What is a Gentle Gardening Approach? The gentle gardening approach, or gardening with kindness, is a phrase most commonly used by those who maintain their growing space by using sustainable methods. Whether growing houseplants in pots or planting a large vegetable patch, gardeners have started to focus on sustaining a healthy garden ecosystem through the use of natural means. Gardening with kindness dismisses the use of chemical sprays, fertilizers, and other potentially damaging products and replaces them with a more natural and holistic approach....

Types of Kiwi Fruit Kiwis were once thought to be tropical to sub-tropical vines, but careful breeding has resulted in cultivars that thrive in temperatures down to -30 degrees F. (-34 C.), such as the Arctic kiwi or Actinidia kolomikta. This is good news for kiwi lovers who want to produce their own fruit. Different varieties of kiwi may have seeded or seedless, fuzzy or smooth, green, brown, purple, or red skin, and green or golden yellow-fleshed fruits....

Although they are often grown in the ground, container grown Knock Out roses tend to do just as well. Read on and learn how to grow and care for Knock Out roses in containers. Growing Knock Out Roses in Containers Follow these tips on caring for potted Knock Out rose plants: Knock Out roses are best planted in spring, which gives the roots time to settle in before frosty weather arrives in autumn....

Leaf Spot Diseases on Hydrangeas Leaf spotting on hydrangea is mostly caused by the fungus Cercospora and affects most of this family of plants. It is common from summer through fall. The fungus exists in the soil and is moved onto the plant by overhead watering or rain. Plants are usually infected a month or two before spots appear on the leaves. Symptoms worsen during summers with heavy rainfall. Plants may flower less, with smaller blooms, and are less vigorous overall....

How to Harvest Cilantro When it comes to cilantro, harvesting is relatively easy. All that is required is cutting cilantro plants about one-third of the way down. The top one-third is what you will use to cook with and the bottom two-thirds will grow new leaves. How Often Should You Harvest Cilantro? You should be harvesting cilantro about once a week. If the plant is growing well, you can harvest more often....

Information about Crocus Bulbs or Corms An early spring bloomer, crocus “bulbs” are technically corms. Like corms, they have a definite up end and down end. They are solid inside like a potato if you cut them open and they have a papery outer covering which is called a tunic. The crocus corm that you plant in autumn gets completely used in the process of growing and flowering the following spring; it will simply dissolve and fade away....

Reasons for a Plant that Smells like Lemon Not everyone can grow a lemon tree, but there are plenty of lemon smelling plants that can be grown either in the garden or in containers. Some plants that smell like lemon are edible herbs, while others are only lemon scented when a bloom is smelled or a leaf is crushed. Essential oils in these plants are responsible for imparting that citrusy scent; a result of chemical compounds such as d-limonene, citral, citronellal and a variety of terpenes....

Lodi Apple Information Unfortunately, Lodi apples don’t keep long, so eat them when fresh and enjoy the season while it lasts. The soft, creamy flesh of Lodi apples lends itself well to pies and applesauce and can be sliced and frozen to extend the harvest. These early season fruits come from prolific plants and are hardy in United States Department of Agriculture zones 3 to 8. The fruits come from medium sized trees that usually grow 20 feet (6 m....

What is a Lowbush Blueberry? Lowbush blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium) are often harvested in the wild, where they are found growing in sandy forest clearings and meadows and near the edges of bogs. Lowbush blueberries are also grown in semi-wild patches that are managed by blueberry harvesters. Most lowbush blueberries are produced in Maine, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. But gardeners in a wider geographical region can grow them on a small scale....

When to Pick Malabar Spinach Both Basella rubra (red-stemmed Malabar) and its less colorful relative B. alba are herbaceous vines that can grow up to 35 feet (11 m.) in length in one season. Native to southeast Asia and sensitive to cold, both can be grown as an annual in temperate climates. Malabar spinach grows well in soils ranging in pH from 5.5-8.0 but, ideally, moist, well-draining soil high in organic matter is preferred....

Melon Plant Info for Growing Melons belong in the cucurbit family of plants, related to squash and cucumbers. They prefer a long, hot summer. Cooler climates are tricky for growing these tasty fruits, but you can do it if you start them indoors and choose varieties with a shorter growing season. Plant your melons in full sun with fertile, well-drained soil and water regularly until the fruits are about the size of a baseball....

How to Make Paper Carton Herb Containers DIY herb carton planters can be crafted from any size milk carton, but the half gallon size provides sufficient root space for growing herbs in milk cartons. These planters can be crafted in three different ways: The top or folded portion of the milk carton can be cut off and discarded. This makes a tall, thin planter (unfortunately, this still sends a portion of the milk carton to landfills)....

Crispin Apple Information The Crispin apple comes from a cross between Golden Delicious and a Japanese apple known as Indo. The fruits are prized for their complex flavor with notes of spice, sweetness, and honey. It is also very juicy. Crispin can be eaten raw and fresh, but it also stands up well and holds its shape in cooking and baking. These apples can also be stored for several months. Mutsu or Crispin apples ripen around the end of September, although one problem with these trees is that they may only produce fruit biennially....

My Gardenia Won’t Flower Troubleshooting when there are no flowers on gardenia plants is often necessary in order to pinpoint the best possible reason. Improper pruning– When a gardenia plant is not blooming, the reason is often pruning too late in the season. Prune gardenia plants after flowering in summer, but before the plant has time to set new buds. Pruning too late in the season will remove buds in the process of developing for the next season....

About Camu Camu Berries Camu camu berries are not regularly imported to the U.S. and their taste does not encourage regular consumption. However, the fruit is prized in Japan and Peruvian officials expect the U.S. to soon become a large consumer of the berries. The large berries have purple skin, yellow flesh, and are sour in natural form. Supplements use their juice in fermented beverages and pre-packaged smoothies, often to treat various chronic and degenerative diseases....

How to Make Natural Dyes from Food Prior to the invention of Rit dye in 1917, people dyed cloth with aniline dyes primarily supplied by Germany, but the advent of WWII severed this supply leading to Charles C. Huffman’s invention. Rit dye was a home dye that included soap that would dye and wash fabrics at the same time. Rit dye was not a natural vegetable plant dye, however, and included synthetic chemicals – including a fixative to help the garment retain the color....

Using Plants for Nematode Control Nematodes are tiny, round worms that commonly live in soil, and many of them attack garden plants. These pests can damage the roots of numerous edible and ornamental plants, so many gardeners have looked for ways to control them. If you are one of those gardeners, you may have wondered: are there any plants that repel nematodes? Some nematodes can be controlled using nematode-killing pesticides (nematicides), but these can be toxic, and most are unavailable to home gardeners....

What Do the Numbers on Fertilizer Mean? The three numbers on fertilizer represents the value of the three macro-nutrients used by plants. These macro-nutrients are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), or NPK for short. The higher the number, the more concentrated the nutrient is in the fertilizer. For example, numbers on fertilizer listed as 20-5-5 has four times more nitrogen in it than phosphorus and potassium. A 20-20-20 fertilizer has twice as much concentration of all three nutrients than 10-10-10....

What Nut Trees Grow in Zone 9? Yes, there are fewer choices of nut trees for zone 9 than there are for northern growers. However, the northerners can’t always grow macadamias either like those in this zone can. You also have the glorious options of growing any of the following nut trees: Pecans Black walnuts Heartnuts Hickory nuts Carpathian Persian walnuts American hazelnuts/filberts Pistachios Chinese chestnuts Information on Zone 9 Nut Trees Nuts, in general, prefer deep, well-draining soil with medium to excellent fertility and a soil pH of 6....

What is an Old Lady Cactus? Mammillaria is a large genus of cacti that are mostly native to Central America. Old lady cactus care is super easy, which makes it a perfect plant for a beginner succulent owner. With good care and the right situation, the plant may even surprise you with its classic hot pink, old lady cactus flower. Mammillaria hahniana is a rounded, chubby, little cactus with up to 30 short, white spines per areole....