Articles written by Robert Dailey

The pH level determines how much nutrition a plant can take from the soil and tells whether the soil is acidic or alkaline.

Dec 27, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Nitrille, Kevlar, new breathable, durable and stretchable fabrics, neoprene and even spray-on gloves are recent developments in gloves for gardeners.

Dec 14, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Gardening magazines run from "how-to" periodicals to landscape architectural journals, meeting a variety of reading interests for most gardeners.

Dec 13, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Gardeners love tools, magazines, plants, books, gloves and just about anything else that make their gardening experience easier, relaxing and more fun.

Dec 13, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Barbados cherry, a striking xeriscape shrub, is also called acerola, The plant is high in ascorbic acid and in antioxidants.

Dec 8, 2009 - Robert Dailey

There are about 100 species of goldenrod, all native to North America. All are flashy. All host a variety of insects.

Nov 9, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Pine trees, whether they are tall and stately Ponderosa, or gnarled and tough pinyon, are targets of the pine bark beetle.

Oct 29, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Esperanza or yellow bells, with green foliage and brilliant yellow trumpet-like flowers, are desert plants, but can be just as at home in a backyard garden.

Oct 28, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Drought-tolerant American beauty berry, sports striking clusters purple fruit, yellow-green leaves and elegantly drooping branches in late summer fall.

Oct 26, 2009 - Robert Dailey

The redbud is either a small tree or a huge shrub, depending on the source or the point of view. Either way, a redbud in bloom is a breathtaking sight.

Oct 18, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Larvae of regal monarch butterflies, soldier and queen butterflies as well as grey hairstreaks find their primary food source in the lowly milkweed.

Oct 18, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Snap beans become sweeter after the first cold snap. Squash becomes delectable. The list of vegetables for the fall garden is as diversified as the vegetables are tasty.

Oct 2, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Snap beans become sweeter after the first cold snap. Squash becomes delectable. The list of vegetables for the fall garden is as diversified as the vegetables are tasty

Sep 15, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Time, family needs and amount of work required are all considerations when deciding the size of a garden.

Sep 7, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Container vegetable gardening is growing in popularity for those who have relatively small outside spaces or large areas of shade, or little time.

Sep 7, 2009 - Robert Dailey

When August rolls around, waterwise gardeners begin to take some action for a bountiful fall harvest.

Sep 7, 2009 - Robert Dailey

The finished product of vermicomposting is a nutrient-rich soil mixture that acts like rocket fuel to plants.

Aug 9, 2009 - Robert Dailey

A handful of good soil should contain billions of bacteria, millions of protozoa and other microscopic animals, thousands tiny arthropods invisible to the eye, miniscule

Aug 9, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Coreopsis brings a sunny disposition to any summer garden. Delicate bright golden yellow flowers with maroon centers on thin stems appear to be floating in air.

Jun 28, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Pickeral weed is an easy-to-grow pond plant and a true native of North America.

Jun 17, 2009 - Robert Dailey

All fertilizers, whether organic or not, must include percentages of three primary mineral nutrients on their labels.

Jun 7, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Simply putting peppers in the ground doesn't end the job of raising peppers. A few other chores are required.

May 31, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Black-Eyed Susans, with their conical brown seed heads and bold yellow petals, provide some striking contrast in any natural garden.

May 31, 2009 - Robert Dailey

These yellow fruits, hiding under wide green leaves, are a perfect addition to any summer vegetable garden - and to the dinner table.

May 25, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Most plants that we think of as peppers are members of the nightshade family and cousins of the tomato and potato.

May 25, 2009 - Robert Dailey

The Mexican Palo Verde is a native tree along the U.S. - Mexican border, combining beauty, elegance, unique shape and color to drab landscapes.

May 5, 2009 - Robert Dailey

A spring garden might take a little work, but planned properly, even a small area can provide enough vegetables for an average-sized family.

Apr 21, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Animals take in food and convert it to energy. Plants, on the other hand, take in energy and convert it to food.

Apr 18, 2009 - Robert Dailey

A handful of good soil should hold billions of bacteria, millions of protozoa and other microbes, thousands of tiny arthropods and hundreds of larger organisms.

Mar 12, 2009 - Robert Dailey

The citrus family is immense. There are hundreds of varieties and new ones are constantly being created, offering new and different tastes and more options for the garden

Mar 1, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Refreshing in foods, beverages and potpourris, mint is one of the most invasive garden plants, taking over whole beds unless contained.

Feb 24, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Yankee weeders. Hot bed weeders. Circle hoes. Hand weeders. V-shaped scrapers. The list goes on. The fact is there are a number of weeders available to the home gardener.

Feb 22, 2009 - Robert Dailey

An easy-to-care-for, tough perennial, purple sage is drought-tolerant and provides attractive color and accent to water wise gardens.

Feb 17, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Rattlesnakes have been hibernating all winter, dormant in their underground dens. But as spring approaches, they begin stirring, famished and driven by urges to reproduce

Feb 12, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Desert sand verbena begins spreading across the ground in mats after late-winter rains wet the soil.

Feb 10, 2009 - Robert Dailey

For color and beauty in winter, try forcing amaryllis bulbs inside.

Jan 29, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Neem oil controls many insect pests, fungi and harmful mites on plants yet does not harm beneficial insects, mammals or humans.

Jan 29, 2009 - Robert Dailey

Onions are high in quercetin, a valuable antioxidant, and also contain vitamins B and C. Onion stalks contain vitamin A, thiamin and ascorbic acid.

Dec 30, 2008 - Robert Dailey

Verticillium wilt lives in the soil and attacks plants, which have stressed roots.

Dec 30, 2008 - Robert Dailey

As the winter dreariness descends, it's time for gardeners to cheer things up by ordering some colorful and uplifting garden mail order catalogues.

Dec 30, 2008 - Robert Dailey

Strawberry pests run from gray fungus to white grubs. However, there are some ways to avoid or eliminate threats from these unwanted visitors.

Dec 10, 2008 - Robert Dailey

Types of strawberries differ in how they respond to the length of day. This affects both runner and berry production.

Dec 10, 2008 - Robert Dailey

Strawberries planted in ground can be trained in several ways, depending on varieties and the preferences of the gardener.

Dec 10, 2008 - Robert Dailey

In warm climates, plant strawberries in late autumn. In climates where the ground freezes, plant in spring.

Dec 10, 2008 - Robert Dailey

It's time to use lawn rakes, but other tools will come in handy too.

Nov 1, 2008 - Robert Dailey

For much of the northern hemisphere, fall is an important time to care for lawns.

Nov 1, 2008 - Robert Dailey

A grazing Bambi is lovely. But when that beautiful deer is banqueting on your perennials, it's a different story.

Nov 1, 2008 - Robert Dailey

If you like garlic, the period between September and November is the best time to plant.

Nov 1, 2008 - Robert Dailey

Xylem is part of a plant's vascular system.

Sep 17, 2008 - Robert Dailey

Aeration is a process of introducing oxygen into a variety of substances, including soil.

Sep 17, 2008 - Robert Dailey