Most arugula plants need at least an inch of water per week. If you notice your plants becoming limp, wilted, or brown around their edges that’s a sure sign they need more water. Ideally, you should give them at least 1/2 cup of water per day for every 6 inches of plant height. Give each plant an individual soak using a watering can or hose and allow it to drain before adding more water.

Arugula, also known as roquette and rucoli, is a leafy green vegetable belonging to the brassica family. Derived from wild radish, arugula is believed to have originated in Greece or Italy (or maybe Pakistan), where it has been eaten for millennia. From there, its popularity spread westward into France and eventually throughout most of Europe. The scientific name of arugula is Eruca sativa. It’s been used by indigenous people in America as well; Iroquois Indians called it rahoketo, meaning the strong smelling one.

Amount of water needed

When it comes to farming, arugula has a number of needs. Arguably one of its most important needs is water. Plants need an ample amount of water to thrive; otherwise, they become malnourished and start to wither. You should ensure that your arugula plants receive adequate water—but how much is adequate? It’s hard to say exactly because there are so many variables in play. For example, arugula grown in colder temperatures will require more water than arugula grown in warmer temperatures. Additionally, if you live in an area with high levels of rainfall or humidity, you may not have to provide as much water as someone who lives in a drier climate with less rainfall or humidity.

When to water

The key to properly watering your arugula is to do it when it needs it. Generally, arugula should be watered as often as twice a week, depending on its type and growing conditions. If your arugula’s leaves are starting to yellow or turn brown, that means it’s experiencing drought stress. On the other hand, if they’re dark green but have wilted edges (as opposed to just drooping), you may be overwatering. Make sure you water deeply enough so that water penetrates at least 3 inches into soil; otherwise, nutrients will not reach roots. Overwatering can cause root rot, which can kill plants quickly.

How to tell if your plants have enough or too much water

The easiest way to tell if your arugula plants have enough water is to stick your finger a half-inch into soil and feel for dampness. If it’s dry, you know that it needs water; however, too much water can drown plants so be sure to only add a little bit of water at a time and let it seep in rather than spraying or sprinkling all over. Adding mulch around plant roots also helps keep moisture in and prevent weeds from growing up through your arugula.

Soil selection

Although arugula is not a fussy plant and will grow in a wide range of soils, it performs best in sandy loam or loamy sand that is rich in organic matter. The pH should be around 6.0 to 7.0. Although arugula is fairly tolerant of low fertility soils, adding some compost or manure to your soil before planting will give you a better crop, especially if your soil has been treated with chemicals for pest control or fertilizers for other crops, such as corn or tomatoes.

Will arugula grow back after cutting?

One of my pet peeves is plants that won’t come back once you cut them down. I buy greens like arugula and mizuna, and when I realize it’s almost time to harvest them (within a few days), I get a little sad. Cutting these plants down seems to be irreversible. Fortunately, I learned that there are techniques to help your arugula come back year after year. You will be able to harvest fresh arugula all summer long!
Just follow these steps: Put 2 or 3 inches of mulch around your arugula bed, burying as much of any stalks that remain in the soil. The mulch will help retain moisture and keep weeds from growing up through it.
When you’re ready to harvest your arugula, just pull back a little bit of mulch to expose some leaves and cut them off at ground level. The remaining plants will continue to grow and produce new leaves for several weeks after you’ve harvested them. By following these simple steps, you can enjoy fresh greens all summer long!

Does the arugula plant need full sun?

When grown in optimal conditions, arugula is a fast-growing plant. Arrange your arugula plants so that they receive at least 6 hours of sunlight each day to ensure vigorous growth.
However, keep an eye on your arugula’s watering needs; if it doesn’t get enough water, it will begin to yellow and die within weeks.
Arrange for more frequent watering during hot weather or when growing several plants together in a garden bed.
Keep in mind that arugula is an annual plant; once it goes to seed, it will die. If you plan to save seeds from your arugula plants, keep them well-watered and protected from extreme temperatures until they’re ready to be planted again next year.

Can arugula grow in shade?

Arugula is a cold-weather vegetable. It likes cooler temperatures, but it won’t thrive if kept in full shade. If you want to grow arugula indoors, then you will need to make sure that there is plenty of natural light so that it can photosynthesize. However, if you keep your indoor herb garden away from windows where direct sunlight shines on it, then arugula can thrive in the partial shade all year long (as long as there is some light). Soil moisture: Arguably one of the most important factors when growing arugula, even though not many people realize it.

The post How Much Water does Arugula Need? appeared first on Plant2Harvest.

• Improving The Quality Of The Plants And Soil – A water irrigation system lets you water the plants by the exact amount that you set it, so you don’t have to worry about giving the plant too much water or not enough water and the system waters the plant by the root which is exactly what is needed and helps you avoid creating weeds and fungus which can get the plant infected by diseases. Also, manual watering can cause some of the nutrients in the soil to wash away, the water irrigation system helps you to avoid this problem.
• Saves You Time- The best time to water the plant is usually during the early morning or late evening because at that time the sun won’t evaporate the water. But you might not have enough time by then, so you can set the water irrigation system to water the plants by then which saves you time. And also, if you’re out of town and country (Especially if you travel a lot) you can ask someone else to water the plants since it’s so easy.
• Saves You Money- The water irrigation system will water your plant in the exact amount of water so you’ll have a lush garden without spending too much money on the water bills.
• Easy To Install And Use- The water irrigation system is easy to install and also easy to use unlike tiring manual watering.
• Conserving The Environmental Water Supply-  The water irrigation system helps you use the exact amount of water that you need and reuse some of the water that was already used. Because there is a shortage of water and could get worse in the future, so using a water irrigation system will help you save water for the world.

I’m a big fan of Rivulis products, they are durable, accurate and get the job done. You can be sure that with Rivulis irrigation solutions your plants will keep on growing.

The post The Benefits of Using a Water Irrigation System in Your Garden appeared first on Plant2Harvest.

Lilies usually die from a disease or fungal infection and brown and spotty leaves indicate that this is the case, lilies can also die from other causes like too much watering, not enough watering, and pests like the Lily Leaf Beetle.

The best way to handle this problem is to grow the lily plants well which will avoid these problems and below we’ll explain to you how to do that.

Most Common Reasons Your Lilies Are Dying

There are three types of diseases that are the ones that cause the lilies to die, they are called Lily Mosaic, Botrytis Blight, and Basal Rot.

If your lily plant is producing fewer flowers than it is supposed to grow, the flowers that grew are deformed and the leaves are covered by unusual grey spots or stripes, which means that the plant is suffering from the Lily Mosaic disease.

It’s a disease that is caused by aphids who spread a virus that kills the lily plant and turns it dry and brown, it mostly affects Tiger Lilies.

If wet teardrops and brown spots merge together on the leaves of your lily plants (This usually begins on the lower leaves), brown spots spread over the buds and petals of the flowers, and a gray and fuzzy growth grows on the dead part of the plants, it means that the plant is suffering from the Botrytis Blight disease.

It’s a fungal disease that is caused by the wet weather, it infects the lower leaves and spreads to the stem. it causes the leaves to turn brown and die which will prevent the plant from growing new flowers. 

If the roots and the basal plates of your lily plants are rotting and their color changes to blue or gray, the bulbs and scales fall down, the plant stops growing and flower buds die before they open it means that the lily plant is suffering from the Basal Rot disease. 

It’s a disease caused by a fungus and hurts the growth of the plant. The bulb is infected first and then the disease spreads over the plant which causes the leaves to turn yellow, wilt, and die and also causes the roots to become colorless and rotten. Usually, the Asiatic Lilies are affected by this disease. 

There is also a lily leaf beetle that settles in the plant and eats the flower and the leaves.

If the lily isn’t getting enough water, the dry air will dry that lily and kill it.

Also, too much water can drown the roots and cause the bulb to rot. If the lower leaves become yellow and fall down, this means that the lily is suffering from this.

Starting from the fall until the winter, the lilies have natural “death” and during the early spring, the plants will blossom again. The signs that indicate this are when the leaves become yellow and then they shrivel and die.

Can I Heal My Dying Lily?

If your lily is infected by the lily mosaic disease, you can’t heal it because it’s a virus. You must dig up the plant and throw it away as soon as possible in order to prevent the virus from spreading to the other plants and then you can plant new lilies. If you see an aphid on the plant, scare it away by spraying it with water and that will help you avoid this problem in the first place.

The same goes for lilies that are infected by the basal rot disease. You can’t save it, only throw it away in order to stop the disease from spreading to other plants. The only way to fix this problem is to minimize the chances of the plant getting infected by these diseases and we will explain to you how to keep the plants healthy in the next section.

If your lily is infected by the botrytis blight disease, you must remove all the infected parts of the plant as soon as you see the infection and use fungicide spray like this one on the flowers, the spray kills the fungus directly and it’s easy to use and all you need is to follow the instructions on the packaging.

If the soil is dry, simply watering it once a week will heal the plant. and If the plant is suffering from too much water, dig it out from the soil and put it in a flowerpot with a drain hole or raised beds that can drain the amount of water that isn’t needed with a fresh potting mix and throw away the old soil. Also, remove all of the dead or rotting roots.

If the plant’s leaves died during the fall and the winter, the plant “died” naturally and will blossom again in the spring so all you need to do is cut the dead leaves and water it once in 2 weeks and after it becomes healthy again in the spring water it once a week.

How Can I Avoid The Death of The Lily?

The best way to avoid the diseases that we talked about earlier and causing the lilies to live fully is to grow each lily with enough space from the other lilies and other plants in order to give it enough air circulation and in the full sun and also plant it in a ground that drains the water quickly and by watering the lilies close to the ground rather than overhead. That way, you’re keeping the lilies dry and avoiding creating fungus that creates the diseases that we talked about.

Don’t put too much fertilizer and remove weeds and other plants that could harm your lily.

Also, spray the lilies with fungicide and insecticide sprays since those sprays are easy to use (Don’t forget to follow the instructions), only hurts the fungus and the pests and by that, you are protecting the plant from fungus and pests before it has the chance to harm your lily. This will decrease the chances of the lilies 

getting affected from such diseases and dying.

 Also, remove any fallen leaf or stem from the plant to make sure that the lily won’t get infected by these diseases.

Also, keep the lily moisturized and plant them in good soil that can drain too much water or containers that can drain too much water.

The post Why Are My Lilies Dying? appeared first on Plant2Harvest.

Usually, Parsley leaves turning yellow indicate that the plant is under some sort of stress, but there also other different reasons for this like hot weather, too much or too little watering, stress on the root system, wrong amount of fertilizing, dense soil or potting mix, lack not enough light, pests, blight or some sort of a disease.

Below, we’ll fully explain each problem, what is causing it and how you can fix it.

Hot Summer Weather

The yellow leaves indicate that the plant is dry. 

During hot summer days, your Parsley plant is losing water and moisture from its body very quickly before the roots can absorb the water in soil and that causes the leaves to turn yellow, dry and eventually fall.

How You Can Fix This?

Grow the plant in an area where it has shade or use a cloth or any other object that can cast a shadow over the plant and protect it from the sun and the wind. Also, make sure to water the plant well in the early morning or late evening.

The Right Amount Of Water

Yellow leaves can also be caused by giving it a wrong amount of water, you need to make sure that the plant is getting the right amount of water.

Too much water will cause the plant’s roots to suffocate and eventually rot or will cause “crown rot” while not enough water will cause the plant to dry. 

How You Can Fix This?

First, check if the soil is wet enough by sticking your finger or a meter about 1 inch (or 2.5 cm) into the ground.

If you are not sure if you need to give more water I strongly recommend you get one of these 3-in-1 gardening meters. 

If the soil isn’t wet enough, water deeply to the root system once during the early morning or late evening. 

But make sure that the soil isn’t soggy because it might cause root rot or crown rot.

Transplant Reaction

Yellow leaves could also indicate that the roots are under some sort of stress because Parsley plants have long roots that are rather delicate, and disturbing it could cause the plant to die.

How You Can Fix This?

If you need to transplant it, do so very carefully and avoid disturbing the root system as much as possible.

Make sure that the planting location is ready in advance in order to plant it quickly and water it deeply. 

Pro tip – If you are going to buy a new persley plant in your local nursery, you must check that there aren’t yellow leaves and that the roots aren’t coming out from the draining holes because in that situation, the plant will have a problem adjusting to a new soil.

The Right Amount Of Fertilizing

Yellow leaves could also indicate that there’s too much or too little nutrients in soil. 

Parsley has long roots which enable it to find enough nutrients in the soil.

How You Can Fix This?

The best way is to fertilize the garden bed or pot before planting.

Use a mixture of different fertilizer and later make a fertilizer test to find the required amount of fertilizer or according to the instructions on the packaging. 

When I plant and grow my persley I always use this fertilizer and always get great results.

If the leaves are turning yellow after you fertilize, water the plant to balance the soil.

Too Dense Soil Or Potting Mix

The yellow leaves could also indicate that the soil or potting mix is too dense and this makes it harder for the plant to absorb all the nutrients it needs in order to grow.

How You Can Fix This?

If you’re using clay soil, you can add sand, dried shivered leaves or compost like this to your garden. 

If the soil that you use contains soil from the garden or bagged garden soil, mix some sand. Before planting the Parsley, you can buy this soil.

Lack Of Sunlight

Yellow leaves could indicate that the plant is not getting enough light. Usually it happens when you are growing your parsley in the winter, indoors or you are living in an area with little sunlight.

How You Can Fix This?

If you are living in an area with plenty of sunlight, try to remove the plant to another location so it could get the right amount of sunlight every day.

If it’s the winter or you are living somewhere with almost no sunlight, you’ll need to move the plant indoors and replace the sunlight with growing lights.

They are cheap, effective and you can use it for multiple plants.

Small Container

Yellow leaves could indicate that the roots don’t have enough room to grow because the container is too small and shallow, and Parsley loves to spread its long roots deep into the soil to grow.

How You Can Fix This?

There’s no way around it, you need to get another pot and it should be at least 10 inch (25 cm) deep.

There’s a great deal of a set of 12 pots in a bargain price that I usually order, and if you need new pots go grab the deal before it ends.

The Leaf Spot Fungus

Yellow leaves could indicate that the plant is suffering from the fungal infection called “The leaf spot fungus”. 

There are microbes in the air called “fungal spores” that are drawn to wet and warm plant surfaces. 

The longer they stay on it and reproduce, it will cause the leaves to turn yellow and later brown with black spots until the whole plant is affected. 

It is also contagious to other companion plants in the area, so watch out from this.

How You Can Fix This?

Make sure that there’s no moisture on the plant by watering the soil in the early morning or late evening and cut the foliage carefully.

If the plant is affected and you’re growing it indoors, keep it away from the other plants to avoid spreading the infection and carefully cut the infected leaves.

If you’re growing it outdoors, you can try bicarbonate from baking soda using 1/2 teaspoon with 2.5 ml of water or you can get fungicide and use it according to the instructions of the packing.

If it’s not working and the whole plant is infected, dig it from the ground quickly and throw it away and then start growing a new one.

Pests

Yellow leaves indicate that pests like spider mites of ants are feeding on the plant.

How You Can Fix This?

You can either buy an insecticide like this one or apply an organic neem oil or insecticidal soap on the underside of the leaves. (Sprinkle a little sugar to attract the ants).  

Blight

Yellow leaves indicate that the plant is suffering from blight caused by a fungus called “Botrytis” that attacks the tender parts of the plant because of a high level of humidity and will cause the plant to wilt.

How You Can Fix This?

Make sure that the plant has enough air and sunlight.
Fertilize it and water the soil to avoid moisture on the plant’s body, those are good growing conditions that will avoid this problem.

If the plant is infected, pick up any debris that falls from the plant as soon as possible to avoid spreading the disease and burn them or bury them under 30 cm of soil far from plants. 

The “Septoria” and “Stemphylium” diseases

Yellow leaves can indicate that the plant is suffering from a disease caused by an infected seed, such as the “Septoria” disease.
That can cause the leaves to become angular and darker and eventually dotted by black pycnidia and also the “Stemphylium” which causes the plant to dry and eventually die.

How You Can Fix This?

In order to avoid this, you can buy a disease resistant seed or a seed that was tested to reduce diseases.

Grow the plant in non-host crops and give the plants enough space from each other. Give the plants all the water and sunlight it needs and allow them to dry from rainfall, watering and dew and water the soil deeply rather than watering the plant overhead.

If the plant is indeed infected, use fungicide according to the instructions on the packing as soon as you see the earliest symptoms before the disease can spread any further.

The post What Is Causing My Parsley Leaves To Turn Yellow? And How Can I Fix It? appeared first on Plant2Harvest.

There are a lot of reasons as to why your lettuce is only producing small leaves and each of these will be discussed in this article one by one including the symptoms and remedies. 

Causes of small lettuce leaves

1. Too little or too much soil moisture

What to look out for:

Wilted leaves, poor plant growth,  soggy soil

What to do:

Unregulated soil moisture can highly affect the overall growth of your lettuce plant. For instance, when there is insufficient soil moisture, there is a huge tendency for your plant to wilt and manifest poor growth, including production of small lettuce leaves. On the other hand, excessive soil moisture may result in root rot which is also one of the common causes of leaf discoloration.

To fix this, make sure to plant your lettuce in rich, moist soil with good drainage and water it regularly, about an inch every week, to avoid drought and overwatering. 

2. High temperatures

What to look out for:

Thin leaves, slow leaf production

What to do:

Since lettuce thrives better in colder temperatures, extreme heat can adversely affect its growth, particularly the leaf production. When exposed to too much heat, not only will the leaves wilt, but the entire plant will also reduce its leaf production, with a possibility of producing smaller leaves. So, the best thing to do is plan your planting season ahead and grow your lettuce only during the cool weather, or if you insist on planting even during the summer, choose a heat-resistant variety.

3. Nematodes

What to look out for:

Distorted leaves, swollen roots/twigs, leaf discoloration

What to do:

Nematodes are pests that feast on lettuce plants by burrowing through the soil and infecting the roots. When not prevented, this infestation will crawl up to the new growth, affecting the plant’s leaves. Results can vary between producing thin, smaller leaves, wilting, and die back. Some of the troubleshooting that you can do is by watering your lettuce regularly, applying ample amounts of fertilizer, or totally removing the entire plant at the end of the season to prevent the nematodes from spreading.

4. Fungal disease

What to look out for:

Leaf drop, poor plant growth, stem and root rot

What to do:

Sclerotinia minor and Sclerotinia sclerotioru are two of the most common fungal diseases that affect lettuce plants. These fungal diseases cause rot or withering of roots, stems, and leaves which then lead to slow and poor plant growth, and eventually collapsing and dying. To fix this, start by removing the infected leaves to avoid damaging other lettuce leaves and then transfer the entire plant into a better garden bed with good drainage.

Other growing problems and diseases

Growing your own lettuce in your own garden guarantees you an abundant food supply. You can make it into a salad, add crisp to your sandwich, make some lettuce wraps for lunch, and many more. But, not only us human beings enjoy this green, crunchy crop. Pests, fungi, and other diseases also tend to thrive on this plant. 

Here are some of the problems and diseases that you may probably encounter when growing your own lettuce plant.

1. Sunburn

Sunburn does not only happen to human beings, but apparently to lettuce as well. Since lettuce thrives better in colder temperatures, it easily gets sunburned when exposed to too much full sun. To protect your lettuce from extreme sun exposure, you can cover it with shade cloth or plant it in a bed that has more shade. 

How will you know if your lettuce is sunburned? Observe the leaf tips. If they turn brown and basically look burned, then it is clearly a sign of sunburn.

2. Snails and slugs

Aside from bunnies and turtles, do you know who else loves lettuce? Snail and slugs. But, unlike bunnies and turtles, these two molluscs are actually considered as pests that feed on growing lettuce, causing them to leave trails of silver slime and leaving the crop half eaten. 

To be able to get rid of these snails and slugs, you can initially clean up your garden and make it debris-free so they don’t have a place to hide. Next is set up a shelter-trap; or you could also attract and drown them with a shallow dish of beer with lip.

3. Downy mildew

Downy mildew is a fungal disease that spreads from one plant to another by airborne spores. You can easily spot if your lettuce is suffering from downy mildew when you notice some pale yellowish spots forming on the surface of the lettuce leaves and grayish purple molds on the undersides. Since this fungal disease rapidly spreads not only within the crop but also across other plants, it is important that you get rid of it the quickest time possible.

Improving air circulation and keeping your garden debris-free can greatly contribute to minimizing the spreading of downy mildew. Moist environment also increases the chances of your lettuce from getting the fungal disease so it is recommended that you water your plant in the morning so it has enough time to dry out during the day.

4. Aster yellows

Another lettuce disease transmitted by leafhoppers is the Aster yellows. When infected, the leaves at the center of the heads are twisted, stunted, narrow, and yellow. While there is no available treatment for this disease yet, the least that you can do is eliminate the infected plant to avoid the disease from transmitting to other plants. 

5. Mosaic virus

Another commonly encountered virus that attacks on lettuce is the Mosaic Virus. This virus is mainly caused by aphids and leafhoppers that makes the lettuce leaves slightly spotted and turns the leaves yellow and stunted. What’s hard about this virus is that when your plant already showed symptoms, there really is not much that you can do to control it from spreading but to get rid of the infected leaves. 

To avoid this from happening in the future, you could add some aluminum mulch on your soil to disorient the aphids. It will also be helpful if you make your garden free from weeds where aphids and leafhoppers nestle. 

Read more about Lettuce

How To Harvest Lettuce Without Killing The Plant?

Everyone Can Grow Lettuce

17 Fastest Growing Vegetables From Seed

Tips on growing lettuce properly

Lettuce can be quite picky when it comes to its growing environment, thus you have to make sure that you meet all of its growing requirements to be able to harvest good quality and best tasting lettuce. While there is no guarantee that you will be able to avoid all types of growing problems and diseases that may destroy the quality of your lettuce, you can still follow these useful tips to help you manage your lettuce plants properly.

1. Keep the soil cool and moist

Adding organic mulch at the surface of the soil will keep it cool and moist which is beneficial to the overall growth of your lettuce plant. Especially during the warmer weather, it is important to still grow your lettuce in its preferred growing condition to avoid it from wilting or producing poor quality leaves. 

2. Provide a steady supply of nitrogen

3 weeks after transplanting, it is necessary that you feed your lettuce with nitrogen rich fertilizers for it to continue to grow. If it happens that your soil is not high in organic materials, you can make do with it by adding plenty of compost and slow-release fertilizers. Also make sure that the soil is well-draining to minimize the possibility of root rot.

3. Water only when necessary

While lettuce thrives well in moist soil and cool conditions, it does not mean that you need to water it frequently. To avoid the possibility of root rot, only water your lettuce when deemed necessary particularly if it shows signs of wilting. Ideally, lettuce only needs watering once twice a week or every 5 days. 

4. Sow additional seeds

For you to maximize your lettuce harvest all throughout the season, it is recommended that you sow additional lettuce seeds every two weeks so you can continue harvesting your crop before the season ends. Make sure to plant your lettuce in shaded areas or underneath the taller crops where it can be protected from direct sunlight.

5. Companion planting

Part of providing a good growing environment for your lettuce is to master companion planting. For instance, since lettuce is prone to aphids infestation, it will be beneficial if you plant it near the garlic and chives as these two are known as great aphids repellent. Similarly, marigold is also a good option to help keep bugs away from your lettuce.

Other crops and vegetables that are believed to be great companions of lettuce are carrots, asparagus, strawberries, tomatoes, spinach, beets, sunflower, coriander, etc. On the other hand, be cautious not to plant lettuce near cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts. 

Benefits of lettuce leaves

Aside from being a good main ingredient in vegetarian and vegan recipes, lettuce leaves are also known as a good source of a lot of health benefits. Take a look at this comprehensive list below. 

• Contains anti-inflammatory properties
• Flushes out body toxins
• Helps impede insomnia and control anxiety
• Regulated and increased metabolism
• Provides protection against cancer, heart complications and other diseases
• Generates cells and refreshes skin
• Helps lower cholesterol level

The post Why Are My Lettuce Leaves So Small And How To Fix It? appeared first on Plant2Harvest.

To be able to know if your tomato plant is growing well, you should not just focus on the fruit but on its leaves as well. Having smaller leaves than usual can be a manifestation of a more serious problem.

To know more about this and what you can do to fix this growing problem, below are some useful information that you can use as reference.

 Causes of small tomato leaves

1. Low or high amount of nitrogen

What to look out for:

Thin, small leaves, viney stems

What to do:

Nitrogen is one of the important elements a tomato plant needs in order to maintain a healthy and robust growth. The nitrogen in soil depletes when the organic matter in soil is insufficient; conversely, excessive amounts of nitrogen can cause your plant to grow more rapidly, thus makes your tomato plant leggy or viney. To fix this, you will need to conduct a soil test to determine whether or not your soil needs more or less of nitrogen.

2. Fungal diseases

What to look out for:

Wilter plants, leaf spots, molds

What to do:

Fungal diseases do not simply disrupt the leaf production of tomato plants but it also causes an entire physical and chemical damage. When not prevented, this could lead to molds build up, falling off of leaves, and eventually dying of the entire plant. In order to fix this, you can start by making your plant resistant by applying fungicides or sulfur sprays. It will also help if you space your plants about 2 to 3 feet apart, and as much as possible avoid overhead watering.

3. Insufficient amount of water

What to look out for:

Dry soil, thin and small leaves

What to do:

Tomato is the type of plant that requires regular watering, specifically about an inch of water every week or else the soil will dry out quickly affecting the growth of the tomato, including the production of larger leaves. So, see to it that you follow a regular watering pattern and schedule to make sure that your tomato will get the ample amount of water that it requires.

4. Lesser sunlight

What to look out for:

Wilted leaves, thin/small leaves, leaf discoloration

What to do:

Apart from water, sunlight is also one of the major necessities for growing a healthy tomato plant. Specifically, too little amount of this can make your tomato produce smaller and unhealthy leaves because of lack of nutrients. Insufficient amount of sunlight can also cause your tomato plant to be leggy because they will try to grow taller to reach the light source. To address this concern, make sure that your tomato receives a good amount of sunlight for at least 8 hours a day. 

Other growing problems and diseases

Aside from producing small leaves, tomato plants are also prone to many other diseases and growing problems that affect its roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Below are some of the mostly encountered problems while growing a tomato plant.

1. Blossom drop

When your tomato plant produces flowers but they eventually come off even if there is no tomato fruit developing, that means your plant is manifesting a clear sign of blossom drop. Irregular temperature heavily influences blossom drop in tomato plants. In order for your plant to retain its flowers and develop its fruits, you have to grow it in an area that has regular temperatures between 55 to 75 degrees F.

Apart from fluctuating temperature, there are also other factors that contribute to blossom drop; this includes: pest infestation, insufficient water supply, lack or excessive amount of nitrogen, and shortage in pollination.

2. Gray leaf spot

While gray leaf spot does not directly affect the tomato fruit, it can disrupt the overall growth of the plant, thus impacting the process of fruit production. From the name itself, signs of gray leaf spot include brown or gray bruises with yellow halo on the surface of the tomato leaf. This fungal disease causes holes on the foliage which eventually leads to leaf drop. The consistent leaf drop may not instantly kill the entire plant but it can affect the quality and taste of the tomato fruit.

3. Puffiness

This kind of tomato disease is not easily acknowledged until you pick your ripe fruit and slice it in half. Puffiness means that your tomato plant is growing well, the flowers and fruit bloom according to schedule, and your tomato fruit looks healthy and red from the outside but when cut open, it shows huge spaces and not much of the fruit. Basically, puffiness makes your tomato hollow inside and less juicy.

Since this type of tomato disease is caused by lack of fertilizer, poor soil nutrition, and insufficient pollination, you can start by feeding your plant with balanced fertilizer either biweekly or monthly, depending on your plant needs.

4. Leaf roll

Older tomato leaves, particularly the ones near the base of the plant are more prone to leaf roll. Due to extremely soaked soil, high temperatures, and too much pruning, the leaves curl from the outside to the center and once one leaf is infected, the disease spreads across the plant damaging nearly 75% of it.

5. Sunscald

Another damaging disease that affects the quality of tomato fruit is sunscald. This appears towards the harvesting stage of the tomato where yellow patches form on the skin and eventually turn to white, making the affected area paper thin and the tomato unpalatable. 

Sunscald develops when the tomato fruit is overly exposed to full sun. So, to be able to avoid this, you could transfer your plant in a slightly covered area or anywhere with shade especially at noon when the sun is at its peak.

Tips on growing tomato properly

If you are growing tomato for the first time, you need to take note of these growing tips to ensure that you prevent your plant from being damaged by the aforementioned problems and diseases. 

1. Heat up the soil prior to planting.

Unless the soil and air temperature are kept warm, tomatoes won’t really start to grow. So, if you are planning on planting tomatoes at the start of the season, you can begin with the preparation by preheating the soil. To do this in a quick manner, you may cover the soil to be used with a red or black plastic weeks before planting tomatoes. 

2. Do not overcrowd the seedlings.

Since a tomato plant has the tendency to spread, it is best that you give your plant an adequate amount of space, whether you’re growing it in a container or bed. When overcrowded, the tomato plant’s growth will be restricted, resulting in them being stressed out and eventually dying. To avoid this from happening, you may opt to transfer each tomato plant in their respective 4-inch containers once they have produced their first set of true leaves.

3. Ensure that the tomato plant receives sufficient light

Tomato is a sun-loving plant and requires 6-8 hours of full sun everyday for its healthy and optimum growth. So, it would be best if you grow your tomato in the sunniest side of your garden. This will also lessen the chances of your plant to become too leggy, as a result of striving for more sunlight. 

If, by any chance, you are growing your tomato indoors or you’re growing it during the winter where the day is shorter, you can make use of artificial plant light but that will require more time of light exposure. From 6-8 with the natural sunlight, you will need to expose your tomato to artificial light for about 14 to 18 hours a day, as needed.

4. Get rid of the older, bottom leaves

To be able to save your tomato plant from possible fungal diseases, it is recommended that you remove the older leaves at the base of the plant especially when it’s already 3 feet high. When the tomato plant is that tall, the bottom leaves are most likely shaded by the rest of the plant which is the usual origin of fungal diseases.

Aside from this, you can also prevent fungal disease from spreading all over your tomato plant by spraying compost tea regularly. 

5. Prune your plant

It is no secret that pruning encourages more vigorous growth in a plant and the same thing applies to the tomato. Additionally, if you notice some little foliages in the middle of two branches, pinch them out or else your plant will have a hard time bearing fruit. 

While pruning is highly recommended, be careful not to remove too much of the leaves as this may disrupt the quality and sweetness of your tomato fruit.

Benefits of tomato leaves

We all know that tomato fruit is not only incredibly delicious but also contains a lot of essential vitamins, nutrients, and minerals that are body needs especially in nourishing our skin. But, did you know that its leaves are also equally beneficial? 

Contrary to what other people claim, tomato leaves are actually safe to eat. As a matter of fact, like other herbs and greens, tomato leaves are tender and fragrant. You can add it to your soup, or you can make pesto pasta out of it. Tomato leaves are also rich in phytonutrients which are believed to be extremely beneficial to human health particularly in fighting diseases. Additionally, tomato leaves also contain plenty of anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants.

The post Why Are My Tomato Leaves So Small And How To Fix It? appeared first on Plant2Harvest.

Pothos is considerably one of the easiest houseplants to grow, but it does not make it resilient to growing problems.

If you notice that your pothos is growing small leaves, below are some of the  factors that may be causing it along with the remedies that you can do to avoid the plant from being damaged any further.

 Causes of small pothos leaves

1. Irregular watering pattern

What to look out for:

Leaf discoloration; root rot

What to do:

When you supply your pothos plant with too little or too much water, it can result in total damage including hindering growth, production of small or unhealthy leaves, root rotting, and leaf discoloration. To be able to fix this issue, you need to make sure that you provide your pothos leaves with sufficient amounts of water and follow a strict schedule.

2. Limited container space

What to look out for:

Deranged roots; small plant/leaves

What to do:

When your Pothos plant is grown in a container with inappropriate size, there is a huge tendency that it won’t be able to maximize its growth, thus the evident production of smaller leaves. So, when symptoms like this show, what you must do is to transfer your pothos plant into a larger container so it can freely grow more vigorously and eventually produce much larger leaves.

3. Applying fertilizer more than the required amount

What to look out for:

Leaf discoloration, leaf curling

What to do:

Applying fertilizer to your plant can be quite tricky. You would think that feeding your pothos plant with plenty of fertilizer will make it healthier but on the contrary it will only make the condition of your plant even worse. Particularly, this can result in leaf curling, leaf discoloration, and production of smaller leaves.

4. Underexposure or overexposure to sunlight

What to look out for:

Thin leaves, leaf curling

What to do:

Sunlight is one of the most essential factors to growing healthy and large leaves. When you expose your pothos to less or more sunlight, it can hinder the growth of your plant because of the insufficient supply of nutrients. To be able to rectify the situation, you could either place your plant on a spot where it can receive more direct sunlight, otherwise move it somewhere with more shade for lesser sun exposure.

Other growing problems and diseases

If you are planning on growing pothos soon, you must not just familiarize yourself with its growing requirements, but you also have to take note of the possible pests and diseases that may hinder the growth of your plant. Fortunately, this article covers pothos plant’s other diseases aside from producing small leaves.

1. Mealybugs infestation

Mealybug is one of the most common pests feasting on pothos plants. This soft-bodied insect, which is surrounded by a cotton-like cover, particularly feeds on the stems and leaves that reduces that plant’s sap. When not prevented, this could lead to leaf deformation and eventually leaf drop.

To fix this issue, you can start by soaking some cotton swabs with alcohol and gently pressing it onto the mealybugs and infected area. This will kill a number of mealybugs, but not entirely, especially if the infestation is really high. In that case, you need to bring your pothos in an open area away from the other plants or in a tub and rinse the mealybugs off of the plant. After this, you may opt to spray some horticultural oil to ensure that all the remaining mealybugs are completely killed off.

2. Stem rot

Stem rot is mainly caused by a fungus infection in the stem brought by Rhizoctonia. Since the soil level of the stem is the extremely affected part during a stem rot, you will notice a build up of fungal growth at the surface of the soil especially under wet conditions. 

As a remedy, you can apply some fungicide to gradually get rid of the fungal infection and save your plant from totally rotting. Moreover, to avoid such growing problems from happening in the future, make sure to plant your pothos plant in potting mix free of pathogens.

3. Bacterial leaf spot

Your pothos plant is clearly showing symptoms of bacterial leaf spot when there are visible water-soaked spots with yellow disks spreading aggressively across the surface of the leaf. Since this bacterial disease rapidly spreads all over the plant, it is important that you quickly do preventive measures such as discarding the infected leaves, otherwise it can affect almost 75% of the entire plant. 

One of the most common causes of bacterial leaf spots is overhead watering. Similarly, wet and cool growing conditions are main contributors to the development of this bacterial disease. After removing all the infected leaves, you can use some organic fungicide to kill the remaining bacteria.

4. Root rot

Closely similar to stem rot, root rot in a pothos plant is commonly caused by a pathogen called Pythium. Root rot can be easily recognized without having to dig through the roots just yet. Just from the looks of the leaves, you can already tell if your plant is suffering from such disease. Some of the affected leaves turn to yellow while others immediately wilt. There are also cases where the stems become mushy and black. Moreover, you will also notice that the plant’s overall growth is restricted. 

Meanwhile, if you examine its roots, they become soft and soggy and the color is changed to brown or black, which are clear indications of rotting. To fix this problem, remove the brown, mushy parts of the roots and replant whatever is left in your pothos plant in a fresh, new soil with better drainage to avoid the roots from being soaked in water. 

Tips on growing pothos properly

While pothos is considerably a low maintenance houseplant, there are still some important care tips that you must take note of in order to keep your plant at its best condition. 

1. Minimize fertilizer feeding

While it is understandable that you want to keep your pothos plant healthy by feeding it with plenty of fertilizers, it is actually recommended that you just light feed it. Pothos only needs a supply of balanced liquid fertilizer for about once every 3 months. Any more than the recommended amount or more frequent that the supposed schedule can disrupt the growth and quality of your pothos. 

2. Bring your pothos indoors

Pothos is a versatile plant. It can tolerate both low and medium indoor lights as well as slightly shaded outdoor lights. However, if you want to really maximize your plant’s beauty, it is best that you keep it away from direct full sun, thus an indoor setup is ideal. If your pothos plant is exposed to too much sunlight, its leaves will turn pale which is definitely the last thing that you want to happen.

You can also take this opportunity to use your pothos plant as a houseplant decoration for your living room or office. Its bright and fresh-looking green leaves will definitely bring a warm and cozy vibe to your home.

3. Avoid overwatering your plant

Pothos plants enjoy some moisture but overwatering can definitely kill them. So, you have to be careful not to supply it with too much water as it may also lead to root rot. To regulate your watering schedule, you can check the soil’s condition first. If it is already dry to touch, then it might need some watering; otherwise, just wait for a couple of days. Also, if you notice that there is some excess water sitting in the saucer beneath the pot, make sure to drain it. 

4. Repot your pothos as needed

When your plant shows some signs of restricted growth, for instance drooping leaves and heavily clumped roots, then it is time that you transfer it to a much larger pot where it can further grow. In this case, a container 1-2 inches wider should be good enough. Make sure that the container has good drainage as well to avoid root rot.

5. Keep the environment warm for your pothos

Since pothos is a tropical plant, it thrives better in warm conditions, preferably in areas with temperatures between 70 to 90 ℉, although it can tolerate moderate temperatures ranging from 55 – 85 ℉. So, especially during the winter, you might want to take your pothos plant indoors to avoid the chilling weather outside.

Benefits of pothos leaves

Pothos is more than just a decorative houseplant that pleases our eyes. Interestingly, pothos serves a lot of valuable contributions not only to human beings but to the environment, as well. Some of these are as follows:

• Pothos purifies the air and filters out formaldehyde, benzene and carbon monoxide.
• In addition, pothos also get rid of foul odor mixing in with the air.
• After looking at the screen for too long, pothos can be useful to help reduce eye irritation.
• Pothos are also good aquarium companions as it reduces nitrate levels and algae growth which minimizes the need to change the water in the tank frequently.

The post Why Are My Pothos Leaves Small And How To Fix It? appeared first on Plant2Harvest.

Don’t lose hope just yet because in this article we will discuss one by one the possible causes of why your basil is producing small leaves and what you can do to troubleshoot this growing problem so you can finally make the most delicious pizza, salad, and pasta for your friends and family.

Some of the most common causes that your basil plant is growing small leaves are an insufficient supply of sunlight, growing in small container, underwatering or overwatering, inadequate amount of nutrients, or other basil growing problems and diseases.

Causes of small basil leaves

1. Insufficient supply of sunlight

What to look out for:

Yellowish and shedding leaves

What to do:

Since sunlight is one of the major requirements of basil in order to survive, exposing it to little to no amount of sunlight can affect its entire growth. At the beginning, you will notice its leaves start to turn into yellow. Eventually it will shed and possibly die. If it does survive, it has a huge tendency of producing only small basil leaves.

In order to prevent these from happening, make sure to expose your basil a sufficient amount of sunlight, preferably 6 to 8 hours everyday. Exposing your basil to direct sunlight will also allow your plant to thrive as it grows better in warmer conditions.

If you have limited space outside of your home, artificial light can also be a good light source. Place an incandescent light, preferably fluorescent directly above your plant.

2. Growing in small container

What to look out for:

Crowded plants and overflowing roots

What to do:

If you notice that your basil plant is not fully growing or the leaves are not getting any bigger, it is possibly because your container is not big enough to encourage your plant to grow further. A small container restricts the roots of your plants to spread, thus prevents it from distributing more nutrients which a plant with larger leaves would require. 

To address this concern, you will need to transfer your basil in a much larger container where it can maximize its growth and allow your plant to produce large, healthy leaves.

3. Underwatering or overwatering

What to look out for:

Wilted leaves, drought/soggy soil

What to do:

No matter how much sunlight you provide your basil with, if you do not give it the ample amount of water it needs, you will still end up having small basil leaves. Make sure not to underwater or overwater your plant to encourage its vigorous and healthy growth.

To fix this, water your basil as needed. Fortunately, basil is not that high maintenance when it comes to watering. Water your basil only when the soil is dry to touch, but not too dry that the plant is close to dying.

4. Inadequate amount of nutrients

What to look out for:

Dry, small leaves; hard, dried soil

What to do:

Lack of sufficient nutrients is a huge factor why your basil plant is not producing large leaves and there are many elements that may be contributing to it. It could be because you planted your basil in poor quality soil, you’re not feeding it with enough fertilizer, etc.

Basil may considerably be a low maintenance plant but like any other herbs and plants, it also requires more nutrients to sustain its growth. So, if you want to see larger leaves on your next harvest, see to it that you supply your basil with an adequate amount of nutrients.

Read more about Basil

Everyone Can Grow Basil Using Seeds

6 Reasons Why Your Basil Keep Dying

Why Is My Basil Leaves Turning Yellow, And How To Fix It?

How To Harvest Basil Without Killing The Plant?

Other basil growing problems and diseases

Aside from producing small leaves, basil is also prone to other growing problems and diseases brought by different kinds of causes. There’s the inappropriate growing conditions, pests and insect infestation, human error, etc.

Here we will discuss each of these problems one by one and at the same time identify how they can be addressed.

1. Root Rot

Due to excessive water and poor drainage, the roots of your basil plant exhibits a specific kind of fungal diseases. As the root rots, it becomes slimy and loses its color and eventually it turns to black. When this happens, it is best that you lay off the watering for a moment until the soil has completely dried up; otherwise, root rot can kill your entire basil plant.

2. Downy Mildew

One of the common diseases in plants is downy mildew. You will know that your basil plant has caught this when you notice that the leaves are turning yellow and there are some evident grey growth on the underside. To fix this, you will need to move your basil in an area with better air circulation to keep the leaves dry. You can also take this time to remove the damaged yellow leaves from the plant to avoid the other healthy ones from being infected.

3. Pests

If not properly protected, your basil plant can be destroyed by different kinds of pests. There’s aphids, whiteflies, snails, nematodes, flea beetles, etc. These pests feast on basil leaves, roots, and stems, leaving your plant seriously damaged.

Spraying some pesticides or insecticides can help prevent this kind of growing problem. If you are concerned about the harsh chemicals they contain, you may opt to go for organic resistant sprays that are way healthier and safer.

4. Nitrogen deficiency

Nitrogen deficiency is one of the concerns that many basil owners fail to consider. Once the soil’s nitrogen level decreases it can cause your plant to wilt and may disrupt its overall growth. You can fix this problem by feeding your plant with nitrogen rich fertilizer but be cautious not to apply more than the required amount.

5. Bacterial Infection

The bacteria that thrives in your basil plant may result in what is commonly known as leaf spot. This plant disease looks exactly as it sounds, causing spots and streaks onto the leaves and stems. This bacterial infection is due to overhead watering and damp foliage. To prevent this, you could practice watering at the surface of the soil and do this in the morning so the leaves will have the entire day to dry out.

Tips on growing basil properly

Problems like producing small, thin leaves, pest infestation, bacterial infection, etc. are just some of the growing conditions many gardeners experience in growing their own basil plant. While these problems are sometimes beyond your control, you can still avoid your basil plant from being totally damaged by following these tips below:

1. Keep the soil moist

Basil thrives well in a moist soil. If you happen to be growing your herb in a relatively drier area, you might need to water your basil more often. Mulching is also a good strategy to help keep the moisture in.

2. Provide your basil with sufficient amount of sunlight

Exposing your basil to full sun for about 6 to 8 hours everyday can help maximize your plant’s growth and encourage it to produce healthy and huge leaves. Fortunately, being an adaptable plant that it is, basil can also tolerate partial sun or shade.

3. Make sure that you grow your basil in well draining soil

While basil grows well in moist soil, it is still important for you to grow it in a bed or container that has good drainage, otherwise the excess water retained underneath will cause root rot which is one of the common diseases that kill many types of plants.

4. Prune your lettuce regularly

Prune or harvest your basil regularly to encourage quicker and healthier growth. Ideally, you can start pruning your basil once a branch has already 6 to 8 pieces of leaves.

5. Practice companion planting

You can help improve the taste of your basil by planting it near a tomato plant. These two crops are known to be mutually beneficial with each other. Conversely, keep your basil away from your cucumber plants as the latter may adversely affect the taste of your herb.

Benefits of basil leaves

Basil contains plenty of essential nutrients that help fight viruses and other diseases. Enumerated below are some of the health benefits that basil leaves provide.

• Acts as a good anti-inflammatory remedy

Linalool, citronellol, eugenol, etc. are some of the essential oils that can be extracted from basil leaves. These oils help combat heart diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, as well as inflammatory bowel diseases. 

• Rich in antioxidant properties

Due to its natural antioxidants, basil is known to provide enzymes that help relieve stress as well as decrease fat build up in the liver. Especially when eaten regularly, basil is believed to improve overall health and keep the human body from ailments.

• Helps combat cancer

Apart from minimizing bacterial, fungal, and viral diseases, basil is also a good natural remedy to help fight cancer directly from its root. Since it contains  phytochemicals, basil has the capacity to prevent lung, oral, liver and skin cancer.

• Reduces anxiety and depression

If you are suffering from any form of stress, anxiety, or depression, consuming basil can be very beneficial. The herb’s anti-stress agent stimulates neurotransmitters that are believed to regulate the endorphin and dopamine, the hormones responsible for a human’s happiness and energy.

• Manages indigestion and acid reflux

If you are suffering from indigestion, bloating, or water retention, basil is considered as one of the best remedies. It is also known for restoring loss of appetite as well as healing acid reflux. For best results, you could use basil as a main ingredient for your green juice along with other fruits and vegetables that are rich in antioxidants and micronutrients.

The post Why Are My Basil Leaves Small And How To Fix It? appeared first on Plant2Harvest.

With this, you’re surely convinced by now that planting hibiscus in your own garden is a smart move to make.

That is why it really is devastating to see that it’s producing smaller leaves than usual, indicating that something is wrong with your hibiscus.

If you want to know what causes this problem and what you can do to fix it, read the entire article.

 Causes of small hibiscus leaves

1. Too much or too little water

What to look out for:

Dried up/soggy soil; yellowish leaves

What to do:

Watering your hibiscus plant with too little or too much water can cause stress on your plant that will hinder its growth, resulting in small and thin leaves. Thuis, it is essential to supply your hibiscus with sufficient amounts of water. Especially during the summer when extreme heat strikes your plant, it is recommended to water your hibiscus everyday.

2. Extreme temperatures

What to look out for

Wilted leaves, dry soil

What to do:

If you notice that your hibiscus plant is not at its best during the summer or winter and produces little to no large leaves, it is probably because of the extreme temperatures, either hot or cold. In order to address this concern, it is best that you keep the soil moist during the hot weather. Conversely, you can protect your hibiscus plant from the stress of too much cold by transferring it indoors for a warmer temperature.

3. Inappropriate type of fertilizer

What to look out for:

Small leaves, no new growth, leaf scorch

What to do:

Choosing the right type of fertilizer is also an important factor to avoid your hibiscus plant from producing small leaves. For instance, if you are applying phosphorus fertilizer, it will help your plant to develop flowers, fruits, and roots, as well as the production of oils. Applying too much or too little of this can also disrupt the growth of your hibiscus which can lead to production of small leaves.

With this, it is essential to choose the right kind of fertilizer that will help your hibiscus plant to grow vigorously and robustly. Applying organic matter onto the surface of the soil will also encourage more leaf production and larger leaves.

Other growing problems and diseases

Hibiscus surely is a wonderful plant especially when it starts to blooms and bright red, yellow, or white flowers are showing. However, like any other plant, hibiscus is also prone to some diseases caused by different factors.

1. Bacterial blight

These bacterial blight is caused by pathogens that are commonly established by sowing infected seeds. A hibiscus plant that has this type of bacterial disease easily shows symptoms like leaf discoloration, leaf dropping, leaf distortion, withering, dying of fruits, flowers, etc. 

What you can do to address this problem is to cut back the infected branches and leaves and move your plant to an area with better air flow. It will also be helpful if you prune your hibiscus plant during the dry season when the fungus is less prevalent, water at the surface of the soil or at the base of the plant instead of overhead, and avoid overfeeding your hibiscus with too much fertilizer.

2. Leaf fungus

If you notice some irregular black spots spreading all over the foliage, it could be a sign that your hibiscus is manifesting a fungal disease. When not prevented, these fungal diseases will cause your hibiscus leaves to fall off, leaving your plant bare. 

When this happens, the first thing that you should do is remove all the infected leaves from the branch to avoid the fungus from spreading any further and eventually kill your entire plant.

3. Viruses

While viruses do not cause extreme damages to your hibiscus plant, it can hinder the growth of your plant. This is also another reason why the leaves of your hibiscus plant exhibit slight distortion and discoloration. 

Unfortunately, there is still no official treatment or cure for this type of hibiscus disease. But, this can be totally prevented as long as you keep your plant healthy by supplying ample amounts of water, sunlight, and fertilizer. You can also avoid growing virus-prone hibiscus by purchasing certified nursery stocks.

4. Ant infestation

Due to hibiscus’ naturally sweet and fruity aroma and flavor, it has become one of ants’ favorite plants. These ants do not directly feed on the plant itself but rather on the insects that are actually known as beneficial to hibiscus. Due to this, sap-sucking pests such as aphids, scales, and mealybugs are retained causing damage to the entire plant.

5. Thrips

This type of pest specifically damages the hibiscus buds by laying eggs inside of it. As a result, the buds fall off the plant just before it is supposed to bloom. Aside from laying eggs, thrips also feed on the buds which also cause the same damage. Using some organic insecticide could help get rid of these tiny pests that usually come in green, black, or white.

Tips on growing hibiscus properly

No plant is totally free from all growing problems whether it is pest infestation, fungal disease, inappropriate growing condition, or man-made mistake. While some of these may be inevitable, there are still plenty of things that you can do in order to minimize the damage caused by these factors and save your plant from possible death.

1. Make sure that your hibiscus is planted in a well-draining soil. 

For starters, it is best that you plant your hibiscus in a lightweight and loamy soil since loam provides good drainage. If you are planting your hibiscus in a pot or container, you have to make sure that it has plenty of drainage holes underneath to prevent your plant from possible root rot. 

Keeping the soil moist but not too soggy is also essential in growing your hibiscus properly especially during the warm weather. You can check the condition of the soil by touching the surface. If it is still damp, there is no need for you to water the plant, otherwise pour only a sufficient amount of water.

2. Supply your hibiscus plant with warm water.

When watering your hibiscus plant, it is important that you use warm water, preferably with a temperature of 95°F (35°C). Do not use cold or overly hot water as it may disrupt your plant’s growth. To make sure that you have the right water temperature, you can either check it with your hands or use a thermometer for accuracy.

3. Regularly feed your hibiscus with fertilizer

If you want to achieve a rich and heavily blooming hibiscus, you must invest in a balanced or slow-release fertilizer. For optimum growth, set a regular schedule for applying fertilizers. Preferably, you should feed your hibiscus with slow-release fertilizer four times in a year. Once during the early spring, post the first bloom, in the middle of the summer, and at the early phase of winter.

Meanwhile, if you are using soluble fertilizer, it requires more frequent time to be applied, thus you will need to feed your plant once every two weeks and preferably during the summer and spring. During the cooler months, you can reduce the fertilizing schedule to just once a month.

4. Provide your hibiscus with an adequate amount of sun exposure daily.

While hibiscus does not necessarily require direct and full sun exposure all throughout the day, it is still important that it receives enough sunlight, about 1 to 2 hours per day to enhance its blooming capacity. In case you are growing your hibiscus indoors, make sure that you place it near the windows or somewhere where sunlight can conveniently pass through. But, see to it that you keep it at least an inch away from the window glass, or else the hot glass will damage the plant’s leaves and buds. When given an ample amount of sunlight, your hibiscus plant will bloom not only in spring but until fall. 

5. Prune old blooms.

If you are growing hibiscus for its flowers, the best way to encourage new growth is by getting rid of the old ones by pruning. You can also do this by means of shearing which is definitely more convenient and fast. All you have to do is cut back about ⅓ of the stem or just above the bud or leaf. Apart from encouraging new growth, pruning old blooms will also make your hibiscus plant a lot more attractive and fresh-looking.

Benefits of hibiscus leaves

Unbeknown to many, Hibiscus leaves bring a lot of health benefits especially when consumed as an herbal tea. Some of these are as follows:

• Cold reliever

Since hibiscus is rich in Vitamin C, it has enough capacity to fight viruses and bring instant relief from cold. It is also a good and healthy remedy for sore throat, mild headache, and cough.

• Weight loss

Apart from vitamin C, hibiscus also contains plenty of antioxidants that flushes out toxins as well as excess fats and calories. Drinking hibiscus leaf extract also helps in increasing your metabolism, thus a healthy solution for weight loss.

• Regulates blood pressure

Drinking hibiscus leaf extract or tea is also a good way to regulate blood pressure and lower cholesterol level.

• Skin enhancement

Apart from brewing hibiscus to make tea, fresh hibiscus leaves are also used as an organic skin cleanser that effectively removes blackheads, pimples, and dry skin when rubbed against the face and neck.

The post Why Are My Hibiscus Leaves Small And How To Fix It? appeared first on Plant2Harvest.

With all these culinary benefits that sage brings, it truly is a nice to grow one in your garden to make the herb more accessible. However, there are some instances where sage fails to perform appropriately including not growing the desired size of leaves. 

Fortunately for you, we have listed below some of the possible reasons why such a growing problem happens and some tips on how to deal with it.

Some of the most common reasons your sage plant is growing small leaves are pest infestations, parched soil, nutrient deficiencies, significant changes in weather, or other growing problems and diseases such as mint rust, powdery mildew, slugs, or crown gall.

Causes of small sage leaves

1. Pest infestations

What to look out for:

Thin, yellow leaves; damaged stems

What to do:

If you are wondering why your sage plant is not producing any bigger leaves, you might want to check it for signs of pest infestations. When these pests, particularly aphids and thrips, feed on your sage plant, they suck out all the fluids and nutrients. As a result, your sage lacks essential nutrients, therefore produces smaller leaves.

To prevent this, you may opt to apply some organic pesticides so you get rid of the pests but at the same time not kill your entire plant with harsh chemicals.

2. Parched soil

What to look out for:

Brittle soil surface; thin leaves

What to do:

Although sage is considerably a heat-resistant herb, leaving your soil too dried up can also largely affect the leaf production of your sage plant. To fix this, see to it that you water your sage when the soil is already dry to touch, but make sure not to pour the water directly onto the plant but rather onto the soil so the water will be quickly absorbed by the plant’s roots to help with the nourishment and production of larger leaves.

3. Nutrient deficiencies

What to look out for:

Small, thin leaves; wilted stems; dry roots; leaf discoloration

What to do:

Any kinds of plants, sage included, will definitely produce smaller leaves if they lack in essential nutrients. So, to avoid this from happening any further, make sure that your sage plant receives the ample amount of nutrients that it needs. To be able to determine the type of nutrient that your sage specifically needs, you can run a soil test with a home test kit which is conveniently available in most garden boutiques and shops.

4. Significant changes in weather

What to look out for:

Wilted leaves, frost bites

What to do:

Sage does not particularly thrive well during the cold season and extremely low temperatures can cause falling off of existing leaves as well as prohibiting new growth. When the plant is grown in an unlikely weather condition, it can hinder its entire growth which can result in production of smaller and thinner leaves, as well as weaker and skinnier stems.

Other growing problems and diseases

Have you noticed other unusual growing problems in your sage aside from producing smaller leaves? If your answer is yes, you might want to take some time familiarizing yourself with other problems, pests, and diseases that may damage your sage plant as it grows. Along with these are the solutions that you can apply to avoid further damages and actually save your plant.

1. Mint rust

Mint rust is a fungal disease that is usually identified as small, dusty bumps typically located on the underside of the leaves and the color may vary between bright orange, yellow, and brown. You will also notice that the new foliages have faded colors and deformed shape. When not prevented, mint rust rapidly spreads from one leaf to another, to the extent of damaging other plants as well. 

To avoid further damage, remove infected leaves off of the plant and apply heat treatment to the roots by submerging them in hot water at 44°C, preferably for about 10 minutes. Afterwards, cool it down using cold water and then start replanting.

2. Powdery mildew

Powdery mildew is one of the common diseases in most plants that usually appear as the temperature rises during the early spring. Initially, powdery mildew manifests signs like dusty white spots on the surface of the leaves. As the fungal disease worsens, the fungi will entirely cover the leaf which will then result in leaf drop and distort new growth. When left untreated, this may eventually lead to your plant’s death.

After removing all the infected leaves, it is important that you provide the rest of the plant with good air circulation as well as sufficient sunlight and good soil drainage. Proper pruning can also help avoid powdery mildew from damaging your sage.

3. Slugs

You can easily recognize if slugs have been feasting on your sage plants if you see slimy silver trails on the surface of the sage leaves and there are persistent irregularly shaped holes, clearly indicating that pests have been feeding on your sage. 

Compared to other pests and insects feeding on sage plants, slugs are relatively easier to get rid of. You can simply take them out using your hands, set up traps. You can either create a small pond-like area around your sage plants to drown the slugs, or you some abrasive barriers that will tear their skin.

4. Crown gall

Crown gall in Sage is a disease caused by Agrobacterium tumefaciens that pass through the wounds in the roots or stems that causes plant tissues to grow disorientedly, causing galls or swelling. Crown galls are initially light in color; as it worsens, it turns darker and bigger. This bacterial disease may be soft, hard, or spongy and when left untreated it can cause the stems of the sage to dry out and eventually kill the entire plant.

In order to avoid your sage from getting the crown galls, avoid wounding your plant so the bacteria will not have the opportunity to enter through it. It will also be helpful if you plant your sage in a well-draining soil. 

Tips on growing sage properly

Now that you fairly have an idea of what possible pests, insects, and other diseases can destroy your sage, it is essential that you know what are the things that you should do in order to avoid such damages from happening. Here are a few tips that will definitely come in handy when you finally start growing sage.

1. Regularly water your sage until they reach full maturity.

During its early growing stage, sage would require a consistently moist soil so make sure that you regularly water it until it reaches full maturity. When it has fully grown, you can somehow lay off on your regular water supply and just water your sage when the soil is already dry to touch. 

If it happens that you are on the wetter side of the Earth, you may not need to water your sage anymore and just rely on rainfall. Afterall, sage is considerably a drought tolerant herb.

2. Sufficient sunlight makes your sage healthier.

As a sun-loving plant, sage prefers to receive full sun everyday, although it can also tolerate partial sun exposure especially in warmer areas. 

Inadequate sun exposure may cause your sage to be leggy in its attempt to catch more sunlight. So, make sure that you grow it in a well lit area or any area in your garden where it can receive direct and full sunlight. If you are growing your sage indoors, it is better that you place it near the windows where sunlight can pass through. You can also set up a fluorescent light 2-4 inches directly above the plant. 

3. Prune older stems

To encourage more growth, make it a habit to prune about a third of the older and woody stems ideally in spring. Apart from this, pruning will also help improve the air circulation within the plant, especially for the older leaves at the base, which can help minimize the chances of powdery mildew. 

4. Companion planting

If you are planning on adding more crops in your garden whilst growing your sage, you have to know which plants are safe to be planted alongside sage and which ones aren’t. For instance, carrots, brassicas, tomatoes, and strawberries are good insect and pest repellents so they are ideal companion plants for your sage. If you want to improve the quality and taste of your sage, you can plant rosemary alongside it. 

On the other hand, here are some of the plants that you should not consider as companion plants: Alliums, cucumbers, fennel, wormwood, and rue.

5. Allocate enough space for multiple sage plants

If you are growing more than 1 sage plant, you may want to allocate ample space between each of them, preferably 18 to 24 inches apart since this kind of herb has a tendency to become bushy.

Benefits of sage leaves

Aside from adding eucalyptus-like flavor and aroma to most mediterranean dishes, sage leaves are also believed to be providing some health benefits.

1. Sage is traditionally used as a natural remedy to diabetes as it helps regularize blood sugar levels.
2. Due to its estrogen-like properties, sage can also be a good medication to ease menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, vaginal irritability, and excessive sweating.
3. Consuming sage on a regular basis is a good way to flush out toxins out of your body, thus lowers the risk of possible chronic diseases.
4. Sage contains plenty of essential nutrients and vitamins that a human body needs on a daily basis. Some of these are Vitamin K, Calcium, Iron, Protein, and Vitamin B6.
5. Sage also helps lower bad cholesterol, while increasing good cholesterol level.

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