Pruning Brambles
How Brambles Grow. It's easier to remember how to prune brambles if you understand how they grow. The plants' underground parts the roots and crown are perennial, but the canes (upright stems) that arise from the ... [... more]
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Dividing Perennials
The best time to divide plants depends on your region. In cold regions, early spring is usually the best time. The new divisions will have a more time to become established before the challenges of the long, cold ... [... more]
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Coping With Pest Deer
Repellents. There are quite a few products with flavors and odors offensive to deer that gardeners can spray on plants or spread on the soil. Some (fermented egg yolks) offend deer's sense of smell; others (predator ... [... more]
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Planting Tomatoes
Transplant. Bury tomato stems up to the plant's second true set of leaves, digging a 10- to 18-inch-deep hole, if necessary. Fill the hole with the amended soil. Roots will form along the buried stem. Protect plants ... [... more]
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Preventing Rose Diseases
It's no surprise that roses are among the most popular ornamental garden plants: they're beautiful, fragrant, and easy to grow in most climates. However, many popular roses are also susceptible to three fungal ... [... more]
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Planting Hedges And Screens
Assess your needs. Are you looking for living fence for year-round privacy, or just for seasonal screening? How much maintenance can you manage? Do you want a mixture of plants with multiseason interest (flowers, ... [... more]
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Pruning An Apple Tree
Training young trees. On 2- to 3-year-old trees, remove all branches within 30 to 36 inches of the ground and large branches that grow parallel with the main trunk (central leader) at the top of the tree. Choose ... [... more]
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Controlling Slugs
Barriers.Being soft-bodied creatures, slugs don't like anything sharp. If cut, they often will dry up and die. Sprinkle sharp sand, diatomaceous earth, or dried, crushed egg- or oyster shells around favored plants. ... [... more]
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Preparing A New Garden Plot
Eliminate the competition. Remove existing lawn by slicing under the sod with a spade and cutting it into manageable pieces. Add the pieces to your compost or use it to patch bare spots elsewhere. Kill weeds with ... [... more]
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Controlling Whiteflies And Aphids
An aphid's life. Aphids like the low light levels and cool conditions of spring and fall. They will attack all plant parts but prefer young, succulent growth. There are many species of aphids, some named after the ... [... more]
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Fertilizing Lawns
To avoid lawn damage, apply only 1/2 to 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000-sq. ft. at a time, making several small applications throughout the growing season. For example, if your lawn needs 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 ... [... more]
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Planting Trees
Buy trees and shrubs bare-root, in containers, or with roots and soil wrapped in burlap. Bare-root plants are the most economical. There's no heavy soil to manage or containers to plant. But bare-root plants, which ... [... more]
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