I’m announcing the release of my new book A Strawberry is not a Fruit! This book is much different than my previous book (How Orchids Rebloom) in that it is a collection of short essays covering many … [Read more...]
FREE CLASS ON HOUSEPLANTS!!
FREE CLASS ON HOUSEPLANTS! Come join me this Saturday, November 11, at the Walter Andersen Nursery in Poway. I will be leading the Saturday morning class: Helpful Houseplant Hints. I will discuss the … [Read more...]
What’s Wrong With the Leaves on My Plant?
Dave from Coronado writes, “Hey Chuck, what's wrong with the leaves on my Epiphyllum? I see all these little markings. Is there something eating my plant. Is there something I should be spraying on … [Read more...]
Mission Hills Summer Concerts in the Park at Pioneer Park
Hello gardening fans! It looks like the garden clubs and nurseries are getting back to live gardening classes now, and I have a lot of new FREE upcoming gardening classes on my Upcoming Events … [Read more...]
What Do I Do When My Phalaenopsis Orchid Looks Like It’s Wilting?!
Phalaenopsis orchids continue to be, and likely forever will be, the most popular houseplant orchid. Their long-lasting flowers have become an exotic, economical, and effective replacement for cut … [Read more...]
It’s Time for Tomatoes!
How about planting tomatoes as a stay-at-home project?! We all know there's simply nothing like the flavor of homegrown tomatoes! A San Diego gardener’s desire to grow these wonderful tomatoes is … [Read more...]
Watering Plants in Containers and Raised Beds
When we grow plants in containers and raised beds, we are confronted with one basic difference from “in-ground” plantings: the roots of our plants are literally “contained.” This difference makes the … [Read more...]
Cold Damage on San Diego Plants
It's definitely been cold at night lately. A couple of weeks ago Lindbergh Field experienced record lows down to 38F, and Ramona had night temperatures in the high teens. Yikes! How do our plants in … [Read more...]
What is this black sooty stuff on the leaves of my plant?
Many of you know that I work as a chess coach for the Mountain Lake Chess Camp, led by the legendary International Master Larry D. Evans. Last Sunday before one of our big scholastic chess … [Read more...]
What’s This White Powdery Stuff on My New Zealand Flax?!
Colette writes: "I cleaned up my New Zealand Flax yesterday and discovered lot of white powdery 'stuff.' Any ideas or suggestions on helping this guy heal?!" Here we see a very a common occurrence in … [Read more...]