texts: What can I do with this broken leader on a black walnut?

texts:
In August, a wind storm split this black walnut's leader. The leader broke again higher up, and came completely off, but a large part of the main stem (lower down) is still attached, and although it's fallen and rested on a nearby tree, the cambium is still green.

This is about 22 feet above ground level. The tree is 9 years old (grown from seed), and has grown very fast. I'm guessing that's why the leader split.

What are my options? I'd prefer to have a central leader growth habit if possible, as these get quite large.


texts: Chrysanthemum blooms partially deformed and colors faded

texts:
I bought a potted Chrysanthemum from the local nursery over a month ago while the plant is still budding. Haven't repotted it since day 1. It bloomed very well couple weeks after I bought it and produce beautiful pink flowers.
However, I noticed that recently some of the blooms are deformed:

Here is the full pic of the pot:

The soil:

And the place where I put the whole container:

I usually water it once everyday or every 2 days, because the temp can get really hot in the afternoon. Since the balcony is west-facing, it received a hot afternoon sun around 1-5pm. However, with the placement in the pic above, the flower only receives 1-2 hrs of direct sun around 12pm (not the hottest period, as it peaked around 2-3) before getting some shade again (there is a roof in the balcony, and a house in front of mine). The situation looks like this in the afternoon (12pm):

The Place where I live doesn't have any winter. It only has sunny or rainy season. The temp never goes below 26'C and can get as high as 35'C in the hottest afternoon.
Also, I noticed that the color of the flowers faded. Is this a natural thing that mums color fades over the time? It once looks like this:

And suppose I wanted the plant to flowering again, should I start beheading the flower at this moment? All info and tips I found on the internet works for cold/subtropical area where it experiences winter, etc. But in my case, will it become annual or perennial??
Thanks for the help.


texts: How to control fungal infection on Moringa

texts:
7 week old moringa grown from seed started exhibiting white spots and yellowing on leaves. The bottom ones died and dropped off, although new growth continues.

Reading that it could be a nutrient deficiency, I have added some magnesium chloride solution, as well as molases and a mix of kelp and microbial inoculate (several species bacteria plus micchorizal fungi) a few days ago to ensure optimum nutrition for the plants.

On the other hand I also read it might be a ph imbalance, the ph of my tap water has not been verified yet but none of the other plants seem to have had a problem with it up to now.

I also put them onto a capillary mat and moved them into a less sunny spot so there is no more overhead watering. They (together with all the other potted plants) were wilting daily by the late afternoon, even though there was only exposure to a few hours of intense sunlight (Southern Spain, summer temperatures are running at 30 - 40 C now) and these measures have successfully stopped the wilting.

Some of the surrounding plants recently began to exhibit similar discoloration, such as papaya and pigeon pea seedlings which are also less than 2 months old, whereas such as buckwheat do not.

Any help identifying the problem and possible solutions would be most appreciated.


texts:
I have a section of my garden that has been covered by a wooden board. The area underneath this wooden board was very damp and dark. There was this strange plant underneath the wooden board and I was wondering if anyone could identify it (click to enlarge):

To me, this looks like a bean sprout. But I don't know where it would have come from. I am in Canberra, Australia and the other plants in the garden are parsley, lettuce, broad beans, blueberries and spring onion.


texts: A list of obtainable plants that need very little light?

texts:
I have just moved into my new flat. And again, I'm noticing that plants make the difference between a place feeling rather dull and dead or being nice to hang out at.

So here is my central question:

Can somebody provide me with a list of plants that grow with (very) little light?

This is not the darkest apartment, but it's not exactly sunny, either.

More specific details:

I'm particularly interested in plants that would grow in my bathroom, which only has a small (maybe 8 inches high, 1 foot 6 inches wide) indoor window that  admits some daylight which comes from the wall with all the outdoor windows across.
Of course, humidity is high in the bathroom as well, so the plant should also be ok with that.
On the bright side, it's not too cold there/ I could keep it a little warmer - wouldn't want to keep it tropical though, to be honest.

Since this is not a purely theoretical question, the plants you mention are required to be somewhat obtainable through normal outlets.

Some people might now scream "Oh noes! No plant will ever grow in this dark cave harboring you and thoust will perish slowly", but somehow, my hopes are still high about the plant growing part...

I'm thinking about moss, so there is at least some plant that might make it in my bathroom.

But I also can't shake the hope that there must be a couple of other plants used to growing in darker forest places below thick branchwork, where it might always be quite dark.

Any ideas?

Edit: I would also be glad to hear what problems the respective plants might entail (any particular bugs or hardships in keeping the plant from wilting off etc.).


texts: Will my Lucky Bamboo go back to full health?

texts:
My Lucky Bamboo has recently turned yellow. Each stalk is bright yellow and I noticed it turning that color around 2 days ago. But before that it was pretty healthy. I also did transplant it, (cut off the new stalks and plant the old ones back in the rocks.) around 2 weeks ago.

My question is whether the plant will revive if I begin following what everyone recommends such as maintaining the plant in room temperature, not using too cold of water, and just the right amount of sun.


texts: What are the black spots on my paw paws and how do I treat them?

texts:
I have six paw paw trees, all of which were going fine, then almost all together started to develop these black spots on the leaves and fruit.

It has progressively gotten worse, and caused most of the leaves to fall off, the fruit seems to suffers severely from it, and either falls of or rots on the tree.

Is this common, what can I do to remedy the situation?

I've tried a copper based anti fungus spray, as well as white oil, and also just generally improving the soil with fertiliser, and manure.

The affected leaves fall off, new leaves shoot, and soon they suffer the same fate.


texts: Identify this Insect or Fungus. Possible Scale

texts: I do not know the name of the plant and I have battled brown scales on my ficus before at my office.  What is attacking this plant?  Could it be some type of white scale?  It is not mealybugs.


texts: Identify caterpillar infestation on apple tree

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tl;dr; Found caterpillar nests. Should I keep them or destroy them?

I spotted three caterpillar nests(?) on my apple tree. The apple tree produces green eating apples (don't know what variety). There are three other apple trees of a different variety and a pear tree which haven't been infested.

Each nest seems to contain between 20-50 caterpillars. The caterpillars are about 2 inches (5cm) long. Some caterpillars are yellow with black markings. Others are grey with black markings. About 50% of them seem to be sleeping while the others are active during the day.

Each nest about the size of a tennis ball, made by wrapping silk around  large leaves. There appears to be a honey like secretion (seen in the first picture) on parts of the "nest". There are also lots of black flecks in the nest (approx 2mm in size), which I am guessing is the caterpillars/ excreta.

Question: Can someone identify the species of the caterpillar? Are they harmful to humans? If so, what is the best way to dispose of them? What is their impact on the ecosystem? If they are useful, I don't mind letting them develop into a moth/butterfly.

Location: London, United Kingdom.


texts: For square foot gardening: Can I skip vermiculite seed sprouting, and plant straight in Mel's Mix?

texts:
In the Square Foot Gardening book, they suggest sprouting seeds in pure vermiculite and then moving those to seed trays w/ Mel's Mix until they're ready to be transplanted outdoors.

The vermiculite-seed-sprouting step seems like a lot of hassle, so is there any real reason not to just start seeds directly in seed trays using Mel's Mix?

What are the pro's/con's of skipping the first step?


texts: What columnar cactus species I should select as a rootstock for a Rhipsalis standard?

texts:
I want to make a standard(1) with scions from a Rhipsalis pilocarpa, or mistletoe cactus. I need a rootstock that:

Is columnar
Is unbranched
Has good longevity (at least 20 years)
Can adapt to high humidity and light shade
Has a slim, clean, stem at least 3' long

Stem rigidity is optional, because the plant would be staked at about 3' (by the graft union). I will be side grafting.

I have been considering using a freshly rooted Selenicereus cutting as the rootstock. Is that a good choice? If so/no, what other options do I have?

(1) Standard in this context means 'tree form', as a standard rose bush. This term is used with plants that do not naturally grow in tree form, trained to one single stem, or 'trunk', resembling a tree, although smaller in size.


texts: What is causing this yellow fungus in my plants' soil, and should I be concerned?

texts:
In this post I mentioned that the soil in my schefflera plant's pot had been host to some yellowish fungus, but I somehow managed to misidentify some discolored perlite as the fungus in question.

However, I rediscovered the fungus yesterday; here a small growth can be seen about an inch in front of the base of the schefflera:

And here is a closeup of the same:

Then, when I was watering my philodendron, I discovered what appears to me to be a very similar, fuzzy yellow fungus on the surface of its soil as well:

And:

It doesn't really look quite like the dog vomit slime mold discussed here.

I removed the schefflera soil's strange cylindrical growth with a toothpick easily enough; but is this fungus something about which I should be concerned, or will simply scraping it off whenever it appears keep the problem at bay? Should I repot the schefflera and philodendron in new soil? Water less often? Or is it beneficial, and OK to leave as is?


texts: What are the benefits of veg / fruit plants with grafted rootstocks?

texts:
Last year I grew aubergines (eggplants) and tomatoes with grafted rootstocks, and they actually produced a lot more veg than my other plants.

Could someone tell me why it is done and why they produced more veg?


texts: tomato plant rotting from the inside -- what's going on?

texts:
I have a hydroponic garden in a greenhouse in my yard.  Everything was going just great until today when I noticed that one of the 7 or so tomato plants (the biggest one in fact) was looking rather wilted.  Upon further examination I noticed some brown ooze coming from the inside!  I cut off the top branches where I saw this and continued to notice more and more until I finally removed the entire plant (out of concern for the others).

Does anyone know what could cause this?  I want to make sure my other plants are not in danger.  I've uploaded some pictures to help diagnose.

My first cut into the plant, notice the browning edges:

My first cut into the plant, notice the browning edges http://a.yfrog.com/img620/5868/2enplp.jpg

These yellow and brown leaves were from the bottom so maybe not a big deal?

yellow and brown leaves were from the bottom http://a.yfrog.com/img614/5237/dqiyp.jpg

The inside of the plant close to the base.  ugghhh.

The inside of the plant close to the base. http://a.yfrog.com/img614/3923/u47xo.jpg


texts: Mulberry trees can have both lobed and unlobed leaves?

texts:
Guidebooks I have show mulberries as having both the characteristic roundly serrated, multi-lobed leaves, but also unlobed leaves.

Does this mean mulberries can have both lobed and unlobed leaves on the same tree, or are there different conditions under which the leaves are lobed/unlobed?


texts: Leaf turning yellow on newly bought Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema). What could it be?

texts:
Some more info:
Bought it and could see that the soil was dry the next day. Watered it thoroughly with 6.5 PH tap water.
Plant has a couple of leaves turning yellow, one of them is almost completely yellow by now.

I can see the roots kind of sticking out the pot. I am planning in repotting it in a week or so. Can this be the problem?


texts: How to paint a cut off branch on a spruce tree?

texts:
I have a spruce tree (picea abies), which is next to a path and since one of the lower branches was obstructing the passing down the path, I cut it off.
Now my question is how do I paint the place where the branch was? What kind of paint should I use, is color important, or is there some special substance just for that?

Thank you in advance.


texts: Why is this clementine/mandarin tree so small and why has it stopped growing?

texts:
I planted a clementine or mandarin tree from seed maybe two or three years ago. I don't think it has grown much over the last couple of years. See photo (with a sticky note for scale). It doesn't grow, but it also stays alive. I planted another one around the same time that, although not huge itself, it much bigger than this one (see other photo—any advice for this one is also appreciated). I live in the Atlanta area and recently put the tree outside. What can I try to get it to get bigger?

Second tree for reference:


texts: I have read about watering orchids with ice which slowly releases water and doesn't over water and I figured watering my highland nepenthes with frozen distilled water would be a good idea and they seem to love the small amount of cooling the ice creates making nighttime temps perfect along with the slow release if water. They are flourishing and my humidity is staying higher for some reason in the terrarium too. I'm just wondering if anyone else has tried this and their results but after trying it on some of my ventricosa hybrids I recommend it to others.


texts: How much depth is needed for grass mats?

texts:
Simple question, how much (if any) soil is needed between the grass mat and the fleece barrier?

I'm building an enclosure for my tortoise and I want to place grass on trays for it to roam. The trays are 8 cm depth (3 in), I will have a bed of expanded clay with a fleece barrier on top for drainage that takes about 3 cm (1 in) leaving 5 cm (2 in) for the soil + grass. Is it enough?

How thick are grass mats? How much soil is needed? I plan on using Zoysia Emerald grass (it is short and readly available here).


texts: My spearmint plant has browning leaves that crack, and the stems are turning purple?

texts:
The stems still feel strong and healthy, there is no sign of mold, and it doesn't look like I'm over-watering. The soil (miracle grow potting soil) is damp to the touch but not wet enough to stick to my fingers.

The plant gets full sunlight between 9am and 7pm (before the fence and house shadows overtake it).

I trim the plant regularly to keep it from growing too large and sprouting out too far.

Very few bugs are on the plant when I check it, if any, and they're mostly spiders.

The stems are slowly turning from green to a purplish-brown and random leaves seem to be dying.


texts:
I'm wondering how much does water ph level matter for plant healthy growth as an aquaponic system would presumably have one ph level for all growing plants and as far as I understand and find on the Internet, different plants have different preferences for their root environment ph levels.

So, how does having a "flat" ph level for all growing plants impact their growth and health?

Does it make sense to create separate aquaponic systems and organize them by growing plants ph requirements?

Thank you in advance!


texts:
I have this Schefflera which is growing pretty well. When I got it a year ago it was half this size, and I don't fertilize much. But I don't want it to become too high. I'd like it to grow lateral stems instead of just one long stem reaching for the ceiling.
I read that in order to split the main stem and make new branches, I should cut the plant at the top, just below the most recent growths. So my questions are:

Do you think I can do this now or should I wait some more?
Where exactly should I cut if I want to maximize the probability of making new branches?

If this helps, here is a picture of the top of the plant. As you can see, there is a group of three new growths within 1cm. The next one is about 1cm below.


texts: What is this plant with bean-like structure at the base of its stem?

texts:
A friend of mine has bought this plant from Lidl in Romania and it doesn't have a label.

The green stuff at the base of the stem looks like a germinated coffee seed, but it's not. The height of the "coffee bean" is 4 cm (1.6 inches) and the height of the plant is 12 cm (4.7 inches).

Do you know what it is?


texts:
Ive got Osteospermum (African Daisy), however I cant figure out why the flowers are getting their petals chopped and are mostly dying,
The plant seems healthy and I cant see any insects or bugs around. The flowers just get totally destroyed within 2 days.


texts: Why are my chives turning brown on the tips of their leaves?

texts:
I grow chives in a pot. In the last few weeks, it grew dramatically. However, in the last days I noticed that the tips of the leaves turned brown.

What could it be? Some type of disease? Lack of water? Not enough drainage?


texts: Squirrel and crows eating rose buds and leaves of plants

texts:
In my all balcony areas we've Indian palm squirrel, crows and Pigeons which comes and eat leaves of plants, I've searched for owl statues but at stores they tell not to keep owl statue at home hence they don't keep at it, I don't believe in this stuff so I printed out a photo of owl, gummed on a cd and hung in my balcony  but after few days there was only a cd the paper was gone. I don't like to harm these animals instead I keep water and leftover food for them. I keep it because I want them to eat that and not my plants. I've also kept peanuts for the
squirrel but I don't know he prefers to eat my plants.

Please help me solve this problem.


texts: Rats! There are rats destroying my pumpkins!

texts:
I have a plot in a community garden, and this past summer I planted New England pie pumpkins. They did VERY well (I had close to 20 fruits on 4 vines), but just before I harvested them some rats moved into the garden and destroyed them. The method they used is very interesting (and I'm sorry I don't have photos) - they scraped/ate a hole into each pumpkin, then scraped out all the seeds, and then left the seeds, pulp and hollowed out pumpkin just lying there! In one night they went through ALL the pumpkins!

My questions are:
What do you think they were doing, since they didn't eat all of the tasty food left behind?
And, for next year, do you have any suggestions for how I can protect the squashes from the rats?

There are some good ideas here (Keeping rats from eating my plants), but I don't think these will protect the individual pumpkin fruits, and there are limits to what I can do in a community garden space.

Thanks for any and all creative solutions!


texts: Trying to identify this weed, looks like it might be family of nightshade but not sure. Located in Chicago with Tall Fescue. Any thoughts? Thank you :)


texts: When (in the lifetime of the plant) should the first hard pruning of budleja be performed?

texts:
I already have one budleja (butterfly bush) (it was already on the site where I started working on it), and I prune it every early spring. It grows really well every year.
However, I bought another one, which is much smaller now (but its adult size should be a normal size for a butterfly bush - 5-8 ft). I don't feel comfortable pruning it hard the next spring - it looks too smal and fragile. Should I nevertheless prune it hard next march, or perhaps wait for several years?


texts:
I'm wondering what type of Ilex specie this is as it isn't quite clear what type?

The origin was NL (Netherlands).

I brought it from a shop.

Photos


texts: Will my lupines grow back next year if I cut them to the ground?

texts:
Our lupines (also called lupin in the UK) were done flowering for the year and were harboring an aphid infestation, so I mowed them. Are the "stumps" likely to regrow next year or do the plants rely on gathering a lot of energy through the foliage to survive the winter?

(They were originally weeds scavenged from a roadside that we multiplied here over a couple of years, so it's not a major loss if they won't regrow.)


texts:
I'm a bonsai beginner; I purchased a 15-year-old tea tree 2 weeks ago. It began losing a few leaves each day since. I keep it by a window and keep the soil damp. Today I turned it 180 degrees and noticed the window-facing side looked much healthier. Small white flowers have been blossoming over the last 5 days.

Any explanation as to why the leaves are dropping off and is this natural or is the tree looking not-too-healthy?

I just read http://www.bonsaiboy.com/catalog/fukiencare.html. Should I try moving it outdoors until it gets colder?

Thanks.

Edit: I'm in Billings, MT. Temperatures have been 55-95 this summer.


texts: Meshed-hole Direct Composting design - please comment, suggest changes, advise

texts:
I've been putting some worms in my raised beds and feeding them the fresher kitchen scraps.  I'm starting to run out of spots to place the food, so for the next bed I build I want to put in some-type-of-mesh holes that go 1-2' down and are simply to to form a hole that doesn't cave in, into which I can throw worm food for the ultimate purpose of direct composting.

Here is the design:

So, some design questions are:

What would make a good mesh?  Chicken wire with 1/4" squares?  Large chicken wire + large-mesh burlap?
Will the worms be able to eat from this resevoir and readily go back into the soil?
Do I need to cover the hole or place soil on top of the fresh food?
Rectangular prism or circular prism hole?
What else to consider?

Thanks.


texts: Any plants that work as a racoon repellent?

texts:
I saw 4 raccoons in my vegetable garden,  doing what they do best with people's gardens.
Please let me know if I could plant anything in or around at the borders to my vegetable garden that would work as a racoon repellent.
I don't want to use chemicals.


texts: Unknown tree in my garden, not looking so good. What is the tree and is it salvageable?

texts:
So, this is Western Europe in May. It has been a dark and wet up to now. Currently we got some clear skies but it is cold.

Now I have this tree:

It is planted in soil that is mostly clay-ish and quite wet. Although last summer was exceedingly dry and hot for three months to the point where the grass was starting to die off and the soil started to crack.

The leaves do not look healthy, and some look straightforward undeveloped:

Although at the top of the tree there is a branch with nice green leaves (you can see it in the first photo, too):

I'm not even sure what tree it is, but the white-edged leaves are a normal feature if I remember well. It looks a bit like a Cornus Alba, if a Cornus Alba were a tree, not a shrub (dammit Jim, I'm a IT guy, not a botanist). But then it would be in the wrong kind of soil altogether.

Here is a close-up of the trunk. Maybe it's fungus. Other trees in the garden are also subject to lichen, except for the birch. It's shady and wet around here.


texts: Can I add lime at the same time when I spray Roundup?

texts: I sprayed the weed killer roundup and wanted to know if I can also spread some lime at the same time to neutralize my acidic garden?


texts: I planted raw almonds and they got very moldy. What to do?

texts:
Before planting 20-something almonds I've read on various forums that people have encountered mold growing over theirs and destroying the seeds. After about a week from planting, I'm seeing a very thin white layer of mold on the surface of the soil and all around the almonds especially. Various sources recommend to sprinkle baking soda, apple cider vinegar or cinnamon on the mold, and claim it wouldn't harm the plants (nuts still in my case). But the mold seems too intense at this point. Maybe I should do something else?

I don't think the problem is in the soil, because other seeds and plants have been growing in the same soil just fine. The raw almonds probably already came infested with mold.


texts: What is this spiky-leaved, white-flowered plant that grows from a bulb?

texts:
I have this plant in my garden in south India. It has spiky leaves,

The flowers are white,

And it has bulbs in the roots

What is the name of this plant?


texts: How to cut calculated height with trimmer

texts:
I recently redid our lawn and it was beautiful grown turf (thanks to @bamboo) until the mice/rat (we can’t figure out what is that)next door ruined it and tried to dig places.
Now from book of gardening there need to be specific length of mower to cut but we only got trimmer which has thread n keeping to a height is impossible.
I have 2 question

How do to fix the lawn now it’s ruined?
How do I trim to perfect size length with trimmer?

P.S - can someone help me identify if it’s mouse/rat. He is eating coal from last night BBQ.
He doesn’t live here as it come from next door.
Edit : I wonder if the grass is even disease free for kids to play or someone to exercise/walk on?


texts: Should I do something about these?  Does it signify something bad?


texts: What garden critters are eating my tomatoes, and how do I stop them?

texts:
Location: Coastal Southern California in a relatively dense area (denser than the suburbs, but not dense like the city).
Issue: I've grown tomatoes on and off in this area for the past 20 years and while there have been various insects that have been attracted to the plants, I've never had anything actually eat the fruit.
Unfortunately, this year I have an unknown tomato plant (someone down the street was giving away plants) - the tomatoes are golf-ball size and sweet. The problem is, something is eating them, and it must be something big because (for the most part) the tomatoes aren't getting nibbled or messily consumed - they are outright there one day then absent the next, as if someone (or something) was picking them off the vine.
What's interesting is a few feet away I have a cherry tomato bush which has many red, ripe tomatoes and it's not being disturbed. It's only this one bush...
My initial presumption was that it was my kids, but they assure me it's not them. And to their defense, there has been one tomato that was still on the vine and had small bites, so there is definitely some wildlife activity happening.
My hunch is that it is a raccoon, but do they eat tomatoes? Another option could be possums. Given the tomatoes disappearing without mess, I'm presuming it's not a bird or rat, but has to be something at least possum-sized. Maybe it is the guy down the street who gave me the tomato bush, coming at night to collect the harvest from his seedlings, lol.
Question: How do I get whatever is eating my tomatoes to stop? Or am I out of luck here? I have a feeling I'm out of luck short of using some kind of netting or barrier, or sitting outside at night with a BB gun.


texts:
These are an heirloom variety (tomande), I have tried giving them less and more water with no difference.
I have 3 plants of this variety and they are all suffering the same problem.
It starts on the lower leaves with little spots that look a little see-through, the edges of the leaves start to curl and then turn brown until eventually the leaf turns crispy and brittle.
I am growing 3 other varieties all in the same area which do not suffer this problem.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

![new4]
(https://i.stack.imgur.com/middQ.jpg)


texts: What is this invasive vine/creeper with round, variegated leaves?

texts:
From what I can tell it's a pretty invasive plant.

It's been growing in my New York backyard for decades. It has not come to my attention until recently, now that I have picked up gardening.

It has light green, glossy, spade shaped (ovate), entire, opposite, and white edged variegated evergreen leaves.

click the image for full size


texts: I got my Brussel sprouts started early. They are in the ground (zone 5), but I think we are getting one more 30 degree frost on Friday. They are small little seedlings right now. My question is, can they stand a frost even in the seedling stage or do I need to doctor them to make sure they don’t die? Also, they are very dark green in color and are quite small despite getting good sun. Do you think there might be a pH problem? I believe my soil is a little basic so I tried watering them with diluted vinegar a week ago. Any pointers here are appreciated.


texts: I've been trying to identify this succulent i got a while back so I could know how to propogate it but I can't find similar ones on google :( It's flat-ish with very plump leaves (that have tips) can anyone help? thank you!!


texts:
https://imgur.com/a/bRCIHPo
[EDIT] More pictures requested of the underside of leaves: https://imgur.com/a/OOmzIKL
We're having troubles with our Kentia palm after a month in its new home. It has all manner of maladies, and we're not totally sure what's behind it. Some of the lower leaves are browning/yellowing, some leaves have darkened/blacked tips, and we're finding spots and holes on various leaves.
There are lots of possible factors and we're having difficulty isolating the issues... possible concerns:

We're in San Francisco and with heat waves + poor air quality, so we've been running the air purifier a lot (and the occasional fan), which may be drying out the palm
We don't have a humidifier in the room. We're considering getting one for the palm. We do mist the plant regularly.
It's somewhat close to a south-facing window so we're suspecting that it's getting too much light as well. Could that be possible? Would be good to confirm this as this would affect how we lay out the room.
We're worried we may have overwatered it. We're doing it based off of dryness of the top couple inches of the soil, which ends up being every 2 weeks.
We're also not ruling out possible bug issues. We've had a bunch of fungus gnats in the apartment and found spider mites on another plant the other day. We do use mosquito bits, neem oil, and gnat traps, etc, and we have been inspecting this palm closely and not finding any pests. Upon checking the soil we did find millipedes/centipedes/sowbugs, but research tells us that these are not harmful for the plant...

Help! We love this tree and want to quickly get it to a better condition before it's too late.


texts: Aglaonema Firecracker leaf turning yellow with brown spot. Sunburn or overwatering?

texts:
I left my Aglaonema firecracker with my neighbor for about a month while I was away. When I came back, I found that one of the leaves had completely turned yellow and a brown spot (slightly translucent) was on it. One of the tips of the top leaf also went brown and translucent, and a tiny stem with two leaves completely died. My neighbor had no experience taking care of plants, so I did write out a watering schedule, but it was on the conservative side. However, I had to extend my time away, and so there were no schedule for her to follow for the last two weeks. She also thought it was a good idea to periodically “sun” the plant and had them in full afternoon sunlight in her yard.
I’ve never had a problem with my Aglaonema before leaving them with her, and I’m trying to figure out if the leaf issues are from over watering or from under watering and sunburn. I tried looking it up, but I can’t find a good answer. I’ve attached the pictures, and the rest of the plant looks healthy. I really really appreciate any help!


texts: The flower on my Calla lily has gone and now there are these seeds where the flower was. I was wondering if the seeds were able to be planted. How long would they take to start growing? Is there anything special they can be used for? Anything on them would be nice.


texts: How do you manage dying leaves on young plants?

texts: If a leaf on a plant is shriveling or yellowing, should you cut it off or leave it there? If you do the former, should you only snip off the damaged parts or should you cut off the entire leaf? My question is pertinent to young plants that may have only around 15 leaves, so each leaf is relatively important.


texts: Does the color of the pepper seeds correspond to its viability?

texts: I cut open a organic Shishito pepper and noticed that its seeds had varying colors. It ranged from white, to brown, to black. How does the shade of color correspond to its viability? I'm planning on growing these seeds.


texts: I reseeded my lawn but the results are patchy. Do I apply further seed, or start again?

texts:
I had a tree taken down and the stump ground up.  I cleared a majority of the tree mulch and laid top soil, seeded, and put some hay on top.  It's been a couple of weeks and the grass is growing in really patchy.  It looks pretty bad.  It's been extremely hot lately, so I'm thinking it's probably not getting enough water.

My question is: should I rake up the hay, dig up what's currently there, and start from scratch?  Or should I seed on top of the existing patchy grass?  (I'll be sure to water more often this time around.)


texts: Are clay pots better than plastic ones in hot temperatures?

texts:
In the region where I live summers are relatively hot (up to 35°C or 95°F) and sunny. Some of my plants grow in dark plastic pots, which can get pretty warm. When I water them, the water and the soil get very warm as well.
So far no plant was boiled alive, but I'm really afraid of this scenario. Would replacing those plastic pots with clay pots help to keep the soil a bit cooler, or does it make no/very little difference?


texts: What is this bush/shrub that has thorns?

texts:
It also produces some type of fruit late summer / early fall.

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texts:
I have an Oak (Quercus) in a container grown from seeds, must be 6-7 years old now. And every year it gets these yellow spots on the leaves. When I look under the leaves, I see tiny little red/brown dots, which are the suckers, but they are as small as grains of sand. I can't distinguish legs or body parts or anything. They are also too small for a photo, sorry I only have a camera in my phone.

Does anyone recognize these yellow spots, and know which animal are causing them? Are this Spidermites? I didn't see web yet. How can I treat them (preferably in an organic way), I have tried spraying diatomaceous earth but that did not work.

Maybe interesting, next to this plant is a horse-chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), which has no signs from this pest (but will get a leaf miner problem later this year, I expect).

The plants are on a balcony (facing east) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.


texts:
This was a volunteer growing I believe from whatever was in our compost from last year. There were pumkin seeds in the compost but I don't recall composting gourds. We live in MD ic it makes any difference for ID

Not sure how to add a photo here


texts:
flower blooms once in a year, in the winters.

The plant is only like 50 cm tall now, has no other branch and those few leaves you can see around the flower are the only leaves of the entire plant.

Now I saw two other branch like stuff near the .

What is this plant or name of the flower ?


texts: Is this overwatered English Ivy beyond salvation?

texts:
This English Ivy has been left outdoor for a week. It rained quite a lot in the past few days and when i rescued it, the leaves were mostly brown. When the plant was kept indoor the foliage was pretty thick, but i had to remove the dead leaves and now the plant looks like this:

Is the plant beyond salvation? What can i do to restore the foliage?
Thanks in advance for the help!


texts: What's the name of this plant that has large, broad leaves with white spots?

texts: I have this plant at home and I need to know its name so I can better take care of it. Here is a picture of the plant.


texts: Cucumber leaves turning white, dying, with yellowish powder

texts:
I have some cucumber plants (sorry, not sure which type), with a couple in a large, long pot, and one other in a small pot by itself. The plant in the small pot has a reasonably-sized cucumber, about 5 inches long, while the other plants are struggling to grow smaller ones. I live in an apartment in Southern Canada, on a high floor, and the plants are on a balcony facing west. They get a lot of sunlight in the afternoons and evenings.

The plants started off well, with some white around the edges from an early frost, but they grew quickly through the late Spring and early Summer. However, within the last several weeks, the leaves have undergone a drastic change, turning yellow and white, drying out, and then dying. All the leaves, especially the older ones, and now the newer ones, are shriveling up and dying. At this point, all the leaves on the solo plant are like this, and the other plants' leaves are only about 75% green. There's also a yellowish powder on the old leaves when I rub them, but that could simply be part of their decomposition.

Is there anything I can do for my cucumber plants? Like I said, they get an abundance of sunlight, and there's been little rain (I water them once in the morning). I occasionally give them a general fertilizer (20/20/20), which helped my tomato plants bounce back but hasn't done anything for my cucumbers.

I briefly had spider mites on one of the plants, but several days of spraying insecticide soap seemed to kill them. The photo below was taken around the same time.


texts: What is this rosette weed with a stalk of white flowers?

texts:
I found this weed growing in our yard (in western Idaho), this spring. It starts with a green rosette with serrated leaves, and then puts up a tall flower stalk with small white flowers. You can see the fruits on it, too, in the picture. Someone I know thought it was chicory; she ate some leaves; it's not chicory, but, she said it tasted pretty nice. Buttery.

My question is, what is it?


texts:
We're having a tough time with our Pilea. We were afraid that it had spider mites so my friend sprayed it with some kind of organic pesticide. Since then, it's been in shock. No progress on growth at all.

It lost quite a few leaves and it appears to be quite droopy. It had a baby growing for awhile but it shriveled at the stem. The leaves never browned or fell off before, but it was only a matter of time. Now, I'm afraid the same thing is happening to the main stem.

What should I do? Is there any chance of survival if I propagate the main plant? Is that crazy? Please help!


texts: Why are the leaves curling on my snowball bush?

texts:
Our small snowball bush has some curled leaves.  I don't see any evidence of any bugs eating it or damaging it. What could be causing it?  What can I do to treat/fix it?

Click on photo for full size


texts: Growing Strawberries in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia (Winter season)

texts:
I sowed strawberry seeds and they germinated just now after the passage of a long heavy rainstorm. I am living in Al Khubar, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia which is a desert region. It is currently the peak of winter season here with temperatures going as low as 9 degrees Celcius and the highs reaching no more than 25 degrees Celcius. We have forecast of a few more rain showers in the following weeks and the weather will start to warm up quite swiftly from the start of April. I have no idea how to raise strawberries and would like to know what steps should I take to help them survive the approaching hot climate. Thank you everyone.

Note: It is actually well past the sowing season here; the strawberries have come out late. I want to try my best to protect them and make them fruit.


texts: Do homemade paper pots for seedlings really work well?

texts:
This question talks about making paper pots for seedlings, and links to what appears to be the standard pot maker for sale at various online outlets. There are also some entirely home made solutions (using an aerosol can, a jam jar, etc to shape the paper) discussed online.

I can see the definite advantage of being able to transplant without root disturbance. But you don't see much online discussion of their usage by serious gardeners, just a lot of craft/novelty/gimmicky "hey, here's a simple idea" pages.

Has anyone had any problem with these pots? Don't they disintegrate easily, especially with any kind of sustained watering?

I'd like the no-hassle transplanting but if I've got to rescue soggy, disintegrating pots half way through doing their job then that's no time/hassle saving at all.


texts: What is this succulent/weed growing on my lawn?

texts: We've had it growing in our backyard lawn for a while and the patch gets bigger every year. Its definitely in the succulent family but I can't find any other information on it. We live in West Michigan if it helps. Its very strange- Help internet!


texts: Can I fertilize solely through fertigation?

texts:
I'm growing a pumpkin patch and plan to use drip irrigation under a mulch layer.

Unfortunately, various parts of the soil are lacking in some nutrients. I don't think I'll have the money (this year) to broadcast the needed soil amendments. Ergo, my question is: Can I fertilize solely by fertigation and make an impact on my crops?


texts:
What's the correct name for this raised tree bed? This one was designed only for the tree. And it's not inside a garden, not even in a park, but at the corner of the street. Searching on Google I can find mostly raised garden beds that contain a tree and the flowers planted around them.
And what's the name of the raised beds used in the parks or on the street? Most of my search results are gardening raised beds.

(source: esi.info)
Here are similar structures in Madrid.One of them:


texts: What is the sort-of grass like plant in my border

texts:
Garden Context:
Sunny South-facing Garden in North London, UK. Appers not hugely cared-for in the last decade.

Border Context:
This photo is taken facing about North-North-East:

My experience:
Almost None! This is my First garden and I'm just learning the ropes.

I've started weeding through the over grown borders of the garden and left behind some plants I didn't recognise.

This plant looks sort of like a moss or grass? I believe the thing beside it is a Wood Aven

What is it?

(No idea what sort of search terms to try. "UK grass-like plant" seems not worth trying :)


texts:
I have tried googling with no real answers without destroying the soil. I searched this forum and found this posting answered, but the answer suggests to mow the mint which is not an option for me.

I had bought this house where it looks like the previous owners planted a bunch of plants including mint into this raised bed that is part of 2 beds that step up a hill side (bottom bed in this picture from 2007). We tilled it about 2 years ago, got rid of all the mint roots we could find, and planted a bunch of vegetables.

After that year we left the bed to nature. This year we tilled the bed again, getting rid of all the mint roots we could find, and planted vegetables in April. Today I went to dig some holes to add additional vegetables and found a ton of mint roots everywhere.

How do I eradicate the mint from this bed without damaging the soil?


texts: Where and when to pinch back for bushy basil

texts:
I've read that "pinching back" or pruning basil plant (ocimum basilicum) will produce a bushier, less leggy, plant.

Where on the plant do you cut?

When do you cut? How often? Does age of plant matter?


texts:
Good evening,
This spring/summer, a plant emerged, and I'm not sure if it's a weed or not.
It's grown about 3ft this year, and there are a few of the same plant within a radius of about a metre.
If it's a weed with rhizomes, I'll need to get rid of it this autumn, but I didn't want to get rid of it if it's a tree - we recently cleared a lot of holly, so all sorts has sprouted this year.
Any help is much appreciated.
Thank you


texts: Ginkgo leaves turning brown from middles out. What do I do?

texts: Young ginkgo dwarf tree that’s been planted for about a month. Gets watered twice a day for ten minutes and is in a sunny spot. Leaves are turning brown in the middles and some are developing dark brown crunchy edges. How do I not kill this tree??


texts: How to amend clay soil to propagate trees for bare root distribution?

texts:
I intend to propagate trees and distribute them in bare root form after they grow for 1-3 years. Lots of good info on that process is available at https://depts.washington.edu/propplnt/Chapters/Bare%20Root%20Chapter.htm

The location I have for this project is generally clay soil. I've yet to do a thorough soil analysis so that will help inform what amendments are needed, but I already know from observation that the soil is generally heavy clay. It does not become inundated except in heavy rains, but it is heavy soil and can flood in storms. I know I'll want looser, better-drained soil for rows of trees growing for eventual bare-root transplanting.

How can I amend this clay soil to make it better suited for bare root tree propagation? I imagine I need to make it looser and better-drained.

I envision tilling the existing soil a few feet down, then adding plenty of organic matter year-after-year on top of that to build up better soil. However, I generally think of no-till as being good so I wonder if that can be avoided (minimal till seems necessary in this case), and I wonder if I should refine my idea about adding organic matter. For example, should I add fiberous structural material like coconut husk fluff piled on top of existing clay? What role does mulch or fresher wood chips have in this if any?


texts:
Another gifted plant to my not so green thumb.
We moved this jade plant to the south window for natural sunlight. It is about 1 foot from the window and it is winter, but the room itself isn’t that cold.
When we received it it looked to be in rough shape. I’m tempted to simply cut the sagging branch as it seems to be pretty much dead, but the rest looks okay. I am also not clear if we need the wooden stake or if a jade plant should be able to stand on its own.
Any guidance is appreciated. Thanks.


texts: I have mulch from last year that seems to wash a way a lot on my slight hill. There are other homes I've seen that have a similar slope but their mulch doesn't appear to wash away. The mulch I got was the Home Depot Earthgro brown mulch which is sort of larger in size. I have seen some mulches at landscape stores that are much more finely chopped. When I re-mulch in May 2018, Is it better to get more finely chopped mulch and pack it down and that may help with preventing it from washing away?


texts: how different manures perform in a garden

texts:
I was just thinking, how do different manures from animals perform in a garden? Since each animal has different digestive systems and different meals I would think the manure is very different, say comparing a chicken to a cow.

So the question, how do different animal's manure perform in a garden? What is better and what shouldn't be used?


texts: What is this tree or large shrub with pink flowers like snapdragons?

texts:
This tree or large shrub in our front garden in Shropshire (UK) has just come into flower, a couple of weeks ahead of last year (our first spring here). The picture was taken on 2nd May 2019.

I'm not sure if it's a tree or shrub as there are several main branches going almost right to the ground:

The tiny pink flowers are like little snapdragon flowers

and the almost round leaves are a lovely yellow/orange/pink colour. They are about 3cm (1.25in) approx. diameter and there are not many out yet.

Thank you.


texts:
Can someone identify this plant?
Also, how does one propagate this plant to a pot?
Ive noticed that this flower grows from the trunk?
This flower also grows in Florida.


texts: The fescue grass in my yard is not doing well. I suspect that I may be cutting it too short--especially in the summer heat. I have cut it to a length of three inches for several years now. How tall should fescue grass be before and after cutting?


texts: Identify a sprawling plant with deltoid leaves

texts: Does anyone know what kind of plant this is?


texts: Can this chilli plant be identified from leaf shape and size? It has started to bud, but no flowers or fruit yet

texts: This chilli plant was grown from a seed given to me by a friend, can it be positively identified before it bares fruit? Other photo is of one of its flowers, the buds take a long time to actually flower.


texts: I have searched everywhere. It was given to me by a friend who kept almost killing it. Consequently, I keep almost killing it too because I can’t figure out what it is or how to care for it. There used to be a lot more of it, and it’s always on the edge of death, yet miraculously hasn’t fully died. At this point, I’m determined to keep the stupid thing alive - it’s mocking me and I must win. Does anyone know what it is?


texts: I planted Cabot strawberries 2 years ago. The 1st year they produced an overabounce of runners & had a reasonable crop this spring. A lot of the berries were misshaping but still good. After crop was finish, I ran the rototiller thru rows leaving about 1 ft. wide of new plants. The plants look good & healthy but very few new runners! Any suggestions much appreciated, Thanks, Mike


texts: Can japanese beautyberry handle wet feet?

texts: The plant sale is selling beautyberry this year, and it sounds like a great plant to grow for fruit, so can I grow beautyberry if the water table is only about 1 foot down? It could just be the spring flooding that brought it up high.


texts: Can anyone identify this fruit-bearing tree?

texts: I found this fruit tree growing in a community garden and it looks oddly familiar although I can't quite pick it.


texts:
I want to make a gift for a friend and therefor bought a small cookingpot. I think it's made for kids to play with.

It has about the space of a soup plate. So about 12x12x4cm circle.

Are there vegetables small enough to grow in there? Or should I go with herbs?


texts: How to prevent my Ficus plant from growing new branches low?

texts:
I have a Ficus plant that I bought some time ago. After a while, all of its leaves fell off (I think this might have been due to too much fertilizer). Now it seems to be recovering, however, instead of leaves growing on the higher existing branches which are leafless, it started growing new green branches with leaves near the root.

Is there anything I can do to stimulate it to grow leaves on the old branches?


texts: Is Plant Root Growing Box High Pressure Root Grafting Box Growing Breeding Case reliable?

texts:
This is the first time when I am seeing something like this
It seems simple cheap and ingenious
Does it really work?
https://www.amazon.ca/Reusable-Pressure-Grafting-Breeding-Gardening/dp/B08BNJKR57/


texts: There's been a slight tear on my indoor alocasia plant and I was wondering if it'll heal? Is there anything I could possibly do to help it?


texts:
Why do my strawberries only grow half red, so the top half is nice and red and the bottom half is white?

If I pick my strawberries like this can I leave them a couple of days near a window so the other half goes red?

How do commercial growers deal with this issue?

If I leave them there until fully ripened I am worried the top half will get spoiled before the back end has time to go red.

My second issue with leaving them to ripen is that they get consumed quickly by other creatures (bird/mice/insect) before I can eat them.


texts: What plant is this and is it supposed to be indoor?

texts:
we have beautiful plant at home, but I suspect that it draws out oxygen from room. Can you help me with identifying this plant and suggest whether it is okay to have it indoor, or whether there is anything special to take care of?

Thank you!


texts:
I am a beginner at gardening.

My flower beds are lower than the lawn; I want to build beds to the level of the lawn.

My late husband did all gardening, so I am at a loss of what to do. Do I use compost or soil or both?


texts:
My name's Chuck, and I'm a plant.

I live indoors with my human flatmate.

I'd like to know my species and scientific name, but the human living with me seems pretty clueless - he never actually talks to me (plays me some good music though).

Can you tell me what I am?


texts:
I have had this for over a year and they are super temperamental I have learned. It’s happy in its pot but has over the last month started getting these spots. The leaves are soft still not brittle where the brown is. Also have a couple branches that are black but again supple... help. Can’t have it die on me!
enter image description here


texts: What is the right name for plant base protection wraps?

texts:
Sometimes you'll see trees or other larger plants wrapped with a cylindrical hard yet flexible plastic wrap that expands (cut along the length of the tube - not stretching) as the plant grows and helps protect it and or support it. What is the name of this?

For smaller plants I can just use heat-shrink tubing and make a cut myself.


texts: Can I keep my Dracaena cutting in water long term?

texts: A while back I was given a Dracaena (I'm not sure of the species, but its leaves are narrow and about 12 x 0.5 cm) that was in pretty poor shape (it was grown to around 1.3 m high and had three branches) but I took a cutting, placed it in a jar and roots have emerged. The longest roots are now around 7 cm long. I really quite like how it looks, and it's putting on good leaf growth as well as the roots. Could this be a long term setting for the Dracaena? The only potential issue I see so far is a wet stem up to about 1cm of the water line, I'm unsure whether this may cause issues in a few weeks/months.


texts: Why do two kalanchoes on one windowsill exhibit different growth habits?

texts:
I have two Kalanchoes on my south-facing kitchen windowsill (about 3' / 1m wide), both cuttings from the same parent plant (which succumbed to mealy bugs).  Both are in the same size pot (no more than 1.5' apart), were planted at the same time using the same potting compost (Miracle-Gro brand, if it's significant) and both get watered and fed on the same schedule.

However, one stays low and bushy and is covered with flowers in the springtime.  The other is tall and straggly (if I pinch out a growing tip, a single side-shoot will take over), drops all its leaves along the stalks and has never flowered. The neighbor had a large tree in her yard that shaded it during summer, but she took it out early last year. The flowering one gets shaded by her house slightly earlier in the afternoon.

The leaves on the troubled plant fade to yellow, then dry out and turn brown (at which point I pick them off). But I see the same pattern with older leaves on the other plant, just on the troublesome plant a leaf's lifespan seems much shorter, so that I only have a small clump of leaves at the top of a stalk.

This is a picture of my kitchen windowsill.  From left to right, Hippeastrum, "bad" Kalanchoe (longest stalk is about 3'; it's starting to pull itself out of its pot!), Abutilon, cut rose, "good" Kalanchoe (and even it's starting to get straggly in its old age), Hippeastrum.

I've checked for pests on them, but haven't found any.  What is causing the different growth habit, and how do I fix it?


texts: What is this plant with spikes of purple flowers?

texts:
This plant came in a tub with some other flowers 2 years ago and looked like a hosta. However this spring it has suddenly sprung up like a triffid and I have no clue as to what it is.

Click on photo for full size


texts: Would a rooting compound or hormone speed-up the rate at which sod roots in or improve the quality fo those roots?

texts:
I know that at the moment the sod it laid it needs to be watered till squishy - this would probably wash away any additive. But over the subsequent days a solution of either commercial or home-made rooting compound could be applied.

Would this improve the speed or quality of root growth and establishment?


texts: I currently live in tropical country Philippines and I would like to plant or graft the most leafiest tree serving 2 purpose; first to have a better shade, like I said we live in a tropical climate and leafy trees provide a cool and shady place. secondly, tree leaves are useful for composting so I'm searching for the best one. It's a plus if it can grow the least possible time.


texts: Plant identification: Japanese barberry?

texts: Based on Bing Image search, this looks like Japanese barberry. If it matters, we live in western Massachusetts.


texts: Mint fertilized with geranium feed - not feeling good

texts:
A couple of days ago my roommate fertilized his mint with a geranium feed, but unfortunately, the mint does not seem to have appreciated it - the leaves became brown and mostly fell: see the picture below (lower mint; the feed is getting to the upper one).

Why did this happen? Is there anything we can still do to save the mint? What is the mint plants supposed to be fertilized with?


texts: Help identifying this pink flowering plant native to Denmark

texts: I would like help identifying this pink flowering plant that I was told is native to Denmark. It has leaves that almost look like geraniums and flower stamins that reminiscent to hibiscus or rose of sharons. The petals are pink and quite delicate, almost like a cross between a sweet pea and a rose of sharon.


texts: Shaina Japanese Maple hit by a falling fence-two branches cut off-can I use them to propagate the tree

texts:
We had strong winds here in Toronto and a fence segment fell over my tree. You can see in the picture the damage. The poor tree is like cursed, over the winter we covered the tree in burlap and exactly in the week when we were south for a break we had lots of snow and the tree could not take the load and we found it bent to the ground when we came back.
Somehow it survived partially because the root ball had some mobility since I planted the tree last year by the end on May, The tree was OK with that and I hoped the roots will go deep this year and the problem will fix by itself.
I guess that was its luck becuae otherwise the fence would have broken the tree completely.
Here is a picture

What can I do with those two cuttings? Can I use them to propagate the tree?


texts: Why are my hibiscus buds & leaves randomly turning yellow and dropping off?

texts:
Besides the random yellowing and dropping off of leaves and buds, the plant is otherwise putting out new buds and flowers pretty well.

What might be causing this?

The plant is in partial shade (3-4 hours of full direct sun, partial otherwise) and is watered every day. I fertilized and added some new soil few weeks ago, but have been noticing this problem since before that event.

The picture showing the 3 flowers was taken a couple weeks ago, and the other one yesterday.


texts: What are the consequences of seeds sown outside of their depth specifications?

texts:
I was planting my green bean seeds 1 - 2 inches as the package said, then I got tired and threw the rest on the ground and stepped on them to press them into the wet soil.

What happens to seeds that are sown too deep - do they germinate, but not reach the surface, or are they being deprived of something that prevents them from starting at all?


texts:
I'm planning to boost my tired raised beds this year with green manure based on peas.

The idea is to seed the peas as soon as weather allows it. Once they have grown I would dig them under.

Here are my three questions:

When is the right moment to dig them under?
Can I profit from the peas and the manure-effect?
Is there a variety which I should prefer over others?


texts: How to prevent mold growth on moss ( kept in a closed jar )?

texts:
The moss is kept in a closed, humid environment, and white mold is taking over in some parts. Any advise on how to prevent the mold from competing and overtaking the moss?

When I look for answers on the web I usually find information on how to get rid of both the mold and the moss together.

I previously posted a general question, but I am still trying to find an answer to this more specific question.


texts: Do plum trees fruit if an offspring of another one?

texts: Can plum trees bare fruit if they arise from the rootstock of another plum tree?


texts:
There is some advice here on how to grow a Calamondin orange (Citrus × microcarpa or Citrus citrofortunella mitis) and that is consistent with how one particular specimen was treated to survive (and fruit!) over about thirty years in a temperate climate. However the consequences of failing to water it (in a pot) for about a month have not been covered. It is outdoors now but was indoors at the time.

I gather the life expectancy, if tended properly, is around forty years and wonder if there is any chance this particular specimen might have survived. At present it has no flowers or fruit and has shed about one or two dozen leaves. The others are still hanging on but all have curled up and are brown.

This is a (I regret low resolution) photograph of it from about six or seven years ago (the pot is about 12" diameter):

Is there any hope for it?


texts: I have found this growing through out a newly purchased allotment, the root is really thick and almost looks like asparagus stems but has these small leaves started to break through the surface! Please help!


texts: What should I grow in my rocky+sandy+salty soil?

texts:
I'm trying to improve this area next to my home with some plantings. What I'd like to accomplish:

Make the area look nicer
Discourage people from walking their dogs on the property
Discourage people from leaving trash on the property

We're at the New Jersey shore next to a saltwater bay, and the soil is rocky, sandy, and salty. The white pines and junipers grow well enough, but the pines dump huge amounts of needles on the ground. They provide a modest amount of shade. I'm open to planting anything here as long as it is suitable and will grow -- shrubs, bushes, flowers, etc. What advice would you give me? Thanks!


texts:
I'm running a test on growing tomato plants with about 80% coffee, and another with about 20% coffee in layers. What one should I expect to do better?

Both have silty sand from the bottom of the compost pile, since I've heard that silt is excellent for growing plants in.


texts:
Since 2 weeks I have noticed that the leaves on my pilea started to have clusters of small dark spots. I'm wondering if it is a bad sign and whether I should do something or change something.

So far, I made sure that the soil can be drained enough, by using a clay pot, with drainage holes, and I put some clay small balls at the bottom of the soil.

I haven't repotted it for ~18 months and the plant is ~ 2.5 years old.

I really like that plant, so how can I make sure it keeps on thriving? :)


texts: Life-support for plants: How can I re-grow my plants from half-dry stems

texts: So, I got a couple of roses, ivy, holly, jasmine, porthos and gardenia plants back in December, but now they all seem to be near-death. I have tried several times to resurrect some of my plants using their stems but no success to date. With half-dry stems, can I still get my plants back? I would appreciate expert help in getting this right this time please.


texts: Tips for planting out of the recommended zone

texts:
I'm a home-brewer living in zone 9 and I would like to grow my own hops.
I've found a few varieties which list 9 as their maximum planting zone, but most of my favorites recommend no higher than 8.

I know that I need to start my seeds in a refrigerator, and I'm planning to put in a raised bed in a tree-shaded area to cut down on direct scorch from our sun.

What techniques can I use to grow plants in warmer than recommended climates?


texts: When to transplant brassicas in legumes bed

texts:
I am growing sweet peas, broad beans and chickpeas for the summer, in an outdoor raised bed. I bought some nice organic broccoli, brussel sprouts and kale seeds for autumn-winter harvesting, and in my mind I was going to sow them now and then transplant the seedlings out in the legumes bed, because I learned it is a good rotation practice.

But, on the seed instructions it is suggested to transplant the seedlings in May-June, if sowing them in March-April. How do I proceed?
Can I transplant them in September, when the legumes will be almost gone? And, if I were to follow this way, should I sow them later than April?
Thanks!


texts: After returning home from vacation I found many of my jalapeños to be wrinkled and shriveled up. I suspect they are a couple of weeks past ripe, though I'm new to gardening so I don't know. Is it safe to dry them and use them in recipes? Or maybe just the seeds? Or should I just put them all in the trash?


texts: How quickly can I kill weeds by covering them?

texts:
I want to plant some seeds soon and have a load of creeping charlie in my garden beds.  If I throw down a tarp, about how long would it take for the weeds to be completely killed?  Would laying down landscape (weed) fabric temporarily work as quickly?

Or is there a better strategy that doesn't involve attempting to pull them all by hand?


texts: How many brown-spot leaves to trim from my fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata)

texts: I have a new Ficus lyrata I just bought and I think I was over-watering it for awhile. I've stopped but a bunch of the leaves have brown spots on them. Almost all of them do, actually. Maybe one or two have no spots. Advice on the internet is to trim any leaves with brown spots but I'm afraid that would kill the plant. Do I just need to wait it out until the plant recovers a bit and starts to put out new growth?


texts: Determine species of pear and harvest time for this location (Central Texas)

texts:
I'm finally getting into gardening and realize it takes a lot of invested time to learn even a fraction of what there is to know.  This pear tree below is the only one on my property, planted about 10 years ago.  Not sure if it's a Warren or Orient or other and appreciate help identifying.  From there I'd like help estimating the harvest date (Central Texas, and we've had a very wet spring and probably July also - and cooler than normal).  Can you identify the species and a resource then to figure harvest time?

Note, size is about 2/3 of a tennis ball right now


texts: Should turf be laid above, below or flush with existing ground level?

texts:
When patching a section of an existing lawn, should the turf be laid

a) very slightly above existing ground level (to allow for settling)

b) very slightly below existing ground level (to give it more protection from drying out)

c) completely flush with the existing ground level


texts: So i know my plants aren't getting enough light, my question is, does it make a difference if I turn on the light as soon as the direct sunlight goes away or if I do it when I get back from work (and the sun has been gone for a while)


texts: Is it a weed or part of the aloe vera plant?

texts:
This was growing at the base of my aloe vera plant. I always remove weeds from the pot and I removed this as well thinking it's a weed. But it was so strong, it felt almost as if it was connected to the mother plant. I would like to know if that's indeed true or is this some really strong weed. Also am I supposed to remove weeds from the pots of my exotic plants?

PS-it's not a baby aloe, I've a healthy plant which give tons of babies so I know what they are supposed to be like. Thank you in advance.


texts: What is a white spot with a black dot on my peppermint?

texts:
These spots began to appear on the leaves of my peppermint, what could it be?

The other side of the leaves looks like this:


texts: Is there major drawbacks to plantings cedars in the fall?

texts:
I wanted to replace my fence with a cedar hedge in the spring. Following a miscommunication, the fence got torn down earlier.
Can I plant cedar in the fall? Is it merely not recommended, or is it a bad idea?
I'm in Montreal. Zone is 5. The cedar I'm looking at is
https://gardengallery.ca/product/cedar-degroots-spire/
Degroot's cedar spire.
Current weather is above freezing for another month, except maybe some nights. There should not be much more than a few days where weather goes back over 20 c.
Bad idea? Must I wait for spring?


texts: What should I do before applying organic fertilizer to ensure no bugs or smell?

texts:
Does all organic fertilizer require decomposing? I would like to focus on fertilizer available in gardening shops instead of unprocessed urine or manure from mammals.

As far as I know, decomposing of organic fertilizer require microbes in the soil and the action itself may have some undesired smell or it may attracts bugs.

If I want to avoid bugs and stinking smell, what should do before applying the fertilizer to the soil? Should I compost the fertilizer?

The reason of asking this is that I have an experience of using organic fertilizer in granule form bought from gardening shop. I put the granules on the surface of soil as instructed by the manual ( it said it is okay to put it on the soil or in the soil ). After some months ( I didn't look into the soil when I watered them ), I found there were quite a lot of ants moving in and out of my pot. Then as I checked the plant, I found the organic fertilizer granules covered with white fungus. I wonder if the fungus attracted the ants.


texts: Will chrysanthemums help with my mosquito problems?

texts:
I just purchased a home with a great big bag yard with a connecting courtyard, which is so rare in a city like Houston, TX. I've consulted most mosquito control websites which usually recommend prevention in the form of getting rid of standing water and keeping the grass and weeds under control.  I'm still identifying my plants to see which ones encourage mosquito habitat and such.

Now to the meat of my question.

I have one water feature which is directly across my porch. Its a small fountain with a pump to pull water from the lower basin to the smaller top basin to make the water flow down. The birds love it, so I'm hoping that will contribute to keeping the pests down. I'm also thinking about planting chrysanthemum around the fountain to help with the mosquito issue.

I thought of the idea when I saw an add for mosquito spraying which contained Pyrethrum. Research showed that it came from chrysanthemums. So why not just plant chrysanthemums? The thing is I don't understand how just planting the chrysanthemums will help at all? Its not like mosquitoes eat them.


texts:
I live in southern Arizona and we have four varieties of Oaks here that lose their leaves in the springtime as opposed to the fall. I know one species is called Emory and another the Arizona White. What the other two are I am not sure.

Are these leaves good for mulch?

My neighbor says they have too much acid. He has a huge pile of them and nothing grows on top of them. The pile is about 20 x 20 feet and 6" deep. It has been there for about 3 years undisturbed and there is very little mulch underneath.

Why?


texts: How hazardous is Melianthus (honey bush)?

texts:
Is Melianthus actually too poisonous to keep in a home garden? I see it all over the place, and I understand that it should not be eaten, but is touching the plant hazardous as well?

Rationale: I have a large Melianthus and small children. Should I rip it up?


texts: Is this flea beetle damage on this hollyhock?

texts:
Here's a picture of a hollyhock. It's been covered with holes like this all year (and the ones last year were, too, all year). As a side note, I gave it potassium for the yellowing of the leaves, twice (once just before I took this picture).

So, my question is, are these holes caused by flea beetles? I've never actually seen any flea beetles on them. Hollyhocks in other areas of my western Idaho town have similar problems. Ours used to be worse than this.

How do I stop these holes from happening?


texts: Negative effects of water pooling in garden

texts:
This year I ripped up some sod to put in a garden, and roto-tilled the dirt.  We live in a very nutrient rich area of the country and the plants seem do be doing very well.  However I didn't add any mulch or other lighter soil to the ground while I was tilling.  Now when it rains or when I water the garden, the water seems to pool for a longer period of time than I would personally like to see.

What are the negative effects of pooling water in the garden, and what can be done to correct this now that the plants are already growing?


texts: Can I train a Ground Cherry to climb a trellis or something else to get it off the ground?

texts:
I've grown Ground Cherries (aka Pineapple Tomatillo) for a few years now and it always produced a neat little plant that only took a little work to gather the ripened fruit from around its base.

But this year, I moved it to another spot because I was told it was stunted by being so close to a tomato plant. The result was spectacular (and devastating at the same time). My plant got about 1 foot tall and then started to spread throughout the garden and today it has just about completely taken over a 4 foot by 8 foot raised garden box.

This caused 2 issues. First, it takes a long time to harvest the nearly 100 ripe fruit per day (boo-hoo) but it also killed off most other plants in my raised bed and then jumped nearly 2 1/2 feet to another garden box and started taking it over too.

My question is, can these plants be trained to a trellis or do I need to prune it back in the future? I know it’s called a "Ground Cherry" because it wants to be on the ground but I wanted to know if anyone had luck training it.


texts: What could be causing rot to appear on the skin of my bell peppers?

texts:
I have a set of four bell pepper plants that I am growing in 12" containers in my backyard. They've been growing alright until the fruits on the plants have started to develop what appears to be a rot on their skin. What could be causing this? I water them well every two days and they get 6-7+ hours of sunlight a day. This is my first time ever growing vegetables by the way.

Here are some pictures since this is probably impossible to diagnose without:


texts: Sowing cucumbers, do I really have to place the seed on its side and cover in clingfilm?

texts:
Instructions on the packet of cucumber seeds I'm holding say I need to:

Plant the seed on its side
Cover the pot with clingfilm after sowing

I get that these are measures which will help germination. But how vital is it to get these fiddly and time-consuming details right?

Is one or the other or both of these precautions going to aid germination rates by 100%? Or 5%? Or what?


texts: How do cold protection measures work in the cold season (fleece, buble wrap, cold greenhouse, ...)

texts:
Due to lack of space indoors, some of our plants and mini-trees here in Switzerland will have to survive the winter on the balcony. My girlfriend is set on wrapping the trees in bubble wrap, covering the top-soil with some fleecy material, and buying an isolating tent (advertised as a 'cold greenhouse'). I understand that all these methods would be viable ways to keep heat trapped for a little bit longer. But do plants produce enough heat for such methods to actually work? I have my doubts.
I would imagine that a cold greenhouse, without internal heat supply, will within a day also drop to the average outside temperature, which these days seems to be about 4° C around here. My main question is: how do the cold protection measures really work, as I can't imagine they actually keep a plant warm?


texts: I have a very small garden that needs soil improvement. I started turning over the soil and found it loaded with small clumpy roots, perhaps from adjacent ground cover. How can I kill these roots and have the soil safe for use next spring?


texts:
My family's nectarine tree has been infested with these small larvae, so far I've only seen one per fruit across several dozen fruits, that seem to bore their way from the surface towards the pit and then leave a bunch of droppings near the pit. What are they and how can we get rid of them?

Specimen 1

Specimen 2


texts:
I'd like to start over with growing lawn and some plants on a small patch of garden (20-25 m2 at most). I removed the weeds/existing grass from the top by digging through it and noticed that the topsoil is a bit of a mess. There's some construction site rubble (small pieces of bricks/cement) and all kinds of things that don't belong there (pieces of plastic foil, shards, etc).
I understand that lawn may not be too needy in terms of soil quality, but I thought I'd try to improve its quality anyway; also to grow a few other plants such as vegetables and flowers. I could clean up the soil (sift? and remove obvious rubbish) and enrich it by adding mulch, or, alternatively, remove the whole topsoil and get completely new one?
My question is what are common ways to go about preparing such kind of soil for growing lawn (should I remove it entirely)?


texts: How long should dyed brown landscape mulch keep its color?

texts:
Question for you all out there.  We have a grey and white house and chose to have dark chocolate brown mulch placed around it with our landscaping bushes and flowers as contrast against the house.  This spring when the snow melted it is no longer chocolate brown and is instead white, grey, and light brown.  We just had it placed June 2016.  The mulch itself is still in good shape, just not the color.

My question is how long is the colored mulch color supposed to last?  We were told 2 years when placed.  So I am considering alternatives such as stone so there isn't as much upkeep, or suggestions on mulch that maintains its color.

What stone is out there that will have the contrast against our house? Here is a picture of the colors of our house.  The mulch I have is similar or a little darker than our garage doors.

We live in Northern Wisconsin.  The mulch is discolored on all sides of the house.
 North, South, East, and West.  The mulch in the picture with the blacked out kiddos was a month old.  Here in the next picture it is 9 months old.  And yes, it does look like ground up pallets. I am sorry I don't have a closer one of when the mulch was brand new.

I am opposed to human poop mulch.  I am thinking about switching to stone.  I don't know...I guess I am open to options.  I want contrast with the house though.

house contrast


texts: Can I use an NPK compund fertilizer on herbs?

texts:
I have some "Low nutrient NPK compound fertilizer" which is sold as Citrus Food left over from a Calamondin tree which has sadly passed away.

Can I use this fertilizer on my herbs? They are basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, coriander, chives.

It has nothing on the bottle which says you shouldn't use it on plants that aren't citrus fruit-baring, but will it benefit my herbs much even if I do go ahead and feed them with it?


texts: I have planted my avocados in soil a month ago and since then they started getting brown edges on the leaf. What should I do?


texts: What type of tester works best for measuring soil pH?

texts:
I want to measure the pH of soil in my potted plants (especially for the dwarf citrus trees that I just bought).

I've seen many different options: expensive laboratory-grade meters, cheap digital meters, analog meters, pH test paper strips, and so on.

What type of meter works best for home gardening? Are there any specific types that should be avoided?


texts:
I have many Pothos plants in my home most of them well settled. Four weeks ago I gave some Fertilizer to them(the kind of quantity I always gave) and watered them a little more for a week and than came to normal watering(once a week). Now after 3 weeks I see that all plants have one or two leaves becoming yellow every week. The remaining leaves look ok. Winter is also beginning to settle in here in India.

Do I need to worry about the cold and move all the plants indoors ?
Did the daily watering for a week hurt the plants ? Can they still
recover ?

thanks


texts: What is wrong with the small olive tree?

texts:
Last year I bought a small olive tree. I kept it under the sun the whole summer taking it inside the room during colder nights. It was more bushier then but with some time the leaves started falling down. I stopped watering it too much and it stopped dropping leaves. When colds came I took it inside and left it standing in the most sunniest spot in the apartment. It started to emit some sort of sugary white residue on the leaves and some leaves became dry but still green. I am at a loss what's going on because I am watering the tree once a week but maybe not sufficiently? Any advice would be welcome.

Here is a picture.


texts:
My lawn was overrun with dandelions so I've used some Ortho Weed-B-Gon Max and that seems to be killing the dandelions very well. The problem is now  my lawn is very sparse with grass. There just wasn't much grass there after killing the dandelions. I've thought about reseeding but every bag I look at wants me to till up the ground before putting the seed down. I've also thought about just using fertilizer but wasn't sure if that would do enough or even help the dandelions survive the herbicides.

What is the best approach to getting my lawn back to full grass the easist and cheapest way possible.


texts: Vegetable Boxes on Concrete Deck w/ Slope?

texts: Have concrete deck on a slope (slope should be good for drainage), want two 4' by 8' boxes and I found a box 14" height. Need Advice (I'm a novice) - is this high enough? what should be on bottom of boxes? how to landscape slope? Thanks


texts: Adding horse manure that has a lot of wood shavings to my compost?

texts: If I am going to add horse manure that has a lot of wood shavings to my compost should I do anything special to make sure everything decomposes well?


texts:
Hoping for some help on this one...

1 year old avocado tree in pot has been put outside for last month and has developed this on some of the leaves? Do I cut the leaf off? Please help


texts: Glyphosate accident on lawn, how to repair?

texts:
I thought Glyphosate was safe on grass so sprayed it liberally on the weeds in the beds and clearly have splashed the grass.
What are my options to repair? What do you recommend? Would I noticed the difference with grass from another supplier?

Get some local turf and try and replace it and live with the
difference in colour? Will I noticed?
Get some local seed and sprinkled over the top
and live with the difference in colour? Will I noticed?
Drive 2.5 hours to the place that delivered the original turf and replace it?
Drive 2.5 hours to the place that delivered the original turf and buy some seed (they only sell £80 / 20KG bags of seed!)
Somehow cultivate the grass I have to spread into that space?

Leave it alone and hope the grass grows into the patches?
Dig out the dead patches and hope the grass grows into the patches?

I live in London, UK.
PS what you cant see is plastic edging (controversial I know!) which makes redrawing the edging difficult as the edging is 1 continuous piece.


texts: What is this plant with purple flowers in my garden?

texts:
What plant is this? It popped up in my garden. It looks like it might be a geranium, but I can't find it in the various lists I browsed.

It's about 50 cm (20") high in total with flowers on stalks, sticking out up to 15 cm (6")
The leaves are about 7 cm (3") across and consist of three groups of leaflets. The flower cores are purple with five trumpet-like spurred petals with a white edge. It has sepals, also purple. The flowers have a slightly yellowish heart. Bees seem to love them.

It's beautiful plant, and I want to make sure it's still there next year. :)

PS: Sorry if I got the terminology wrong. I'm not used to describing flowers in detail, and especially not in English.


texts: What is this weed, found in UK, with serrated leaves and small green flowers?

texts:
It's growing everywhere in my garden and it pops up faster than I can pick it.

I'm told it could be dog's mercury or gallant soldier. I'm not sure it looks the same as those.

What species could it be?


texts: What's causing dry crispy leaves on Vaccinium membranaceum?

texts:
I'm in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, USA, (USDA zone 8b) and I have a Vaccinium ovatum, Vaccinium parvifolium, and a Vaccinium membranaceum in a section of my garden. They're shaded up until noon by a row of Leyland Cypress 10 feet to the east and then get full sun after noon. The Vaccinium membranaceum gets a little more sun than the others because of its placement on the hill.
Since the beginning of July, the Vaccinium membranaceum's leaves have been turning red, then black, and then crispy, starting mostly from the edges. This started from the top of the plant on the east side (nearer the shade) and is proceeding to the rest of the plant's leaves.

Healthy Leaves at the Base

Discolored Leaves at the Top

Black Crispy Leaves on the Shaded Side

Defoliated Branches

I planted the other Vaccinium varieties last year. They're doing fine.
I planted the V. membranaceum in the early spring this year when it had no foliage. I planted it with chunks of dead wood, compost, and mulch. It grew a lot of healthy bright green foliage up until July.
The pH of the soil is acidic (blueberries also grow well here).
The lawn is about 2 feet to the west. I've applied weed and feed and lime to it with a drop spreader.
All three varieties are on the same drip system and receive roughly the same amount of water. A moisture meter indicates that the soil is moist to wet. The plant experienced heavy prolonged rains in the spring and seemed to do fine with that.

Any ideas what could be causing this?


texts: What happened to my basil. I remember only spraying it with dish soap and oil

texts: I've only ever sprayed dish soap with oil. I usually only water my basil daily but its very rainy in my area. Please help in identifying why my basil has blotches on it's leaves


texts: My newly repotted majesty palm is loose. Should I add more mix?

texts:
I blended the potting soil with 50/50 sphagnum peat moss/moisture retaining potting soil for my Majesty palm.
It feels kinda light and the palm is a little loose in the pot.
Should I add more potting soil or should I just leave it how it is?


texts: How do you deal with disposing of bougainvillea branches?

texts:
I have a number of overgrown bougainvilleas that were hit by frost damage last season.  As such they have a lot of unsightly, dead branches on them.  This spring I plan to do a severe pruning, but I'm dreading it.  Bougainvillea's have some nasty thorns on them, end even when doing some simple trimming, I'm always covered with scratches, and the toxic nature of the thorns make my skin itch for some time.  They are also a royal pain to get into trash bags as they simply shred them if you aren't careful.

What is the best way for dealing with disposing of a lot of bougainvillea branches without looking like I tangled with a pack of angry cats?

[edit] I should clarify. severely pruning back the bougainvillea's will create a lot of very thorny branches, often quite long ones.  When I have trimmed the plants in the past, I ended up doing a lot of cutting the branches into smaller, more manageable pieces so that I could shove them into trash bags.  I'm not looking so much as to how to keep from getting cut up, although the suggestions are great. I'm really looking for an idea of how to dispose of the branches.  How do people that have dealt with a very large amount of these thorny branches deal with them?  They don't compost well as they are.

Perhaps could I burn them?  I know I can't do that with plants like oleander because of the toxic nature of the smoke, but what about bougainvillea?


texts: We've had a landscaper over to replace a retaining wall, but he dumped/spread the dirt he dug all over our lawn. It's heavy clay so I'm not sure if grass will grow through the clay. Our lawn hasn't been in a great shape due to the drought we're having (Australia), but I don't want to have two inches of thick of clay cover - completely bare. Anyone know of a good way of handling this? Is it a good idea to just keep watering the clay and hope something will grow through it?


texts: Identify a tropical foliage plant with variegated glossy elliptic leaves

texts: Need help with the name of the plant so that I can take proper help. It's a tropical plant


texts: Sprinkler/irrigation system for new yard: DIY or hire a professional?

texts:
My backyard is essentially a wasteland; I plan on installing an irrigation system along with landscaping, hardscaping, shrubs, trees, retaining walls, etc.

As far as I've been able to discern so far, I want to get my layout done first, and start on an irrigation system before any other features go in.

That said, I've been wondering whether this is the sort of project I want to tackle on my own (to save money) or if I am better off hiring a professional company.

I am aware of some of the concepts behind designing and installing such a system (low spots, zones, dual-coverage of all areas) but I wonder if there's enough of a cost savings to justify venturing into this project on my own.

I am looking for advice from those who have designed and installed their own, and whether you would do it again.

My lawn is about 3600 sq. foot and is essentially a flat rectangle.


texts: I was in my community garden today, and all I found of one of my collards was 3 leaves around the plant, and about a 1 inch stub. Will my collard likely grow back?


texts: What are some of the best fast-growing trees for both shade and fruit/nuts?

texts: I want to grow a bunch of trees in my garden for shade. Which trees will grow fast and are also useful for fruits or nuts?. By the way, I am in South India - Chennai (Madras)


texts: Is this caterpillar-like insect a good guy or a bad guy?

texts:
I found this guy that came out of a drainage hole of the pot when I watered it. Small, fast moving.

I took the pic by mobile. It is small so had trouble focusing on it, and it was moving fast, too.

Should I be worried about this insect, or not?


texts:
What should I do when transplanting black currants?
How deep should I plant it?
Where should I plant it?


texts:
Will a Hibiscus recover having dropped all its leaves?

In the hot UK weather this year a hibiscus I recently planted out has lost all of its leaves. At first it got a bit dehydrated but then I kept it really well watered, but I couldn't save it.  What gives it its best chance?  Should I continue to water?


texts:
Similar this question I potted rose-cuttings using the described in BBC's Gardener's World (cutting August-shoots in 20cm long "sticks" and place them into drained soil). I did this in the end of August and two of the stems started to build side-shoots. Not sure whether rooting has already started though.

What should I do to over-winter them (inside/outside, cover from frost, etc)?

EDIT: Not even one year later it flowers. It is not the same color as the parent. I assume that this is because of the plant not being really strong. The flowers look sadly because they have suffered a thunderstorm.


texts: How do I go about identifying all the plants in my backyard?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How do you identify a plant?

I just moved to a new place but do not know what all plants are there in my small backyard.

How can I identify them all?


texts: Are dead mice by my compost heap a sign of trouble?

texts:
I have a compost heap at the back of my property, probably 30-40 feet away from the house. It's one of those simple "circle of chicken wire on bare earth" ones, with most of the material being rotting vegetables from the boxes my wife gets and maybe an occasional leftover bone that's been stripped of meat. I don't really compost seriously, mainly using it so I don't feel so guilty when a fruit or vegetable goes unused and we toss it in there. About a month ago, I noticed that things seemed to be "escaping" out of a hole, which I initially assumed was just a matter of the soil within collapsing and there being a depression on the ground, but it's been happening fairly often even when I fill things in. More recently, I found two halves of a dead mouse by the compost heap, and today, I found a whole dead mouse. I haven't seen any live ones yet, but:

it worries me a bit that I might be attracting vermin and
I'm not certain why they're turning up dead next to the heap.


texts: I recently found a product (http://www.theartofscience.eu/en/negozio/plantarium-activities-of-botany/plantarium-pet-plants-grow-in-gel/) where plants are grown in a gel soil that's supposed to contain nutrients to feed it. I was wondering if this is actually possible, and if it is I wanted to know if anyone here knows how to make that gel at home, because I live in Argentina and can't buy the product.


texts: How can I water the plants on my balcony without dripping water on my downstairs neighbor?

texts:
I live in an apartment with a balcony and I'm having issues figuring out the best way to handle my drainage. I have a neighbor below me and don't want any water dripping down on her patio.

Are there any suggestions that you can make to efficiently water my plants? I have some saucers but I feel like they don't always allow for adequate drainage. Would an earth box or a DIY version of that be a better system? Perhaps raising my plants on something to get them off the ground?

Curious if anyone else has any suggestions.


texts: Can I grow blackberries (brambles) from cut back stems?

texts:
We have been removing a thicket of brambles from one area of our garden in the UK, but have another area we would quite like to be a thorny wilderness as a natural barrier.

I known brambles can take root where stems touch the ground so I wondered, if I just toss the freshly cut material onto bare soil, are they likely to take?

If not, how easy is it to take cuttings or otherwise get a few dozen tiny plants established?


texts:
I'm brand new to gardening. I've got a raised bed filled with composted garden clippings and soil. I just grew a bunch of radishes and lettuce is the soil and it did very well. After removing it all and tiling the soil, I planted some Yukon golds, red skin potatoes, cantaloupe and a small pepper plant all purchased from a local nursery. I used some topical fertilizer (5-5-5) and watered heavily after planting. I let it sit for three days. The Yukon golds and the pepper plant is wilted. The melon and red skin plants are looking just fine. I watered them last evening and still they are wilted this morning. Any thoughts ? Trying to take a photo small enough to upload.
By the way, I'm in Utah.


texts:
I found the plant in my garden. I believe its some kind of weed. I live in Denmark, Europe and we have summer time here at the moment.

Thanks for your time.


texts: What is my citrus deficiency, based on leaf appearance? And how to treat?

texts:
In the images of my citrus below, you can see the leaves are paling towards the edges. What is the deficiency and how can I fix it? The soil is clay-dominated with some sand and coloured red, geologically ancient (Adelaide Plains, South Australia), and was probably under seawater or a marine swamp 1000+ years ago, so not very rich in organic material.

I'm not sure if it's a lime or lemon tree since I haven't seen the mature fruit yet.


texts: How do I kill this weeds. Is is the end of October -can I apply anything to prevent weeds next year?

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I am trying to prevent these weeds from taking over again next year.
Is there anything I should do or apply now (end of October) in order to kill these or stop them from coming back next year ?

Update:
For all the answers below: I am not sure if the plant is violets or something else but it is hard to kill. They do make volet flowers in spring and sporadically for the rest of the summer. I tried the Weedbgone (the US version) and after multiple applications the leaves you are seeing started dying toward the edge. After mowing the grass and some rain they came back in force and I got derailed by some personal issues and I could not finish the killing. I am wondering if there is anything I can do not to see them next spring.
The turf is indeed old and in need of revitalization


texts: I planted Cherry tomatoes in my garden and the plant grew perfectly. However, I live in a deer infested state and all my cherry tomatoes have been eaten by deer for the past two years. This year I am hoping to actually get to taste my tomatoes. I also already tried putting a short of miniature fence around the plant but the deer stuck its head through my fence and ate my tomatoes.


texts: Which native North Eastern American ferns are suitable for a clay-rich location?

texts: I'm in Montreal, Canada zone 5a-5b (USDA zone 4), and although I add lots of compost types as well as fresh wood mulch yearly, my soil will remain fairly rich in clay. Which ferns indigenous to the Eastern seaboard will do well with clay, besides Athyrium filix-femina?


texts: Should I keep these three plants in one pot?

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I bought this pot with five small plants in it last summer but when I brought them home they grew too fast and I had to change the pot and remove two of them. Maybe this happened because they had too much light in my living room and I was told at the floral shop that they don't need much light and water.

I took a much bigger pot and planted three of them in it. Also I moved it in a place where they get less light but they are growing anyway. I would like to know if I should keep them together or separate into different pots.
Also if someone can tell me what kind of plants are these.
Thank you!