Researching the fruit’s health properties Mary Ann Lila, director of the Plants for Human Health Institute at NCSU, says blueberries contain a variety of phytochemicals that may help people with cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity, to name a few. Mary Ann Lila has never met a blueberry she didn’t like. In fact, if she … Read more
Cleaning up at the end of the growing season is often a chore that the producer would gladly ignore. The experts remind us that it is an important aspect of orchard management and maintenance particularly for apple scab control and for reducing rodent damage. In Europe, sheep and apple production were often integrated and sheep … Read more
About Pineapples Pineapples are bromeliad plants, which means they are cousins to Spanish moss colorful houseplant bromeliads. They can absorb water and nutrients through their leaves, except for their roots of course. A mature pineapple plant in a pot is several feet wide and tall and needs a five-gallon container for the planting. A year … Read more
Happiness to me is biting into an apple. It’s true about nature’s candy – an apple DOES keep the doctor away. And at my age, the fewer doctor visits (aside from the scheduled times), the better. So as an apple fan, I was pleased to read the late-August forecast from the U.S. Apple Association. The … Read more
Botrytis fruit rot, commonly called gray mold, damages an exceptionally wide range of hosts, including berries, ornamentals, and vegetables. Although numerous troublesome pathogens exist, Botrytis cinerea often causes the most serious losses in strawberries. The fungus affects the flower petals, stalks, and the fruit and fruit cups. Strawberries are a major fruit crop, and Botrytis … Read more