With its upright plumes of tube-shaped blooms and long, dark green leaves, jacobinia (justicia carnea) is an attractive and sweet-smelling shrub. Jacobinia, which grows in the temperate climates of USDA Zones 8b through 11, is available with blooms in shades of red, orange, apricot, white or rose-purple. Also known as "flamingo plant" because of its showy flowers, jacobinia can be tricky to grow, but will do well in moist, well-drained soil with shelter during the heat of the afternoon.
Water jacobinia regularly and never allow the soil to become bone dry. The soil should be consistently moist at all times but never soggy.
Feed jacobinia in spring, summer and early autumn. Apply a general purpose fertilizer with a ratio such as 10-10-10 according to the directions on the fertilizer container
Remove spent blooms with a pair of garden pruners throughout the blooming season to encourage continued blooming and keep the shrub tidy. More drastic pruning is rare, but should always be done in early spring before new growth appears. Prune the tips of the plant to maintain the desired size and shape. Remove any dead or weak branches.
Remove and discard the seed shell from the outside of the kernels.
Place the kernels in a grinder and grind until a consistency similar to ground almonds is achieved.
Measure 1 1/2 teaspoons of the ground kernel and place in 8 oz. of apple juice. Apricot kernels have a naturally bitter flavor. The apple juice counteracts the bitter taste.
Begin the regime with one serving per day. After two weeks of consistent use, increase the dosage to two servings, one in the morning and one in the evening. If symptoms such as nausea begin to develop, reduce the amount of kernel taken until symptoms subside and slowly introduce additional amounts.
If using this treatment for cancer, the dosage should be increased until it is taken once every waking hour.
Drink plenty of water when eating apricot kernels to aid the body in flushing any cells and tissue that the B17 is affecting.
Find an area to plant your tree. Apricot trees are considered a subtropical tree, which means it tolerates temperatures from -30 degrees to over 100 degrees and still remains healthy. Cold weather kills the flowers of the apricot tree but the tree stays healthy and prospers the next year.
Dig 1-foot square hole to hold the apricot tree's base. Remove the tree from the container or burlap sack. Place the tree in the hole and fill in the sides with soil.
Pour a generous amount of water over the soil and the roots. More soil may need to be added after the water soaks in.
Maintain a healthy apricot tree by pruning the tree every winter or spring before it begins to produce new growth. To prune an apricot tree properly, remove any unhealthy branches and limbs and then thin out any bushy or thick areas in the leaves.
Feed the apricot tree with fruit tree plant food every one to two months. Fertilize the tree with fruit tree fertilizer or compost.
Cultivate more apricot trees. Cut off healthy branches and place them in water to allow them to root. The best time of year to cut the apricot tree for cultivation is in late spring.
Apricots typically start to bear fruit at two years of age, but might not produce a substantial amount of fruit until they are three to five years of age. A branch will begin bearing fruit when it is at least two years old.
Apricots do not tolerate the cold well. The flowers buds are often killed by winter weather. When this happens, the tree will not bear fruit the following season. Cool, wet weather inhibits pollination from bees and can result in reduced fruit yields.
Harvest apricots when the fruit begins to soften. Make sure you handle the fruit gently; it bruises easily. Once harvested, apricots should keep for two to three weeks when stored at proper temperatures. Keep them at 35 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix up a dormant oil and water mixture in your pump-up sprayer according to the instructions on the dormant oil bottle.
Spray the dormant oil mixture over your entire apricot tree in the winter months after the leaves have fallen. Coat all branches, twigs and trunk with the mixture. Apply in the morning when the temperature is expected to rise during the day.
Spray copper sprays on your apricot tree at the bottle's indicated rate before the fall rains begin. Copper will reduce the chance of your apricot tree developing canker.
Apply an insecticide to your tree beginning once blossoms drop in the spring and continuing until harvest. Apply at the recommended rate over the entire tree with your pump-up sprayer at seven- to 14-day intervals.
The apricot tree (Prunus armeniaca) reaches a mature height ranging from 10 to 25 feet. Apricot trees require at least six hours of full sun each day and thrive when planted in fertile, well-drained soil.