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Now, how can you prevent this plant from bolting? We’ll share our best tips below. If you’re growing bok choy, aside from dealing with potential pest and disease issues, the last thing you want is for your crop to go to seed. When bok choy bolts, the leaves and stems can become tough and woody. The plants will stop growing, focusing their energy on setting seeds instead. The flowers may be pretty, but they signal the end of your bok choy, or pak choi, as it’s often called....

What about Christmas cactus? This tropical cactus, Schlumbergera spp., is a popular houseplant that blooms prolifically during the holiday season, under the right conditions. As anyone who has had the misfortune of rushing their precious pet to the veterinarian with kidney failure can attest, houseplants and cats can be a potentially lethal combination. And the holiday season can cause even more headaches for pet parents, with dazzling amaryllis flowers, poinsettia plants, and festive decor that may include evergreens, berries, and mistletoe to consider....

Tasting best with salt and popular in mini shakers or mills on most dining tables, Black pepper is one of the most common spices in the world. It is famous for both flavoring food and medicinal values. This spice has been around for thousands of years and people prefer it while cooking all kinds of cuisines. So, if you are thinking from Where Does Black Pepper Come From, you’re at the right place!...

Today we’re looking at a LED grow light company out of California, aptly named California Lightworks. I’ll be looking at their product line, examining their technology and company policy, and actually growing in one of their new flagship products: SolarXtreme 500. Table of Contents Let’s get into it – but before we do, here’s a deep dive into their factory based in California. I found this video fascinating, because unlike many other LED companies I’ve reviewed, they’ve given people a look behind the curtain and actually shown their entire factory:...

Culantro or the Mexican coriander is a fragrant herb with a similar flavor as cilantro but on the stronger side. The leaves have a long serrated look like lettuce. Fresh or dried culantro has many culinary and medicinal uses as it has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. By growing culantro, you can enjoy its aromatic leaves for uninterrupted supply all year round! USDA Zones: 7-11 Common Names: Sawroot coriander, Serrated coriander, Recao, Chardon benee, Shado beni, Fitweed, Coulante, and Bhandhania....

“I’m sure this is a silly question, but I always see it recommended to plant more than one seed per hole. But why? I just got a seed starting kit with some seeds and want to make sure I’m using them efficiently. Can you help me out?” It’s a great question, Sally! Understanding the answer to this question will improve your understanding of gardening and seed starting in general, because the answer hinges on an important concept: seed germination....

Winterizing is an important part of the process to help hollyhocks live their best life. But before you start worrying that you’re in for a complex and challenging road ahead, don’t panic. The process is incredibly simple. Hollyhocks are gorgeous with their tall stalks of frilly flowers. They’re so pretty that they would even be worth growing if they were super fussy. Luckily, they’re not! They are surprisingly low-maintenance, given their showy appearance....

Table of Contents Ficus benjamina, also known as the weeping fig tree, is a beautiful and beneficial tree that comes from Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. In this guide you’ll learn exactly how to grow a weeping fig plant in your home, as well as the beneficial properties it has for your health.​ Weeping Fig Tree Overview The weeping fig tree is one of the best plants to have in your home when it comes to remove formaldehyde from the air....

Borage is well-known for its vividly blue, star-shaped flowers. But, this plant isn’t all looks – it also grows delicious microgreens! Borage microgreens have a strong cucumber flavor that’s also been likened to cantaloupe, lemon, and even celery. It’s often grown instead of cucumber microgreens, even though they aren’t related. If you like to make smoothies, tea, and even fancy alcoholic drinks, borage microgreens are perfect for your garden! Table of Contents...

The bay leaves plant is usually sold in pot but if you don’t find one, propagate it from seeds or cutting. Bay Leaf Tree from Seeds Fill the seedling tray with good quality seed starting mix. Spread the seeds on soil roughly 2-inches apart. Gently press the seeds a bit and cover the seeds with 1/8 inch layer of soil mix and moisten the soil. Keep the tray in the shade, at temperature of around 70° F and constantly moist (use a sprayer for moistening the soil) until the time of germination....

What is the right way to water and how frequently you should do that? Everything answered in this short article. How to water container plants? Too much or Too little? Both too frequent or too infrequent watering is detrimental to the plant – regardless of the requirements of water. The plants better tolerate slight dryness, than too frequent watering and waterlogged soil. Always water in a way that it’ll reach the lowermost roots of plants and excess water will drain out from the holes in the bottom of the pot....

Watering plays a very important role when it comes to the health of plants. If you have this exotic flower in your home then follow our guide to know How to Water Orchids the right way. Here are the best Orchid varieties you can grow About Orchid Roots Most orchids grown indoors are epiphytes and their roots are entirely different from the normal plant roots as they are enclosed in a tissue-paper like thin membrane known as velamen that absorbs a large quantity of water quickly, encourages the exchange of minerals, and clings to rough areas....

This article will teach you how to winterize the fruit trees in your yard, as well as those planted in containers. There is always so much to do to get ready for winter. With the mad rush to harvest the last of the crops, mulch and cut back perennials, and surround the cool-weather vegetables with hoop houses, it can be so easy to forget about the trees! But while fruit trees may seem resilient, they are still susceptible to damage from frost and cold temperatures, and it is important to take steps to prepare them for winter....

Gardeners work hard to grow their own food! Why would you ever want to waste that abundance? If you don’t have a large family, you’re stuck with finding a way to preserve it. That’s where lacto-fermenting vegetables comes into play. In lacto-fermentation, we’re relying on a mix of lactic acid and salt. Fermenting vegetables with salt reduces the possibility of unwanted dangerous bacteria. Meanwhile, lactic acid bacteria naturally preserve our veggies....

We all love trees and shrubs that have beautiful fall color. We also love birds and butterflies. We can help these creatures by asking for native plants when we shop at garden centers. See: 16 Invasive Species Sold at Garden Centers You Should Never Buy Butterflies need native plants to reproduce successfully and produce caterpillars. Birds need butterfly caterpillars to feed their nestlings. We can enjoy colorful fall beauty and birds and butterflies....

Some of my favorite things to grow in my garden are root vegetables because of their element of surprise. With many other common plants, you can often track their progress by frequent visual inspection. Those that grow underground hold a sense of mystery with only their foliage to give some indication of what’s below the surface. Along with tugging free triumphant parsnips after their long growing season, I’ve also encountered some unpleasant surprises, including experiencing the damage of the carrot fly and discarding substantial parts of my carrot harvest due to this pest....

Table of Contents Here’s why I love hydroponics: with just a little imagination, you can design a custom hydroponic system for just about any application — large or small. In this series, I’m going to highlight one of the most popular hydroponic growing methods: the ebb and flow system. You’ll learn about the advantages to ebb and flow systems, as well as their downsides, and I’ll even show you how to build one on a budget....

We all love our pets and are always concerned about the stuff that goes in their mouth. One such worry of cat owners is that whether their beloved cats can have tomatoes or not? Also Read: Poisonous Succulents for Cats Can Cats Eat Tomatoes? The answer is simple, not at all! Contrary to the popular belief eating a ripe tomato or two won’t harm your furry friend in any way. According to one of the members of the Veterinary Botanical Medical Association, Dr....

Most people smile when they see the big, spherical flowers of globe thistle. They’re visually-striking and just so cheerful. They’ve become a staple in arboretums, cottage gardens, or other garden settings. Table of Contents The foliage is a bit weedlike in appearance until those giant globes of color appear. Leaves from this plant are a little prickly as they’re covered with a myriad of fine, stiff hairs. Like other thistles, they can be a little hard on the hands, but they’re great as cut flowers....

It does this by causing three different types of diseases: Botryosphaeria obtusa The fungus Botryosphaeria obtusa can cause devastating losses to apples and crabapples over a wide geographical range and especially in warm humid climates. We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. Black rot cankers (primarily in northern states) Fruit rot (primarily in southern and central states) Frogeye leaf spot (primarily in southern and central states) Part of the reason why this fungus is so widespread and ready to attack your apple and crabapple trees is that it grows on the dead tissue of many other host plants....