Author: sparky

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Yellow Leaves: Prevention, Causes And Treatment

The following post was submitted by a guest writer named Edna.

When it comes to taking care of plants, whether they are located outdoors or indoors, there are certain issues that may occur. Some of them can often appear a bit hard to explain and make their owners wonder where the problem has come from.

Yellowing of leaves is a tricky issue which brings many questions and often leaves a gardener frustrated. The leaves of both indoor and outdoor plants are prone to turning yellow in some cases, which is a process that might be difficult to explain sometimes.

This is the right time to say that there are plants, which are especially hybridized to have yellow leaves. It is important for you to know that this is not a problem with the plant, so it does not require any treatment or protection. Such leaves normally turn yellow and do not come as a sign of a sickness, so they don’t need any special care or attention.

Still, if your plants are not from the species that are intentionally hybridised for having yellow leaves, then you probably have an issue here.
There are several reasons for the issue of yellowing of leaves when they should be a healthy green that every gardener has to be aware of in order to prevent their plants from turning yellow. Or, in case the leaves of a plant have already started to get yellow, it is necessary to take the correct measures as soon as possible in order to prevent the whole plant from dying.

Here is more useful information about what causes the problem and professional tips on how to treat your plants properly, so that they recover quickly. The professional garden care from HomeMates guarantees that proper treatment of this common problem. Continue reading “Yellow Leaves: Prevention, Causes And Treatment”

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Helping a Sick Peace Lily

 

TheGardenLady received this question about a Peace Lily from Janet.

I just moved my Peace Lilly to a room with better light to discover why my leaves were turning brown on the tips then turning black. What I discovered were little white worm-looking bugs crawling in the soil. I have not found any help on the Internet and am praying for any help you can give me. Please any help will be greatly appreciated.

Not seeing the white worms in your Peace Lily plant soil it is impossible to be 100% sure of the pest you are describing. That being said, hopefully we can still save your plant if it is not too sick. I hope that I can answer your prayers, but sometimes plants cannot be ressurected.

Peace lilies are strong hardy plants, but like every living thing, it does have pests that attack it. Here is a professional website that talks about diseases and pests that harm Peace Lilies.

Sometimes people buy plants that are infested with some pest but do not see it when they bring the plant home and the pest multiplies. Sometimes a healthy plant gets insects or diseases or pests from a nearby plant.

Whatever happened to your plant we will try to help it.

Continue reading “Helping a Sick Peace Lily”

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Protecting Your Pond Plants In Winter

As the colder weather makes itself all the more apparent, it’s important to take steps to ensure the survival of your beautiful pond plants.

Maintenance

This is a key point. Trim back any leaves or other foliage and remove dead leaves and waste from the pond and surrounding areas. This will stop it rotting and releasing toxins into the water. For this reason, it’s a good idea to remove any sludge and waste from the pond floor too.

Put together an arsenal of equipment that will take you through all of the seasons. A net, pond vacuum and some plant scissors are ideal. Swell UK has a wide range of maintenance equipment that will keep your pond looking its best.

To keep the pond tidy, think about purchasing a pond net. This will keep the pond tidy all winter and cut down on maintenance for you.

Remove less hardy plants

Exotic and delicate plants should be removed at the start of the cold weather, if not before. They do not fare well in frost and may well not recuperate. Keep them in a greenhouse or in the home, and well watered over the season.

Continue reading “Protecting Your Pond Plants In Winter”

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How To Control Pests – Part VI

There are, of course, some insect pests that NO one wants. One of those insects is the Japanese beetle. Japanese beetles like over 275 plant species. For TheGardenLady Japanese beetles are especially awful on the roses.

To get rid of Japanese beetles, one should start early in their life cycle when Japanese beetles are in their grub stage living in the soil of your lawn or garden. Milky spore is considered safe to use. For answers to questions about milky spore read this.

Milky Spore’s effectiveness can be enhanced by the use of beneficial nematodes – specifically NemaSeek. Read package instructions for best time to apply in your area.

If you did not kill all the grubs in your soil with the milky spore or if some fly in from your neighbors yard, there are some other organic remedies that one can use.

Continue reading “How To Control Pests – Part VI”

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How To Control Pests – Part V

So what should a gardener do if there are insect pests in the garden?

There are too many suggestions to write just one short article about how to prevent or get rid of insect pests, but TheGardenLady will give some suggestions in this brief post.

This garden site is for the person who is a garden hobbyist, not a person making a living from the garden: but even farmers might find some good ideas on how to get rid of garden insect pests- or recommend some great ideas to the readers of this blog.

Here are just a few of TheGardenLady’s suggestions:

First of all don’t be so stressed over your garden. Expect insects to feed off your garden just as you feed off its beauty. The garden should be fun and help you relax and get rid of your stress, not cause more stress. Perfection isn’t the name of the gardening game. Remember that Nature or God made it so that all can live together: man, beast and insect.

Today more and more gardeners are going organic. It is no longer a fad or something just hippies are doing. Even the government is recommending less use of toxic chemicals and have even banned many. Going organic means using no toxic chemicals on plants. But if you feel that you can not go all the way to organic then there is a strategy called IPM or Integrated Pest Management that tolerates a little use of insecticides. IPM encourages the use of the minimum amount of pesticides after having used all the other strategies to get rid of insects- those other strategies are organic. If you are organic or using IPM, you will tolerate some insect damage in your garden. (see here)

Plant plants that attract beneficial insects that will kill insect pests. Or you can even buy some beneficial insects like lady bugs for your garden. For photos of 10 beneficial insects read this.

Continue reading “How To Control Pests – Part V”

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How To Control Pests – Part IV

This post is the fourth in a series of posts on the control of pests.

When it comes to pests, the last question you should ask yourself is, “Are insecticides the best overall management tactic?”

Insecticides have strong and sometimes dangerous chemicals in them. After all they are designed to kill. Some of these chemicals not only kill insects but are toxic to humans and animals. Some of the chemicals get into our skin, nose and mouth. Some of those chemicals get into the soil and water and last for generations if not hundreds of years.

Continue reading “How To Control Pests – Part IV”

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How To Control Pests – Part III

This post is the third in a series of posts on the control of pests.

The third question a gardener has to ask is “Will the pests spread to other plants?”

Knowing about  the pest that is affecting your plant is important so that you can know enough to outsmart the insect with the minimum amount of force or effort. Some insect pests love many crops while others insect prefer only one family of plants.

The insects that eat only one family of plants are easiest to eradicate. By getting rid of the family of plants, you eliminate that insect population. Sadly, that is what is happening to the Monarch butterfly. The Monarch butterfly’s caterpillar can only feed on the asclepias or milkweed plants – no other plant family. Milkweed is a weed pest on farms and are destroyed when builders build houses with gorgeous lawns. So the Monarch butterfly is dying out.
Continue reading “How To Control Pests – Part III”

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VIDEO: Using horticultural oil to control insects

Horticultural oil is a great way to control many insects on plants. The oil acts to smother the adults or egg stages of several different species of pests. Horticultural oils are refined petroleum oils combinedwith an emulsifying agent. Some plant-derived oils also are used.Depending on the weight of the oil, you can use them all year or just in winter. Be sure to read the labels carefully. Horticultural oils can damage some sensitive plants. If you use the oil that i…

Continue reading “VIDEO: Using horticultural oil to control insects”