Blanket flower, also known as gaillardia, is an easy-to-grow, short-lived wildflower with richly colored, daisy-like blooms. These fast-growing plants mature to 24 inches tall with a 20-inch spread. This garden favorite puts out large showy blossoms in shades of orange, red, yellow, white, purple, and peach throughout the warm season. Gaillardias are such long-blooming perennials that they work equally well in borders and containers. Blanket flowers do well with other heat-loving plants that thrive in full sun. The flower can reseed and easily sprawl through your garden and can be divided after two years to reinvigorate the plant. Blanket flowers are usually planted from nursery starts, but grow easily from seeds planted directly in the garden after the last frost date (or started indoors about four to six weeks early). If grown from seed they bloom in their second year but plants purchased from nurseries are typically ready to bloom. The plant is fully hardy in USDA Zones 3 to 10. The blanket flower is slightly toxic to humans. Blanket Flower Care Here are the main care requirements for growing blanket flowers. Plant blanket flowers in full sun. Put blanket flowers in poor, but well-draining soil; avoid planting this flower in clay soil. Water to moisten the soil, but do not oversaturate. Blanket flower tolerates temperature extremes. Avoid feeding blanket flowers fertilizer or go light on food. Planting Put blanket flowers in a hot, sunny spot in the spring after the last frost. If you live in a climate with mild winters, it's fine to plant blanket flowers in the fall. Plant seedlings about a foot apart or simply scatter seeds on raked soil. Light Give blanket flowers a space with full sun where they thrive best. Although blanket flowers can handle some partial shade, they will get a bit floppy and will not flower as profusely. Soil Do not amend the soil with rich matter because blanket flowers prefer poor soil. The plant is not particular about soil pH, but it does need well-draining soil. It will grow in somewhat moist conditions, but heavy clay soil will probably kill it. Water Check the soil of new plants frequently (every other day or so) to ensure the soil is moist but not soggy an inch below the soil line. Once established, gaillardia is extremely drought tolerant. It can go without watering unless there are extremely hot and dry conditions, then it's best to water the bed once or twice per week. Avoid overwatering. Temperature and Humidity The blanket flower can survive hot temperatures, even in full sun. They do not require a humid environment and do better in hot, dry climates over cool, moist ones. Fertilizer Go easy or avoid fertilizing blanket flowers. Poor soils seem to encourage more flowering than rich soils.

Yellowing green bean leaves are not always cause for concern—they can sometimes be a natural sign of aging in bean plants. But if you see leaves on green beans turning yellow mid-season, or if your plants are becoming less productive, it could be due to fungal, bacterial, or environmental stressors. Here are 6 common reasons why bean leaves turn yellow, plus simple, organic solutions to help your plants recover. Watering Stress Underwatering and overwatering can cause yellowing bean leaves, making it difficult to know exactly what’s going on with your plants. The best way to determine if your plants receive too much or too little water is to insert your finger into the soil. If the soil feels soggy and you haven’t watered recently, your plants are likely overwatered and root rot may be settling in. How to Fix Beans should receive about 1 inch of water per week. If you often forget to water, apply a layer of mulch around the base of your plants to keep the soil from drying out too quickly, and consider installing an automated drip irrigation system. If your plants are overwatered, adjust your watering schedule, scrape the mulch away from around your plant, and allow the soil to dry out before watering again. Lighting Issues Beans need at least 8 hours of direct light daily to grow. In low-light conditions, beans may develop yellowing leaves, but too much bright light can cause yellowing leaves, too. How to Fix Beans are difficult to transplant once established, but you can avoid lighting stress by choosing a growing spot that receives 8 to 10 hours of daily light. Nutrient Deficiencies Although beans fix nitrogen, they can still suffer from nutritional deficiencies in poor soil. Nutrient deficiencies produce different symptoms depending on what nutrients are missing; however, most deficiencies result in stunted plant growth and yellowing leaves with visible, green veins. How to Fix Testing your soil every few years and adding an annual application of compost is the best way to avoid plant nutrient deficiencies. You may also want to fertilize beans with an all-purpose fertilizer, adjust the pH of alkaline soils, and apply a legume inoculant to bean seeds before planting. Inoculants boost nitrogen fixation and make it easier for beans to absorb nutrients. Plant Diseases Diseases caused by bacteria, fungi, and viruses can produce yellowing bean leaves and other symptoms. Bacterial blight usually produces brown leaf spots with yellow halos. Bean mosaic virus may develop cupped or puckered leaves with a mottled yellow mosaic pattern. Fungal issues, like white mold and bean rust, may also produce leaf spots and yellow lesions, especially in overcrowded gardens. How to Fix Purchasing disease-resistant seeds from reliable seed companies can keep some plant diseases out of your garden. However, you can also reduce diseases by rotating crops, watering beans at the soil line, weeding regularly, following proper spacing guidelines, and destroying infested plant material at the end of the season. Pests While pests can cause yellowing leaves through the spread of plant diseases, sap-sucking pests may also directly cause yellowing leaves by feeding on plant sap. Pest damage typically presents as tiny dots or speckles on affected leaves, but pests may also skeletonize or chew holes in bean leaves. How to Fix Aphids, thrips, bean beetles, and spider mites are some of the most common bean pests, but these pests can be controlled with handpicking, organic soap sprays, and companion planting. Strongly scented herbs and flowers, like marigolds and nasturtiums, are especially good companion plants for natural pest control. Natural Processes While pests, diseases, and environmental stresses can cause bean leaves to yellow, aging bean plants may also develop yellowing leaves at the end of the growing season. Yellowing leaves caused by natural aging usually occur towards the base of the plant, and leaf yellowing may be exacerbated by cool temperatures. How to Fix Yellowing leaves that occur late in the growing season are a part of the natural aging process of bean plants and they signal that bean plants are reaching the end of their life. There is no need to address yellowing leaves caused by natural aging; however, you may be able to extend your bean growing season a little longer by installing season extension products, like row covers. 3 Additional Tips to Grow Great Green Beans If you want your bean plants to be even more productive, try out these quick and easy bean care tips! Trellising. Bush-type beans don’t need trellises, but pole and vining beans grow better with support. Cattle panel trellises are one of the best solutions if you want to grow lots of beans together, but you can also make DIY bean supports with bamboo poles or upcycled tomato cages. Spacing. To avoid fungal issues and other plant diseases, space bean plants at least 6 inches apart in rows that are at least 18 to 24 inches from each other. Harvesting. Regularly harvesting beans will make plants more productive, but don’t tug on bean pods when you harvest. Instead, pinch or cut bean pods off the plant so you don’t accidentally damage tender stems.

Anticipation is likely one of the reasons it seems to take forever for your tomatoes to turn red. Dozens of varieties exist and tomatoes are fairly easy to grow, but it's the fresh, juicy taste and texture that make tomatoes the most popular crop grown in home gardens across the United States.1 Waiting for them to ripen to perfect red can seem endless, but besides anticipation there are several non emotion-based reasons for why your tomatoes are still green. Here are some of the most common reasons why your tomatoes aren't turning red, plus what you can do to speed up the ripening process. Temperature Too Hot or Too Cold Temperature is one of the bigger factors for ripening tomatoes and a few degrees too hot or too cold puts the process on hold or even stops ripening altogether. The ideal temperature tomatoes need to acquire their red color is 68 to 77 degrees F.2 At 85 degrees, the production of lycopene ceases leaving large green fruits on the vine until temperatures lower to more better levels. Temperatures consistently below 60 degrees F. also inhibit ripening. Fruits that are fully mature and have a slight blush can be harvested and brought indoors to finish ripening. They do not need to sit in a sunny window as long as the correct temperature is provided. Too Much Direct Sunlight Even though it might seem counterintuitive, too much sun exposure can slow down ripening. The heat is more important than light for ripening, and too much bright, hot, direct sunlight can raise temperatures to levels that inhibit lycopene production. Pruning leaves away from mature tomatoes to give them more sun exposure can also cause sunscald and cracking. Too Much Water Tomato plants need 1 to 2 inches of water per week when vines are actively growing and producing fruit. But once fruits reach their mature size, ripening occurs more quickly if irrigation is reduced or even stopped completely. Less water stresses the tomato plant and sends it into survival mode. The plant will focus energy into producing viable seed, which helps accelerate ripening. Insufficient Nutrients Tomatoes require a lot of nutrients and micronutrients throughout the growing season. Phosphorous and potassium are particularly important for the production and synthesis of lycopene in the fruits. Insufficient amounts can cause slow or uneven ripening. When the first small fruits appear on the plant, feed with a fertilizer higher in phosphorous such as and NPK 5-10-5. Too Much Nitrogen Tomato plants benefit from an application of balanced fertilizer such as an NPK 10-10-10 early in the season. This supports vine and foliage growth and encourages good root development and flower production. Once mature fruits are on the vine, fertilizing with a product that contains too much nitrogen can take away from ripening by refocusing energy on foliage growth. Once green fruits have reached a fully mature size, withhold fertilizer and allow the natural processes of ripening to take place in the fruit. Lack of Pruning Limiting the number of vines on a plant by removing early suckers is another way to focus energy into the production and ripening of fruit. Not every vine produces fruit and plants with unproductive vines or vines overloaded with fruit will struggle. This is especially true for determinate type tomato plants that produce many fruits all at the same time. Early pruning of your tomato plants results in higher quality fruit that ripens more easily and quickly. It's Not Supposed to Be Red It's important to understand, starting out, what your tomato type will look like when fully ripe. Many varieties ripen to different shades of red or may be orange, pink, purple and even striped. If you're waiting for your tomato to turn red, make sure that's the color it's supposed to be when it's ready to pick. Check your seed package for how many days to harvest for the tomato variety you've chosen. Some varieties need more or less growing time and may not work as well in your climate.

Cilantro, unlike many other herbs, is best used fresh. If you regularly cook with cilantro, you know that keeping a supply of it on hand can be tricky because cilantro is a delicate herb. A bunch of cilantro bought at the grocery store, even if stored properly in water in the fridge, starts looking rather sad after a few days. Fortunately, there is a way to extend the life of the cilantro you buy at the grocery store—by propagating it. You can either grow more cilantro leaves (which does not require pots and potting soil) or take it one step further and create new cilantro plants from the stems. Here’s how to propagate cilantro so you never have to run to the grocery store for it again. How to Propagate Cilantro in Water Separate the cilantro bunch and sort out any weak stems (use those for cooking). For each strong stem, cut all the outer leaves except the center leaves with clean, disinfected scissors. If there are tiny leaves growing from the center of the stem, leave them intact. Put the stems in a clean jar and add two to three inches of room-temperature tap water—just enough so that the base of the stems is immersed in water. Place the jar in a place with bright, indirect light where the temperature is around 60-70°F. Change the water every day or two. Leaf growth should start after a few days. Harvest the new leaves as desired using sharp scissors. Cilantro Propagation Tips Picking cilantro: Only use cilantro that looks healthy and is as fresh as possible. Look for cilantro that still has some of the white roots attached—the more roots that are on each stem, the better. Don’t use stems that are wilted or have any signs of disease such as spotting. Keeping it clean: To avoid bacterial growth, keep the jar and the water clean. It is also a good idea to sanitize the scissors by wiping them with rubbing alcohol. Safety precautions: If your tap water is chlorinated, let it sit for a day to allow the chlorine to evaporate before using. Preventative care: Do not immerse the cuttings in water—they will rot. Only the base of the stems should be under water, never the leaves. Signs of problems: Slime forming around the stems or roots is a sign of bacteria. Change the water immediately and rinse the stems and roots under running water. If the problem persists, start again with fresh cilantro. Signs of exhaustion: If leaf growth weakens or stops after a few weeks, the stems have given their all. Discard them and start with a fresh bunch of cilantro. Signs of vitality: However, if the stems have developed lots of roots about 1 inch in length, you can extend the life of your cilantro even further by planting it in a pot filled with well-draining all-purpose potting mix. Best placement: Cilantro needs light to grow but avoid harsh, direct sunlight. If your kitchen gets strong midday or afternoon sun, place the jar a couple of feet away from the window. Best temperature: Keep the jar away from heat sources. Cilantro grows best in temperatures between 50-85°F. Why Propagate Cilantro in Water? Propagating cilantro in water saves you a trip to the grocery store, especially if you only need a small amount of cilantro at any given time, which is what many recipes call for. The method is easy, cheap, and requires virtually no equipment or tools. Even for seasoned gardeners, it’s an attractive way to get their hands on fresh cilantro when it’s too cold to grow it outside. Propagation of stem cuttings in water is also much faster than starting cilantro from seed, which takes 40 to 70 days.