Ideally, you want to pick the fruit when it is at its peak and fully ripe, but sometimes that just doesn't work within life's schedule. Ripe pawpaws give off a wonderful fruity aroma.freestar.queue.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-300x250-ATF-1");...
Sour cherry varieties separate from the tree with no pulling once mature, but sweet varieties may require a gentle tug.Taste the harvested cherry. A single fruit provides a guide for picking the rest of the cherries, though you can leave those that haven't...
This is where color is another indicator of ripeness. Grapefruit is sweeter in regions of hot days and warm to hot nights and more acidic in cooler areas.Generally speaking however, late autumn is when grapefruits are ready to pick.
The inside of the pumpkin may have a foul odor and bad taste from bacteria breeding. Whether you harvest your own crops or buy pumpkins at the grocery store, follow a few simple steps to ensure that you don't choose overripe pumpkins.Choose perfect pumpkins...
Transfer the plant to the new container and add additional potting soil around the roots to fill the container. If you find only brown layers inside the stem, this indicates the hibiscus plant is dead.Cut away up to one-half of the plant, removing damaged...
Someone there will be able to tell you if your soil is clay or not.If you do find out that your soil has a high clay content, don't despair. Clay soil is also commonly referred to as heavy soil.Figuring out if you have clay soil starts with making a few...
(18 C.) and water in thoroughly. Today, varieties such as ‘Floridew,' ‘Morgan,' ‘Earlidew,' and ‘Tamdew' are resistant to most fungal diseases.Once you have selected the seeds or seedlings for the variety you wish to grow, the question remains,...
Look at the flesh to make sure it is uniformly orange in color with no white areas. Pierce the flesh with the tip of the knife to make sure it is soft, not dense and hard. When ripe, buttercup squash develop bi-colored dark green and grayish skin with...
Blueberry bushes start with vessel-shaped flowers during the first part of spring and then form berries progressing in shades from green and pink to blue and purple. The calyx is the outer cap of the blueberry opposite the stem.
The most common variety contains a green, yellow or white striped outer core called a rind and a pink juicy and sweet center. If you hear a dull thud, the watermelon is ripe and ready to eat.
Dead twigs snap easily, but even in winter live twigs will flex without damage.Inspect bark in late winter. When patches of dead bark completely girdle a branch, the branch can't be saved.
Too much of anything is bad -- even when it comes to watering your trees. Whenever the tree's roots are stressed, the evidence is bound to appear in the tree, but often only after extensive damage is done.
Mature calendulas typically grow between 1 and 2 feet tall, depending on the exact species and growing conditions. Its color can be a solid or mixed combination of cream, yellow, red, orange or maroon.Measure the flower's height from ground to the tip...
If young leaves turn brown and wilt, your tree suffers from either frost damage or sycamore antracnose. If you see no signs of leaf growth by mid-April, your tree may be dead.Cut into the bark of a branch with a small knife.
If it is dull brown or gray, the branch is dead.Bend some of the lower branches. Dead wood snaps, while green willow branches bend almost in half without breaking. The willow likes a placement near water, but it will happily move into your backyard if...
This will kill any organisms on the skin of the pumpkin that may cause it to rot prematurely. Can be filled with pumpkins, orange and round. Learning how to properly harvest a pumpkin will ensure that the pumpkin will store well for many months until...
The rind of a ripe watermelon is tough and resists marking while an immature watermelon is easy to scrape.Turn the watermelon over and look at the bottom. While an immature fruit is glossy and shiny, a mature watermelon has a slightly dull finish on the...
If you smell roses, the manufacturer added fragrance, and the oil probably is not genuine rose hip oil.Place some of the oil on a white surface and look at the color. If the directions say an opened bottle will last for more than 90 days, then the manufacturer...
A female flower has one reproductive organ called a. A male mulberry flower has four reproductive organs calledthat sit on stems called filaments. And to add another veil of intrigue, sometimes mulberry flowersBeing male or female is a full-time job for...
The determinate plants are also referred to as compact and usually have smaller fruit than indeterminate varieties. Indeterminate plants can get 6 feet tall and have numerous long branches.
Bumblebees are large, black and yellow insects, usually found in more temperate climates. Although the worker bumblebees along with the Queen have stingers, they are not as likely to use them compared to other types of bees.
If you notice roots growing through the hole, the plant has been in that pot too long. Plants are expensive and the last thing you want is for your beautiful new plant to keel over and die shortly after you bring it home.
Any green on the central frond indicates the Queen palm is still alive, even if the rest of the tree looks dead.Grasp the fronds directly next to the uppermost central frond and pull very gently outward.
Support the main plant with your other hand so you don't damage it. If you dry peppers after harvest, pick them once they turn bright red. Cut through the stem, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the stem attached to the fruit.
Use the comparison to determine if the berry is edible or non-edible.Eat just one or two of the berries if you have established that the berries are edible. Use purified bottled water to rinse the fruit before you eat it.
The raised lattice-like ridges are highly discernable with deep, clearly defined cavities between ridges. Both the stem and cap on morels are completely hollow.Inspect the cut stem of the mushroom.
Use a fingernail or small pocketknife to remove a small strip of exterior bark. Just beneath the dry, outer layer of bark in a tree's trunk lies the cambium layer of bark. Don't make a great wound in the tree, just enough to see the layer below.If you...
