions on the leaves or wilted foliage. Remove and destroy the afflicted plants to prevent the illness from spreading.

See related

Early Cascade Tomato Plant

The massive popularity of strawberries makes it no surprise that there are many available varieties. When preparing for next season’s garden, then it can be fun to explore tomatoes you’ve never grown before. Rumors such as “Early Cascade” are not as widely grown as they once were, but still play their role in the garden.

Historic Butt

An extremely early-season maker, “Early Cascade’s” fruits begin ripening 55 to 65 days from planting. Its capability to place fruit so early in this season makes this tomato a good choice if you live in an extreme climate, of if you just want to have a jump on the growing season.

Fruiting

The fruits of “Early Cascade” are small to medium and produced in clusters. Fruit weight varies from about 2 1/4 to 4 oz, measuring about 2 inches across. “Early Cascade” is an indeterminate type, fruiting gradually during the growing season. The company, red fruits of “Early Cascade” often have green shoulders.

Disease Wallpapers

“Early Cascade” is an F1 hybrid plant, carrying several in-borne disease resistances. In particular, it is resistant to fusarium and verticillium wilts, both soilborne fungal diseases. These wilts are damaging to tomato plants, in addition to being incurable. The fungi responsible grow into a contaminated plant’s water and mineral transfer tissues, eventually clogging the tissues up completely. “Early Cascade” can continue to thrive and produce despite growing in soils infested with fusarium or verticillium fungi.

Growth Habit

One of the most unusual features of “Early Cascade” may function as its growing habit. Instead of growing fully or partially upright, “Early Cascade” tends to trail, which makes it an intelligent choice for hanging tomato planters. When grown in containers or in the garden, “Early Cascade” will require ample support and training to overcome this unusual feature.

See related