Category: General Plant Care
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New Plant Hardiness Zones For the 2024 Gardening Season and Beyond
You may not be aware that the USDA updated the Plant Hardiness Zone Map on November 15, 2023. This changes a lot of things that we gardeners are going to face in 2024 and onward. Gardeners of all skill levels use the plant hardiness map. It determines when to plant, what will grow best in…
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Propagating Prayer Plants by Stem Cuttings
Pruning your prayer plant (Maranta leuconera) should always be a part of the regular care of your plant. But propagating you prayer plant through stem cuttings is a fabulous method to get more out of your plant without harming the parent plant in the least. In fact, propagating your prayer plant can make your parent…
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Green Tomatoes With Envy
Green tomatoes isn’t necessarily a tomato problem you need to overcome. But as the growing season grows to a close, the question arises: what to do with all those green tomatoes?
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Cabbage Worms: Garden Grazing Gremlins
It is so heartbreaking to spend your time and effort cultivating produce for your table, only to end up feeding the local wildlife. Some garden pests can do their irreparable harm in as little as a single day. Gardeners of lettuce, cabbages, kale, spinach, brussels sprouts, and other leafy vegetables must beware of the dreaded…
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Blossom End Rot, What It Is, How To Fix It
Nothing is more upsetting to a gardener than dutifully caring for your plants only to find issues once the plant has begun to set fruit. Blossom End Rot is one of many common problems gardeners will encounter. It often occurs on common beginner gardener plants like tomatoes. Just because they’re easy to grow, however, doesn’t…
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Common Tomato Problems
Tomatoes are the most common plant for gardeners of all types and skillsets. It is an easy plant to grow and is extremely forgiving to most kinds of weather. Yet even as easy as tomatoes are to grow, they come with a whole host of problems. Fortunately, tomato problems are easy to diagnose. Today, I’m…
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Plant Lice: The Dreaded Aphid
Typically appearing in Spring from late May to early June (in the Northern Hemisphere), aphids are a common but nasty insect that feasts on all kinds of garden plants. Once aphids make their home on your plants, without intervention they kill even well-established plants dead within a month. This post is all about what aphids…
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Itsy Bitsy Spider Mites (Tetranychus urticae)
Nearly every gardener will encounter spider mites at some point in their lives. Spider mites are one of the most common pests to indoor houseplants — and occasionally outdoor plants as well. Most gardeners will only discover spider mites when they find white webbing on the leaves and stems of their beloved plants. Spider mites…
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White Mold, A Common Garden Problem
White mold is one of the most common plant problems for container gardens. Found on the soil of your plants, white mold can appear as either crusty or fluffy. White mold can also form in outdoor gardens. White mold thrives in moist conditions and can be dangerous for your plants and for you.
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How to go on Vacation Without Hiring a Plant Sitter
Spring Break, Memorial Day, Forth of July, Labor Day, or generic Summer Vacation are all great times to get out and see the world. But what happens to your houseplants when you’re not there to care for them? Don’t come home to wilted or dead plants. These tips and tricks will keep your plants alive…