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Chris Beardshaw demonstrates a method for training greenhouse tomatoes, intended to increase fruiting yield.summerMore on growing tomatoesRead Kate Bradbury's blog on the dos and don'ts of growing tomatoesGrow tomatoes from seedGrow tomatoes outsideGrow

Leaves and sometimes stems are marked by dark blotches caused by a fungus. The spores overwinter on fallen leaves, stem lesions and bud scales, and reinfect the plant the next spring when there's a flush of new foliage. If these leaves are then infected, they too eventually turn ...

.cannasearly summerMore advice on growing cannasCreating a canna container displayCarol Klein's video demonstration of planting cannasRachel and Monty's video guide to choosing cannas and lilies

When apple trees are in flower, the sawfly, Hoplocampa testudinea, lays its eggs in the developing fruit. In June, the larvae tunnel their way under the skin of the fruit and into the core, causing the apples to fall. When they're ready, they tunnel out of the apples, creating a ...

by hand any affected leaves and shoots. pearsspring to autumnMore advice on growing pearsTreating apple and pear scabPreventing pear wasp damageDealing with codling moth on fruit treesMonty's favourite fruit varieties

White, waxy, sap-feeding aphids colonise cracks, crevices and pruning cuts on the bark of apple trees in the second half of spring. They then spread to new growth and create soft swellings. If the bulges split open in frosty weather, infections, such as canker, can set in.Congreg...

The common, quick-spreading fungal disease Botrytis cinerea strikes in damp, humid weather, and often enters the lettuce through a cut or tear in a leaf. Affected leaves are inedible and should be thrown away but not composted. The worst scenario is when the lettuce is attacked a...

with copper fungicide every 10 days or so. They don't provide 100 per cent protection, but an attack will be slowed down and you should get a ripe crop.potatoes, tomatoessummer, autumn, winterMore advice on growing potatoesAdvice on earthing up potatoes

to other plants. Carry out repeated, preventative spraying the moment the first batch of tomatoes starts to set. Use fungicide containing copper. They don't provide 100 per cent protection, but an attack will be slowed down and you should get ripe tomatoes

The fungus that causes this problem spreads rapidly in the warm, humid conditions of a greenhouse. It usually becomes apparent on the lowest tomato leaves from early or midsummer, which develop yellow blotches on the upper leaf surface. The leaves eventually turn brown and wither...