Jerusalem Cherry

/Jerusalem Cherry/

Jerusalem Cherry

We believe this is a plant, native to Peru and Ecuador, they can survive frosts and cold weather outdoors, and is also grown as a houseplant. Jerusalem Cherries should be planted in a rich, well drained potting soil, and kept moist during their active growing cycle. They grow best in a bright, sunny window. (south facing)Feed with a liquid 5-10-5 'blooming houseplant' fertilizer every two weeks while the plant is growing vigorously.
Discontinue feeding as soon as your plant has finished blooming. After all the 'cherries' have dropped, cut your plant back drastically, and next spring, after all danger of frost has passed, plant it outside in a partly sunny part of your garden. Please note: These are related to tomatoes but are highly poisonous to dogs, cats, and some birds. Do not eat them!

By | 2016-04-11T01:27:01-07:00 April 11th, 2016|Annuals|0 Comments
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Already Answered

We've already told you as much as we can without getting more information from you. (Please see our original answer pasted below in the additional comments section.) If you didn't receive our answer, please check your spam folder; we want to be sure you're getting our answers. Now that we know the leaves are yellowing and dropping off in addition to the fruit aborting, it's more important than ever to get answers to our questions below. Without them, we can't help you diagnose. Since things are getting worse, you might consider consulting an arborist who can make an in-person visit. One more thing we just thought to ask: is this tree growing in a container? This is not a tree that is well suited to container growing.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:00-07:00 April 10th, 2016|Trees|0 Comments
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Painted Lady Echeveria

Echeveria derenbergii, native to Oaxaca, Mexico, forms small rosettes with fleshy, light silvery blue leaves with pink tips. Freely offsetting to form clusters quickly. Known as the "Painted Lady". Forms short arching racemes of golden-yellow flowers with orange tips. Great for windowsill or dish garden culture. It is essential in cultivation to use a very porous soil, which will allow quick drainage. Bright light is required to prevent "stretching" of Echeverias ("stretching" occurs when a moderately fast growing plant such as an Echeveria, is grown in dim light or over-fertilized, which causes overly lush growth that contributes to weak, pallid plants). Water thoroughly when soil is dry to the touch. Protect from frost.

By | 2016-04-10T20:48:51-07:00 April 10th, 2016|Succulents|0 Comments
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Get New Ones

We recommend you don't plant these plants. Hope we responded in time! We can't say for certain what's causing these spots on the tomato leaves, but whatever it is you probably don't want it in your garden, or at the very least the plants are already suffering from a nutrient deficiency and you don't want to start out that way. This could be insects feeding on the underside of the leaves and causing the yellow spotting on the top, and you might be able to get rid of them, but depending on the insect it could be a constant battle, or they might spread disease while feeding. If its a disease, and there are several that start out causing yellow spots, you'll be trying to control it and stop its spread thru the growing season.

By | 2016-04-10T20:44:27-07:00 April 10th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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St Anthonys Rick Rack Zigzag Cactus

Native to rainforests of Mexico, this is an epiphytic cactus with flattened emerald green stems that are deeply indented. Flowers are nocturnal and fragrant, appearing in the summer. These lovely flowers have many thin cream colored inner petals, with burgundy outer petals. In habitat, these plants are typically found growing in rich humus in boughs of trees or in crags of rocky inclines. Similar culture as for Orchids. Requires filtered light as do most epiphytes, and prefers a slightly acid soil, with extra organics (such as peat moss provides). Water thoroughly when soil is dry on surface, but should not be allowed to dry out completely. Prefers nighttime temperatures no cooler than 50 degrees F. especially in the winter, and daytime temperatures to 80 degrees F. Protect from frost.

By | 2016-04-10T20:26:01-07:00 April 10th, 2016|Succulents|0 Comments
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Tomato Early Blight

Your tomato appears to have one of the blight diseases that plague tomatoes. If the disease is not too extensive, clip off the diseased leaves and stems, pick up any fallen leaves and dispose all in the trash, not the compost pile. Spray or dust the plants to arrest the disease and control the insects often accompany it to stressed plants. Visit a garden center for fungicides and insecticides from organic sources and follow label directions. Water at the base of the plant, not overhead and foliar feed with a liquid kelp to possibly help revitalize the plant. Blight effects lower leaves first, then may spread upwards if not controlled. Mulch around the base of the plants plus removing some of the lower leaves can help control the blight that washes up from the soil onto plants.

By | 2016-04-10T18:42:54-07:00 April 10th, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
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Variegated Jade Plant

Native to South Africa, in nature this is a tree-like shrub to 6' in height or more. Forms branching, thick elephantine trunk topped with a canopy of shiny green, white and cream ovate leaves. As a house plant it will be much smaller. Grow this plant in full sun (a south facing window) and water only when the top half inch of potting mix feels dry. Variegated jade plants occasionally produce all-green stems. They don't tend to revert back to variegated, so clip them off any time.

The blue willow tea cup is very cute, but is there a drainage hole in the bottom? if not, you must move the plant to a pot with drainage holes in the bottom or excess water will not be able to run off. That would be fatal for a succulent like this.

By | 2016-04-10T17:22:12-07:00 April 10th, 2016|House Plants|1 Comment
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Gardenia Problem

Gardenias are notoriously difficult to grow in normal indoor conditions. And in Calgary, they don't much care for the outdoors either.

They like bright light, but avoid direct sunlight, especially during summer.
Water:Keep soil continuously moist, but reduce watering in the winter.
Temperature: Above 60ºF is preferred. Avoid cold drafts if temperature drops lower.
Soil: Use a nonalkaline soil mix, such as a rhododendron mix. They prefer slightly acidic soil.
Cold temperatures and inconsistent watering, which will cause bud and leaf drop. Common problems are insects, especially scale and aphids. A well-tended gardenia will be compact, with deep leaves, and bloom in the late summer, when the nighttime temperatures are above 60ºF and daytime temps are between 75ºF and 82ºF.

By | 2016-04-10T16:41:19-07:00 April 10th, 2016|Shrubs|1 Comment
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Scale Infestation

This appears to be scale, a sap sucking insect that attaches itself to the leaves and stems. Wiping them off with a damp cloth can be effective if caught early. However, your infestation is quite severe. If you wish to undertake chemical control, spray the entire plant (especially the underside of the leaves) with a product labeled for scale control. Or try a systemic (Bayer 3-in-1 Advanced Insect Disease & Mite Control is one example). You should also prune off and dispose of the most heavily infested parts of the plant to physically remove as many insects as possible. This looks like a Fatsia, which is quite prone to scale. Here is a link that you might find helpful: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7408.html

By | 2016-04-10T16:27:15-07:00 April 10th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Scale On Cactus

The browning of the trunk in and of itself is not a problem but rather something that all cacti tend to do as they get older. they develop a corky, barky type base. However on the left side of the plant from what I can see in the photo are small round things. This looks like scale, a sucking insect. It may have added to the barkiness of the plant. They are difficult to get rid of but try a mix of 50/50 water and rubbing alcohol and a few drops of dish washing soap in a hand held spray bottle. Spray the affected are well and use a soft brush or sponge to gently rub down the area. This should remove the existing scale. You may need to repeat every now and then if they show up. Spray the affected area down with regular water after treating.

By | 2016-04-10T14:41:55-07:00 April 10th, 2016|Plant Pests|1 Comment
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