Kangaroo Fern

/Kangaroo Fern/

Kangaroo Fern

We are not certain, but this might be in the kangaroo fern group. Excellent fern for a window with indirect light. In a plastic pot this shouldn't need water more than once a week. Watch out for scale insects, which unfortunately look a lot like the spores that this plant produces. The good news is that they appear more on the stems and never in regular patterns on the leaves, like the spores do.

Keep this plant evenly moist - if it isn't root bound a through, once-a-week soaking should be fine. Like most plants, don't let the pot sit in a saucer of water longer than a couple of hours but don't be stingy with the water because you're afraid of water draining into the saucer. You'll need to have water drain out if the plant is being well watered.

Grow this fern in a bright location - filtered sun, or morning sun is perfect, or a few feet away from a Southern or Western window.

Be sure to repot in a larger container when the plant is root bound - tip it out of the pot and if you see a congestion of roots, it's time to upgrade! Only put soil in the pot - no rocks, shards or other debris, no matter what your mother/neighbor told you ;-)

Fertilize regularly according to directions - only after watering the plant well, however. Never fertilize a thirsty plant.

By | 2016-01-07T11:02:37-08:00 January 7th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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Hardy Flowering Bulbs

Allium and muscari are both fully hardy in the Northeast. Do not dig them up and bring them indoors since that would not only be extra work for you, but would also result in weaker plants. Hardy bulbs grow root systems that remain in place over the winter and are there to provide nutrients and water to the plants right away in the spring. Since they have their roots in place, the bulbs can use all of their stored energy in making flower stalks and leaves. If a bulb is put into the ground in the spring, however, it must use some of its energy to first make roots before it can grow the flowers and leaves. That's why hardy bulbs are planted in the fall, so that they can grow roots in the fall that will sustain the plants quicker in the coming growing season.

Be sure to scatter an organic fertilizer over the ground in the area where your bulbs are planted. This is far better than just dumping some fertilizer in the bottom of the planting hole. Keeping the area fertile means that those nutrients will be available to the plants even when their roots grow beyond the planting hole. You don't have to work the fertilizer in, but if you've scattered the fertilizer before planting some of it will naturally get incorporated into the soil when you dig the holes and plant the bulbs.

By | 2016-01-07T02:26:46-08:00 January 7th, 2016|Bulb Plants|1 Comment
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Tomato Nutrient Deficiency

This appears to be a symptom of nutrient deficiency. These deficiencies could also be symptoms of too much water, or watering too frequently - we noticed its in a pot, so make sure water is draining from the pot every time you water, but only water when the upper 2" (or a bit more depending on plant size and root ball size) have dried out. Soil that are too wet cause roots to drown and not function. Sometimes not enough water can also cause root damage that results in insufficient uptake of water and nutrients.. Tomatoes are heavy nutrient feeders at certain stages of growth, and nutrients can be difficult to provide if the plant is not growing in ideal conditions. Here is a link (from the University of CA) all about Tomatoes that will help, but in short Tomatoes need 6-8 hours of full sun each day, and prefer not to be watered "overhead". Since your plant is in a pot, you may eventually need to water more often as it continues to develop a bigger root system, but don't "over-water". If your plant is well on its way with flowering and fruit set/development you should fertilize it with an all purpose vegetable fertilizer or something formulated for tomatoes - consider a slow release fertilizer so that the plant gets a continuous feed for this period of heavy use. Follow the label instructions when fertilizing. http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/tomato.html

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:28-07:00 January 6th, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Scale Andor Spider Mites

Its hard to say definitively from this photo, but we think there are maybe two issues; one looks like sap-sucking scale insects (the little brown/tan bumps on the leaves), but it also looks like you may have spider mites - they are very tiny and we cannot actually see them in the photo, and you will need to use a magnifying lens to rule them in or out as part of the problem. We also see "hard water" spots or some other residue on the leaves, so maybe what appears to be spider mite feeding damage is caused by one/both of those. Scale insects will not usually kill a plant, but you will want to control them so they don't get too numerous. They excrete a sweet, sticky "honeydew" that attracts ants and sooty mold fungus. You can control them by wiping them off with a moist cloth, or cotton swab, or you can use a pesticial soap or horticulural oil product. We recommend wiping off by hand (from leaves and stems) in any case, and before spraying a chemical product to help control the nearly invisible tiny crawler stages of these scale insects. The lumpy ones are the reproducing females that have stuck themselves to the leaves and are building a covering over themselves. Here's a couple links with more info about scales and spider mites:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/QT/spidermitescard.html
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7408.html#SOME

By | 2016-01-06T22:46:12-08:00 January 6th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Yellowing Camellia Foliage

Camellia japonica is a very tough plant in the landscape which is why so many people love them. However they have a great habit of telling you that they are unhappy with something culturally in a very visible way. This can be due to a number of factors that you can check for yourself and either see that this IS or IS NOT the root cause of what the plant is trying to tell you.
1) Camellia japonica prefers the cool morning light of an either eastern or northern exposure where they won't fry in the hot afternoon sun. In that case you would see sun scald on the foliage and distinct yellowing on the sunny side of the plant and more green on the shaded side.
2) They prefer well drained, but moist soil in the summer so they can keep nice cool roots. A 1-2" application of compost, top dressed with a light bark mulch is ideal to help moisture retention in summer. Drainage and good air circulation helps to keep common airborne diseases at bay like "Blackspot" which can be a routine NW problem for Camellia.
3) Fertilizing in spring, once per year with an organic granular rhododendron food will help the foliage stay a deep green, provide additional micronutrients and help the plant avoid other stress like diseases. Just like vitamins for people!
4) Insects love to chew on stressed plants. By following the above directions, Camellia can avoid many insect problems easily.

By | 2016-01-06T20:20:41-08:00 January 6th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Basil Leaf Spot Or Downey Mildew

Basil is susceptible to a few different disease that cause similar looking leaf spots. Your photo most resembles bacterial leaf spot disease or a fungal disease called Downey Mildew. We can't say for certain its either one of these from a photo; We'd need to examine the underside of the leaves to confirm the mildew. In any case, you'll want to read more about these diseases in addition to removing the leaves from your plant/garden, reducing humidity and avoiding splashing water on leaves. You may end up removing the entire plant if its bacterial. First, however, we recommend you review the second link included below from VegetableMDOnline/Cornell University because this mildew disease is of major concern in agricultural production of basil in your area of the U.S. Cornell asks that all suspected downey mildew of basil be reported! You'll want to follow-up right away so you can remove the leaves or plant from your garden, but you'll be asked for more information about the issue. If it turns out to be bacterial leaf spot, the third link provides more info about that disease.
http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/factsheets/basildiseases.pdf
http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/NewsArticles/BasilDowny.html
http://uconnladybug.wordpress.com/2011/06/30/black-spots-on-basil-leaves/

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:28-07:00 January 6th, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
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Powdery Mildew On Zucchini

It is probably powdery mildew. This fungus is common to squashes, especially if the foliage is wet at night. Drier weather will help, but if many leaves are affected, fungicide sprays will arrest its progress and allow you to harvest.
Trim off the damaged leaves. There are several organic fungicides that are labeled for powdery mildew including Actinovate, Serenade, sulfur, and Green Cure, or ask at your local garden center. Be sure to spray under the leaves and the stems as well.

The warm days and cool nights of late summer create an ideal climate for spore growth and dispersal.

Powdery mildew can be prevented, and it can be controlled once it appears, but it can't be cured. The key to preventing it is planting mildew-resistant or mildew- tolerant varieties. Resistant varieties get less mildew than susceptible varieties; tolerant varieties may get some mildew, but it shouldn't affect the performance of the plant. Prevention also includes siting plants where they will have good air circulation, and exposing as much leaf surface as possible to direct sunlight, which inhibits spore germination.

Other methods of coping with it: pick off affected plant parts and either compost them in a hot compost pile or bag them tightly and put them in the trash. Or create a spray of 1 part milk with 9 parts water and spray the stems and tops of leaves with the solution. Reapply after rain.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:28-07:00 January 6th, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
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Winter Damage Daphne

This was a brutal winter for many plants. At this point, people with winter-damaged shrubs are in a "wait and see" mode. If it was only the leaves that were toasted by the combination of wind, cold, and snow the plant should drop the dead leaves and put out new foliage as soon as the soil warms enough to give the shrub the "Grow!" signal. Once that happens you will see new, green growth from any of the stems that are still alive. At that point you can cut off the tops of the twigs and branches that are not producing leaves. Any stems that don't have new growth by the end of May are pretty much gone, and at that point you can decide if the amount of live leaves and stems are worth saving or if this is a plant that should be replaced. (It's OK to thank a plant for its willingness and then dig it up and put it in the compost. Many severely winter-damaged plants in natural areas are soon overtaken by the stronger survivors...we gardeners should never hesitate to take the same actions that Mother Nature does and get rid of the plants that have the most winter injury.)

Although you could give this plant a light application of an organic fertilizer and a top-dressing of composted manure, you can wait and do this once the "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" signal has been given. Neither fertilizer nor compost will significantly help a severely damaged plant.

By | 2016-01-06T15:52:48-08:00 January 6th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Hydrangea Powery Mildew

Yes, this is powdery mildew on hydrangeas. By retail environment do you mean that the hydreangea is growing by a retail store? Or do you mean that you're selling these plants and they have mildew? In either case you can spray it with one of the organic fungicides such as Green Cure or a copper-based fungicide. Either are the least-toxic solution. Pick off the worst looking leaves and throw them away. In a retail environment I would also do something that draws the eye away from the plant...Place a brightly colored chair to one side or in front of the plant for example. (If the space is small, use a kid's chair) Or you could put a collection of whimsical ornaments around the plant or to one side. If the plant is really looking badly, you could even make fun of it depending on what type of retail store you have...a group of garden gnomes laying down on the job with signs that say "mildew control squad" for example. If you find a way to poke fun at it, take photos and post them on your store facebook page. This has been a bad year for mildew on plants, and beyond preventing the mildew from spreading quickly by using an organic fungicide the best we all can do is to try and make light of what Mother Nature delivers in some way.

By | 2016-01-06T08:09:31-08:00 January 6th, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
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Powdery Mildew On Zucchini

There appears to be powdery mildew on the leaves. This fungus is common to squashes, especially if the foliage is wet at night. Drier weather will help, but if many leaves are affected, fungicide sprays will arrest its progress and allow you to harvest.
Trim off the damaged leaves. There are several organic fungicides that are labeled for powdery mildew including Actinovate, Serenade, sulfur, and Green Cure, or ask at your local garden center. Be sure to spray under the leaves and the stems as well.

The warm days and cool nights of late summer create an ideal climate for spore growth and dispersal.

Powdery mildew can be prevented, and it can be controlled once it appears, but it can't be cured. The key to preventing it is planting mildew-resistant or mildew- tolerant varieties. Resistant varieties get less mildew than susceptible varieties; tolerant varieties may get some mildew, but it shouldn't affect the performance of the plant. Prevention also includes siting plants where they will have good air circulation, and exposing as much leaf surface as possible to direct sunlight, which inhibits spore germination.

Other methods of coping with it: pick off affected plant parts and either compost them in a hot compost pile or bag them tightly and put them in the trash. Or create a spray of 1 part milk with 9 parts water and spray the stems and tops of leaves with the solution. Reapply after rain.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:29-07:00 January 6th, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
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