Search Results for: pruning

9 Tips For Pruning Jade Plants For Success

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A pair of gardening shears carefully pruning a jade plant, showcasing the art of pruning for optimal growth.

Pruning your Jade plants is critical to eliminating diseased or dead foliage. Also, pruning helps promote healthy blooms and foliage and makes your plants resistant to pest infestations. Pruning can also add years to your plant’s life.

Preparing Your Garden for Summer

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Image of of a tubing used in a drip irrigation system

Getting your garden summer-ready might seem like a **huge task**. I’ve dealt with the hard work of making sure plants stay **green and spry** under the scorching sun. After lots of experimenting and scouring every gardening tip, I realized how **essential** it is to prepare your garden for the hot season. This article provides simple … Read more

Late Summer Garden Maintenance: What To Do Now

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Tony O'Neill looking through his huge rhubarb plants

As the warm glow of late summer began to dim in my garden, I couldn’t help but notice it was starting to show its age. It dawned on me that this was a common hurdle faced by many gardeners this time of year. My mission to breathe new life into my cherished outdoor space led … Read more

How to Keep Bamboo in Check and Enjoy Its Beauty

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A lush garden with bamboo plants surrounded by colorful flowers and green foliage. How to Keep Bamboo in Check.

Bamboo is a highly aggressive, invasive exotic plant species. It owes its reputation to the fact that it is the fastest-growing class of grass on earth. Bamboo can choke natural vegetation in a brief period, effectively crowding out native flora. It is imperative to realize that it is challenging to get rid of bamboo once it has taken root.

Philodendron “Rojo Congo” Care Guide

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A vibrant Philodendron "Rojo Congo" plant with large, glossy leaves in shades of deep green and burgundy. Learn the care guide now.

{“statusCode”:401,”message”:”License key missing”} The Rojo Congo is more prominent and broader than other red varieties, has deeper red leaves, and develops far more quickly. This tropical Philodendron may grow up to four feet tall and just as wide indoors. The Philodendron “Rojo Congo” is often listed among plants that can withstand neglect. The Rojo Congo’s … Read more

How to Compost in a Tumbler

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A tumbler compost bin filled with organic waste and being turned, promoting the decomposition process.

Tumblers are an alternative to open hot composting piles, following a similar process and needing the same materials and elements. By adding a balance of brown (carbon) and green (nitrogen) materials at a 30:1 ratio and keeping the mix damp and aerated, tumblers can make quality compost.

How Long Does it Take to Make Compost

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A compost pile in various stages of decomposition, showcasing the process of making compost.

Composting, the managed decomposition of organic matter, depends on the availability or the right proportions of carbon, nitrogen, water, and air. The speed of composting depends on how optimal the environment is for microorganism activity (bacteria, fungi, and actinomyces).   

Anthurium Crystallinum – The Complete Care Guide

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Close-up of Anthurium Crystallinum leaves showcasing its distinctive velvety texture and dark green color. Anthurium Crystallinum Care.

Anthurium plants are some of the most spectacular houseplants you’ll find. Most gardeners know the popular flamingo flower, with its vivid spathe and contrasting spadix. The A. crystallinum, also known as the Ace of Spades, has large, heart-shaped leaves with striking veined patterns.

How to Prune Bonsai for Shape & Structure

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A pair of bonsai pruning shears carefully trimming the branches of a bonsai tree, demonstrating how to prune bonsai for shape and structure. How to Prune Bonsai.

The development of a Bonsai tree is inextricably linked to pruning or pinching, the removal of roots and shoots to create a work of art. The objective of pruning is three-fold: shaping the stock, directing growth to underdeveloped areas, and boosting ramifications.

Monstera pinnatipartita The Ultimate Care Guide

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A captivating image showcasing the unique foliage of Monstera pinnatipartita, with its distinct fenestrations and lush green leaves. Monstera pinnatipartita Care: Essential tips for nurturing this extraordinary and rare plant.

Monstera pinnatipartita:- Pinnatipartite, in botany, refers to leaves having lobes with fenestrations that extend more than halfway toward the midrib. Less deep fenestrations are called pinnatifid, while leaves with fenestrations to the midrib are pinnatisect.

Philodendron Gloriosum – The Ultimate Care Guide

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A stunning image showcasing the velvety leaves and distinct veining of a Philodendron Gloriosum plant. Philodendron Gloriosum Care: Essential tips for nurturing this exquisite and unique plant.

The species name, Philodendron, translates to tree-loving (Philo – friend; dendron – tree), but the Philodendron gloriosum is not a vining plant. In 2019 the IUCN classified P. gloriosum as vulnerable in its natural habitats in Colombia and the Hawaiian Islands.

Philodendron Birkin The Ultimate Care Guide

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Philodendron Birkin plant with dark green leaves and white pinstripes, showcasing its unique pattern. Philodendron Birkin Care.

The Philodendron Birkin is a hybrid of the Rojo Congo and Imperial Green cultivars, hybrids of Philodendron erubescens. One of its most distinguishing features is the dark-colored leaves with bright yellow pattern lines. It may revert to its Rojo Congo parentage, a dark red plant.

Variegated Monstera – Is Their Price Justified?

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An image of a Variegated Monstera leaf, showcasing its unique variegation with white and green patterns. Variegated Monstera pricing: Is it worth the investment?

The perceived worth of a variegated Monstera is measured by the price the market is willing to pay. Its actual value is escalated by emphasizing limited supply, aesthetic appeal, individual uniqueness, and the status awarded to those able to grow them successfully.

Monstera Albo – The Ultimate Care Guide

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A beautiful image showcasing the distinct white-variegated leaves of a Monstera Albo plant. Monstera Albo care: Essential tips for nurturing this unique and stunning variegated plant.

The claim that Monstera Albo is a mutation of the Monstera deliciosa var. borsigiana, presenting different petiole shapes and leaf spread, is contested by Plants of the World Online (POWA) – the global plant name index. The M. borsigiana is recognized only as a synonym of the M. deliciosa.

Jade Plants, Are They Poisoning You?

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A jade plant on a table with caution sign symbolizing potential poisoning. Examining the question, "Are Jade Plants Poisoning You?"

Jade plants have toxicity levels, but they are only poisonous to humans and cause diarrhea and vomiting when ingested with a hefty dose. On the other hand, house pets such as dogs and cats are the most susceptible to its poisonous effects.

N’Joy Pothos: Care & Propagation Guide

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N’Joy Pothos (Epipremnum aureum aka E. pinnatum) is characterized by very compact growth and bright, distinctive green and white variegation. As a sub-cultivar of the ‘Marble Queen,’ it was patented in the United States, patent PP19,065, in 2009 after cultivation in Mumbai, India.

Watering Jade Plants: A Complete Guide

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A jade plant being watered with care, demonstrating the proper watering technique for optimal growth.

You can water your Jade plants once every two to three weeks if you keep them indoors, more often if kept outdoors or in the summer season. Since they are succulents, they can keep water from their leaves for quite a while.

How To Know What Monstera Variety You Have?

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A variety of Monstera plants showcasing distinct leaf shapes and patterns, aiding in identifying Monstera varieties.

Monstera is distinguished by how the leaves are attached to the stem. Also, the size and shape of their holes. It is difficult to tell the un-variegated plants apart. However, as they gain fenestrations, you can see the variety and identify them.

Fertilize Jade Plants For STUNNING Growth

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A hand sprinkling fertilizer on a healthy Jade plant, promoting stunning growth and vibrant foliage.

Fertilizers are crucial to keeping your Jade plants healthy, with a balanced amount of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. With just something simple like water-soluble plant food, your jade plant will be looking its best.

What’s The Typical Cost Of Hiring A Gardener

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A graphic displaying the typical cost of hiring a gardener, outlining different factors influencing the expenses.

We hire a gardener when we are short on time and lack the necessary skills, equipment, and enthusiasm. It’s easy to see why gardeners charge what they do, whether for seasonal landscaping maintenance, one-off work like bond cleans, or regular lawn care service.

Is It Better To Prune Trees and Shrubs in Fall or Spring?

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Gardener's hands with gloves pruning a branch of a tree in a garden. Is It Better To Prune Trees and Shrubs in Fall or Spring.

Trees and shrubs need to be pruned regularly to maintain optimum health, growth, and beauty. Fall pruning is encouraged for early blooming flowering trees. Evergreens rarely need pruning, while late blooming flowering trees and summer flowering shrubs need spring pruning.

Do Herbs Need Bright Sun to Grow?

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A photo showing various herbs, including basil, rosemary, and thyme, growing vibrantly in planter boxes. The herbs are flourishing under the bright sun, demonstrating their need for ample sunlight to thrive.

Most of the herbs require at least six hours of bright sunlight each day for proper growth. Else, they will get leggy or spindly, and you will leave you with long stems and few leaves. However, some herbs may grow well in partial or dappled sunlight as well.

15 Dwarf Conifers Ideal For Your Garden

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A vibrant photo showcasing a charming dwarf conifer in a garden, ideal for your garden's beauty and versatility.

Most dwarf conifers have a height that is between two to six feet at maturity. They often add three to six inches annually. Other dwarf conifers will reach six to fifteen feet at maturity, growing at a rate of six to twelve inches annually.

15 Best Flowering Shrubs for A Colorful Garden

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A stunning pink flowering shrub, one of the best flowering shrubs for a colorful garden.

Whether you need an ornamental shrub (Roses) for enhanced privacy (Weigela) or to attract pollinators (Abelia), there is a shrub for everyone. Shrubs would not only offer sweet-smelling blossoms (Sweetshrub) or tasty berries (Beautyberry) but will also add upbeat accents to your garden.

What Are Grow Bags? Pros and Cons Of Using Them

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A photo of a healthy plant growing in a grow bag, showcasing the pros and cons of using grow bags.

They are fabric bags that most people use to hold soil when gardening in limited spaces. They provide gardeners with an alternative to traditional containers that often occupy the largest space. With grow bags, you can maintain fresh soil for your plants to grow.

How to Mow Your Lawn (5 Different Patterns)

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visually pleasing, freshly mowed lawn displaying a diamond pattern, showcasing different patterns on how to mow your lawn.

Creating patterns in your lawn is your best bet to make things more interesting and achieve more beautiful lawns. The first step in attaining great lawn patterns is getting your tools ready. You will need a lawnmower with blades that are sharp enough.

Why Are Tomato Skins Tough? (How to Avoid it)

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A photo showing a ripe tomato being delicately peeled by a tweezer, revealing its flesh underneath. This image illustrates why tomato skins are tough.

So, what causes tomatoes to have tough skin? And how can we avoid this? Some of the possible reasons for tough skins on tomatoes are the variety, under watering, high temperatures during growth or too much sunlight, and diseases such as curly top virus or anthracnose.

Can Perennial Plants Spread and Become Invasive?

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A lush green ostrich fern thrives in the garden, demonstrating how perennial plants can spread and become invasive.

Perennials are usually more difficult to control than annuals or biennials because they spread both vegetatively and by dispersing seeds. While some are invasive, others take a lot of space. However, perennials considered invasive in one area may not necessarily be invasive in other areas.

My aloe vera plant froze. Now what?

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Close-up image of a frozen aloe vera plant with icy crystals on its leaves, illustrating what to do when my aloe vera froze.

Unfortunately, freeze damage is a severe problem for aloe vera plants. Whether it can recover depends on the amount of time the plant has been exposed to freezing weather. If the plant turns entirely brown with a squishy consistency, it is probably damaged beyond repair. However, if you can see some surviving green leaves, it might be recoverable.

The Best Month to START Your Garden & Why?

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A gardener in a straw hat carefully tending to a young plant in his garden, the best month to start your garden.

For most places, late March-early April can be a great time to start their garden. During this time, most crops can be grown, and the last frost date has passed, the soil temperature and the weather are favorable for starting a garden.

How to Take Care of Your Aloe Vera Plant

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A vibrant, healthy aloe vera plant in a white pot, showcasing its thick, fleshy leaves and spiky edges. Discover how to take care of an aloe vera plant for optimal growth and well-being.

Aloe Vera prefers dry conditions with well-draining soil. Such as cactus mix, or add plenty of perlite to normal potting soil to achieve this. Aloe Vera requires a minimum of 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight per day. When watering, water deeply and saturate the soil, and do not water again until the soil has completely dried out. When feeding, select a feed high in phosphorus, something like 10-40-12.

Why Do Weeds Grow Faster Than Grass? (Solved)

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A person in a garden, pulling out weeds. The photo illustrates the question of why weeds grow faster than grass.

Weeds tend to grow faster than grass in your lawn or garden because:

Most weeds have a short life cycle ranging between 5-6 weeks. Thus, they cover their life cycle from seedling to flowering in a short time.

Weeds sprout from existing seeds or root systems in the soil. Dormant root systems store a lot of energy which enhances the fast growth of weeds in spring.

Weeds are often native plants in the ecosystem they thrive in, which further facilitates their growth compared to grass and other desirable plants which may not be native.

How To Get Rid Of Aphids From Your Garden Plants.

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Close-up of aphids infesting a garden plant. Learn how to get rid of aphids in your garden.

Insecticides, herbicides, and pesticides have been linked to cancer, congenital disabilities, autism, brain damage, and depression, to name a few. If you plant organically, you will not want to treat insects with any type of chemical. Fortunately, there are several ways to keep aphids naturally away from plants. These are some of the best natural ways to get rid of aphids.

Proven Methods, How To Get THRIPS Off Your Plants

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A close-up photo of a thrip insect crawling on the leaves of a houseplant. Get thrips off your plants.

How To Get THRIPS Off Your Plants? Thrips can be controlled by timely pruning, good husbandry, good soil nutrition, along with ensuring good ventilation and watering habits. But one of the very best ways to get rid of thrips is to use predatory insects.

How To Grow Tomatoes – A Mind-Blowing Guide

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A close-up image of vibrant, ripe tomatoes growing in a garden, showcasing healthy and luscious fruits. Learn how to grow tomatoes and cultivate your own delicious harvest.

To grow tomatoes successfully, they require rich fertile, water-retentive soil. A bright and sheltered location with nighttime temperatures of 12ËšC – 24ËšC or 55ËšF to 75ËšF. Consider greenhouse growing in colder climates. Feed weekly with a high potash feed once flowering has started.

What Causes Powdery Mildew? How to get rid of it?

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Close-up of hands holding a spray bottle, treating powdery mildew on a plant leaf. The hands are spraying a solution to combat the causes of powdery mildew.

What Causes Powdery Mildew? Powdery mildew is a fungus caused by micro-organisms. It is problematic when there are damp humid conditions. This fungal disease can affect a wide range of plants leaving behind powdery substances that block the leaves from photosynthesizing.

How To Control Allium Leaf Miner. Protect Your Plants!

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Close-up photo of an Allium leaf miner larva, a pest that damages Allium plants, positioned on a decaying leaf. Learn effective methods to control Allium leaf miner and protect your plants from infestation.

How to control allium leaf miner? The only surefire way to control allium leaf miner is to cover the plants before they are affected. Enviromesh, insect mesh or even fleece can be used with great effect. Prevention is much better than cure. If crops do have allium leaf miner the safest bet is to burn and destroy the plant to prevent its spread.

Deal With Septoria Leaf Spot On Tomatoes Leaves

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A person's hand holds a tomato leaf with septoria. Learn how to deal with septoria on tomato leaves.

Tomatoes suffer from all sorts of diseases. Septoria Leaf Spot on tomatoes is no exception. Caused by a fungus called Septoria lycopersici. It is very destructive to the foliage of your tomato plants. It is caused by damp humid conditions and is more persistent when this sort of weather persists for long periods of time.

Gardening Jobs To Do in January

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Gardening Jobs to Do in January on a snow-covered garden

{“statusCode”:401,”message”:”License key missing”} If you’re making resolutions, let adding small activation steps to dreams be one of them. Small wins can build up to success; they are more potent than un-actuated big dreams. I’m including myself in this pep-talk. So the action points in this piece are for me as much as for the Simplify … Read more

Gardening Jobs to Do in September

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A tree with fall colors

We’re fast approaching when the Earth’s tilt sees the Sun crossing the Equator toward the South, where it will only start its return journey on the 23rd of December (the start of winter). The second annual equinox, on September 23rd, marks the start of the cold half of the year, beginning with autumn. Each month’s … Read more

Gardening Jobs to Do in August

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A gardener tending to blooming flowers and pruning bushes in an August garden.

It is mid-summer; for some, this means hot, dry days; for others, it means thunderstorms. For William Shakespeare, it is the season for weddings and fairies in his Midsummer Night’s Dream. I hope you are harvesting this month – and managing the heat. Below is a range of jobs you may have to consider. Please … Read more

Gardening Jobs to Do in July

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We’re in the heat of summer, a bit of a lull in planting operations, but harvesting and getting ready for autumn planting is a priority. This month, we will get a little downtime to take stock of our achievements and look at what we have to show for our efforts over the past six months. … Read more

Your First Vegetable Garden

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"Your First Vegetable Garden" featuring vibrant images of vegetables and herbs, arranged in a garden setting with a clear, easy-to-read title.

Your First Vegetable Garden. The ultimate guide for beginners. It offers step-by-step instructions, pest control tips, seed-saving tips, and monthly to-do lists. Start growing today!

Gardening Jobs to Do in April

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A person wearing gardening gloves planting colorful flowers in a garden bed. April gardening jobs to do.

Spring has sprung, and there’s growth all over your garden. All your hard work over the last three months will soon pay off — some of it already is. Keep on top of the chores to ensure a productive garden and avoid a snowball of work as growth increases. Consistent smaller steps make the journey … Read more

Gardening Jobs to Do in March

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Gardening jobs for March featuring a cluster of pink peach blossoms.

Finally, temperatures are starting to climb after a season of constant cold. In the gardening month-by-month calendar, March is a hectic month for sowing seeds, as the gardening season usually kicks off around now. Of course, if you are on the other side of the planet, the Southern Hemisphere, read this March gardening jobs-to-do page … Read more

Gardening Jobs to Do in February

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Gardening Jobs to Do in February: A landscape still covered in snow

Gardening Jobs To Do in February We’re only in our second month of the year and have already accomplished so much. Temperatures remain relatively unchanged, but at least we’re edging closer toward the last frost date, the key indicator for outdoor planting. For those living in regions where the last frost date is around late … Read more

Gardening Jobs To Do in January

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Gardening Jobs to Do in January on a snow-covered garden

Happy New Year! We have been given another year, one loaded with potential — a blank canvas to do great things in the garden. You’ll be glad to know that most of your January gardening jobs are indoors. It’s a season for dreams and visions and taking the first steps to make those a reality. … Read more

Gardening Jobs to Do in December

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Gardening Jobs December: Preparing soil and planting winter flowers in a well-kept garden.

The holiday season is here, and we’re feeling winter’s tentacles. As December arrives, it brings the start of winter, the shortest day of the year, and some of the coldest weather. It’s essential to bundle up and take measures to stay warm. Despite the chilly weather, there’s still plenty to do in the garden. Ensure … Read more

Gardening Jobs to Do in November

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Gardening Jobs November: Raking fallen leaves in a backyard garden to prepare for winter.

As the weather gets colder and the days become shorter, it may be tempting to let your garden rest until spring. However, there are still many tasks, such as planting vibrant winter flowers, preparing your garden for next year’s seasons, and completing a general cleanup that you will appreciate later. Also, consider the wildlife that … Read more

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