Jade Plant

/Jade Plant/

Jade Plant

Your plant is likely a variety of jade plant, Crassula species, a popular succulent. Grows well indoors in bright indirect light or outdoors in full or partial sun, but does not tolerate freezing temperatures. As a plant water when the soil feels dry down to the first knuckle. Do not over-water. It typically flowers in late winter/spring season. If in a container, make sure the container has drainage holes. Do not allow plant to sit in water as this may lead to root rot. The beauty of most succulents, is they can be propagated from cuttings easily. Allow the cutting to callus over in about 3-5 days, then place in moistened vermiculite and keep at temperatures around 70-75 degrees F. For more information on propagating from root cuttings, visit sites such as the following:
How to Make Jade Plant Cuttings Grow | Home Guides | SF Gate
homeguides.sfgate.com/make-jade-plant-cuttings-grow-46647.html‎

By | 2016-02-18T05:05:56-08:00 February 18th, 2016|Succulents|0 Comments
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Slugs Snails Or Chewing Insects

Looks like snails or slugs but could also be caterpillars. Look under the leaves for caterpillars and remove them by hand if you find them (some of them are small and some of them can get quite large). Look for snails and slugs at dawn or dusk and remove them and dispose of them. Also look for slime trails around the plants early in the day to indicate their presence. If you have an area of your garden or landscape that may be harboring snails, we recommend trapping them and/or collecting them from the area every morning until you've eliminated them (or as much as possible). There are also organic snail baits formulated with iron phosphate that are safe around small pets and children. Since snails/slugs lay eggs in soil, we also recommend regular cultivation of the soil with a hoe or claw-type tool around the yard/garden, but avoid damaging plant roots. This link provides great info about managing snail/slugs.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/QT/snailsslugscard.html

By | 2016-02-17T22:02:28-08:00 February 17th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Leaf Damage

You have damage that appears to be from beetles. The picture isn't from either a zinnia or a kale, however, so we're assuming that what you're seeing on those is similar? Neem doesn't work that well for many insects. Try dusting with diatomaceous earth, reapplying after a rain. Also go out at night and see if you see earwigs, brown beetles or shiny black Japanese beetles. Those are active in Northeast gardens right now. Also, the damage you see on Kale might be from the cabbage loper larvae - tiny green worms. Spray either with Bt or a product containing Spinosad. Our best guess is that this is what's doing damage on your kale at this time of year so treat it differently than the zinnias. Earwigs (brown, pinchers on their hind ends) love zinnia foliage so that might be the problem there. Diatomaceous earth is quite effective for earwigs - dust the plants and the ground around them. All of the above are organic controls.

By | 2016-02-17T21:27:38-08:00 February 17th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Dracaena Problem

There could be one or more of several reasons why the leaves are discoloring: make sure when watering (about once every 7 days) that the soil feels dry down to the first knuckle before watering again (but no drier) and that the water drains out without allowing the plant to sit in water (if there is a saucer under the plant and it is sitting in the water after watering, then this may lead to root rot and leaf edge browning); feed with a slow-release or organic fertilizer formulated for container plants; the potting soil should be a well-draining commercial potting soil or cactus potting soil (sterile and well-draining); needs bright, indirect light-the spots may be due to leaf burn from too much direct sunlight. Finally, if the leaves continue to spot and discolor, suggest you switch to steam iron water - many houseplants come from the rainforest and are sensitive to the salts in tap water. There could also be some disease issues. Here is more info: http://www.hgtv.com/landscaping/qa-leaf-spots-on-dracaena/index.html

By | 2016-02-17T19:52:24-08:00 February 17th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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Dracaena Problem

There could be one or more of several reasons why the leaves are turning brown: make sure when watering (about once every 7 days) that the soil feels dry down to the first knuckle before watering again and that the water drains out without allowing the plant to sit in water (if there is a saucer under the plant and it is sitting in the water after watering, then this may lead to root rot); feed with a slow-release or organic fertilizer formulated for container plants; the potting soil should be a well-draining commercial potting soil or cactus potting soil (sterile and well-draining); needs bright, indirect light. Finally, if the leaves continue to brown, suggest you switch to steam iron water - many houseplants come from the rainforest and are sensitive to the salts in tap water. There could also be some disease issues. Here's more info: http://www.hgtv.com/landscaping/qa-leaf-spots-on-dracaena/index.html

By | 2016-02-17T19:15:43-08:00 February 17th, 2016|House Plants|2 Comments
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Weed Or Wildflower

Unfortunately all of our advisors studied your photo and no one could identify it definitively for you. There is a fine line between a native wildflower/plant or an offspring of a cultivated plant and a weed. If it appeared suddenly amidst your cultivated plants, the chances are good that it is a weed/wildflower. There are many different weeds/wildflowers, but if it is not competing with your established plants, then leave it be if you like it. And if it is competing, then pull it out before it gets established, especially if the seed heads are allowed to mature and disperse. If you did not plant it, chances are good that it has been planted by the wind or a bird and will soon compete with your cultivated plants. Suggest you show your photo and some of the clippings to a local garden centre/botanical garden to see if they can identify further for you. If you do find out, please let us know as this is how we learn as well. Or wait until it flowers again, take another photo and we will try again for you.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:24-07:00 February 17th, 2016|Weeds|0 Comments
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Inch Worm

This could be an inchworm but it is hard to tell from the photo. These tiny larvae have the characteristic U-shape when they move, so it should be easy to tell. In small numbers, this larva of a moth does not cause too much damage, but if there is a large infestation and they are damaging your plants, you can use an organic control such as Spinosad, but spray in the early evening after the bees have returned to their hives. Once the spray has dried it is not longer harmful to beneficials and Spinosad has a 7-10 day residual. You can also use Bt, but this is a contact spray and does not have any residual. Here is some additional information about inch worms:
NCSU: ENT/ort-153 fall cankerworm
www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/.../note153.htm‎
North Carolina State University
This inch-worm caterpillar will periodically outbreak in large numbers every ... Control. Chemical- Under the approval of the NC Department of Agriculture ..

By | 2016-02-17T17:32:31-08:00 February 17th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Zz Plant

This is likely a species of Zamioculcas, an easy care low light house plant or outdoor shade plant where weather is mild. Make sure you let it dry between watering as over-watering seems to be the #1 decline of this plant. Water only when the soil feels dry down to your first knuckle. Indoors it grows best in bright, indirect light, like that of an east facing window. Do not allow plant to sit in water as this may lead to root rot. Propagaion is by leaf cuttinga. Take off a single leaf and use a commercial seed-starting mix or moistened perlite. Allow the cut stem to callus over for a couple of days before planting in the mix. It may take a year for it to form its root/tuber, so be patient. The following is a how-to you tube video that you might find helpful Good luck!
Propagating ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas Zamiifolia) - Leaf Cuttings ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLz0NXj9S4g
Jul 28, 2012 - 9 min - Uploaded by PlantzNThings

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:24-07:00 February 17th, 2016|Perennials|0 Comments
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Aphids On Brussels Sprouts

These look like aphids. Aphids like to live on either new foliage or flowers, or protected areas like your Brussels sprouts. They are fairly easy to manage in a vegetable garden - spray them with a hard stream of water to knock them off the plants, or spray with insecticidal soap from your garden center. They would also have a horticultural oil you could use, or a soap or oil with Neem product. All of these are organic treatments for aphids. (Don't use household dish soaps as they contain other ingredients you don't want on food or plants in general - only use a soap product that's made for plants and use according to directions.) Just because you had them this year doesn't mean you will in the future. Populations of insects come and go, and there are other insects and critters that eat aphids. Just keep your eyes open for them in the future and spray with the organic product of your choice used according to the label directions.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:24-07:00 February 17th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Bougainvillea

Your lovely plant is bougainvillea, an impressive woody and thorny 'vine' or shrub bearing colorful bracts (the real flowers are the small inconspicuous white flowers in the center). A South American native, it does not tolerate much frost but is a fast-growing, vigorous plant that needs a sturdy support such as a trellis, wall or fence. Needs full sun and moderate water. Bougainvillea blooms best in nutritionally poor soils. They come in many different colors.
Bougainvillea are tropical and must be protected from frost. In Zone 8 and cooler, you are almost limited to growing them in some kind of container unless you treat them as an annual (plant a new plant outdoors each year). Bougainvillea thrives in full sun. At least 5 hours a day of direct sunlight is the minimal light required for good bloom. More hours of direct sun are better. Less than 5 hours and the plant may not bloom very well.

By | 2016-02-17T14:38:02-08:00 February 17th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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