How Plants Work brings the stranger-than-fiction science of the plant world to vivid life. It explains how plants tell time, how they move to follow the sun and capture food, and why they change color. Linda Chalder-Scott, of the popular blog The Garden Professors, uncovers these and other fascinating mysteries in this engaging and accessible introduction to plant physiology.--COVER.

When scientists examine home gardens and landscapes, one fact stands out: The leading cause of landscape failure is not disease and it’s not pests - it’s our own gardening practices. Create a beautiful and sustainable home garden guided by the newest information from applied plant physiology, biology, soils science, climatology, hydrology, chemistry, and ecology.

Unless you live in a completely undeveloped area, chances are your home garden soil is not native. Learn what makes a "great" soil and how to determine your own approximate amounts of clay, silt, and sand; texture; nutrients; pH; and more - before you purchase that "must have" soil addition from the gardening store.

Two specific transformation stories - a wetlands restoration and a home garden project - reflect the benefit of science-based planning by considering soils, temperature, sunlight, moisture, water table, and likely pests. Learn how to become a citizen scientist and contribute to the field by asking the hard questions and knowing how to assess the strength of the answers.

Just as humans cannot grow without our supportive microbiome, neither can plants. Plant roots, bacterial sheathes, and long filaments of fungus all function together to support the plant's growth, enhancing the uptake of water and nutrients and improving soil structure. But what happens to this crucial symbiosis when you add unnecessary fertilizers?

The most common cause of death for home garden plants is poor horticultural practices, not disease or pests. With this step-by-step guide to diagnosing plant problems, you'll learn how to appropriately remedy any problem - and when the plant will heal on its own. You'll also be able to identify the warning signs of future problems, so you can treat the issue before it's too late.

Before you resort to chemical sprays - which can kill all insects, not just the pests you're targeting - learn how to manage insects by increasing plant diversity, establishing "trap" plants, and using repellents and tools including your basic garden hose. Understanding the life cycle and reproductive physiology of the insect will help you make the most effective management choices.

The goal of fertilizing is to match your soil and plant needs - micro- and macronutrients, and other chemical requirements - with the appropriate sources of nutrition. By understanding your specific soil test results, you can determine which nutrients are deficient, which might already be present in toxic quantities, and whether or not to buy organic.

There is no lack of chemicals to get rid of the pests in your garden - whether that pest is a plant, insect, or other organism. But for long-term health, integrated pest management provides a better, systematic, science-based approach with a minimum of chemical inputs.

Take a virtual field trip to see examples of unhealthy plants and learn how to diagnose their problems based on the science of plant physiology. You'll see tree girdling, plants that become smaller instead of larger, scorched shrubs, and more. Once you understand the physiology behind these problems, you'll be better able to diagnose and treat any of your garden's plants that might be failing.