Italian families have enjoyed the unique variety of edible gourd known as Cucuzza for generations. Although it may not be readily available in grocery stores, learning how to grow cucuzza gourd in your garden is simple. Learn how to grow cucuzza gourd from seed, how to properly care for it, when to harvest & my favorite ways to enjoy this delicious gourd.
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What is cucuzza gourd?
The cucuzza gourd is a long green vegetable that can grow up to 2-3 feet in length (60-90cm). It has light green skin and white flesh, a mild and slightly sweet taste, and a firm texture. Cucuzza gourds are a popular ingredient in Italian cuisine. Thanks to their high fiber and low-calorie content, they are also a healthy addition to your diet. The cucuzza vine is known for being a prolific producer, and its night-blooming white flowers are edible and often pollinated by moths.
It is often called cucuzza squash but belongs to the gourd family (Lagenaria siceraria). The many names of cucuzza gourd include cucuzzi, calabash, Italian squash, the serpent of Sicily, bottle gourd, longissima, Italian edible gourd, suzza melon, Tasmania bean, and zucca.
When to plant cucuzza gourd
Ensure the soil is warm before planting the seeds – about 65°F (18.3°C) or higher, generally, at least two weeks after your last spring frost date.
Starting cucuzza seeds can be tricky – even experienced gardeners sometimes struggle.
In the low desert of Arizona, there are two planting widows for cucuzza gourd. Plant it in March or when the monsoon moisture comes in July and August.
What conditions does cocuzza gourd grow best in?
Cucuzza gourd will thrive in areas with full-sun exposure (at least 6-8 hours) and well-drained soil rich in organic matter. One plant will quickly fill a trellis.
If using square-foot gardening, allow at least two squares for each plant. Plant them on the edge of a bed next to a trellis.
Cucuzza squash needs regular maintenance throughout its growing season if you want a successful harvest.
Once planted, give each plant some support, such as a cattle panel or large trellis, so its vines have something to climb on as they grow.
Mulch around the base of the plant to prevent weeds and preserve moisture.
Prune the vine as needed for airflow and cut off any yellowed leaves.
Water deeply whenever necessary (at least once weekly). During hot weather periods, water more frequently – at least twice per week.
Cucuzza vines produce male and female flowers. If you find female fruits are withering and not being pollinated, consider hand-pollination. To do this: remove a male flower, peel back the petals, and transfer the pollen from the male to the female flower.
Female (left) and male (right) cucuzza flowers
When is the best time to harvest cucuzza gourd?
To use as an edible gourd, harvest when young or anytime before it develops a hard shell. The seeds get larger as they grow. Once the gourd reaches 3 feet (1m) in length, it will begin to harden and mature.
I like to harvest mine at about 18 in. (45cm). This length allows plenty of usable flesh, and the taste and texture are still good.
Harvest the gourd by cutting the stem 3-4 in (7-10 cm) from the fruit.
For use as an ornamental gourd, leave on the plant until the skin matures and hardens. The cucuzza skin may form small bumps. The seeds will rattle inside when the gourd is completely mature.
Unfortunately, cucuzza seeds are not always readily available online. Consider leaving one plant to mature on the vine. Then, save seeds from the indelible gourd to plant again and share with others.
How do you prepare and use cucuzza gourd?
The flesh of cucuzza squash has a mild, slightly sweet flavor. Cucuzza squash is firmer than most types of squash and holds its shape well.
Here is how to use it:
Wash the outside.
Remove the ends and cut into manageable size pieces.
Peel and de-seed the squash if needed.
The top half is more tender. The bottom half is usually more mature and firm.
Use similar to zucchini in recipes. For example, cucuzza squash is delicious stir-fried or sauteed in butter. Other uses include quiche, stew, or any number of dishes.
Cut them into strips (like french fries) and then toss them with olive oil. Coat with a mixture of breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and roast in the oven.
My favorite way to prepare cucuzza is to peel, dice, and saute with onions and tomatoes from the garden and toss over pasta. Serve with lots of fresh garden basil. Other flavors that complement cucuzza squash: oregano, parsley, garlic, and chili powder.
The flavor of tomatoes, basil, and onions pair very well with cucuzza squash.
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Bamboo is a robust and versatile addition to the garden, but its large rhizomes and vast root system mean it needs a bit of special handling to be moved successfully.
Quick to spread, bamboo is grown for its stately architectural form, with tall, elegant stems (aka culms) forming dense stands with lush, evergreen foliage – perfect for tall hedges and privacy screens.
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Many varieties are tree-like in size, but bamboo is a subfamily (Bambusoideae) of the grass family (Poaceae) with two main types of growth, clumping and running forms.
The clumping varieties have shallow rhizomes that form thick, hard root balls. Growth is more manageable than it is with the running type, and clumps spread gradually and evenly in all directions.
The running varieties have deeper rhizomes with mats of smaller surface roots, and spread via runners, with new shoots popping up in random locations. If it’s not kept in check, this type can quickly run amok.
Regardless of their form, splitting and moving these plants is done using the same process. But with their deeper roots, you can expect lifting or splitting the running types to require a bit more work!
So before you roll up your sleeves and grab your tools, let’s have a look at how and when to divide, move, and transplant bamboo.
Here’s what’s coming up:
How to Divide and Transplant Bamboo
As mentioned, these plants form an intense root system.
And if yours has become overgrown or crowded, it’s going to take a bit of work to lift or divide, and you’ll need some good tools to make the job easier.
To lift the roots, use a clean, sharp spade or garden fork.
To cut thick rhizomes into manageable sections, you’ll need a clean, sharp spade, a handsaw, or an axe. And for very dense, tangled roots, a chainsaw is often the best option.
And you’ll need a bucket of water to hold root balls in between locations.
When to Transplant
Both types of bamboo are prolific growers. They need to be transplanted in early spring before new growth appears, or in autumn after the growing season has ended.
The robust but delicate roots are sensitive to sunlight and a lack of moisture, so avoid moving them when the sun is hot and high. Cloudy days with light mist or rain are ideal for transplanting.
But before you begin to dig up your existing stand, prepare the new site first.
The roots dry out quickly and need to be transplanted promptly – the longer they’re above ground, the less likely their chances of survival.
Prep the New Site
For the best chances of success, replant divisions immediately. Make sure the new locations are prepped before they’re dug up, so the roots don’t dry out.
Bamboo does best in a full sun location with well-draining, fertile soil and a slightly acidic to neutral pH of 5.0 to 6.5.
Use a garden fork or shovel to dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and about the same depth – most root growth extends sideways and not that deep.
Amend the soil by adding one to two parts of compost or well-rotted manure to one part of soil to improve fertility.
Add one part landscape sand, pea gravel, perlite, or stone chips to ensure well-draining soil – root rot can develop if plants are growing in soggy or waterlogged conditions.
And to help hold soil moisture, mix in one part water-retentive materials such as coconut coir, peat moss, perlite, or vermiculite.
While these grasses need well-draining soil, to keep the moisture-loving roots happy, it shouldn’t be allowed to completely dry out.
Water the soil deeply before transplanting – a moist environment is the most welcoming for the sensitive roots.
For container growth, choose pots large and stout enough to hold the vigorous roots, and heavy enough to anchor the tall, mature culms.
We’ll cover dividing and transplanting potted bamboo in more detail in a future guide.
How to Lift, Divide, and Transplant Bamboo
To lift a clump, use a spade to cut through the soil about 12 inches out from the stems. Slice down to the full depth of the blade and completely encircle the clump.
Select the best areas for division by finding natural gaps in the growth where you can separate the rhizomes. Each new section should have several healthy, mature culms.
Use a clean, sharp spade, axe, or handsaw to cut through the roots and create divisions, slicing through the fibrous roots and rhizomes to a depth of 12 inches. Start slicing at the soil edge and work your way into the center from both sides.
Loosen each section by swaying it back and forth, then use the spade as a lever under the roots to lift out each section.
For large stands with very dense rhizomes, use a chainsaw to cut through the roots, slicing down 12 inches. And of course, always wear protective clothing and safety glasses when using a chainsaw.
To thin or divide stands that have become forest-like, try my neighbor’s trick – he cut his grove into “islands” with a chainsaw then hooked each island with the winch on his pickup truck to pull them out. Slick as!
If you’re not transplanting immediately, plunge each root section into a bucket of water and lean the stand against a fence or tree. Or run a sprinkler or garden hose with the nozzle on the mist setting to keep oversized clumps moist.
Transfer each section to its new location. Backfill with soil and firm in place. Water gently but deeply.
To help keep the roots moist, add a two- to four-inch layer of mulch made from organic materials, such as compost, grass clippings, or leaf mold.
To help reduce transplant shock and ensure plants get established, provide up to two inches of water per week to keep the soil lightly moist but not wet.
Sleep, Creep, and Leap
Although bamboo is fast-growing, it can take new divisions one to three years to become fully established, depending on the type.
Keep the following bamboo adage in mind if you’re concerned about slow growth after transplanting.
“The first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps, the third year it leaps.”
And be sure to start out with the best conditions for success – prep the new location first, have the right cutting tools for the job at the ready, and keep the soil moist to quench those thirsty roots.
After the job is done, you can kick back and enjoy your private tropical forest!
Are you growing bamboo? Have you tried transplanting it? Let us know in the comments section below!
And for more information about bamboo, check out these guides next:
When it comes to pears, steaks, or even bits of gossip, I say the juicier, the better. And you’d be hard-pressed to find a juicier pear than ‘Bartlett.’
Consistently placing high in “Best Pear” lists, ‘Bartlett’ is arguably the most popular of them all.
With a delicious taste, sweet aroma, and smooth texture along with that picturesque pear shape and beautiful colors that lighten with ripening, these fruits are a delight to all the senses.
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Sporting gorgeously white blooms in early spring and lovely green leaves that turn yellow in fall, the trees themselves are an aesthetic joy, even while fruitless.
And when the pears do show up, they’re a sight to behold.
If you’re salivating at the thought of just-picked ‘Bartlett’ pears, then get ready – this guide has all the info you’ll need for growing your own.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
What Are Bartlett Pear Trees?
The ‘Bartlett’ pear, also known as or ‘Williams,’ is a cultivar of Pyrus communis, aka the European or common pear.
A member of the rose family alongside apples, strawberries, and almonds, common pears are primarily cultivated for their fruits, although their pretty appearance is certainly a fringe benefit.
Hardy in USDA Zones 5 to 7, this cultivar has an oval to pyramidal form, with a mature height and spread of 20 feet.
Dwarf forms exist, too – these attain a more petite stature of about 12 feet tall and 10 feet wide.
Shaped like narrow ovals, the three-inch long leaves are a glossy dark green, with a slight upward fold along the midrib. With a sharply pointed tip and fine serrations along the margins, ‘Bartlett’ foliage turns a beautiful yellow in fall.
Just prior to leaf emergence, the tree will bloom with three- to four-inch clusters of flowers, each with red anthers and five white petals.
Depending on the type of ‘Bartlett,’ green or dark red pears will begin to form in summer, ready to harvest in the fall.
Green fruits will become golden yellow upon ripening, while the dark red ones will turn a lighter shade of red.
And if properly cared for, this cultivar can continue bearing fruit for more than a hundred years!
Cultivation and History
The story of the ‘Bartlett’ pear begins in the late 1700s with an English schoolmaster named John Stair.
After discovering the tree growing wild in England, Stair took cuttings, which ended up in the hands of a nurseryman named Williams.
Williams commercialized the new variety and introduced it to the rest of England, humbly – ahem – naming it the ‘Williams’ pear.
In the 1790s, specimens of the ‘Willams’ variety were sent to the United States, where they were planted on the property of a Mr. Thomas Brewer in Roxbury, Massachusetts.
After buying the estate from Brewer, fellow Massachusettan Enoch Bartlett enjoyed the property’s ‘Williams’ pears, eventually propagating some of his own.
Not knowing the original European name, he allowed them to go out to the rest of the US as ‘Bartlett’ pears.
It wasn’t until the early 19th century that folks realized the ‘Bartlett’ and ‘Williams’ cultivars were actually the same variety.
But by that time, the ‘Bartlett’ name had taken the lead, and was fully cemented as the go-to American moniker… or at least by the time the American Pomological Society added it to their list of fruit and nut cultivars after its establishment in 1848.
To this day, ‘Bartlett’ continues its reign from the pear throne. If there was an official pie chart of the most-produced pear varieties in North America, then the ‘Bartlett’ slice would definitely be the largest.
Propagation
Let’s start off by talking about how you shouldn’t propagate these: via seed.
Don’t get me wrong, you can certainly try… but it’s rather time consuming, and will produce offspring that won’t be true to the parent, meaning that the fruits of your labor may not produce the exact fruits that you’d want to consume.
Grafting and budding are methods that nurseries and orchards use to yield clones of a parent plant.
In the case of fruit trees, it works by combining stem tissue from a parent tree with desirable fruit, known as a scion, with stem tissue and an attached root system of another tree with desirable hardiness, productivity, and/or disease resistance, known as rootstock.
As their union heals, the two pieces grow together as one plant, with the traits of both scion and rootstock.
There are many different techniques for joining a scion and rootstock, each with their pros and cons, and all that’s a bit beyond the scope of this guide.
But it’s certainly worth exploring once you have some ‘Bartlett’ experience under your belt!
For the average home gardener who’s new to pear trees, you should stick with stem cutting propagation or transplanting a nursery specimen.
From Stem Cuttings
First things first: you’ll need an existing ‘Bartlett’ specimen to take cuttings from. Whomever you go to for this, make sure you have their permission!
You can either take softwood cuttings in late spring to early summer, or semi-hardwood ones in midsummer to mid-fall. Softwood roots and dries out easier, while semi-hardwood is the opposite in both respects.
Once you’ve chosen your preferred type, take six- to eight-inch cuttings with sterilized pruning shears, each starting at the tip of a branch.
Snip the cuts at a 45-degree angle, and defoliate the lower two-thirds of each cutting.
After scraping off the bark from the bottom inch or two of each cutting, coat the barkless sections in a rooting hormone such as this IBA powder from Bonide, available from Arbico Organics.
For each cutting you took, fill a three- to four-inch container with a 50:50 mix of peat moss and perlite. Stick the bottom two-thirds of each cutting into the media in its own pot, and water them in.
Cover each container with a clear humidity dome. For a set of 30 individual plastic containers with accompanying clear domes, head on over to Amazon.
Make sure your cuttings receive six to eight hours of indirect sunlight per day from a nearby window, and that their ambient temperatures are in the 70 to 75°F range.
If your home is cooler than that, then you should add bottom heat to up the temperature.
Keep the potting medium moist as the cuttings form roots, and be sure to mist the cuttings above the media twice a day – softwood cuttings may require more attention, misting-wise.
If blossoms or leaves form before rooting occurs, trim them away to direct the cuttings’ resources towards root development. Whether it takes a few weeks or a few months, be patient and carry on.
Once the roots have grown about two inches long, move each cutting into its own eight-inch pot of peat moss and perlite. Make sure the pots have drainage holes!
Water in the cuttings, and add a thin layer of straw to the surface as a mulch to retain moisture.
Keep the cuttings in similar light and temperature conditions as before, but without a humidity dome. Irrigate whenever the surface of the potting medium feels dry.
When the cuttings have been growing for six months to a year, you can harden them off outdoors in springtime.
Place the cuttings outdoors in full sun for 30 minutes to a full hour before bringing them back inside.
Add 30 to 60 minutes each following day until they can spend a full day outside. Now it’s transplanting time!
Via Transplanting
Timing here depends on the transplant. Bare root trees can go in the ground in fall or spring after soaking in water for two to 24 hours, while containerized transplants should wait until spring, after the final frost.
Once it’s time, prepare deep, fertile, and well-draining planting sites with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0. Standard trees should be spaced 20 to 25 feet apart, while dwarf forms only need 12 to 15 feet. Dig holes the depth of and a bit wider than the transplants’ root systems.
In the case of bare root trees, pile up a ball of soil in the center of the hole and gently spread the roots out over it.
Potted transplants in soil can be lifted from their containers and set in the holes directly, leaving the original potting medium in place. Just be sure to loosen or cut through any roots circling the container first, if they’re present.
Alternate adding soil and irrigating until the transplant holes are fully backfilled and the trees are watered in. This allows for making adjustments to the tree to keep it straight. If necessary, tie the trunk to a stake and keep it in place for a few years to ensure upright growth.
Keep the root zone moist for the first growing season until the roots are established. If you’ve reached that point, kudos on a successful transplant!
How to Grow
A note on pollination, real quick:
While technically capable of self-pollination with the aid of bees, flies, wasps, and other pollinators, ‘Bartlett’ produces its best fruits when it’s able to cross-pollinate with another variety, such as ‘D’Anjou’ or ‘Bosc.’
Full-sized, standard ‘Bartlett’ trees should have a compatible variety planted within a hundred feet, while dwarf forms need a pollination partner ideally spaced no more than 20 feet away.
But before you can munch on those sweet, juicy pomes, the trees will need to reach fruit-bearing maturity.
If your trees are cared for properly, this should happen when they’re three to four years old!
Climate and Exposure Needs
‘Bartlett’ trees should be grown in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 7.
Additionally, they should receive 800 “chill hours” – or hours spent in temperatures below 45°F – per year, which is essential for the plant to break dormancy at the proper time.
For optimal fruiting, full sun exposure is essential. Your pear-based culinary concoctions depend on it!
Soil Needs
The ideal soil qualities were touched on earlier: deep, well-draining, and fertile, with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0.
To maintain fertility, adding an inch or two of compost or well-rotted manure to the soil above the root zone each spring would be wise.
Water Needs
Once established, a pear tree does well with a bout of thorough, deep irrigation whenever the top six inches of soil dry out.
Many soil knife blades are about that long – the perfect length for stabbing the soil to check the blade tip for moisture.
Growing Tips
Full sun exposure is ideal for peak fruit production.
Amend the soil each spring with a couple inches of organic matter.
Water deeply whenever the top six inches of soil are dry.
Pruning and Maintenance
A bit of pear tree pruning will go a long way in keeping your orchard healthy and looking sharp.
You can prune away dead, diseased, or otherwise damaged branches whenever you notice them. Making edits to the overall shape, however, should happen all at once, a bit before bud break in spring.
You’ll also want to snip away root suckers, and you should pull weeds as you notice them too.
Maintaining a three- to four-inch layer of mulch around the tree helps to suppress weeds while maintaining soil moisture and protecting the roots from physical harm.
During the first couple years or so after a juvenile tree begins to bear fruit, cutting away said fruits as they form will help the plant to focus on overall growth over fruit production, which will leave you with a better harvest in the years to come.
To add a formal aesthetic to your orchard, you might consider growing your trees as espaliers by tying and pruning them against a frame.
But of course, letting them grow au naturel in a field has never failed to look good.
To prevent infections and/or infestations, rake up fallen leaves and fruit in fall, and pluck any soft, rotted fruits that remain on the tree.
Where to Buy
Thanks to modern technology and the demand for scrumptious pears, buying ‘Bartlett’ trees has never been easier.
The Internet – or “Interwebs,” as I jokingly call it – offers fantastic means of buying a specimen. Many nurseries have these plants in stock, and provide all the information you need to make an informed purchase.
Plus, the ratings and reviews of confirmed buyers can also help you to shop smart, and may even teach you a thing or two.
Or if red is more your color and slightly reduced dimensions are more your speed, ‘Red Bartlett’ trees that reach a height of 12 to 18 feet and a spread of 12 to 15 feet are sold in #3 containers at Nature Hills Nursery.
For a pear tree with smaller dimensions maxing out at 15 feet in height and spread, check out ‘Southern Bartlett,’ also available from Nature Hills Nursery.
Of course, you could always go old-school and visit a nursery or garden center in person.
It’s nice to see the specimen for yourself prior to purchase, and chatting with the green thumbs employed there may be less frustrating than calling customer support.
Managing Pests and Disease
Humans aren’t the only ones that eye pear trees with hunger. Many furry critters and creepy-crawlies do, too.
And don’t even get me started on pathogens… at least not until we make it down to the “Diseases” section below.
Herbivores
If given the chance, flora-munching fauna will dine on your trees.
Deer and squirrels are happy to dine on the fruits, rabbits will have at the wood of young saplings, and voles can girdle the trunks of trees.
Tree wraps or guards should protect the trunks from voles and rabbits, the latter of which can be further deterred with about three feet of hardware cloth installed around the tree.
To deter vole burrowing, ensure that barriers are partially submerged at least six to 10 inches below the soil line.
Insects
It pays to control insects, especially since some can vector diseases.
Of the insects that can attack ‘Bartlett,’ you’re probably a bit familiar with some already, such as aphids, mites, and scale.
But here are two that are perhaps less familiar and worth rehashing: codling moths and pear psylla.
Codling Moths
There’s nothing worth coddling about codling moths, and it’s actually the larval forms of Cydiapomonella that do the most damage.
Never growing to be more than an inch long, the larvae start out with black heads and white bodies when they’re young, and become pinkish-bodied and brown-headed with maturity.
Feeding within infested fruits, these larvae may bore all the way to the core, or they might stop short. Regardless of the burrowing depth, this leaves infested pears grossly inedible.
Try to prevent codling moth infestation by removing and destroying fallen fruits ASAP.
If the adults show up to lay their flat, translucent eggs in spring, parasitic wasps from the Trichogramma genus will help to control them.
Also known as Cacopsylla pyricola, pear psylla kind of look similar to reddish-brown or black cicadas during adulthood, save for their two-millimeter length.
Both adults and nymphs suck up phloem from infested tissues. In large amounts, this can cause defoliation, stunted growth, and fruit drop.
Nymphs excrete honeydew onto the fruits, leading to sooty mold. And to top it off, pear psylla can transmit “pear decline phytoplasma,” which starves the roots and causes overall tree decline.
Commercial sprays for fruit trees and insecticidal soaps can help to control infestations.
Chemicals should be sprayed in spring before blooming, when the adults lay eggs. Applying up to three sprays prior to bloom time is sufficient.
A variety of beneficial bugs such as lacewings and pirate bugs can aid you in your efforts.
For some minute pirate bugs that are available to purchase for your garden, check out Arbico Organics.
Disease
Yes, various diseases may plague pear trees – some major, some minor. Many threats can be reduced with sanitary gardening: using disease-free specimens, clean soils, and sterilized tools.
But a couple are worth a more specific warning.
Fire Blight
Far cooler-sounding than it actually is, fire blight is a disease of Pyrus and other Rosaceae plants that can easily spread and kill entire trees.
Caused by Erwinia amylovora bacteria that overwinter in dead canker wood, fire blight symptoms begin with blossoms that look water-soaked at bloom time.
Leaves then become burnt-looking and shriveled, fruits perish, and branches exhibit dark, moist, and nasty patches below the bark.
In rain and humidity, these patches tend to ooze pale liquid, which turns a blood-like, rusty color as it dries.
Though some varieties of pears like the ‘Kieffer’ hybrid are known for being resistant to this disease, ‘Bartlett’ is not.
If this disease is a known problem in your area, you may opt to plant a different cultivar.
Preventatively, you can spray your trees with a product containing beneficial Streptomyces lydicus bacteria, such as this 18-ounce bag of Actinovate AG from Arbico Organics.
Start when flowers manifest, and repeat every five to seven days until the end of summer.
Pear Leaf Spot
Caused by Fabraea maculate fungi, pear leaf spot lives up to its name by causing dark purple spots on infected fruits and foliage, which eventually turn into brown blotches.
Reduce disease risk by raking up dead leaves and decaying, dropped fruits for pitching in the compost pile.
If infection has already occurred, spraying with a rotation of fungicides may be your best shot. Begin when the foliage begins to form and maintain treatment throughout the summer.
Harvesting, Storing, and Ripening
Finally, it’s time to reap what you’ve sown… even though you probably didn’t sow the seeds, technically.
A big mistake that newbies make is waiting until the fruits appear ripe before picking them, which leaves you with mushy and messy fruits to eat.
Since pears ripen from the inside out, you’re better off harvesting them when they attain a mature form and size.
After picking, bring ’em inside to ripen at room temperature.
Fruits harvested before they have a chance to become overripe should have a more pleasurable mouthfeel, and they’ll also be less messy to consume.
Individual fruits can ripen at slightly different times thanks to their ambient environments, so make sure to consider each and every fruit prior to picking!
For ‘Bartlett’ fruits, late summer to fall is usually plucking time. You’ll know that they’re ready when they’re fully formed, yet still green and firm.
Give healthy, undamaged ones the ole twist ’n tug, gently place them in a collection container, and presto!
When you’re ready for them to ripen, simply bring them out to room temperature – they should adopt a golden yellow, ready-to-eat hue in three to 10 days.
Recipes and Cooking Ideas
Without a doubt, the flagship asset of ‘Bartlett’ is the fruit.
Whether eaten raw, kept as preserves, used in syrups, sliced atop a salad, or utilized in desserts, these pears will dial the sweetness up to 11.
And if you need even more culinary applications to try, most recipes that require apples work just fine with pears instead.
Check out the enticing collection of pear recipes from our sister site Foodal now, including a pear and arugula salad with maple vinaigrette and creamy fried goat cheese, a warm and comforting pear crisp with a crunchy oat topping, and a sweet pear sorbet with ginger-infused maple syrup.
Quick Reference Growing Guide
Plant Type:
Perennial fruit tree
Flower/Foliage Color:
White/green (yellow in fall)
Native to:
Europe
Tolerance:
Suboptimal soil drainage
Hardiness (USDA Zones):
5-7
Soil Type:
Deep, fertile
Bloom Time/Season:
Early spring (flowers), fall (fruit)
Soil pH:
6.0-7.0
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil Drainage:
Well-draining
Time to Maturity:
3-4 years (fruiting)
Attracts:
Bees, flies, wasps, other insect pollinators; birds; various herbivores
Spacing:
20-25 feet (standard), 12-15 feet (dwarf)
Companion Planting:
Insect-repellent crops such as fennel, marigolds, and chrysanthemums
If fruits had knees, then all pears would bend theirs to ‘Bartlett.’ Unparalleled in its soft and juicy sweetness, ‘Bartlett’ has a mind-blowing taste, no matter how it’s consumed.
Plus, I’m not much of an artist, but a ripened ‘Bartlett’ would definitely be my pome of choice for those still life fruit paintings that art museums seem to go nuts for. Nothing reflects cascading sunlight quite like golden yellow, y’know?
Do you have questions, comments, or delicious recipes to share? The comments section is ready and waiting.
The landrace cucumber project is really in full swing this year.
We got home from little Julie’s funeral and picked the many cucumbers that had gotten big in the time we were gone.
All these cucumbers grew in the Grocery Row Gardens, where we planted them as a ground cover layer.
Some of the seeds are from the mix of pickling varieties we grew last year at the old house. That was the beginning of the landrace: just planting a half-dozen cucumber types and letting them all run together and interbreed.
This year we mixed in a few more types along with plenty of the seeds we saved from 2022.
The vines just run together and we let the insects cross all the types.
Each cucumber planting station in the Grocery Row Gardens contained 2-4 randomly selected seeds, so the types are all together and able to cross.
Thus far, the plants have been very vigorous and are producing much more than we can eat fresh.
And the cucumber yield as of this morning:
137lbs!
Our kitchen and porch are now overflowing with cucumbers. Today may have been our last picking, as we need to save lots of seeds for next year as well as to put up for sale.
Our goal for today is to make sweet relish, lots of jarred dills and some live fermented pickles. The 60lbs or so in the kitchen need processing ASAP.
Because when you have a ton of produce all at once, you just have to declare
…and get it done.
We’re greatly enjoying the landrace gardening idea, as it makes seed saving much more fun. We’re also seeing higher vigor this year, which we’d like to attribute to the adaptation of genetics; however, we also moved from The Cursed Sandpit of Death to our current home which has nice sandy loam soil, so we can’t really make any judgements.
EVERYTHING is growing better here, landrace or not. We’ve already hauled in over 200lbs of potatoes and 54lbs of radishes, which were two of our larger spring crops.
It will be interesting to see how the rest of the year goes. There are so many exciting projects in the works!
If you’ve ever looked at a seed catalogue, you’ll be bombarded with more options than you know what to do with. But what are the different lettuce greens you find at the store? Can you grow those yourself? Today, I’m breaking down the types of lettuce you can grow at home and which ones I recommend!
Red velvet lettuce
Without a doubt, lettuce is a staple in many of our grocery stores, gardens, and fridges. We can’t get enough of its health, mild flavour, and crunch that comes with a good piece of lettuce.
Lettuce plants are cool-season annuals that are actually part of the daisy and sunflower family, Asteraceae. Typically, we grow them in spring and fall. During the summer, conditions are too hot, and the lettuce tries to bolt.
Bolting is when the plant flowers and goes to seed. At this point, the leaves usually become bitter. So we want to harvest our lettuce before then!
You have four main types of lettuce to grow: butterhead, crisphead, romaine, and loose-leaf lettuce. I typically break things down into either loose-leaf or head lettuce.
There are SO many different types of lettuce, so let’s break things down a bit so you can figure out the different lettuce greens you want to grow in your garden.
This post will cover…
To save on space, you can grow lettuce in vertical containers like in this upcycled pallet. Of course, make sure it’s untreated wood first.
Expert Tips for Growing Lettuce
Head lettuce is best grown for harvesting large quantities of lettuce at one time, or when you want larger leaves, such as those used for wraps and burgers.
Loose-leaf lettuce is the easiest to grow and you can harvest it quite quickly and throughout the growing season when you practice succession planting.
Beneficial insects are important for natural pest control. Predatory wasps can get in between the leaves of the tightly packed lettuce, practically washing out your lettuce for you.
When harvesting loose-leaf lettuce, rinse it and wash it in a salad spinner. Rather than transferring the lettuce to a plastic container, let the greens sit in the fridge in the salad spinner. They will last much longer this way!
Lettuce can come in many different colours and textures.
Head Lettuce
Head lettuce grows in tight bunches of leaves. They’re round in shape and can get to be the size of a human head!
First, they form a rosette in the center. Then layers of leaves grow around it to cover the middle. Most lettuce varieties can produce a full-sized head when left to reach maturity.
There’s also mini-head lettuce, which is much smaller. These are either harvested earlier or are specific varieties of lettuce that don’t grow as large.
To harvest head lettuce, you take the whole head of lettuce, cutting the stem at the base of the plant.
Speckled lettuce
Different Types of Head Lettuce
Many of the most popular types of lettuce we find in the grocery store are considered head lettuce. Here are some different types of head lettuce:
Iceberg lettuce: once the most popular type of lettuce, iceberg lettuce is still a popular lettuce for crunchy salads. A type of crisphead lettuce, it has stiff leaves that grow upright. The appearance is similar to cabbage, with a familiar circular shape and light green colour.
Romaine: popular for its crisp and mild flavour, people likely consider romaine one of the best types of lettuce since it’s the core of Caesar salad. The upright leaves are long, creating a tall oval shape and have a sweet flavour. The outer leaves are dark green and slowly lighten to a lighter green inside.
Butter lettuce: this lettuce has a very loose head formation, where you can easily break off the outer leaves one at a time. The leaves are often bright green, large and wide, and can bruise easily. The taste is very sweet and buttery. Boston and Bibb are the most popular types of butter lettuce, and Bibb is mostly grown for mini-heads.
Red deer tongue romaine lettuce
Loose-Leaf Lettuce
You’ll often find loose-leaf lettuce in the plastic containers at the grocery store. They are open leaves in loose clusters rather than a singular, large head. They have no true stem until the lettuce begins to seed, in which a tall flower emerges from the center.
The leaves of loose-leaf lettuce grow outwards from the base. When harvested, you pick the outer edges of the plant or harvest the entire thing at once. This method of harvesting as you need makes loose lettuce preferable for home gardeners, as you don’t have to wait for an entire head before you can harvest it.
This also means that the leaves are more perishable than the head varieties, so they’re best eaten fresh. Many people grow loose-leaf lettuce as baby greens, which is when you sow the seeds in a high density and harvest when they’re very young. Loose-leaf lettuce has a much quicker maturity time than head lettuce.
Loose-leaf lettuce comes in various colours, such as red, green, and speckled, and shapes, including flat, crinkly, and oakleaf.
Different Types of Loose-Leaf Lettuce
Loose-leaf lettuce comes in all kinds of varieties, though many are lesser known than the head lettuces since we often grow them as salad mixes rather than each variety individually. Here’s how most are broken down:
Oakleaf lettuce: this lettuce has curly edges and crisp centers. As the name suggests, the shape is similar to the leaves you find on an oak tree. Many people grow oakleaf lettuce for baby leaves.
Green and red leaf lettuce: most spring mixes will comprise of green and red leaf lettuce. They typically have a mild flavour and bright colours, whether that’s a deep burgundy or a vivid green.
Lollo rossa: this frilly, red lettuce is often grown as a garnish or for wraps. Think of the lettuce decorating a buffet! It’s also great to grow for baby leaves.
Summer crisp: also known as Batavia, this lettuce can be grown to full maturity as a head lettuce or harvested when young as a loose-leaf lettuce. Even as a head, separating the leaves is loose and easy. It has thick, crisp leaves, often with a crinkly edge.
Some of the most popular loose-leaf lettuce to buy are red sails, salad bowl, red salad bowl, merlot, and oakleaf.
Cut-and-Come-Again Versus One-Cut Lettuce
Another way to classify the different types of lettuce is by how you harvest it. The cut-and-come-again method is my personal favourite choice and how I like to grow my lettuce. Through this method, you cut the outer edges of loose-leaf lettuce as you need it. One-cut lettuce is when you harvest at once, typical of head lettuce.
With cut-and-come-again lettuce, the plant will continue to grow after you harvest from it, as long as the basal (main base) of the lettuce remains intact. Lettuce for cut-and-come-again gardens are those that regrow fast, retain flavour, and are uniform in size and shape.
You can practice succession planting easily with lettuce using the cut-and-come-again method and sowing replacement seeds once a week for an endless supply of greens.
On the right, you can see the lettuce I already harvested. Then I plant more in its place!
My Personal Lettuce Recommendations
So what do I grow at home? Here are different lettuce greens I grow on a regular basis:
Freckles: this is a bright romaine with splotches of red. It’s crisp and can be grown as baby leaf lettuce or as a head.
Red sails: these deep red leaves have a medium green center and crinkly edges. Red sails take a long time to mature, meaning you have plenty of time to harvest before it begins bolting.
Darkness: a type of lollo rossa lettuce, darkness is a deep red lettuce with very frilly edges. I love the colour darkness adds to my salad and the texture.
Green oakleaf: one of the easiest lettuces to grow, these are great baby greens. The taste is very rarely bitter, offering a mellow and sweet flavour.
Buttercrunch is a type of bibb lettuce with delicate bright green leaves. You can even grow this all winter with frost protection.
To top it off, I also mix in baby kale, arugula, and Swiss chard.
Adding other greens to your salad, such as Swiss chard, provides different textures and flavours.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Different Types of Lettuce to Grow
What type of lettuce is easiest to grow?
Loose-leaf lettuce is best for beginners. It grows quickly, and you can harvest it as needed rather than waiting for a whole head of lettuce to form. Pests also really love lettuce, so the longer growing times can be quite a detriment; even if your head lettuce is growing well, others could munch it before you get the chance to.
Which type of lettuce grows fastest?
Look for lettuce advertised as baby leaf lettuce (often loose-leaf lettuce). These types of lettuce are ready for harvesting just 3-4 weeks after you plant the seeds. Then you can practice them as a cut-and-come-again garden, sowing seeds once a week for a constant supply of baby greens.
What lettuce grows all year round?
You can grow loose-leaf lettuce year-round in mild climates and maybe even in cold climates when you grow them with protection, such as in a cloche tent, cold frame, or greenhouse.
The Peruvian Apple Cactus, is a stunning columnar cactus native to South America. It’s towering presence and low maintenance needs make it a unique addition to any home or landscape.
The botanical name is Cereus Peruvianus. In recent times it is more commonly called Cereus repandus.
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The common names for Cereus peruvianus include:
Apple Cactus
Peruvian Torch
Column Cactus
Night-blooming Cereus
Queen of the Night
Screw Cactus Plant
Cereus Peruvianus “Peruvian Apple Cactus” Facts
Origin: South America
Family: Cactaceae
Botanical Name:Cereus peruvianus (see’-ree-us)
Common Name: Peruvian Apple cactus, apple cactus, Queen of the Night, column cactus, night blooming cereus, screw cactus plant, giant club cactus
Plant Type: perennial
Height: 12″ inches to 25′ feet tall
Leaves: Ribbed sea-green and gray-green stems, brown or black spines
Flowers: Free-blooming plant, White flowers, slight fragrance
Bloom Time: June through August
Hardiness: Outdoor USDA Hardiness Zones 8 through 10
Exposure: Full sun, partial shade with bright and direct light
Soil: Well-drained cactus soil with lots of sand
Watering Needs: During active growth, water thoroughly allow the soil to dry, with minimal watering during winter
Fertilizing: Half-strength liquid cactus fertilizer about every ten days during the growing season.
Propagate: Large stem cuttings directly “stuck” into the container.
Pests & Problems: Scale and Mealybug
Peruvian Apple Cactus Care
Caring for the Cereus cacti is relatively simple, making it a great choice for both novice and experienced gardeners. Here are some key aspects to consider for its care:
Size & Growth: How Tall Does Cereus Peruvianus Grow?
The Peruvian Cereus Apple is a fast-growing cactus that can reach impressive heights. In its native habitat, the grayish-green to bluish stems grow up to 25′ feet tall or 7.62 meters. It typically reaches 6′ to 10′ feet tall or 1.8 to 3 meters when grown in home gardens or as an indoor plant.
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The Peruvian cactus has a columnar shape and a single, sturdy trunk. It develops branches or arms as it gets older. These arms reach upwards, creating a tree-like look. The plant’s surface is ribbed, with areoles or small bumps, where sharp spines appear.
Peruvianus cactus grows relatively fast compared to other cacti. It adds up to 12″ inches per year, particularly when young and in ideal conditions. The growth rate depends on light, temperature, water, and soil quality.
The cactus’s main stem can measure 4″-8″ inches (10-20 cm) in diameter, with its branches being slightly narrower. Trimming can help manage the plant’s size and promote fuller growth.
The Apple Cactus is a plant with remarkable longevity, with some thriving for decades. Its rapid growth, impressive stature, and enduring vitality make it a standout selection for any garden or indoor plant collection.
Cereus Peruvian Apple Cactus Bloom: Flowering and Fragrance
The “night-blooming cereus cactus” is known for its stunning, night-blooming flowers. These flowers typically appear in the warmer months of the year. Each flower bud emerges from an areole on the cactus and grows for several weeks before it finally opens. The flowers open at night and last for only one night.
The flowers of the Peruvian torch cactus are large, often reaching up to 6″ inches (15 centimeters) in diameter. They are cream-colored to white in color with a complex structure with numerous petals forming a circular pattern. The center of the flower contains a cluster of yellow stamens.
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One of the most remarkable features of these flowers is their fragrance. The scent is sweet and strong, designed to attract night-pollinating insects. After the flower has been pollinated, it will close and start developing a fruit. The fruit is round and red, resembling an apple, hence the common name “Peruvian Apple”.
As mentioned above, the flowers are only open for one night. Don’t miss your chance to see and enjoy your apple cactus flowers!
Queen of the Night Light & Temperature
The Cereus cactus, like most cacti, thrives in bright light. It grows outdoors in full direct sunlight. If you’re growing Peruvianus cactus indoors, place it near a south-facing window with lots of bright indirect light. If the light is too low, the cactus may become leggy and stretch toward the light source.
In terms of temperature, the column cereus prefers warm conditions. Heat is not an issue for this cactus. It can tolerate temperatures over 95° degrees Fahrenheit (35° Celsius). Peruvianus should be protected when temperatures drop below 35° degrees Fahrenheit (1.6° Celsius). If you live in a cold winter location, it’s best to grow your cactus in a pot and bring it indoors during the colder months.
Peruvian Torch Watering and Fertilizing
As a desert cactus, the Peruvian torch cactus doesn’t require frequent watering or lots of humidity.
During the active growth phase in spring and summer, water thoroughly. Allow the soil to dry between watering. This helps prevent root rot, a common issue with overwatered cacti.
PRO TIP: It is better to underwater than overwater when it comes to cacti.
In the summer, water once a week. In the winter, reduce watering to once a month.
To ensure strong, healthy growth of your night-blooming cereus, feed using a balanced cactus fertilizer during the growing season (spring and summer). Follow the instructions on the package. Avoid overfeeding, which can result in excessive growth and weak, leggy plants.
The Queen of the night cactus prefers a well-draining potting soil mix to prevent waterlogging and root rot. A commercial cactus mix will work well, or you can make your own by mixing regular potting soil with coarse sand and perlite.
Transplanting should be done carefully to avoid damaging the root system. The best time to transplant is in the spring, at the start of the growing season. When transplanting, handle the cactus carefully to avoid injury from the spines. Use gloves or wrap the cactus in a thick layer of newspaper.
Can I Grow Apple Cactus in a Container?
Yes, you can grow Peruvian Apple Cactus in a container. In fact, it’s a indoor popular choice because of its columnar growth habit and small footprint.
Growing Night Blooming Cereus Cactus in Pots
Growing the Peruvian Apple Cactus in pots is a great option, especially if you live in a colder climate where it can’t stay outside year-round. Choose a pot that’s slightly larger than the root ball of the cactus and has good drainage. The pot should be deep enough to accommodate the long taproot that the cactus develops.
When potting up the cactus, place a layer of gravel or small stones at the bottom of the pot for extra drainage. Then add the cactus soil mix and plant the cactus at the same depth it was growing at before. After potting, wait for a week before watering to allow any damaged roots to heal.
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When grown indoors in a pot will allow you to control its size. Pruning can keep the cactus at a manageable size, making it easier to move and handle.
In conclusion, the Peruvian Apple Cactus is a versatile and hardy plant that can thrive in the ground and pots. With its striking appearance, beautiful flowers, and easy care, it’s a great choice for both beginner and experienced gardeners. Whether you’re growing it for its ornamental value or its delicious fruit, the Peruvian cereus repandus will surely stand out in your plant collection.
Night-Blooming Cereus Grooming And Maintenance
This cactus is relatively low-maintenance. However, you might need to prune it if it becomes too tall for your space. When pruning, always use clean, sharp tools to avoid spreading diseases. Remember to let the cuttings dry for a few days before replanting them.
What Is The Monstrose Cactus?
The Monstrose Apple Cactus is a variant of Cereus peruvianus, known for its unusual growth habit. The term “monstrose” in the world of cacti and succulents refers to plants that exhibit abnormal growth. This often results in unique and interesting forms.
PinCereus Peruvianus Monstrose growing in full sunlight
In the case of the Monstrose Apple Cactus, instead of growing in a straight, columnar fashion like the standard Peruvian Queen of the night cactus, it grows more irregularly, twistedly. The stems of the Monstrose variant can have multiple offshoots, bumps, and curves, giving the plant a somewhat “monstrous” appearance, hence the name.
Despite its unusual growth habit, the Monstrose Peruvianus shares the same care requirements as the standard Peruvian Apple Cactus. It prefers a sunny location, well-draining soil, and infrequent watering. It also produces the same beautiful, night-blooming flowers and edible fruits.
The Monstrose variety is popular among cactus enthusiasts and collectors due to its unique appearance. Each plant is truly one-of-a-kind, adding an element of interest and conversation to any garden or indoor plant collection.
How To Propagate Peruvian Apple Cactus
Propagation by Seeds
Growing an Apple Cactus plant from seed can be fun but requires patience. Sow the seeds in a well-draining cactus mix and moisten the soil until germination.
Propagation by Stem Cuttings
Propagation by stem cutting is the fastest, easiest, and most popular method of propagating Cereus cactus. It’s relatively simple and can yield a new plant from a bare root cutting in a short amount of time. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it:
Step #1: Choose a Healthy Stem
The first step in propagating is to choose a healthy stem cutting from the parent plant. Look for a mature stem that is not old or woody. It should be firm and green, without any signs of disease or pest infestation.
Step #2: Make the Cut
Once you’ve chosen a suitable stem cutting, use a sharp, clean knife or pair of pruning shears to make a cut. The cut should be made at a 45-degree angle to increase the surface area for rooting. Make sure to protect your hands with gloves, as the cactus spines can be sharp.
Step #3: Let the Cactus Cutting Dry
After taking the stem cutting, it’s important to allow the cutting dry for a few days to a week. This allows a callus to form over the cut surface, helping prevent rot when the cutting is planted.
Step #4: Plant the Cutting
Once the cutting has dried and callused, it’s time to plant.
Choose a pot with drainage holes that is just slightly larger than the cutting itself.
Fill the pot with a good layer of a well-draining cactus mix. Fill with enough soil to create a stable base for the cutting. Buy a pre-made cactus mix or combine equal parts of coarse sand, perlite, and regular houseplant potting soil. The soil should be dry at the time of planting.
Make a small cavity in the soil where you will place the cutting. The cutting should be planted deep enough to stand upright (not more than 1″ – 3″ inches deep). The goal is to have the cutting stand up on its own but not so deep that the healthy tissue is buried. NOTE: If the cutting was cut at an angle, try to position the cutting so it’s as upright as possible.
Begin filling in with the soil mix around the base of the cutting.
Gently firm the soil around the base of the cutting to hold it in place.
Do not water the cutting immediately after planting. Wait until the temperatures warm up and are consistently in the upper 70s before watering.
Step #5: Wait for Roots to Develop
After planting the cutting, place it in a warm, bright location and wait for roots to develop. This can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.Avoid direct sunlight. Too much intense light can cause the cutting to dry out before it has a chance to establish roots.
Step 6: Care for Your New Plant
Once your cutting has developed roots, care for it as you would a mature Peruvian cactus. Provide plenty of light, water sparingly, and feed with a balanced cactus fertilizer during the growing season.
Propagation from a stem cutting is a great way to multiply your cactus collection or share them with friends and family.
Peruvian Apple Cactus Problems: What Pests Attack Of Cereus Peruvianus?
Mealybugs and scale insects are common pests that attack Cereus Peruvian Apple. They feed on the plant’s sap. These pests can weaken the plant and stunt its growth if left untreated. Severe infestations can kill the plant. Regular inspections and prompt treatment can help keep these pests at bay. Here’s how you can control these pests:
Manual Removal: If the infestation is small, you can remove mealybugs manually using a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. The alcohol kills the bugs on contact.
Insecticidal Soap or Neem Oil: You can use an insecticidal soap or a neem oil solution for larger infestations. Spray the solution on all parts of the plant, making sure to cover all areas where mealybugs often hide. Repeat the treatment every week until the infestation is gone.
Introducing beneficial insects, such as ladybugs and lacewings, outdoors can help control mealybug populations since they are natural predators of mealybugs.
Plant Scale Insects
Scale insects are tiny round bugs that feed on plant sap. They have a hard shell-like covering, making them resistant to most insecticides.
Manual Removal: For a small infestation, you can scrape off scale insects using a soft brush or a toothpick. Be careful not to damage the plant.
Horticultural Oils, like neem oil, can effectively control plant scale insects by suffocating them through the blockage of their air holes. Apply the oil on the plant, ensuring all surfaces are covered.
Systemic Insecticides can be used to control severe infestations by being absorbed by the plant and killing insects that feed on its sap. However, they should only be used as a last resort since they can also harm beneficial insects.
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Remember, the key to controlling pests is early detection. Regularly inspect your plants for signs of pests and take action as soon as you spot any bugs. You can keep your Peruvian Apple Cactus healthy and pest-free with prompt and appropriate treatment.
What are the Common Diseases of Peruvian Apple Cactus?
The Peruvian Apples are generally hardy plants, but they can be susceptible to a few diseases. The most common diseases are root rot and stem rot.
Root Rot
Root rot is a common cacti disease usually caused by overwatering. The excess water creates a damp environment ideal for fungi’s growth, which can infect the roots and cause them to rot.
Symptoms of root rot include:
Yellowing or wilting of the plant
Slow growth
General decline in the plant’s health
In severe cases, the plant may collapse or die.
If you suspect root rot, remove the cactus from its pot and examine the roots. Healthy roots should be white or light tan and firm to the touch. If the roots are brown, black, and mushy, they are likely rotting.
To treat root rot:
Trim away the affected roots
Repot the cactus in fresh, well-draining soil
Be sure to let the cut ends dry out before repotting
Avoid overwatering
Make sure the plant is in a soil and pot with good drainage
Stem Rot
Stem rot is another disease that can affect the Peruvian Apple Cactus. Like root rot, it’s often caused by overwatering or poor drainage, leading to moisture buildup around the stem.
Symptoms of stem rot include a soft, mushy stem, often with a dark, discolored area where the rot is occurring. The cactus may also start to lean or fall over.
You’ll need to remove the affected part of the stem to treat stem rot.
Use a sharp, clean knife to cut away the rot
Remove all the diseased tissue.
Allow the cut end to dry and callus over
Repot in fresh, well-draining soil.
Prevention is the best cure for both root rot and stem rot. Always make sure your cactus is planted in well-draining soil. Be careful not to overwater. Remember, cacti are desert plants and are adapted to dry conditions. They can tolerate drought much better than they can tolerate excess water.
Suggested Uses For Night-blooming Cereus
Ornamental Uses
The Peruvian Apple Cactus makes a great ornamental plant with its impressive height and beautiful flowers. It can be used as a focal point in a garden or as a unique indoor plant.
Edible Uses: The Fruit of Cereus Peruvianus is Edible?
Yes, you read that right! The fruits of Peruvian apples are not just edible but delicious. They have a sweet taste and can be eaten fresh or used in cooking. They serve as a wonderful source of food for both humans and the local bird population.
Harvesting and Storing Peruvian Apples
When and How to Harvest
Peruvian Apples are usually ready to harvest in late summer or early fall. They should be harvested when they are fully ripe, as indicated by their bright red color.
How to Store the Edible Fruit
Peruvian Apples can be stored in the refrigerator for a few weeks. They can also be frozen for longer storage.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Pollinate the Peruvian Apple Cactus?
In nature, bats and moths help pollinate the peruvianus. But, if you want to try to pollinate your nigh-blooming cereus plant to produce fruit, follow these steps:
Spot the Flowers: Look for large, white flowers on your Peruvian Apple Cactus. They usually bloom at night and close by the afternoon.
Get Your Tools: You’ll need a small, soft paintbrush or cotton swab for pollination.
Collect Pollen: Use your tool to gently brush against the stamens (center part of the flower) to collect the yellow pollen dust.
Transfer Pollen: On a different flower, brush your pollen-covered tool against the stigma (also in the center, surrounded by stamens).
Wait: If pollination works, the flower will turn into a fruit over several weeks. Be patient as you wait for results.
Keep Trying: Not all pollination attempts will be successful, especially self-pollination. If your cactus doesn’t fruit, don’t worry. Keep trying, and you might eventually see a Peruvian Apple Cactus fruit.
What Is The Peruvian Torch Plant’s Origin?
The Apple Peruvian Torch Cactus, as the name suggests, originates from South America. Despite its name, it’s not exclusive to Peru and can be found in various regions across the continent.
How Is The Name Cereus Peruvianus Pronounced?
The botanical name, Cereus Peruvianus, is pronounced as “Seh-ree-us Per-u-vi-anus”.
What Family Cereus Does Belong To?
Cereus repandus belongs to the Cactaceae family, known for its diverse range of succulent plants adapted to arid environments.
Is The Apple Cereus An Annual or Perennial?
The Apple cereus is a perennial plant. It’s known for its impressive longevity and can tower over 25′ feet tall with proper care and favorable conditions.
My Apple Cactus is Leaning Towards the Left. What Should I Do?
If your Peruvian Apple Cactus is leaning, it might be due to insufficient light. Try moving it to a brighter location. You might need to stake the cactus to provide support if the leaning is severe.
PRO TIP: If your cereus is leaning because it is growing towards the light, rotate your plant a ¼ turn every week.
Is Cereus Peruvianus Poisonous?
No, the Peruvian cactus is not poisonous. But it’s always a good idea to keep plants out of reach of pets and children. Also, wash your hands after handling any plant to avoid skin irritation.
How Often Does the Cereus Cactus Bloom?
The Peruvian Apple typically blooms once a year, during the summer months. However, the exact timing varies depending on the plant’s age and growing conditions.
Time Lapse Blooming of Apple Cactus Cereus Night
What Happens If You Get Poked by a Cactus?
Getting poked by a cactus can be painful but usually not serious. If you get poked:
Remove the spine carefully with tweezers
Wash the area with soap and water
Apply an antiseptic to prevent infection
Can the Peruvian Apple Cactus Survive Frost?
The Peruvian Apple Cactus is not frost-tolerant. If you live in a region where temperatures drop below freezing, it’s best to grow your cactus in a container so you can bring it indoors during the winter months.
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Is Cereus Jamacaru, Cereus Hildmannianus, and the Screw Cactus Plant the Same as Cereus Peruvianus?
Cereus jamacaru, also known as the Jamaican Apple Cactus, is a species of cactus native to South America. It’s a tall, columnar cactus that can reach heights of up to 25′ feet. It produces large, white, night-blooming flowers are followed by edible fruits. The fruits are red and have a sweet taste, similar to that of dragon fruit.
Cereus hildmannianus, commonly known as the Hedge Cactus or Queen of the Night. It is another cactus species native to South America. It’s a tree-like cactus that can grow up to 33 feet tall. It has a columnar growth habit with branches that grow from the base of the plant. Like other members of the Cereus genus, it produces large, white, night-blooming flowers.
The Screw Cactus, scientifically known as Cereus forbesii spiralis, is a unique cactus known for its twisted, spiral-like growth habit. It’s a slow-growing cactus that can reach heights of up to 10 feet. The stems of the Screw Cactus twist as they grow, giving the plant its characteristic spiral appearance. It produces pink flowers followed by red, edible fruits.
These three cacti are part of the Cereus genus and share similar care requirements. They prefer a:
Sunny location
Well-draining soil
Infrequent watering
They are also capable of producing edible fruits, making them beautiful ornamental plants and useful ones.
In Closing
The Peruvian Apple cactus is a truly remarkable plant. Its towering height, beautiful flowers, and delicious fruits make it a great addition to any garden. Whether you’re a novice gardener or an experienced one, this cactus is sure to bring you joy and satisfaction. So why not give it a try? You might find that it’s the perfect plant for you.
My favorite moments of the day are in my gardens. I love sharing my gardens and photos of my gardens with everyone in hopes of providing them with a few moments of peace and serenity.
It’s hard to get more romantic and serene than a perfect rose. This looks to be one of the David Austin varieties, combining old-fashioned rose forms with modern reblooming and growth habits.
Does any plant do rich, velvety red better than roses?
Red, white, and blue petunias (Petunia hybrids, Zones 10–11 or as an annual) are joined in this hanging basket by a yellow sedum (Sedum ‘Angelina’, Zones 5–9).
Here’s another wonderful rose. I love this angle, looking up at the nodding flower, with more flower buds and the blue sky above.
This brilliantly colored rose looks like it could be the classic variety ‘Joseph’s Coat’.
The front porch is lined with climbing roses just dripping with blooms. Climbing roses don’t cling to structures by themselves; each cane has to be carefully tied into place, which can be a difficult process because of the thorns. Patricia’s hard work growing and training these roses has paid off incredibly. Her front porch is stunning.
Looks like the beautiful roses are popular with four-legged visitors to the garden as well!
This rose looks like it might be the variety ‘Dr. Huey’, which commonly ends up in gardens because it was popular as a root stock in the past. If a delicate variety grafted onto it dies, sometimes the root stock takes over and you get a rose like this.
‘Double Knock Out’ rose is a very popular variety because it is durable, disease resistant, and flowers heavily.
Peonies (Paeonia hybrids, Zones 3–8) and bearded irises (Iris hybrids, Zones 3–8) bloom along a fence. Peonies and irises are standards in gardens new and old because they are so beautiful, reliable, and long-lived.
Have a garden you’d like to share?
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
When the perfume of linden trees drifts across New York neighborhoods, I know that it is serviceberry season. Roses have been flowering for weeks, Japanese honeysuckle has erupted. It’s June. Red and purple when ripe, with a faint bloom on their skins, serviceberries hang in clusters from graceful trees. Locally, they are often planted in public landscapes for their spring blossoms, blazing autumn foliage, and graceful resilience in the face of urban adversity. In good fruit-bearing years their branches may bend low, making it easy to reach up and collect the sweet fruit, although often it drops to the sidewalk, untouched. Despite their native status, outstanding flavor, and ability to keep well (refrigerated), serviceberries are rarely seen at market. This is curious, because they are uniquely delicious.
Above: Foraged serviceberries keep for 10 to 14 days in the fridge.
Serviceberry is one of a slew of common names for the different species, hybrids, varieties, and cultivars of Amelanchier trees and shrubs. Some common names are associated with a particular species, but mostly they are used interchangeably. So A. arborea, which has dozens of nursery-trade cultivars, is also known as downy serviceberry, juneberry, shadbush, servicetree and sarvis-tree. But it’s hard—even for botanists—to sort out Amelanchier taxonomy, and what you buy at a nursery might not match what the label says. The trees and shrubs tend to hybridize easily, too, making precise identification tricky. They may be multi-stemmed or single-stemmed, they may be tall, or shrubby. What does matter, is how they taste.
Early summer is the time to start sampling.
Above: Downy serviceberry has a fuzz on emerging leaves.
Most Amelanchier species are native to North America. On the East Coast serviceberries’ pointed, greenly-white buds open to accompany the running of shad (where shad still run), a herring that returns to its birth-rivers to spawn in early spring, giving rise to the names shadblow (blow is old English, from blowan, for blossoms) and shadbush. To Canadians they may be Saskatoon, named from a Cree word for the place where they grew in abundance. Juneberries? It is often the month when they ripen, in Northern summers.
Above: A bountiful year bends serviceberry branches low.
William Clark (of Lewis and Clark) referred to them as “sarvis buries” in his extraordinary travel journal (which inspires equal parts awe and cringe). Native Americans knew serviceberries well. The pounded fruit was an ingredient in regional pemmicans. I have dried the fermented fruit and it is addictively good, tasting like chewy marzipan.
Above: Serviceberries in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
The first serviceberries I tasted grew in a jasmine-scented May garden in the Turkish town of Ayvalik, on the Aegean. Nobody could tell me what they were, only that they were good to eat. I agreed, as I stuffed myself. Back in New York I recognized the same fruit, and suddenly, I saw the trees everywhere. On the Hudson in South Cove Park, in Tear Drop Park, in the then-scrappy parklet* between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, in Prospect Park, and Central Park. June has become a much-anticipated month.
* Since transformed into the botanically-gleaming Brooklyn Bridge Park, where serviceberries were planted again liberally.
The fruit I ate in Turkey, growing on a sprawling bush, belonged perhaps to the one European species, Amelanchier ovalis (snowy mespilus), which occurs right into central Russia, although the (possibly) American A. lamarckii has naturalized on that continent. And there are Asian serviceberries, too: A. sinica and A. asiatica.
Paint can bring a fresh and vibrant look to your home, but it’s important to get the job done right!
Whether you’re having a professional painting company Inland Empire locals recommend handling your painting project or going it alone, you should take the proper steps to protect your home and property when painting. To ensure that your walls, furniture, and floors are well-protected while you’re working on them, here is what the experts suggest:
Paint can bring a fresh and vibrant look to your home, but it’s important to get the job done right!
Whether you’re having a professional painting company Inland Empire locals recommend handling your painting project or going it alone, you should take the proper steps to protect your home and property when painting. To ensure that your walls, furniture, and floors are well-protected while you’re working on them, here is what the experts suggest:
Cover furniture with drop cloths: Lay down clean drop cloths on the floor around all of the furniture in the bedroom to keep paint from getting onto upholstery and carpets. Make sure these cloths are large enough to cover every piece of furniture thoroughly.
Tightly cover vents: Make sure you cover up all air vents with plastic sheeting or paper before starting the job so that no dust or paint particles get inside them during painting sessions.
Use painter’s tape: One of the most important steps in protecting your home is to use painter’s tape. Painter’s tape is an easy and cost-effective way to protect trim and other details that you don’t want to be painted over. When applying painter’s tape, you should first clean the surface that you’re about to tape with a damp cloth. This helps to remove any dirt or debris that could prevent the tape from sticking properly. Then measure out the area that you would like to tape and cut the appropriate length. Finally, firmly press down the tape along the edges of the area that you need to protect.
Move items away from walls: Take anything from the wall that can be easily moved (furniture for example) to create a larger space for painting. If it’s not possible to move items away from the walls, be sure to cover them with plastic or drop cloths.
H2-Take Proper Precautions to Protect Your Home
If you’re planning to paint your home, either by yourself or with the help of a professional painting contractor, you should always make sure that you take proper precautions to protect your surfaces and belongings from any potential damage.
Clean surfaces before painting: The team from any Inland Empire painting company you hire should always clean dust and debris from all surfaces before beginning any kind of paint job. It is one of the best ways to prevent something inconvenient from happening, as this will help ensure that your results look great when finished!
Paint only in well-ventilated areas: Painting your home is an exciting project that can dramatically transform its look and feel. But you must first ensure that fans are running and that open windows and doors are available to provide ventilation. Any professional painting contractor worth their salt knows the importance of proper ventilation when painting indoors. This is especially relevant for large spaces or areas with little airflow.
The key to successful painting in these situations is to make sure there are no fumes from the paint lingering in the air. Additionally, it is important to limit the amount of time spent painting in one area. This is a great way to reduce any risk of fumes from building up.
H3-Tips for a Durable and Beautiful Home Painting Finish
Choose the Right Paint: When selecting your paint color, make sure it is high quality and designed for the surface that requires painting. Avoid using oil-based paints in damp climates. Oil-based paints are more prone to cracking and peeling in humid environments, so opt for water-based paints instead. If you need help deciding which type of paint to use, consult your local painting contractor in Inland Empire who can give advice on the best products for your project.
Monitor indoor humidity levels: When painting living spaces, it’s important to ensure that the indoor humidity levels are monitored. Excess moisture can cause paint to crack and peel over time, meaning you may need to repaint sooner than desired. Many homeowners don’t realize how much humidity affects the quality of a paint job. Use a hygrometer to measure both the relative humidity and temperature. A reading of 40-50% is ideal for painting. Anything over 60% is too high and can cause peeling, blistering, and other issues with your paint job.
Wear old clothes: Protect your own clothing by wearing old clothes when painting or working with wet paint. Also, wear protective clothing and gear when necessary. To keep paint splatters off of your skin and clothes, wear long sleeves and pants, gloves, goggles, a hat or hoodie with a brim to cover your head, and boots that are easy to clean. This way you’ll stay safe while you work! Always use a drop cloth first so that any spills or drips don’t end up staining the surface below.
Secure electrical fixtures: Lights and chandeliers: Before you begin painting your home, it is important to secure all electrical fixtures and outlets.
Electrical fixtures such as light switches, sockets, and other voltage sources should be securely covered with painter’s tape before any painting project begins to prevent any unwanted splatter from getting on them. Moreover, this is also a critical step in ensuring the safety of everyone in the surrounding area during painting services. The risk of electric shock can be greatly reduced by properly securing the wiring and outlets before beginning any painting project.
Seal off doorways: When painting your home, it is important to ensure that you take extra precautions. Hang heavy-duty plastic sheets or use painter’s tape to seal off doorways that connect to other parts of the home. This serves two main purposes: First, it prevents paint from getting onto the floor and furniture in the adjacent room. Second, it also helps ensure an even coat of paint on the door itself.
Following these simple tips will help ensure your property is properly protected while you’re painting and that the end result looks great. Not only do these practices help to ensure that the job is done correctly, but they also protect everyone involved from unexpected or unnecessary injuries. If you have any questions about professional painting services, don’t hesitate to contact a seasoned painting company Inland Empire like the team at E and E Painting Inc. They have the knowledge and expertise necessary for providing clients with the highest quality painting services, while at the same time ensuring that all safety measures have been taken into consideration.
Most of us have tasted horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) and appreciated its sinus-clearing and deliciously flavorful bite, but has it ever occurred to you to grow it?
How fun would it be to mix up a batch of Bloody Marys for your brunch guests, using your own homegrown horseradish?
Pair those classic morning drinks with some peeled and cocktail-sauced shrimp, also featuring your new crop, and your guests will be in awe.
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In addition to being popular in the kitchen, the horseradish plant has its fans – and a history – in the medicinal plant world, too.
Let’s learn more about this plant’s many uses, and then get down to business with the planting and harvesting. Here’s what we’re going to discuss:
Horseradish isn’t what I’d call a common backyard plant, but it has been around for a long, long time.
Popular as a medicinal and edible species, we’ve been cultivating it since at least 100 AD. Let’s explore the origins of horseradish.
And while we’d typically refer to the root as a vegetable, the medicinal and culinary applications of the leaves and flowers lead many gardeners to call this plant an herb.
Horseradish is assumed to have originated around what is considered modern-day Russia, western Asia, and southeastern Europe, which should tip you off about this plant’s cold-loving nature.
As early as 100 AD, the plant had made an appearance in De Materia Medica, the definitive guide to medicines in Ancient Greece and Rome. In the book, it was touted for easing cramps and back pain.
By the 13th century, it was being cultivated throughout the Nordic countries as a spice and a medicine.
The plant also plays a historic role starting in the eleventh century in the Passover Seder plate as one of the bitter herbs, an important tradition of the Jewish faith that continues to this day.
This aromatic came to North America during the time of European colonization, with commercial production beginning in the mid-1850s.
Horseradish sauce was one of the first condiments produced and sold in the US. Collinsville, Illinois, where it was first sold by John Henry Heinz in novel clear glass bottles to show off its quality, still calls itself the “Horseradish Capital of the World.”
The leaves, flowers, and roots of this plant have been used medicinally throughout history as everything from a cure for scurvy to improving blood flow. It has also been used as a fungicide and pesticide.
The leaves are said to be an analgesic, the flowers are made into a tea that is said to fight colds, and a compound in the root has been shown to have antibacterial properties.
The leaves emerge from the long taproot in a rosette, much like dandelions do, and they are long and dark green.
Flowers have four white petals and form at the end of the stalks.
The root grows up to a foot deep and isn’t just full of flavor, it’s healthy too. It’s packed with vitamins C and B1, as well as iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
The pungent bite characteristic of the root is caused by the sulfur-containing compound allyl isothiocyanate. By the way, this compound is also responsible for “garlic breath” and is found in alliums.
If you’ve ever accidentally taken too big of a bite of horseradish-based wasabi and found yourself nearly blinded with nasal pain, you were slapped by the allyl isothiocyanate, which acts similarly to capsaicin in the body.
You could say that your sushi lunch tear-gassed you.
This compound provides protection against insects that might be tempted to take a nibble out of them.
Humans (or some of them, anyway) not only enjoy the flavor, but some are trying to harvest this compound commercially for use in pain management.
Speaking of wasabi…
A Note on Wasabi
Wasabi, sometimes called Japanese horseradish, is actually a totally different plant: Eutrema japonicum.
In North America, of course, we know wasabi as the fiery accompaniment to sushi and sashimi.
But because true wasabi is very difficult to cultivate outside of Japan, what is sold and served here is very rarely the real deal.
Instead, we usually get ground horseradish mixed with green food coloring and other flavorings.
Horseradish seeds aren’t usually available to the home grower.
These plants don’t readily produce viable seeds because many plants are self-incompatible and will reject pollen from themselves.
This is a smart evolutionary strategy because it diversifies the gene pool, but it’s not so great for our seed propagation efforts.
It’s possible to breed unrelated clones and produce viable seed, but since using sets (or crowns) works so well, that’s how it’s mostly done.
Horseradish is propagated by taking root cuttings about as thick as a pencil, which are sometimes called “sets.”
If you purchase sets, the grower will generally ship them with the side that should be facing down cut at an angle and the side that should be up is flat.
If you harvest your own, you might want to trim them in a similar way to remind yourself how to plant them.
And in case you were wondering, yes, you can plant the ones you buy at the grocery store.
Space the sets one foot apart, placing them at a 45-degree angle, with the square-cut end higher than the angled end.
Ensure that the square cut ends are all facing in the same direction so that the leafy tops will grow evenly spaced.
Cover the sets with two inches of soil and water well. Keep the soil moist as the plants develop.
When you harvest the roots, cut away a piece that includes a root and one leaf crown and replant it for a perpetual harvest.
How to Grow
In contrast to its spicy-hot nature, this plant is fond of cool conditions. It does well in USDA Growing Zones 2 to 9, but time your plantings according to local weather patterns.
This plant probably won’t survive a hot summer in Zone 9 but will make a perfect winter crop there. In Zone 2, late summer might be your best option.
Aim to plant when you’ll have 140 days when the daytime high temperatures will range from 45 to 75°F. The root tastes better after a frost has killed the leaves, so take that into consideration. But a frost isn’t necessary to produce a tasty veggie.
Before planting, work lots of well-rotted compost at least six inches deep into the soil. If you’re growing a larger cultivar, amend the soil as deep as the root will grow. Compost improves drainage and water retention while adding nutrients.
Remove each and every rock you encounter as you go. The soil should have a pH between 6.0 and 7.5.
If this is just too much digging and amending for you, plant in a raised bed or container filled with loose, loamy, water-retentive soil.
Growing in a container is also smart if you’re worried about this plant spreading where you don’t want it to.
Whichever way you go, just know that ensuring you have loose soil will pay off big at harvest time. Rocks will cause distorted growth and heavy soil will result in a smaller, tough root that might break as you try to take it out of the ground.
Plant sun-loving horseradish somewhere that will receive at least eight hours of direct sunlight per day.
Another consideration: these plants can grow as tall as three feet, and their large leaves may shade out surrounding vegetation. If you live somewhere that will likely be hotter than what this plant prefers, give it a little afternoon shade.
While horseradish is drought tolerant, the roots can become woody and weak-flavored if they go for too long without water.
If rain is scarce, give the plants one to two inches of water once a week. But take care not to give them too much water, because the roots will become soft and have a bitter flavor.
Err on the side of providing more water rather than less. If you’ve ever grown a tomato, horseradish likes similar moisture levels. If the leaves start to droop or even turn dry, you’ve let the soil dry out too much.
If you have a rain gauge, you can rely on that to tell you when to water. But I like to use a moisture meter or simply stick my finger into the soil.
That’s because you never know if the soil is drying out more quickly because of a hot spell with lots of wind, or if one part of the garden is drying out faster than another.
Add water when the top inch registers as dry.
How you water is as important as how much you water. It should be done infrequently but deeply. You want that moisture getting all the way down below the long taproot.
Place an inch of straw, leaf, or shredded bark mulch around but not touching the plants to suppress weeds and retain moisture.
Unless you’ve done a soil test and your earth registers as deficient in something, feed your plants four and eight weeks after planting with a veggie-specific food or any mild, balanced fertilizer.
If you ask me, I’ll always recommend Down To Earth’s Vegetable Garden fertilizer. It has an NPK of 4-4-4 and comes in a compostable box.
If you’d like to grab some for your garden, Arbico Organics carries it in one-, five-, and 15-pound options.
Keep the planting area as free of weeds as possible, and pluck off any brown leaves.
If your plants go to flower, just enjoy the show. There’s no reason to pinch them off as with other herbs unless you want to eat them. They make a pretty impressive addition to a meal.
Growing Tips
Plant in full sun but be aware that horseradish can grow tall and shade nearby plants.
Horseradish needs about two inches of water per week or more whenever the top inch dries out. Water deeply.
Fertilize four and eight weeks after transplant with a mild, balanced fertilizer.
Cultivars to Select
Horseradish plants are divided into three general types: heart-shaped, intermediate, and tapered base. This refers to the shape of the leaves that attach to the petiole.
You can also broadly categorize them as common or bohemian. The “common” type has broad, crinkled leaves and what’s generally considered a superior-quality of root.
“Bohemian” types have narrow, smooth leaves and somewhat lower root quality, but these offer better resistance to white rust disease.
Some retailers simply describe their plants as generic horseradish, as you’ll find at Fast Growing Trees. Generally, these will be the common type.
Back in the day, it was hard for the home grower to get their hands on the few cultivars out there.
Now, with more people showing interest in unusual plants, you can often find them at specialty retailers. Here are a few to be on the lookout for:
Big Top Western
‘Big Top Western’ is vigorous, adaptable, and less susceptible to diseases than other types. It gets its name from its abundant foliage, which has several benefits.
First, if insects start chomping on your plants, there are plenty of leaves to keep feeding the all-important root.
Second, there are more leaves and that means more nutrients to grow a big, healthy root. It can even produce in partial shade, though the root will be smaller.
This cultivar is resistant to rust and bacterial spot.
Country Creek Acres carries this cultivar, which they sell on Amazon in one-ounce sizes.
Czechoslovakian
Sometimes styled as “Czech,” this cultivar has mild roots. If you like the flavor of horseradish but you don’t want to deal with all that heat, search this one out.
Though it’s newer on the market and mostly grown by commercial growers, you can find it at nurseries that specialize in unusual veggies.
This bohemian clone was brought to the US by Czech immigrants.
Improved Bohemian
‘Improved Bohemian’ is one of the most common cultivars grown commercially, alongside its parent, ‘Bohemian.’
It’s a little harder for the home grower to get their hands on, but it’s out there.
This one has more disease resistance and slightly larger roots than ‘Bohemian,’ which has a classic, hot bite.
Maliner Kren
This bohemian type, which you can purchase in five bare root packs at Burpee, has been around for a long time because it keeps winning over new generations of fans with its vigorous growth habit, snow-white flesh, and the classic “horsey” taste.
Watch out for viral diseases, as this plant is susceptible.
You’ll often see this cultivar called “common” horseradish, but that doesn’t mean it’s a common type.
Those who refer to it this way simply mean this one is found all over the place and it’s one of the most popular options.
Variegata
Most people wouldn’t call horseradish attractive. It’s a little boring looking, to be honest. But ‘Variegata’ features eye-catching pure white, green and white, and pure green leaves.
‘Variegata’ won’t typically start developing its white and green leaves until the plant is slightly more mature, but once it does, these make a beautiful ornamental addition to the garden.
This cultivar can tolerate partial sun, so grab one if you don’t want to grow yours in full sun.
The root of this common type has the classic flavor you’re looking for.
Managing Pests and Disease
Likely due to its pungency, few pests affect these plants, but keep an eye out for flea beetles and beet leafhoppers (Circulifer tenellus).
Both feed on the leaves, and while this can make the leaves ugly, they also spread disease. Treat these bugs with insecticidal soap.
Unlike pests, disease can be a serious issue for horseradish. Like most brassicas, fungi just can’t get enough of these plants. Here are the big ones to be aware of:
Leaf Spot
Leaf spot is caused by Cercospora amoraciae fungi. It results in small, purple-ringed spots and thrives in cool, humid conditions.
Rust in horseradish plants – and all crucifers – is caused by an oomycete called Albugo candida. It causes little white fungus-like spots on the leaves or stems of the plant.
When these pustules “pop” during cool weather at temperatures between 55 and 75°F, they release pathogens that travel on wind or water onto other plants.
If your plant is infected, trim off any infected leaves. Use extreme caution not to splash water on the plants – water at the soil level only to prevent infection or prevent further spread.
When it’s time to harvest, pull up the entire plant and dispose of all the green parts – don’t put them in the compost. You can still eat the root but don’t replant any part of an infected specimen.
Turnip Mosaic Virus
Sure, the name says “turnip” in it, but turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) infects horseradish plants, too. When infected, the leaves will develop angular yellow spots and may eventually die. You might also see black streaks on the stems.
This disease is spread by pests, so avoiding it means controlling them.
Once infected, there’s nothing you can do but pull the plants and dispose of them. Either seal them in a bag and throw them out, or burn them.
Harvest the long, white, tapered roots in late fall or winter, once frost has killed the leaves.
With luck, this will be just in time to make a fabulous sauce for a holiday prime rib, which you can learn all about in this guide from our sister site, Foodal.
Alternatively, if you like more spice, you can harvest in early spring just before new sprouts form.
Gently dig up your plants and cut off the large, thick roots to use. Leave some of the smaller root pieces in the soil to start new plants for the next year.
You can keep what you’ve harvested in the refrigerator for a few weeks. Or store roots in damp sand or sawdust in a cool, dark cellar for up to 10 months.
And speaking of leaves, you can actually harvest the tender, young ones and add them to salads for a slightly spicy kick.
When harvesting, be cognizant of the fact that if you unintentionally leave behind a chunk of root in the garden, it will turn into a new plant.
That’s how this plant becomes invasive. Don’t till this plant under when you’re done with it or you’ll be dealing with a lot of horseradish that you didn’t plan on cultivating.
Storage and Preserving
Once harvested, brush the roots clean but don’t wash them.
Place them in a ventilated bag in a cool, dark place or in the refrigerator. Leave just the ends of the leaves in place. Roots can last several months this way.
When you’re ready to consume the roots, peel and grate them. Or you can chop them into one-inch chunks, or run them through a food processor.
Grated or chopped horseradish can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for one to two weeks.
You can also wash and grate the root and freeze it in small batches. This will last for up to six months in the freezer, but you will lose much of the pungency.
Add two or three teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice per cup of grated horseradish to further extend the shelf life of the product. Note that adding vinegar immediately after processing reduces the pungency of the root.
Also, consider opening windows or doors or running ventilation fans as you cut or grate the horseradish root, because the aroma is quite strong.
You can also dry both the leaves and the roots.
Wash and slice the roots thin, place them on a baking tray, and cook at the lowest setting in your oven. Or, put them in a dehydrator.
You can do the same with the leaves, minus the slicing. Just wash the leaves before drying.
Recipes and Cooking Ideas
There are so many delicious ways to consume this spicy root. Making a sauce, which involves combining the grated root with sour cream, salt, and pepper, is just the beginning.
First, enhance your cocktails – of either the beverage or the shrimp variety – with homegrown horseradish. Your parties will be standing-room only.
Foodal’s spicy Bloody Mary recipe is a great place to start, especially if you’re a fan of DIY – and if you’re growing hot peppers and tomatoes in the garden this season alongside the horseradish…
In addition to this flavorful homegrown root, you’ll love juicing your own garden tomatoes and infusing vodka with backyard jalapenos to prep and serve this craft cocktail at your next brunch gathering.
Use the shredded root to spice up hummus or scrambled eggs. Slice it thinly into green or potato salads. It’s also delicious shredded or grated as a topping for fish.
The many gifts of horseradish include medicinal, flavorful leaves and flowers, and a one-of-a-kind punch of flavor from the root. You can even get a little bit of ornamental value from the variegated type.
There are so many benefits to growing it in your own backyard – and you’ll love the pungent punch of flavor that it adds to beverages, condiments, and your favorite dishes!
Have you ever grown horseradish? Any tips for others thinking of taking the plunge? Please share in the comments section below.
Understanding how to prune apricot trees correctly can seem confusing at first, but with the right knowledge, it becomes quite simple. Pruning your apricot trees not only enhances their appearance, it also promotes the health of the tree.
In this guide, I’ll share when, why and how to prune your apricot trees.
Why Prune Apricot Trees?
Pruning apricot trees is beneficial in many ways. Removing unneeded branches helps to open up pathways for light and air to penetrate all areas of the canopy. Pruning also removes dead wood or weak branches that compete with the primary scaffold structure. Regular tree pruning strengthens a fruit tree’s structure, rejuvenates it, encourages new growth, improves air circulation around the foliage and fruit, and keeps fruit production optimal.
Which Tools to Use for Pruning
Hand Pruner
When it comes to pruning, a ladder and hand pruners can do a lot of the pruning work. While investing in a good quality hand pruner is a smart move, you don’t necessarily need to splurge on the most expensive one. Instead, look for a hand pruner that has easily replaceable parts in case of wear and tear, a comfortable grip for prolonged use, and sharp blades that can handle reasonably sized branches.
Lopper or Pruning Saw
If you think a branch may be a bit too big for your hand pruners, then use a lopper or pruning saw instead. Loppers are great for reaching those hard-to-access areas and thicker branches. It’s crucial to ensure your pruning is done with clean cuts, so choose the proper tool for the branch size.
When to Prune Apricot Trees
Removing diseased or unwanted branches can be done at any time of the year. However, plants react differently to pruning depending on the stage of their growing season.
Traditionally, the ideal time to prune fruit trees is during the dormant period in late winter or early spring before the flower buds swell. Pruning the trees in a dormant stage maximizes growth and minimizes the risk of pest or infection problems. However, some orchardists or arborists like to prune in spring when trees are in bloom, as it’s easier to identify any branches that didn’t survive winter. Late summer pruning slows a tree’s growth down, which may be desirable if you want to keep your apricot tree small.
Pruning Young vs Mature Apricot Trees
For the first four or five years of an Apricot tree’s growth, its development is very rapid; therefore, training the growth pattern of young trees is important. Beginning pruning early helps your apricot tree to form a strong, desirable structure.
In order to achieve a sturdy structure, remove any sick or dead branches. After that, select and maintain three to five main scaffold limbs. These will be the main branches as your tree continues to grow in the subsequent years. The scaffold branches should be spaced about 18 to 25 inches apart, distributed evenly, and should grow outward at a 45-60 degree angle from the main trunk.
Older trees, if they’ve been pruned correctly in their formative years, may require a bit less maintenance as they age. This is because the growth rates tend to slow down as a tree matures. When the tree canopy gets overcrowded, you can thin out the new shoots, but a strong structure should already be established from earlier pruning cycles.
How to Prune an Apricot Tree (Step by Step)
Remove root suckers growing at the base of the tree.
Cut out dead, broken or visibly diseased limbs.
Remove drooping lower branches. These limbs generally produce poor-quality fruit and may interfere with the maintenance of the area under the tree.
If limbs cross over and compete with one another, remove the less desirable competing limb to avoid crossing of limbs and bruised fruit.
Water sprouts growing off the tops of limbs should be removed. They are slow to bear fruit and can shade out more desirable fruiting wood.
Once the larger structural cuts have been made to shape the tree, thin out the smaller limbs to encourage the production of higher-quality fruit.
Pro Pruning Tips
When removing large branches, it’s advisable to make the first cut further out from where it joins the stem (generally referred to as the 3-cut method). This reduces the limb’s weight and eliminates the likelihood of the bark tearing along the stem.
The final pruning cut should be made just outside of the branch collar. The branch collar contains unique physical and chemical properties, which help the pruning wounds defend against decay spreading into the tree trunk and heal quicker.
Avoid removing more than 20-30% of the live foliage in one pruning cycle.
What is Fruit Thinning?
Fruit thinning might seem counterintuitive. After all, why would you want to reduce your long-awaited harvest? But there are many reasons why thinning your fruit is a good idea.
The riper apricots get, the heavier they become. Thinning can help to even out the weight and prevent limbs from breaking. Also, each fruit competes for available resources. Thinning out excess fruit ensures that the remaining fruit has enough vital nutrients to reach its full size and ripeness.
So there you have it., the basics of how to prune apricot trees.
Author’s Bio:Tim Spence is an ISA-certified arborist and founder of Arborist Halifax. He runs a small tree care business in Canada.
Another Griffith Buck offering, this plant grows four feet tall and wide and is hardy in Zones 4b through 9b.
The large and full blossoms appear in near-constant flushes throughout the growing season.
This hybrid tea grandiflora can even tolerate some shade and will still bloom in full color.
6. Easy Elegance Calypso
It’s all in the name. ‘Easy Elegance Calypso’ is easy to grow while still being perfectly elegant. Plant it and enjoy it without worry about whether you’ve sprayed recently or pruned it right.
This shrub type grows to two feet tall in Zones 4 through 9, with big clusters of medium-sized apricot and pink blooms. These flushes appear practically constantly from spring until fall.
Meilland’s ‘Eden’ is perpetually popular and well-loved, and no wonder. It’s a striking climber with huge, fully double blossoms.
The flowers have a perfectly cupped shape with creamy petals on the exterior and blush pink ones at the center.
Want more? The blossoms appear continually from spring until fall in Zones 5b through 9b, and the plant can reach up to 12 feet tall, making for a big but sweet statement.
8. Euphoria
This hybrid tea could be classified as a yellow rose. Or cream. Or pink. Or apricot. It’s quite the chameleon.
The large, full flowers with ruffled petals start out pastel pink and apricot with darker pink edges.
As the flower opens fully and begins to age, it enters its next phase of life as a pale yellow bloom before fading to cream and then dropping to the ground.
It maintains a nice, compact shape at two feet tall and wide, in Zones 6a to 9b. The long stems and good holding ability make it a marvelous cut flower option.
If you’re looking for a rose that keeps things interesting with an ever-changing display, this one’s unbeatable. Purchase one of your very own at Fast Growing Trees in a two-gallon container.
9. Eustacia Vye
This four-foot-tall David Austin shrub rose is covered in clusters of huge, very full, fruit-scented blossoms with apricot and rose ruffled petals.
The flowers have apricot centers and rose-pink outer petals when they’re young, and then fade to a uniform pale pink as they age. These clusters repeat bloom throughout the year.
‘Eustacia Vye’ grows happily in Zones 4 to 11, making it a versatile and eye-catching option in a variety of locales. It’s also disease resistant and has a marvelously fruity fragrance.
10. The Fairy
‘The Fairy’ is a rose legend. It’s a fairytale-perfect cultivar with clusters of classic pink, very double flowers on a petite plant that stays under three feet tall.
Photo via Alamy.
The blossoms will continue from late spring until late fall, meaning you will have months of fairy-like flowers flitting around your shrub.
This option is practically immune to diseases and performs even in less than ideal conditions like heavy soil or some shade.
‘Francis Meilland’ is a stunning hybrid tea bred by Meilland International that grows six feet tall and about as wide, in Zones 6b through 9b.
It’s not just a pretty face, though. It’s extremely disease resistant as well.
But honestly, it’s the scent that makes this plant so special.
The very full, white and blush pink blossoms have a pungent citrus and old rose fragrance that you’ll want to bottle and take with you everywhere.
The flowers grow in small clusters or on solitary stems, which are ideal for cutting.
12. Grande Dame
An elegant, six-foot-tall hybrid tea with full, massive, cupped, fuchsia flowers, ‘Grande Dame’ certainly lives up to her name.
Just admiring her from afar is enough, but get up close and take a whiff. The fruity, damask fragrance is heady and strong, and the blooms appear in flushes from spring through fall.
Its classic look has earned this cultivar the label of “modern antique,” meaning you get the look of a classic rose with the vigorous, disease-resistant growth of a modern rose.
It grows well in Zones 6 to 10 and is extremely heat tolerant.
Invite this lady to your home by purchasing a plant at Nature Hills Nursery in a #3 container.
13. Marc Chagall
If you want to draw comments any time someone visits your garden, plant ‘Marc Chagall.’ The pink and yellow striped petals are so vibrant that they practically look artificial.
The flowers aren’t small, either. They’re large and double, appearing all summer and fall in repeat flushes. Even more attention-grabbing is the scent – it has a bold, peachy, fruity aroma.
Ready to start the conversation? Visit Fast Growing Trees for a live plant in a two- or three-gallon container.
14. New Dawn
‘New Dawn’ has been bringing soft pink color to gardens for nearly 100 years.
The clusters of very full, sweet-smelling blossoms appear continually and reliably throughout the season on a climbing rose plant that can stretch up to 15 feet tall in Zones 5 to 11.
This climber is so beloved that it has been used in numerous breeding programs to create many of the modern perpetual climbers.
Some roses are so striking that they defy description. In this case, a picture is worth more than a thousand words.
Let’s start with the large, cupped rosettes. They have so many petals – more than 90 per flower! – that you may find it difficult to comprehend how they all got stuffed in there.
Maybe magical elves had something to do with it?
The outer petals are looser and pale pink, while the center is frilled and packed with slightly darker petals.
Now, onto the shrub. It grows to a perfectly compact three feet tall and wide in Zones 5a to 10a. And it’s disease resistant and vigorous.
Knock Out roses are tough as heck, but they don’t have the big, full, elegant blossoms that make many other roses so sought-after.
Until now. The company recently released both a pink and a red version with double blossoms.
The bubblegum-hued flowers in the first option have a classic cupped rose shape, and appear non-stop on the four-foot-tall bush from spring right until the first frost in Zones 5 to 9.
On paper, ‘Pinkerbelle’ sounds like it’s straight out of a fairy tale: almost too good to be true.
This Meilland rose has a heavy, classic rose fragrance, grows to a robust five feet tall with a bushy, graceful shape, and is smothered in blossoms from spring until the arrival of frost.
And then there’s the color. Pink with speckles of fuchsia outlining the outer edges of the petals, it stands out from any other rose.
The flowers are cupped and high-centered, and appear singly or in small groups. Cut them or enjoy them in the garden.
Either way, they’re a fairy tale come true for those living in Zones 5 to 9.
Make a wish and bring ‘Pinkerbelle’ home from Fast Growing Trees as a live plant in a two-gallon pot.
18. Pretty Polly
If you’re looking for a rose that you can keep in a container, ‘Pretty Polly’ by Star Roses is worth checking out. The vibrant rosy petals appear on small, double blossoms in large clusters.
This cultivar blooms perpetually throughout the growing season on a rounded, two- to three-foot-tall shrub.
And because it tends to spread wider than it grows tall, you can use it as a ground cover option as well.
Grab this disease-resistant rose for growing in Zones 4 to 10 at Fast Growing Trees. They stock this plant in one- to two-foot or three-gallon options.
19. Queen Elizabeth
A hybrid of a grandiflora and a floribunda, ‘Queen Elizabeth’ is royally awesome.
Hybridized 70 years ago, it continues to be a favorite for its mild, woody fragrance and full, large, solitary blossoms. In fact, it’s one of the most popular roses in cultivation.
This classic reaches up to five feet tall and is covered in glossy, leathery leaves that are almost as pretty as the flowers.
Disease resistant, vigorous, and hardy in Zones 5b through 9b, ‘Queen Elizabeth’ makes a worthy addition to any garden.
Every time I see the cupped, layered flowers of ‘Queen of Sweden,’ I want to peel them open like an elegant, colorful onion. She loves me, she loves me not…
Nah, ‘Queen of Sweden’ definitely loves us!
How else do you explain the blush and apricot blossoms that are very full, with an astonishing 140-plus petals? Or the myrrh fragrance? It seems like it was created in a lab to be absolutely ideal for human enjoyment.
This three-foot-tall shrub is perfectly sized for most gardens. Return the love by deadheading to encourage new flushes of blooms.
Seemingly, many home gardeners fail to appreciate the value and proper use of pruning shears, plant food, and mulches in the care of hedges. It doesn’t take a lot of time or effort to grow beautiful hedges, and hedge plants are not especially exacting in their requirements, but a few conditions must be met.
SELECT THE RIGHT PLANTS
Whether for a border, screen, or fence, the selection of suitable plants is important. Several factors must be considered, such as the size, shape, and foliage habits of mature plants and their requirements for the best growth. Too, they must be plants that will blend harmoniously with other plantings and the general landscape. Your local nurseryman can be of valuable assistance in plant selection.
PLANT CORRECTLY
Plant in an ample trench in soil enriched with complete plant food (also humus in tight soil) under the planting depth. Use 1 pound of Fertilizer for every 25 feet of hedge row. Water the plant immediately after planting … soak the soil so it will be close around the roots. Mulch.
After planting, most plants should be pruned to within 6 to 12 inches from the ground. Clip the plant back in the early summer and give it a chance to branch out and grow stems and foliage close to the ground. Don’t fail to mulch the first year . . . mulching is a hedge, insurance.
PRUNING FOR BEAUTY AND SHAPE
The most common mistake in pruning is not cutting the plant back far enough or cutting too narrow at the base. This is especially true in young growing plants. This condition becomes worse as the top grows and shades the lower portions. Cutting back is the only solution.
FEED FOR GROWTH AND BEAUTY
Too often hedges are expected to grow in poor soil and subsoil clay dug up during house construction. Many hedges are close to or underneath trees … their feeding roots take the plant food before hedge plants have a chance to feed. All hedges should be fed at least once a year, preferably in the early spring. Use 1 pound of Fertilizer per 25 feet of row, scattering along both sides and working into the soil.
Learn how to grow your own food with How to Grow Your Own Food: An Illustrated Beginner’s Guide to Container Gardening from Angela Judd of Growing in the Garden. Suitable for even the most novice gardener, this guide identifies 50 easy-to-grow edible vegetables, herbs, fruits, and flowers that are perfect for growing in containers.
With years of experience gardening, Angela has created an approachable and friendly guide that makes learning about container gardening accessible. Get ready for a rewarding hobby that will enrich your life as well as provide wonderful home-grown produce.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more information.
How to Grow Your Own Food: An Illustrated Beginner’s Guide to Container Gardening
How to Grow Your Own Food: An Illustrated Beginner’s Guide to Container Gardening by Angela S. Judd
How to Grow Your Own Food: An Illustrated Beginner’s Guide to Container Gardening, a book by Angela Judd of Growing in the Garden, identifies 50 easy-to-grow edible vegetables, herbs, fruits, and flowers, along with detailed care instructions and beautiful illustrations of each plant.
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How to choose the right size container for each plant
Ten steps to successfully growing your own food in containers
Helpful gardening terms to know
Troubleshooting advice
A quick reference guide for organic pest control
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With beautiful illustrations to help you visualize your future garden, this guide features 50 delicious vegetables, fragrant herbs, flavorful fruits, and flowers. It also includes helpful tips for choosing the right containers and soil and caring for these special plants throughout their life cycle.
Order How to Grow Your Own Food: An Illustrated Beginner’s Guide to Container Gardening
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The occasional pejorative use of the term “fig leaf” is wholly undeserved.
The leaves of the fig tree (Ficus carica) are quite lovely – large, beautifully shaped, and generous in their provision of shade.
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It is entirely unjust that the leaves of this lovely tree have been so maligned throughout history, likely due to their part in the biblical story of Adam and Eve.
Any plant that gives us food, beauty, and shelter surely deserves our respect and admiration, rather than our scorn.
In fact, who could think anything other than thoughts of praise and worship when they bite into a fig?
They’re practically perfect, with syrupy sweetness balanced by a melon- or berry-like brightness. Not even a caramel apple can compare.
Mouth watering? Don’t worry, you’ll be plucking your own fruit warm off the tree in no time. Here’s what we’re going to discuss in order to make that happen:
Do you already have a list of treats you can’t wait to make with your soon-to-be fig bonanza? Then let’s jump in.
Cultivation and History
Native to the Middle East and northwestern Asia, figs are one of the earliest known cultivated fruit trees. There’s evidence that they were cultivated in Mesopotamia 12,000 years ago.
Ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans grew them for food, wine, and medicine, and the tree was brought to North America by Spanish missionaries in the early sixteenth century.
Turkey, Egypt, and Spain are the largest commercial producers today.
Easy-to-grow figs are members of the Moraceae family, which also includes mulberries.
These trees can be left unprotected in USDA Hardiness Zones 8 to 10. Gardeners in northern Zones can grow these plants in containers and bring them indoors when temperatures drop below 10°F.
Determined growers can even find cold-hardy figs that can survive down to Zone 6 with some protection.
These trees are relatively fast growing – most grow to 20 or even 30 feet tall, and almost as wide. Some can even grow 70 feet tall!
The deeply-lobed leaves can be four to eight inches wide and as long as 10 inches.
The shade provided by their girth and large leaves is well-appreciated. In fact, the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, is said to have found enlightenment while sitting under a fig tree.
In the right conditions, some species will produce two crops in a year. The first, called a “breba” crop, ripens in late May or early June, and a second harvest will be ready in late September to early November.
These different crops appear on completely different buds: the apical bud and the lateral bud.
Breba buds develop on last year’s growth while the second crop develops on older wood. The lateral buds are below the apical or breba buds.
“Breba” or “breva” is a Spanish word that comes from the Latin “bifera,” which means twice-producing, according to Linda Ziedrich, author of “Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves.” Want to check it out for yourself?
The fruits can be green to nearly black, and the flesh can range from white to nearly black, as well. They can also be pear-shaped, round, or oval.
The first time you encountered a fig, if you can remember it, you might have marveled at how unusual it is. The fruits don’t have a center pit like a stone fruit, nor are they filled with seeds like a pomegranate.
That’s because the fruits are actually inverted flowers. In botanical terms, this is known as a syconium. Those sort of fuzzy bits surrounding the hollow interior of the syconium are the female and male flowers.
But since we all know them as fruits, that’s what we’ll call them in this guide.
Propagation
It’s possible to grow figs from seed, but it’s a long, difficult, drawn-out process with unreliable results. Best leave it to the experts.
If you want to recreate a plant you love, cloning cuttings is an easy and reliable way to do it. Otherwise, you can find figs for sale at nurseries in containers.
Let’s talk about cuttings first.
From Cuttings
This species is astonishingly easy to propagate. Simply sneak into your neighbor’s yard in the dead of night, pruners in hand…
We jest. Ask permission and take an eight- to 10-inch cutting of young growth in the early spring. Cut the bottom end at a 45-degree angle, and dip it in rooting hormone if you wish.
Rooting hormone helps speed up the process, but it’s not absolutely necessary with figs. They are pretty good at growing from cuttings all on their own.
Still, it never hurts to try and push the process along.
Especially if you also hope to propagate other types of plants, now or in the future, Bonide II Rooting Hormone is available at Arbico Organics in 1.25-gram containers if you don’t already have some.
Stick the cutting in a six-inch pot filled with potting soil, with a third of the cutting set below the surface and one or two leaf buds above the soil line.
Let the cutting grow in the container for a season outdoors in a spot with at least six hours of sunlight per day.
Be sure to keep the soil moist but not wet. If you live in Zones 6 or 7, bring the plant indoors during the winter and keep it in a sunny window or under grow light.
The following spring, transplant it.
My own huge tree is the result of my dear neighbor Louie sharing a potted plant he’d propagated from a cutting that he snipped from a tree at the side of a road somewhere.
When he lost his own tree during the construction of his backyard pool, he came back to our big beauty to take a cutting to propagate.
From Seedlings/Transplanting
Plant figs when they are dormant in early spring. Spacing will depend entirely on the specific variety that you’re growing. Some only need five or six feet, while larger trees will need 10 or more feet.
Dig a hole twice as wide and twice as deep as the nursery container. If your soil is extremely heavy or sandy, work lots of well-rotted compost into the removed soil.
Set container plants three inches deeper than their container depth and fill in around the rest of the root ball with the removed soil.
Water well and add more soil if the soil settles at all.
If you’re planting bare root plants, soak the roots for a few hours before planting. Plant as described above, but cut back the tops to about half of their original length.
How to Grow
Like college kids on spring break, figs like sun.
They are happiest with seven to eight hours of full sun during the growing season. The more sun they receive, the more productive your tree will be.
I have a tree in full (yes, full) shade that produces about 50 figs for me each year.
But I have another of the same age and type that produces much, much, much more. Location is everything.
When choosing a site for your tree, don’t underestimate its ability and desire to spread out. It might feel a bit crowded if it’s too close to a wall or fence. Check the ultimate size at maturity and give yourself a few extra feet beyond that.
These trees aren’t too picky about their soil, although they prefer well-drained loam with lots of organic matter. The soil pH should be anywhere from 6.0 to 7.5.
These plants are drought tolerant, but just because they can tolerate dry conditions, that doesn’t mean they aren’t causing issues.
Think of water as the green light to grow. When there’s a lack of water, the stop light comes on and the tree stops growing. Your tree might even drop fruit.
Typically, a fig won’t die because of drought. It will just stop growing and fruiting until conditions improve. That’s not exactly what we want, right?
However, too much water can cause root rot. And it reduces the concentration of sugar in the fruits, which you don’t want either.
The best strategy is to water well before fruit formation and taper off slightly after that.
Before fruit-set, the soil should stay consistently moist but not soggy. After fruit-set, only water when the top four inches of soil dry out.
Then, if you get frost in your area, don’t water at all in the two months prior to frost. This helps strengthen the branches in preparation for winter, a process known as lignification.
To improve budding and fruit set, place black mulch around the base of your tree, but not touching it. This will help increase the temperature of the soil. Figs develop best when the soil is around 78°F.
These trees generally do just fine without any fertilizing.
If it seems your tree is being stingy with its spring leaf development, give it some balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10 (NPK), according to package instructions, to jumpstart it.
Figs are a little unusual in how they are pollinated. Fig wasps (Blastophaga psenes) evolved alongside figs in a symbiotic relationship. But that means you can’t rely on bees and butterflies to do the work.
The good news is that most figs that we grow in the garden don’t need pollination at all to produce fruit. But if they are pollinated, you’ll get larger, sweeter fruits.
It’s too much work to pollinate every fruit, but if you want to pollinate a few to taste the difference or for a special meal, go ahead and hand pollinate – this is called caprification.
Label those figs with a piece of string or something similar, and cover them with mesh as they near ripeness so herbivores don’t get to enjoy all your hard work.
I know it may seem like unnecessary labor, but once you taste a caprified fig, you will never want anything else.
To hand pollinate, grab a ripe fruit and cut it in half or into quarters. This fruit should be from the breba crop.
You probably can’t see the pollen, but it’s there. Turn a slice over a piece of black or white paper and knock the back of the fig. The pollen will fall on the paper.
Mix all of the pollen from one fruit with a solution of 2 percent sucrose and 100 milliliters of distilled water. Put this in a syringe.
Take a developing fig on the tree and inject this solution into the center of the base of the fruit until the fig is filled and the liquid starts to squirt back out the base. It doesn’t take much solution.
You should make sure to mark the pollinated fruit, but it will also stand out if you don’t pollinate its friends because it will usually mature earlier.
Growing Tips
Grow in full sun, or expect a reduced harvest in partial sun.
Trees are drought tolerant but perform better with regular moisture.
Fertilize only if a soil test shows it’s necessary.
Pruning and Maintenance
These trees aren’t like stone fruits, which need regular pruning to refresh and optimize production. In fact, figs require little or no pruning.
An ill-placed branch can certainly be removed to unblock a path if needed, of course. Do so in the winter.
And you’ll want to remove any deadwood any time you see it.
We call this removing the three Ds: damaged, deformed, or dead growth. Wait until winter, unless a branch just needs to go right away because it’s broken or diseased.
Then, take a clean pair of clippers or a saw and cut the branch.
You should also prune every few years to maximize light exposure and improve air circulation. Do this when the tree is dormant in the winter as well.
Cultivars to Select
Of the four main types of figs, three – Caprifigs, Smyrna, and San Pedro – are not usually grown by home gardeners, because they have complex pollination requirements.
Remember how we talked about fig wasps? These need the help of fig wasps or hand pollinating to produce a harvest.
Fig wasps pretty much only live in large numbers in areas where wild figs grow. In the US, that’s mostly just in California.
The fourth type, the common fig, is parthenocarpic, meaning the fruit forms without fertilization. Let’s look at a few varieties of this type.
Black Mission
Super-southern gardeners might want to try ‘Black Mission’ – it’s a vigorous grower, but not particularly cold hardy.
This variety produces two crops of large, rich-tasting, purple-black fruits that are tasty fresh or dried. You’ll get a lot of them, too, because this tree grows up to 35 feet tall.
‘Brown Turkey’ is another favorite, especially for more northern gardeners.
It’s more cold-hardy than some other varieties, thriving in Zones 7 to 9, and it grows to about 30 feet up in ideal conditions.
This tree produces smaller fruit that is not quite as richly flavored as ‘Celeste,’ which we’ll cover next, but it does often produce a breba crop. And that means figs to pick for more of the year!
One of the most commonly planted fig trees in North America is ‘Celestial’ or Celeste.
This large beauty is fast-growing and produces medium-sized, sweet, juicy fruits that are brownish-purple and ready to harvest in July. It’s also pest and disease resistant.
Celeste does not produce a breba crop, but the summer fruit is marvelous, both for eating fresh and for preserving.
Also known as the sugar fig, it’s hardy to Zone 6. It’s petite, usually staying around 10 feet tall.
‘Desert King’ should probably be named Winter King. This tree has been known to survive the winter as far north as Zone 5, though that’s tempting Mother Nature.
Planting in Zone 6 and up is safest.
The yellow-green fruits and pink pulp are sweet and strawberry-like. ‘Desert King’ grows to a respectable 15 feet tall, which is not too tall or too small for most home growers’ needs.
‘Hardy Chicago,’ aka ‘Bensonhurst Purple,’ is another cold-hardy cultivar that thrives in Zones 5 to 11. It will require some winter care at the more northern range of its tolerance.
Growing to a mature height of 10 to 15 feet tall and a spread of nine to 12 feet, ‘Hardy Chicago’ produces brownish-purple fruits that look similar to those of ‘Brown Turkey.’
I mean, with a name like that, who could possibly resist?
Little Miss Figgy™ is freakin’ adorable and ideal for anyone who needs a tree they can move around.
Bring it indoors in colder regions as needed or move it around your patio to chase the sun. It can stay outdoors in Zones 7 to 10.
It won’t grow much larger than five feet, and while you won’t be harvesting bushels of fruit, it will certainly give you enough to keep your family in fruit with both a breba and a secondary crop.
The dark purple figs are fabulously sweet. If you’ve ever had ‘Violette de Bordeaux’ fruit, then you know how tasty this variety is because it was bred from that marvelous tree.
While there are a few diseases and insect pests that can be a challenge to manage, your biggest foes will usually be herbivores. Let’s get the bad news out of the way first.
Herbivores
You didn’t think herbivores like birds and squirrels would ignore these sweet, delectable treats, did you?
Let’s talk about the critters that are eyeballing your treats:
Birds
Birds will snag a bud or immature fruit and I’ve seen them nibbling on mature fruits, too. But generally, there are enough fruits to share and I don’t do anything to deter birds.
The one thing squirrels will go for above everything else? Figs.
The little thieves will literally climb down an overladen plum tree, wade through my bunchberries, jump over a cane berry, and dodge territorial chickens to reach my fig trees.
And it’s not just the mature fruits. They eat the immature fruit and the buds, too.
Decoys, motion sensors, and other deterrents don’t work for me. If your tree is isolated from nearby trees, shrubs, or structures, you can use a baffle.
The only thing that consistently works for me is to wrap the fruits in mesh bags. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, it’s a pain in the butt.
But if the options are no figs or a day of tying on bags, I’m going to choose the second one.
I use something like these four-by-six-inch bags from Boshen, which you can buy in packs of 100 or 200 at Amazon.
Tie them on as soon as the fruits are about the size of a grape, unless you notice squirrels making a big dent in your tree buds before then.
Insects
Take a breath because insect pests are probably going to be less of a problem than squirrels. Really, the biggest risk is that they’ll spread unwelcome diseases.
You should also watch for aphids, but here are two of the most problematic creepy-crawlies you may encounter:
Fig Scale
If you’ve ever dealt with scale insects on your houseplants or plants in the garden, this is the same thing, just on a larger, um… scale.
Fig scale (Lepidosaphes conchiformis) are medium or dark brown scale insects with a greasy, waxy coating. Fig wax scale (Ceroplastes rusci) are brownish-pink and have a domed shape that resembles an oyster shell.
They can be found feeding on leaves, twigs, and fruit of the tree, sucking out the sap.
They tend to cluster in groups and they don’t move quickly, so they’re often mistaken for a disease or strange growth rather than a pest.
Make no mistake, they’re eating your tree, causing stippling and stunted growth on young trees.
Don’t use pesticides on this insect. They’re generally ineffective and they can hurt beneficial insects. If you have a severe scale infestation, it’s likely because there’s an imbalance in your garden already.
You can scrape them off of young trees with a butter knife, and use a dormant oil during the winter to kill off overwintering pests.
Mature trees won’t usually need treatment, but it never hurts to beef up your beneficial predator populations.
Lacewings love scale. Bring home some eggs from Arbico Organics in quantities ranging from 1,000 to 250,000.
Root-Knot Nematodes
Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are a serious threat to fig trees in parts of the southern US.
The larvae of these destructive pests infect plant roots, inhibiting their ability to absorb nutrients.
According to G. W. Krewer, extension horticulturist, and Floyd Hendrix, plant pathologist, both of University of Georgia Extension Service, trees infested with root-knot nematodes cannot be cured with chemical treatment.
Krewer and Hendrix suggest pruning the tops to balance the weakened root system, which may prolong the tree’s life. Usually, however, infested plants eventually succumb and die.
Disease
Diseases can be a serious threat to your trees. Your best chance at keeping your trees healthy is to spot these problems early on and do what it takes to get rid of them before they become a serious issue.
Gardeners can avoid most of these by using sanitary gardening practices such as applying mulch, cleaning away dead plant material, and disinfecting tools.
Figs are susceptible to a couple of different fungal blights, including botrytis limb and pink blight, so let’s talk about blight first.
Botrytis Blight
Caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea, Botrytis blight results in cankers that girdle twigs and limbs and cause them to die back.
This disease usually impacts just a few branches here and there and it’s not the entire tree that will be affected.
Botrytis loves cool, wet weather, so spring is when it really sparkles.
Prevention is the best medicine, so spray your trees with copper fungicide in the spring as the leaves emerge and repeat every three weeks until the warmer, drier weather arrives.
Copper fungicide works against all kinds of fungal diseases, which makes it worth keeping around.
Pick up a pound or four pounds of dust, which can be mixed with water to use as a spray, at Arbico Organics.
If Botrytis is already present, prune away any symptomatic limbs and treat with copper. Clean up your garden in the fall and dispose of any symptomatic fruit in the garbage, not in your compost.
Fruit will be covered in a gray mold when infected. If you’ve ever purchased a carton of strawberries and one or two are moldy, that’s the same pathogen.
Fig Mosaic
Fig mosaic is caused by a virus which is spread on infected garden tools and by pests.
When the virus infects a tree, it causes the leaves to develop yellow and light green lesions and patches. These patches will eventually develop a reddish band around the edges.
Fruit may also become discolored.
While ‘Kadota’ and ‘Calimyrna’ are nearly immune, most other figs are susceptible, with ‘Black Mission’ being particularly prone.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do if the disease is present. Just support your tree to keep it healthy otherwise.
Rust
Rust is another type of blight to be aware of. It’s a fungus that shows up on the underside of leaves as raised, reddish-brown spots.
Rust is not usually fatal, and unless it’s an annual problem, spraying with a fungicide is not necessary. Prune off any heavily infested leaves or branches and dispose of the material.
If the disease keeps returning year after year, spray with a copper fungicide early in the spring and again every other week for a total of four treatments.
Harvesting
It can be a little challenging to figure out if figs are ripe if you’re new to growing them. That’s because they go through growth spurts over a period of 90 days.
When they’re young, they plump up to about half their eventual size and then stay that way for about 30 days.
They swell a bit larger over a few days and then stop growing for another 30 days. Then, they burst to their mature size and stay that way for 30 days.
At this point, most people start to get antsy to pluck the fruits, but they aren’t ready yet, even though they don’t seem to be doing anything.
But after the 30 day period has passed, they will soften and change color, with the sugars fully developing and the caustic sap being eliminated from the fruit. This typically happens about two to three weeks after the 30 day period.
One way to tell if your figs are ready to harvest is when the neck becomes nice and soft and the fruit droops. If you harvest the fruit, no white sap will leak out of the neck.
Don’t press the base of the fruit and assume it’s good to go just because it’s soft. These fruits ripen from the bottom up. It might still be unripe at the neck though the base feels ready and you’ll be disappointed.
The ripe fruits will be soft to the touch and the skin may begin to split. If you’re growing a brown variety, the skin will darken to a brownish-purple color just before harvest time. But you can’t rely on color for green types.
You’ll want to grab them at just the right time. Picked too soon, they aren’t yummy – and they won’t ripen once removed from the plant.
Here’s the tricky part: You have to time the harvest of the fruit perfectly, so you get them when they’re just ripe, but before the $#&%@#! squirrels get them! Or the birds.
Some gardeners cover smaller trees with netting to dissuade wildlife, but this is impractical with large trees. You simply have to be diligent about watching for ripeness and then beating the crafty creatures to the goods.
If you just can’t stand the thought of losing all your figs to herbivores, you can wrap each fig in a mesh bag. Motion sensors will also help for a day or two before the animals become habituated.
Preserving
Harvested figs have a fairly short shelf life; store them in the refrigerator for two or three days, tops.
To dry these fruits, wash them thoroughly and then dry them with a towel. Place them whole or halved on a wire rack. Place the wire rack on a baking sheet.
Put the baking sheet in a 140°F oven for eight to 24 hours, checking the fruit for moisture and turning it as needed.
You can also use a dehydrator, following the same instructions. Learn more about dehydrators from this article on our sister site, Foodal.
You’ll know they’re dry when the outsides become leathery and you don’t see any juice on the inside. They should still be slightly pliable.
Store the dried fruit in the refrigerator or freezer in airtight containers for 18 to 24 months.
Recipes and Cooking Ideas
If eating them like candy somehow gets tiresome, you can preserve the fruits or add them to any number of recipes.
Photo by Kendall Vanderslice.
This recipe for tahini, honey-roasted fig, and banana popsicles from our sister site, Foodal is delicious. These frozen treats are filling and not too sweet.
Packed with figs, banana, and tahini, they do double-duty as breakfast or dessert.
Photo by Meghan Yager.
And a sweet fig livens up a fresh salad, too! Check out this recipe for arugula Dijon salad with figs, pistachios, and pea shoots, also from Foodal.
Or if you have an abundant harvest, check out this recipe for easy fig jam, also from Foodal.
Photo by Kelli McGrane.
You can use your fresh, homemade jam in a hearty roasted chicken panini. Doesn’t that sound delicious? You can find the recipe over at Foodal.
Clearly, we are wholly in favor of dismissing any negative connotations regarding the use of the fig leaf as a cover for things disagreeable.
Indeed, the fig is a most agreeable and generous specimen of a plant whose fruit is more than 50 percent sugar. We dare you to cast aspersions on this benevolent beauty.
In fact, we ask: Why wouldn’t you plant this species? Southern gardeners, select a wide spot. Soon you’ll all be members of the fig fanatics club!
Do you have fantastic figs in your yard? Planning your late-night neighborhood escapade to “borrow” from the neighbors? Tell us more in the comments section below.
Diabrotica undecimpunctata, Acalymma trivittatum, A. vittatum
As a gardener, it’s a real bummer when pesky insects come along and munch on the results of all your hard work.
And when it comes to bumming out a gardener after going to town on their crops, cucumber beetles are quite talented.
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Pretty in appearance, yet pretty annoying in behavior, cucumber beetles are not pests you should merely tolerate, lest you wish to jeopardize your cucurbits.
During an infestation, your crops can sustain feeding damage, suffer from stunted growth, and even contract diseases.
Therefore, it’s critical to have some pest management strategies in your back pocket, front pocket… or even your side pocket, if you happen to be clad in cargo shorts.
This guide will tell you everything you need to know about cucumber beetles, detailing their appearance, their life cycle, the damage that they inflict on plants, and how to manage them.
Take heed – your cucumber salads, pumpkin breads, and other melon or gourd-based dishes may very well depend on it.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
What Are Cucumber Beetles?
Cucumber beetles aren’t merely a single species, or even a single genus.
Rather, they’re certain members of the Acalymma and Diabrotica genera of Chrysomelidae that consume from cucumbers and other cucurbits, aka gourds.
Cucumber beetles won’t only plague members of the Cucurbitaceae family, although cucurbit consumption is definitely what they’re most known for.
The two most common kinds of cucumber beetle – the ones that you’ll most likely have to deal with – are the spotted and striped varieties.
Both lay oval-shaped, yellow to orange eggs, and the cream-colored, wormlike larvae of both have dark-colored heads and a body length of about half an inch.
The adult forms of both have black heads with yellow to green thoraxes, and are about a quarter-inch long.
The differences between them are right there in the names.
The spotted Diabrotica undecimpunctata has a yellow-green abdomen that’s covered with 12 black dots.
Its striped colleagues have the same yellow-green abdomen, but they sport three black longitudinal lines instead of spots.
The exact species of striped cucumber beetle depends on your location.
West of the Rocky Mountains in North America, you’ll primarily run into the western striped cucumber beetle, or Acalymma trivittatum.
To the east of the Rockies, you’ll most likely run into the regular ol’ striped cucumber beetle, or A. vittatum.
Life Cycle
There are minor life cycle differences between species and locations, but here’s a general outline of the process.
Let’s start with the eggs, which are laid in spring to summer in clumps of 25 to 50 at the base of host and non-host plants alike, as well as in the soil.
A few weeks later, the larvae will hatch from their eggs to consume roots and stems.
After a few more weeks of feeding and maturing through instars, the larvae will burrow into the soil to pupate.
About 40 to 60 days after the eggs were initially laid, adults emerge from the soil to either feed on nearby flora or migrate north to feed.
Depending on how cool the climate is, there could be one to three generations each growing season.
The year’s final generation of adults overwinters in adjacent plant detritus, nearby woodlands, or the soil until the start of the next year’s growing season.
Damage to Plants
What does this mean for your garden? Well, all of this munching doesn’t exactly leave your crops in the best shape.
Larvae take bites out of the roots and lower stem tissues of plants, which can stunt growth or kill young specimens outright when populations are large enough.
Even worse are the adults, who have a broader culinary palette – they’ll consume leaves, blooms, fruits, and even pollen.
Besides somewhat neutering a plant’s reproduction by reducing fruit set and interfering with bee pollination, this feeding can cause significant defoliation and reduced fruit aesthetics.
As you can imagine, missing bits of tissue are pretty bad for an organism, where both health and aesthetics are concerned. But that’s just the physical feeding damage.
As they feed, cucumber beetles can pick up and subsequently transmit a plethora of disfiguring, yield-reducing, and potentially fatal diseases such as squash mosaic virus, muskmelon necrotic spot virus, and Fusarium wilt.
An especially significant and typically fatal illness is cucurbit bacterial wilt, which is caused by Erwinia tracheiphila bacteria and more commonly transmitted by striped cucumber beetles, rather than their spotted brethren.
This disease results in wilting, leaf discoloration, and death, all in a matter of days.
To diagnose bacterial wilt, snip a suspect stem and cut it in half crosswise. After holding the cut halves together for 10 to 15 seconds, slowly separate them.
If the stem is infected, a mucus-like bacterial ooze will hang between the two ends, with an appearance not unlike runny mozzarella.
Control Methods
Trying to stop these pests from turning your beautiful, tasty crops into their own personal chow? Totally understandable.
But first and foremost, you’ll need to keep a sharp eye out for these pests, regardless of the control methods you plan to use.
Regularly inspect your plants for evidence of their presence, especially when new leaves are growing in the cotyledon stage.
Aside from seeing the adults, feeding damage and clusters of yellow to orange eggs are additional signs of an infestation to be on the lookout for.
To make the pests come to you, place traps early in the growing season. For a set of non-toxic, long-lasting, and poison-free traps and lures, behold these bad boys from Arbico Organics.
Now for some control counsel:
Cultural
How you grow and care for your plants can make a huge difference in pest management.
Aside from properly cultivating each of your garden specimens according to its specific needs, there are certain forms of control that don’t involve setting traps, releasing beneficial bugs, or sprays.
Particular plant varieties are less appealing to cucumber beetles than others.
For example, the cucumber cultivars ‘Liberty’ and ‘Wisconsin SMR-58’ aren’t very appetizing to the pests, and neither are the ‘Makdimon’ and ‘Rocky Sweet’ varieties of cantaloupe.
Much like pawns shielding the king in a game of chess, trap crops – i.e. plants that certain pests find especially attractive – can be used to attract enemies away from your more important plantings.
When you think of trap crops, you’re probably imagining plants such as dillor marigolds.
But in the case of trapping cucumber beetles, you can also place other, less-important members of the Cucurbitaceae away from your more critical cucurbits.
‘Blue Hubbard’ squash is a go-to gourd for using as a trap crop around the perimeter of cucurbits. This variety is exceptionally attractive to cucumber beetles, making it the perfect lure!
After cucumber beetle populations have grown on your ‘Blue Hubbard’ squashes or other trap crops, it’s essential to spray them with an insecticide to halt their advance towards the rest of your garden.
Technically, you have other options besides sprays – some commercial growers destroy pests in trap crops with weed flamers, while the mad scientist types may suck up the pests with large backpack vacuums.
Both of these methods may be overkill for most home gardeners, but they are definitely a lot more fun.
Weeds can also serve as hosts for these pests, so be hyper-vigilant about weeding in and around your garden. An un-pulled weed today could very well become home to a cucumber beetle colony tomorrow.
A heavy layer of mulch around established specimens can discourage beetles from laying eggs. If you have access to herbicide-free straw mulch, it can help to keep populations of these pests down and slow their movement between plants.
Be sure to harvest yields promptly and before they hit the ground, clean up nearby plant detritus, and regularly rotate the placement of crops from different families.
The first two tricks will reduce potential overwintering sites, while the latter throws a wrench into the pests’ life cycle.
Specimens infected with bacterial wilt should immediately be removed from your garden and destroyed to halt further disease spread.
If this disease is particularly worrisome in your area, the cucumber cultivar ‘County Fair’ sports some natural resistance.
Physical
In spring and fall, a light tillage of the soil can make short work of eggs and larvae.
For a physical barrier, consider protecting your plants with floating row covers, making sure to put them out before cucumber beetles are expected to emerge in your area.
You may wish to consult with your local agricultural extension to get a handle on the typical timing.
The standard advice has been to leave these covers on until your cucurbits have started blooming. An asterisk, though: this may delay the transmission of bacterial wilt, but it won’t necessarily eliminate it.
Research on muskmelons at Iowa State University found that delaying the removal of row covers by 10 days post-bloom protected plants from bacterial wilt for the entire season.
These trials actually reduced or entirely eliminated the need for insecticide sprays.
But since your plants will most likely need pollination, it may require introducing bumblebees or hand-pollinating under the row covers.
Some organic growers do this by renting commercial bumblebee hives and placing them under cover.
However, this may get expensive or prove to be unavailable in your area, and it would require shading the hives with cardboard, or perhaps a laundry basket.
Plus, bee stings aren’t at all fun and additional training may be required if you aren’t an expert beekeeper already.
Another option is to just open the row cover ends when plants start to bloom, but this runs the risk of allowing the bugs some limited access to your crops along with the pollinators.
Choices, choices…
A quick note, for those unfamiliar: hand pollination is when a gardener manually transfers the pollen from a male flower to the ovaries of female blooms, oftentimes with the aid of small, slender tools such as brushes or cotton swabs. If done correctly, hand pollination can yield fruits without the aid of insects or wind.
Containing millions of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, packages of NemaSeek beneficial nematodes are available from Arbico Organics.
Organic Pesticides
If you find that at least a quarter of your younger plants are infested with two or more beetles each, then it may be time to apply an insecticide.
With older plants, you can monitor for the death of leaves. If you find that a quarter or more of the foliage is gone, then you should apply an insecticide.
An effective low-impact and organic insecticide to use is neem oil, which is available from Bonide via Arbico Organics.
Spray every seven to 14 days, or every five to seven days if an infestation is heavy.
Neem oil can adversely affect bees, so be sure to spray when plants are not in bloom, and when bees aren’t out and buzzing about.
Another organic insecticide that you can use is kaolin clay. When applied to leaves, it leaves a residue that sticks to insects, which disorients and irritates them.
Applications of kaolin clay won’t provide full control on their own, but they work well as part of an integrated pest management system.
One formulation, Monterey Garden Insect Spray, is a broad-spectrum spinosad insecticide that’s available in various volumes from Arbico Organics.
For a more rapid control response, sprays of pyrethrin or azadirachtin insecticides directly applied to infected tissues are effective. But they can also take out beneficial insects, so be mindful.
Chemical Pesticides
Since broad-spectrum insecticides are very potent against many different bugs, caution and moderation in their usage is essential.
And of course, you should always heed any product warnings and follow all application instructions when using chemical treatments in the garden, if you opt to do so.
Does Your Garden Need Debugging?
Consider this guide a “patch” for your cucumber patch – or any of your other cucurbits, for that matter.
Heck, these tips help with any plants that cucumber beetles could infest, of which there are many.
With some prevention practices in place and control measures in reserve, you can keep your garden safe from cucumber beetles for years to come. And if mistakes are made and crops are lost, fear not. Losing a battle doesn’t equal losing the war!
Any questions on pest management still lingering? Experiences that you’ve learned from? Put ’em in the comments section below!
If your property has more exposure to traffic, neighbors, or passersby than you like, you can create a living fence using a mixture of tall ornamental Grasses, flowering shrubs, and large, colorful perennials. Although the diagram indicates a corner location, the recommended plantings could be reconfigured to fit a long border or any other situation. One of the most attractive aspects of this design is that it grows more beautiful as summer passes.
The ornamental Grasses come into their own in late summer and early fall, when the graceful plumes of their seed heads shoot up and unfurl. Best of all, these last well into winter, providing interest when the rest of the garden is dormant. Leave the silvery stems of the Buddleias and Perovskias in place as well; they look beautiful dusted with snow and make good cold-weather companions to the Grasses.
In the spring, simply cut down the dry Grass, prune back the shrubby perennials, and you’re set for a new season of growth. This design works best in a sunny area and requires only well-drained soil and moderate moisture. So if you need an alternative to an expensive, labor-intensive privacy fence, this garden plan might be your answer.
Helpful hints
Add in a barrier of tall flowering shrubs such as Weigela, Spirea, Ceanothus, or Lilac.
If you enjoy ornamental Grasses and have the room, add in extras such as Miscanthus sinensis ‘Gracillimus’ or ‘Yaku Jima,’ and Calamagrostis arundinacea.
Plant this garden next to your patio or deck, or in the yard to provide shade, block nuisance views, and add beauty to your landscape.
Be sure to give plenty of space between the Grasses and the Buddleias—they grow fast. Do not transplant until well after they are established.
The Saccharum is very tall. If your space is limited, you may wish to use Miscanthus ‘Sarabande’ or Calamagrostis `Karl Foerster’ in its place.
a. Alcea ‘singles mix’ b. Buddleia ‘black knight’ c. Buddleis ‘nanho purple’ d. Buddleia ‘pink delight’ e. Calamagrostis ‘karl terster’ f. Heliopsi ‘summmer sun’ g. Malva ‘alba’ h. Malva alcea var. fastigata i. Miscanthus ‘sarabande’ j. Monrda ‘marchall’s deliht’ k. Perovskia ‘filagran’ l. Saccharum ravennae
Remodelista armchair-traveled to the Southwest this past week for design inspiration, specifically to New Mexico, southern California, and other hot and dry (and chic) locales. Plus: Object Lessons: Tuareg Rugs 5 Favorites: Tamegroute Ceramics from Morocco Required Reading: Desert Escapes 10 Easy Pieces: Favorite Ceiling Fans The Art of Airstream Living with Heidi Swanson of […]
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