Category: Tropical Style

How Big Do Persian Lime Trees Get?

The petite Persian lime (Citrus latifolia) created its U.S. debut in California between 1850 and 1880. While its origin is not certain, Persian lime trees might have been planted after the fruit was imported from Tahiti to San Francisco. Due to this, the deep green fruit is also occasionally called the Tahiti lime, even though the lime may have originated in Persia before traversing the Pacific Ocean.

Size

Persian lime trees reach a height of approximately 20 feet, and their rounded, dense branches spread out about 20 feet. Due to this, the tree ought to be planted 15 to 20 feet or more away from residences and other buildings, as well as other trees.

Persian Limes

Oval Persian lime grows to approximately 2 1/2 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Each tart lime weighs approximately 2 ounces and has 10 to 12 segments. About one-half of this lime’s fat is juice.

Growing Persian Limes

Persian lime trees bear fruit year-round. Once the tree’s white flowers have bloomed, fruit will be ready for picking in 90 to 120 days. Several bacterial ailments can hamper hair creation. Citrus canker infects leaves, causing them to drop off the tree. Citrus greening, also known as yellow shoot disorder, is transmitted by a tiny insect called the citrus psyllid. It not only leads to the tree to generate fewer limes, but may result in the tree’s passing.

Harvesting

Persian limes may be picked when they grow to a diameter of approximately 1 3/4 inches. The fruit is going to be a dark green. Fruit that hasn’t fully ripened doesn’t have enough juice. Once the limes are harvested, they’ll remain fresh in the refrigerator for approximately 10 days.

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The Best Weed Killer for Saint Augustine Lawns

St. Augustine (Stenotaphrum secundatum) is a warm-season grass that grows in tropical, subtropical and Mediterranean-type climates, primarily U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 10, in which it makes a thick green lawn when its basic cultural conditions for sunlight, nutrients, moisture and warm temperatures are satisfied. A lush turf offers excellent weed control, but when necessary, the use of selective pre- and post-emergence herbicides and local application of nonselective herbicides can help to control unwanted weeds and grasses on your St. Augustine lawn.

Broadleaf Weeds

Opportunistic cool-season weeds such as chickweed, clover and henbit may take hold on your St. Augustine lawn during the winter dormancy period. A selective hormone-based herbicide that kills broadleaf weeds rids your St. Augustine lawn of the weeds when applied according to label directions in the spring after the lawn greens up. Avoid the use of products containing 2,4-D, dicambra and mecoprop on St. Augustine, as damage from these herbicides is very likely to happen on this particular grass. Merchandise formulas designed specifically for St. Augustinegrass can include atrazine, but follow cautions for use carefully to avoid the potential for personal injury and contamination of ground water.

Cool-Season Herbs

Pre-emergence Sensors containing dithiopyr control for cool-season grasses, such as fescue, crabgrass and bluegrass and small-seeded broadleaf weeds through interruption of the growth process when applied in accordance with directions. Do not use pre-emergence herbicides on lawns over-seeded with annual ryegrass.

Perennials

Manage difficult-to-control broadleaf weeds, such as dandelions, and perennial grasses with a post-emergence nonselective herbicide that kills any plant it touches. Removal of unwanted weeds and grasses with a nonselective herbicide requires special care to avoid damage to a St. Augustine lawn. Utilize a narrow stream of spray or apply with a paint brush to selected weeds or grasses to minimize damage to surrounding St. Augustinegrass. Nonselective herbicides for home and garden usage contain glyphosate, such as Roundup, that attack plants systemically, or natural food-grade petroleum compounds, such as Pharm Solutions Organic Weed Killer, designed to destroy all weeds and grasses on contact. Organic products sometimes need more than one application.

Prevention

A thick turf of St. Augustine grass crowds out weeds. Shade out cool-season grass and grass seeds by increasing the mowing height 1/2 inch in autumn, to avoid germination of the seeds during Augustinegrass dormancy. Overseed with annual ryegrass to offer cover during the winter. Irrigate your lawn during dry spells in winter, whether overseeded or not. Have a soil sample in spring to determine lime and fertilizer requirements, or apply 1/2 to 1 pound of nitrogen after the lawn greens up. To compute the amount of fertilizer to use for application of the desired quantity of nitrogen to 1,000 square feet of lawn, split the percentage of nitrogen, represented by the first number in the fertilizer analysis, in the amount required for the desired application. For instance, to apply 1/2 pound of nitrogen by means of a fertilizer mix with evaluation 4-1-2, split .5 by .04, which equals 12.5 lbs per 1,000 square feet. Irrigate to a depth of 6 inches when your grass shows signs of wilt during spring and summer. Apply 1/2 to 1 pound of nitrogen every 4 to 8 weeks June through August using a balanced fertilizer mix.

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Flowers for Planters That Get No Direct Sun

There are few pleasures greater than the usual house garden filled with flowers. When gardening in vandalism which will have no direct sunlight, you can enjoy a pretty display of easy-to-care-for perennial woodland plants which can grow happily in shade. Perennials provide displays which return every year.

Serpentine Columbine

Columbines are famous for their lovely, delicate foliage. The serpentine columbine (Aquilegia eximia) blossoms in the summer and spring, and its refined red flowers are attractive to hummingbirds. It’s well-suited to a Mediterranean climate and also likes some moisture but will tolerate brief periods of drought. Once established, the only other attention you want to give it’s in autumn, once you need to remove old flower stalks and leaf to make way for new growth in spring.

Lenten Rose

The Lenten rose (Helleborus x hybridus) is a staple of the shady garden, and also being a little plant, copes easily with growing in a planter. Its pink spring and winter flowers are reminiscent of wild roses and it has attractive, evergreen foliage. To take care of this plant, you need only remove spent flower stalks and water enough to keep the soil from drying out completely.

Ivy Leaf Cyclamen

The ivy leaf cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium) offers the benefit of appealing flowers and leaf. It’s scented white or rose-pink blossoms and appealing silver-marked leaves. It blooms in late summer and autumn until the leaf appears, grows well in a Mediterranean climate and also tolerates most soil types. You can grow this little plant successfully in planters, in tiny clumps dotted among larger perennials. It tolerates drought well and will return year after year with little attention.

Rosada Coral Bells

Rosada coral bells (Heuchera ‘Rosada’) offers airy pink spring flowers on stalks that stand prettily over its leaf. This is a great flowering, medium-sized perennial which grows well in shade planters. It needs little watering and is attractive to beneficial insects and hummingbirds. The only attention you’ll need give it would be to remove its spent stalks after flowering.

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What's a Bayberry Shrub?

Since Colonial times, wax surrounding the fruit of several shrubs from the Myrica genus has been boiled down to create fragrant bayberry candles. Though the deciduous bush generally referred to as bayberry (M. pensylvanica) rises around the East Coast just down to U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 7, at least three other bayberry, or wax myrtle, shrubs flourish in warmer climates. They are all evergreen, feature aromatic leaf and prosper in USDA zones 7 to 9.

Pacific Wax Myrtle

In windy oceanfront sites, the Pacific wax myrtle (M. californica) looks like a flattened mass of divisions. But from the wind, it’s a vertical tree or tree, reaching 10 to 30 feet in height. Adaptable to either sun or shade, the wax myrtle’s new growth comes in mild green, contrasting with the ripe leaf of darker green and a waxier texture. Assets of the tree contain dense, attractive, serrated foliage and purplish, wax-coated nutlets that lure birds. The tree requires ample water to encourage its rapid growth design and is sensitive to frost.

Southern Wax Myrtle

Generally smaller than the Pacific variety, the Southern wax myrtle (M. cerifera) seldom exceeds 12 feet high. It tends to create multiple trunks, in addition to clusters of bluish-gray berries that last through the winter. A handsome plant with olive-green foliage, the tree has eye-catching bark that ranges from grey to almost white on some specimens. While getting established, it requires constant moisture, but also in subsequent years it will tolerate either drought or flood conditions. An unusually adaptable plant, it even withstands confinement within urban areas.

Swamp Bayberry

With bigger leaves and a denser look than the Southern wax myrtle, the swamp bayberry (M. heterophylla) earns its name by growing in poorer soils, which range from sand to clay, especially where water accumulates. The fast-growing tree, indigenous to the Southeast, typically reaches 8 to 12 feet. Foliage is dark green, with 5-inch leaves that are fragrant when crushed. After the waxy fruit appears, it’s small, round and contains a white to grey colour.

Landscape Uses

Taller varieties, like the Pacific wax myrtle, make excellent displays when implanted in multiples. All types can get effective hedges, whether ripped or casual. Because of the odor from the leaves, a bayberry hedge along a walkway could be a particular delight. The California native Pacific wax myrtle functions nicely as a part of woodland groups that include oaks and redwoods. With its multiple stems, the Southern wax myrtle may be dressed as a specimen plant close to your home. All three tolerate very wet locations, so they could adapt to seacoast places.

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Why Don't You Plant Wisteria Close to Your House?

The long, fragrant curtains of flowers that adorn wisteria (Wisteria spp.) Make it seem like a wonderful addition to your lawn. However, the super-fast development habit of many wisteria varieties produce the genus an unwelcome addition to land that is right by your house, or any other structure which you want to keep in 1 piece. Planting wisteria by your house isn’t something you want to do because the vines of wisteria are competitive growers that can cause substantial harm, even to homes.

Know Your Type

The wisteria genus has 10 species, with numerous cultivarsnonetheless, that the Ohio State University Extension notes which only two species are generally planted in gardens. Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda), that grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 to 9, has drooping white, blue, violet, or lavender bloom clusters which can reach over 3 feet in length. Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis), hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8, has 1-foot-long flower clusters in blue, purple or white, with a mix of blue and white being quite common. There’s also American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens), growing in USDA zones 6 to 9, that has smaller clusters of purple or white blooms. Wisteria is generally considered a vine, though the Old Farmer’s Almanac calls it both a tree and a vine.

Steady Destruction

Wisteria is this kind of fast and strong grower that its vines can destroy the structures where the plant is growing. Tree trunks can sustain serious harm — and thinner trunks under 10 inches in diameter can really die — from the girdling consequences of wisteria growing around the back. Houses can be torn apart as wisteria vines creep through crevices and cracks. In an article for the U.K.’s Independent newspaper in 2007, writer Emma Townshend recounted how she had found that the wisteria she had planted against her house had grown under the roof shingles, displacing enough material to cause a roof leak. The Ohio State University Extension states wisteria vines can also clog gutters.

Invasive Status

Japanese and Chinese wisteria are both considered invasive in many regions of the country. They grow so fast that they immediately take over places, pushing out native plants. They’ll also use other plants as substitute trellises, eventually killing the plants. The Old Farmer’s Almanac warns that wisteria can grow as much as 10 feet in 1 year. Wisteria plants escape cultivation easily, and you need to keep a continuous eye on the vines’ growth. The middle for Aquatic and Invasive Plants in the University of Florida notes which pieces which you have cut the plant can take root and form new plants. Nice Gardening advises American wisteria doesn’t send out suckers, and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center says it is much less damaging toward buildings as Chinese and Japanese wisteria. But you should double-check with your area’s extension office to see if American wisteria is deemed invasive in your area.

Remote Locations

If wisteria isn’t considered invasive in your area, you can plant it away from constructions, but keep your eye on its growth. Inspect all structures which host wisteria regularly to make sure the vines have not tried to squeeze their way in between parts of the structure. If you find wisteria is choking out other plants, such as trees, then the Ohio State University Extension states to cut back the girdling vine back to the ground line and get rid of the parts of the vine that have wrapped themselves around the other plant.

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Tibouchina Species

The large, velvety leaves and vibrant purple, showy blooms have earned tibouchina (Tibouchina spp.) The name of glory blossom or glory bush. Native to South America, about 350 species of tibouchina exist, some with pink or white blossoms, but only a few species are under cultivation. Grow them outdoors in mild-winter, basically frost-free climates. In cold winter climates, grow tibouchina for a container plant that can go outdoors for the summer and inside for the winter, or as a greenhouse plant.

Tibouchina Urvilleana

The most frequently developed tibouchina, glory bush (Tibouchina urvilleana) includes 3-inch-wide flowers that are a glowing, violet-purple. Also called princess blossom, the bush contains non-woody stems to 15 feet tall and 10 to 12 feet wide, growing in a mound. Heavy flowering occurs all during the summertime, with irregular flowering at other times of the year. Hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 12, the plant is killed back to the ground in zones 8 throughout the winter, but usually recovers the next spring. The cultivar “Athens Blue” (Tibouchina urvilleana “Athens Blue,” USDA zones 10 through 11) contains deeper purple blossoms.

Tibouchina Grandiflora

A species with grayer, more velvety leaves, glory flower (Tibouchina grandiflora) is smaller compared to glory bush. It typically reaches 5 to 8 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide in USDA zones 9 through 11, although it can grow to 10 feet tall. Its smaller, royal purple blooms occur in spring, summer and fall in showy panicles, which can be loosely-branching clusters of blossoms, atop blossom stalks that rise above the leaf. Cut off the old flower stalks to showcase the dramatic leaf once the plant isn’t in bloom.

Other Species

Capable of being educated as a little tree and with the name glory bush, Tibouchina lepidota has regal purple blossoms that nearly fully cover the bush to get a few weeks throughout the summer. Hardy in USDA zones 10 through 11, in warm winter climates it blooms nearly annually. The taller-growing purple glory tree (Tibouchina granulosa, USDA zones 10b through 11) grows 10 to 15 feet tall and may reach 20 feet. For a tree, this is actually the tibouchina of selection. Panicles of all 2-inch-wide, purple flowers appear in spring, summer and fall. Grow it as a shrub or prune and shape it if it’s young to form a tree.

Plant Care

Reflecting their tropical origins, tibouchinas need moist but not soggy conditions and also an organic-rich, well-draining dirt. Grow glory bush in full sun except in regions with hot summers, where it conquers daytime shade. Prune the trees to keep them to shape and size after they’re done blooming; use pruning shears cleaned with a cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol to prevent disease spread. In spring, apply a controlled-release fertilizer to the soil around the base of the plant, evenly scattering it under the branches and out a little past the drip line. Mix it into the upper layer of dirt and water well. Use a product such as 15-9-12 at the rate of 1.3 lbs per 100 square foot of landscaping area. Tibouchina are almost pest- and disease-free. They are classified as invasive in Hawaii, in which they seed into native habitats. Remove seed pods so seedlings can’t volunteer should youn’t want tibouchina to propagate.

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Growth Stages of Fox Tail

Foxtails (Setaria spp.) Inhabit disturbed areas such as agricultural land, orchards, roadsides, ditches and gardens; yellow foxtails (Setaria pumila) will even spread to yards. These summer annual grasses are among the most severe of the summer annual weeds due to their abilities to successfully invade — and take over — many types of habitats.

Seedling Stage

Foxtail seedlings are tough to spot and even harder to identify since the distinctive seed head has not developed yet. They begin parallel to the bottom with their leaves developing in their thick stem. Seedlings can vary in appearance depending on species. The foxtail’s first true leaf reaches nearly 1 inch long and 1/8-inch wide. Once germinated, the plants can reach maturity and develop seed within 40 days.

Old Acids

Many foxtails grow in loosely gathered clumps; a few, however, may erect a single stem. At maturity, foxtails can reach over 4 feet tall. Leaves branch near the base of the plant; mature plants have thick, pointed leaves which spiral slightly. Leaves often have slightly hairy surfaces. Old foxtail plants might cover a large area, especially in disturbed areas where the soil is ideal for their growth.

Seed Heads

Mature foxtails possess a distinguishing, fuzzy-looking tree head which changes in colour depending on species. Green foxtail (Setaria viridis), for example, often has green seed heads, but deep, purplish-red isn’t uncommon. This species typically blooms May through November. Yellow foxtail has yellowish seed heads which reach 2 to 5 inches long. Yellow foxtail blooms June through December. Giant foxtail (Setaria faberi) blooms June through November with 3- to 7-inch seed heads. The seed heads often turn tawny or yellowish in fall.

Reproductive Cycle

The seeds blow in the wind, latch onto the fur of animals or are otherwise removed from the plant. Seeds can remain dormant for nearly three years. The seeds will germinate almost immediately if the conditions are appropriate — between 68 and 95 degrees F, beginning the life cycle over again for all these species that are competitive. Because of this, foxtails are especially harmful to spring-sown crops.

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Is a Chinese Elm Tree Softwood or Hardwood?

The Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia) rises in United States Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5b through 10a. It produces colorful autumn leaves at the northernmost portion of its growing variety but stays evergreen when implanted further south. It makes an superb landscape tree as it has little invasive potential, doesn’t create litter and doesn’t attract unwanted animal traffic. The Chinese elm is a tree.

Hard or Soft?

The names hardwood and softwood can be deceiving, and they don’t really refer to the consistency or strength of the timber. Even though the wood of the majority of softwood trees is less dense than hardwoods and often contains more air bubbles, whether a tree is a hardwood and softwood actually depends upon the way that trees reproduce. Softwood trees are known as gymnosperms and reproduce by producing cones that contain pollen. After the end spreads the pollen to other trees, a bare tree is produced and dropped onto the ground to generate a new tree. Pine trees and other evergreen conifers reproduce in this way, which is what classifies them as softwoods. Hardwoods, however, are known as angiosperms. These trees reproduce by producing seeds housed in nuts or fruits and usually spread their feces by flowering. Most deciduous trees reproduce in this way and are hardwoods.

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Can I Grow a Mango Tree From a Neighbor's Tree?

Unlike many tropical fruit trees, the mango (Mangifera indica) grows well from seed. It’s the easiest method for home propagation and can yield a fruit-bearing tree in three to six decades, depending on the cultivar. A seed from a home-grown fruit in your own tree or your neighbor’s tree is favored over those bought from a grocery shop, since commercially produced mangoes are often treated or cooled to render their seeds sterile.

Seed Collection and Preparation

Starting mango trees in home is easy, but it requires new seed to be successful, since the seeds are most viable when new. Take seed out of a ripe mango in late summer or fall, based on the local climate. Evaluation for ripeness by gently squeezing the fruit; it must yield to stress without being too soft. Remove the flat, kidney-shaped seed with a knife and then gently wash it with warm water to remove any clinging flesh. Using a paring knife, score the husk along the convex outer border. Take care not to slip the knife within the seed because it might harm the kernel inside. Pry open the husk and slip out the flat, beige kernel.

Sowing Tips

Mango seeds germinate reliably without any pretreatment, even though they do require the right bud, medium and alignment to execute well. Sow the mango seed in a draining, 6- to 8-inch bud full of sterile seed-starting compost. Mango seeds have a convex and a concave border. Sow the seed with the concave, or hollow side from the expanding medium. Press the seed on the soil and cover it with a 1-inch-thick layer of dirt. Sprinkle a light layer of mud over the soil to help regulate its moisture level during the germination process.

Germination Procedure

Mango seeds demand very little during their germination process apart from constant warmth and dampness. Water the seed whenever the expanding medium feels hardly damp beneath the surface. Don’t saturate the soil, since excess moisture may cause fungal or bacterial growth. Heat the pot with a seed-starting mat put to between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do not have a seed-starting mat, set the pot in a warm place such as atop a refrigerator or near a hot water heater. Wholesome mango seeds will sprout in two to three weeks, at which stage move them to a warm, sheltered place with bright, indirect sunlight.

Aftercare and Transplant

Mango seedlings mature relatively fast and require just a while under nursery conditions. Transplant newly sprouted mangoes to 1-gallon nursery pots full of standard potting soil and grow them under bright, sheltered conditions until their foliage turns from bronzy-red to green. They can be planted in a sunny, fast-draining garden bed or in a permanent pot as soon as they hit two feet in height. As tropical trees, mangoes will only grow outdoors within U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10b to 11. Outside their preferred variety, they may be grown as potted trees in a greenhouse or well-lighted room indoors.

Unique Factors

Although seeds are the easiest means of growing new mango trees in home, there is one significant drawback that has to be considered. Mango trees might not grow true from seed, meaning that their fruit quality and quantity might not resemble their parent tree. However, their glossy, evergreen foliage and umbrellalike growth habit aren’t altered by seed propagation, which makes seed-grown specimens worthy of use in ornamental cultivation.

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How Long Are Spores in Soil with Early Blight?

Early blight generally affects tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) and potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants, dispersing quickly enough to infect your complete crop before it is time to harvest, though many infected crops are still produce fruit. Your crops are not secure this season last year, if you had a problem with the infection. The spores survive more than one season, meaning by overwintering in the dirt that they are able to live to infect new plants.

Early Blight Basics

Caused by the Alternaria fungus, early blight generally starts as brown dots on the leaves of the curry and tomato plants, though it also affects fruit and stems. The circles develop eventually causing the leaves to yellow or the fruit . Infected leaves drop off, also it a lot of leaves are lost by that the plant, it’ might die or produce fruit that is less.

Overwintering at Soil

They spread primarily through rain and wind After the fungus produces spores; the rain washes off them splashes on them upwards onto leaves from the ground and then leaves. Spores that property in the soil at fall survive by overwintering in organic matter, such as plant debris. Spores such as under the surface of the soil or under the foliage stack of last year — survive fluctuating temperatures, including being continuously frozen and thawed although they like weather. The spores are all set to attack a new generation of potatoes and tomatoes when you plant .

Potential Lifespan

Early blight spores can live in the dirt — one year normally is the minimal. The precise lifespan is not known, but if you’re planning to help control the disease by crops out of infected areas, maintain the regions bare for four years, recommends the Colorado State University Extension. Rotation demands a degree of separation, and shifting rows a few feet to one side will not rescue them from traveling spores, but moving your garden.

Requirements for Spore Growth

Regardless of how long the spores have dwelt in the soilthey have the best possibility of infecting your tomatoes and potatoes and reproducing as soon as the conditions exist. Early blight spores favor warm weather — 80 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer. They require moisture to survive, but they require alternating periods of moisture and dryness to correctly reproduce. By maintaining the crops dry as you can, using drip irrigation rather than overhead watering can help reduce the spread of the disease.

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