1. How to fertilize a lemon tree? Fertilize young lemon trees once every 1-2 months during their active growing phase and once every 1-3 months during the fall and winter when the tree is dormant. Older trees do not need to be fertilized when they are dormant, but fertilizing lemon Read more…
Dichotomous key A dichotomous key is guide, sort of like a map of characteristics, to lead the user to the correct identification of the plant. The word dichotomous comes from two Greek words that mean divide in two parts. To make a dichotomous key you will choose physical characteristics that can be used to Read more…
Why are my fig leaves turning yellow? If you own a fig tree, yellow leaves will be a concern at some point in its life. Questions about yellow fig leaves show up every year on every gardening site and the answers often seem to contradict each other. But, if you Read more…
Reusing and recycling materials in the garden 1. I use an old plastic mesh bag to round up leftover slivers of soap. I rubber-band the bag so it’s tight and hang it next to the hose. The combo of the slightly abrasive bag and the soap scrubs off garden dirt. — Irene, Washington Read more…
The USDA has inexplicably decided not to regulate the Crispr gene editing technique for food, and a slew of young companies are working around the clock to take advantage of this business-friendly approach and vie for dominance in the gene-edited crop sphere. Gene editing technology is used to target certain Read more…
It’s spring and it’s an ideal opportunity to consider how to keep the reptiles out of your home. As much as we would prefer not to consider snakes, we have to avoid potential risk now that the climate has warmed up and the critters are coming out of hibernation. Since Read more…
There are many statistical measures that show how productive the U.S. is. Its economy is the largest in the world and grew at a rate of 4.1 percent last quarter, its fastest pace since 2014. The unemployment rate is near the lowest mark in a half century. What can be Read more…
A San Francisco jury has awarded nearly $290 million in damages to a terminally ill man who alleged a widely used weed killer caused his cancer. In a verdict announced Friday, the jurors ruled in favor of Dewayne Johnson, a former groundskeeper for a San Francisco Bay Area school district, Read more…
Food & Water Watch is launching a campaign to ban the practice, which threatens our food, farm workers and the environment, with a new documentary by noted filmmaker Jon Bowermaster and a campaign video capturing shocked reactions from people who previewed the video last week in front of Whole Foods’ headquarters in Austin, Texas. Read more…
The heat wave may have caught many gardeners by surprise, as the searing temperatures cause struggling transplants to wilt just when they should be starting their summer growth spurt. Even well-established garden plants and landscape shrubs can be set back during a heat wave. Fortunately there are some simple measures Read more…