Boardash: ArcaMax Gardening Daily Tips for Saturday October 24, 2009

Friday, October 23, 2009

ArcaMax Gardening Daily Tips for Saturday October 24, 2009

Having trouble seeing this email? View the most recent issue or stories from previous issues.

	Today's Healthy Life Daily Video
	How To Prevent Eyestrain From Digital... Play Now!

Free Book Samples from BookDaily.com

Gardening Daily Tips
For You
Saturday October 24, 2009

Chives, Flowering Onion (Allium schoenoprasum)
Q&A: Asparagus Foliage Balled Up
Q&A: Growing Willow for Crafts
Tip: Preserve Gourds
New Healthy Life Daily Videos
Reader Photos

Chives, Flowering Onion (Allium schoenoprasum)

Today's Featured Plant
Chives, Flowering Onion (Allium schoenoprasum)

Read the full profile of this plant at ArcaMax.com.

Interested in reading about other plants? Search through hundreds of plant profiles and helpful articles by keyword.

Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | Send Story to a Friend | Top

Q&A: Asparagus Foliage Balled Up

Question: Last year my asparagus plants were stunted and the foliage formed tight balls instead of the regular ferns. What was the problem, and how can I prevent it from happening again?

Answer: Balled asparagus foliage is a sign of the asparagus aphid. The pest overwinters as small, black eggs on dead asparagus stalks and foliage. In spring, when new stalks begin to emerge from the ground, the eggs hatch and the young begin feeding exclusively on the stalks and young volunteer asparagus seedings. During feeding the aphid injects a substance that causes the asparagus foliage to grow into balls, and heavy infestations can reduce production. The aphids feed until fall, when they mate and lay eggs. To control the aphids, remove asparagus foliage after it dies in the fall. This reduces the number of overwintering eggs. Weeding your patch of the small volunteers, which young aphids feed on first in spring, will also reduce the damage. For heavy infestations, spray insecticidal soap when the spears begin to send out branches and the fernlike leaves. Repeat the spraying a few times during the growing season, whenever you notice damage to the leaves.

Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | Send Story to a Friend | Top

Q&A: Growing Willow for Crafts

Question: I'd like to plant willow bushes that I can harvest for small craft projects such as wreaths. I have a site along the border of my property that gets full sun, but I don't have room for a full-sized willow. Can you recommend some relatively small varieties?

Answer: The smallest willow is Salix caprea, or goat willow. This is a small tree growing 15'- 20' high with a 12'-15' spread. Most other willows reach heights of 60'-100' with an equal spread! If you cut branches for crafts, you can keep the goat willow on the smallish side. Willow roots will actively seek water, so, just to be on the safe side, plant well away from septic systems and drainfields.

Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | Send Story to a Friend | Top

Tip: Preserve Gourds

To dry hard-shell gourds wash fruit with a mild bleach solution and dry. Leave in a 50F dry, well-ventilated room out of direct sun. The skin dries in 2 weeks, but the internal flesh can take up to 6 months.

Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | Send Story to a Friend | Top

New Healthy Life Daily Videos

Could acupuncture treatment help breast cancer? Check out this video and learn about the latest research.

More videos like this, including more of the latest health studies and reports from doctors, are available free with a subscription to ArcaMax's Healthy Life Daily Video ezine. Sign up for this brand-new newsletter and get a new video report by e-mail every day!

Susbcribe to the Healthly Life Daily Video ezine instantly.

Find out more before subscribing.

-- From the ArcaMax editors

Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | Send Story to a Friend | Top

Today's Reader Submitted Photos

Click an image above to see full size and read caption.

To see more of our subscriber photos visit our full Photo Gallery.

Enter your Gardening Daily Tips pictures so you can show them off to other readers right here in this ezine and on the ArcaMax.com Web site. Click here to submit your photo.

Sincerely,
ArcaMax Editors