texts: Have I damaged my apple tree by cutting off a root?

texts:
I have just had an asbestos garage removed, and am having a shed put up in its place. The concrete base to the garage was cracked right through by my apple tree roots, the concrete has been removed and I cut off a very long  root, 32" from the tree. The tree diameter is 13" @4.5 ft up. I realise that I have now hurt the tree. I had no idea, until investigating on the net. There is another much thicker root now exposed 4.5" diameter and I don't know how to handle this. I am thinking  root barrier around this bigger root. I am mortified that I may have hurt my beloved apple tree.

Have I damaged it, and how can I help it recover?


texts: What should I do with leaves skimmed out of a pool?

texts:
We moved into a house with a large in-ground pool, and have been learning to maintain it (I'm a yard-work newbie). We skim leaves and twigs out every few days, and some days there is rather a lot of them. For example after some storms this week, there was a lot of leaves in the skimmer basket and that I skimmed out manually. I can't even imagine what it will be like when the trees start losing their leaves.

Is there any preferred way to deal with this waste? What would be most practical, economical, and environmentally-friendly of my choices?

Dump them on the lawn, let them blow away?
Dump them on the concrete, let them dry out and crumble?
Compost them? (I have no idea if this is feasible)
Accumulate them in village yard-waste bags and put them out with the trash?
Something else?

We use standard chlorine tablets, occasionally augmented via chlorine "shock" powder, chlorine stabilizer (cyanuric acid), and simple chemicals to adjust the pH when needed. We use a basic pump and sand filter.


texts: How are root vegetables grown in hot climates?

texts:
In previous answers, I've mentioned our general lack of success growing root vegetables in North Texas. Carrots and beetroots do not do well at all - roots are few and small. Onions and potatoes do better but watering seems to be a problem.

Apparently we are 8a/7b on the USDA hardiness zones. That looks about right (8a, lows of 10-15F sounds normal, but this winter was more like 7b, lows 5-10F). Summer temperatures have highs in the 90s / low 100s. Last year (an extreme summer) had over four weeks of highs over 100F - usually it is just a few days or a week at a time.

Rain tends to be in the form of heavy storms during spring and autumn. Nice persistent English rain only comes if we are lucky enough to get a tropical cyclone large enough to survive 300 miles inshore. Unfortunately such events are large enough to make the international news.

Anyway, potatoes seem to work best if they are well watered and planted early (e.g. ones that started growing in the cupboard that get planted on a whim in Autumn). Onions seem to be a war of attrition with most sets eventually dieing but a few survive and become large enough to eat.
In both cases, these are veg that don't mind being in the ground for winter - so I think I am giving them sufficient growing season before the dry hot summer strikes.

How can I improve my success with onions, potatoes, and traditional root vegetables (eg. carrots and beetroot)?  It seems a plant-early winter crop approach might be best, in order to maximise the growing season?


texts: White branches on citrus tree, is this normal?

texts: I'm seeing the branches to my citrus tree turn white.  When I cut them, it's all dead.  Is that normal or is it a fungus or something ?  Please refer to the attached photo.  It's happening to several of the citrus in my yard.


texts: How do I reliably deactivate weed seeds that I've gathered?

texts:
There's a number of Sosnowsky's hogweed (Heracleum sosnowskyi) plants which have blossomed a while ago and now they are standing with dry seeds ready to be spread by wind. Suppose I gather the seeds (that isn't dangerous when the plant is already dry). There will be perhaps a liter or so of them.

I want the seeds deactivated such that if they fall into soil they definitely give no seedlings ever. Having them destroyed by burning (or throwing into molten steel) would do but that isn't necessary, all I want is to be sure that all the seeds I get through this deactivation procedure give no seedling if they ever fall into soil. So for example burning doesn't look good because how do I ensure that all the volume has burnt fully or at least heated to high enough temperature?

Deactivation procedures should preferably not require complex handling of seeds afterwards. So for example some dangerous chemical wouldn't be optimal because how will I then dispose the contaminated seeds?

Should I boil them? How long would be enough?

Should I soak them in boiled water? Is that enough?

Perhaps some rather safe chemicals would do?

What's an easy, safe and reliable way to have seeds deactivated?


texts: What plant is this? A succulent of some sort

texts: It can get very dense and plump but I can't seem to figure out what combo of light and water it needs to keep it that way. It gets baked by too much direct light and it has tendency to get really leggy if its in the shade. If I knew the name I could get some insight into its natural environment.


texts:
I have an hortensia which is getting more and more brown leaves (see pictures)

Ground seems OK (not dry). Any idea on a possible cause?

Edit

I am using tap water as I did for years, the same I use for all the other plants.

This are the moisture level measured with Parrot Flower Power (I have no previous values due to a strange bug):

The vase has some gravel on the bottom and a hole at the bottom.

I added some fertiliser one week ago (a specific product for hortensiae from Gesal: 7% Nitrogen, 3% Phosphorus pentoxide, 5% Potassium oxide, 0,01% B; 0,002% Cu*; 0,05% Fe*; 0,02% Mn*; 0,001% Mo; 0,002% Zn*)

The leaves began to turn brown a couple of weeks ago but in the last few days it seems that it is accelerating.


texts: Do I need to thin sprouts from an avocado pit?

texts: I'm growing avocado from a pit. I've always had only one sprout growing out of a pit but this one has 3 sprouts. I'm wondering if I can leave it as it is or have to thin it.


texts: How do I stop the leaves from curling on my Stromanthe "Burle Marx"?

texts:
The leaves on my Stromanthe "Burle Marx" are all curling vertically.  I usually water it from the bottom on a bed of stones but I wonder if the water standing on the stones has caused it to be over-watered.  I poured out the water that was standing and am now hoping it will come back to life.

Is it likely to, and what is the best way to prevent this curling?


texts: Is this mint fungus, or over/under watering my plant?

texts:
I have two mint plants that have grown without much fanfare. Occasionally I do notice the odd leaf with very dark brown edges, almost black. Some leaves also appear to have a powdery white substance on their leaves, leaving them pale in appearance. It does not rub off on my fingers, though.

I've watered my plants consistently every day except on wet or overcast days. The frequency of blackened leaves has increased recently, although, yesterday, I forgot to water the plant and I noticed all it's leaves had wilted heavily.

These plants get a full day's sun, save for morning time. The weather is generally sunny and mild year round (São Paulo, Brazil).

I may have been too generous with fertiliser than needed when I repotted them about six weeks ago.

Click photo for full size


texts:
I have a 6'x6' greenhouse structure built of 6' "zinc plated slotted angle".
I will likely build the shelving structure into the building frame using the same angle pieces in 6'x 2' segments.

Does anyone have any recommendations for shelving that won't rot, has good enough rigidity to span 6', and is permeable so to not hold water. (as with all DIY, wide availability and low price are priorities)


texts:
I was all excited yesterday when I got home from work. I had received an email from Amazon saying my new Bulldog Edging Knife had been delivered.

I opened up the box, unwrapped the tool, and was so disappointed. These are like one of the most expensive edging knifes you can buy, yet here is its " sharp edge ".

It is like 2mm thick, very very dull. Does anyone have any experience with these tools? Aren't they supposed to be sharp? The one I borrowed from my neighbour was quite sharp.


texts: What are these blemishes on the skin of my bell peppers?

texts:
I've noticed the following on two of my oldest bell-peppers, also called capsicum (the third pepper of that "batch" had almost finished going red and ripening instead):

It's not "on" the surface - I can't scrape it off - but it can be felt on the surface. The worst bits (on the first image above) look like maybe the skin is starting to split?

What's happening to these peppers?
Do I need to take any action?
Are they going to be OK to eat?


texts: first time growing avocado indoors.why does it look like there are almost no veins in the leaves. I don’t have any idea where to start because everything else about the plant looks ok.


texts: Any ideas what's wrong with this plant? It's watered regularly, gets sunlight, in warm climate. Just will not grow. Stems are woody or black. What have I done wrong?


texts: How early can I plant tree seedlings outdoors?

texts:
This winter, I'd like to purchase bare-root tree seedlings, which are shipped by mail in April.  I'd like to plant them outside in large pots, but I'm concerned about the roots freezing, or other cold-related damage.

Should I keep these seedlings indoors until the nighttime low temperature passes some threshold?  For example, should I keep the seedlings in a refrigerator until the nights tend to be above freezing?  I'm in zone 5, so the April nights tend to be in the 20F range, and the days in the 40-50F range.


texts: What should I consider while building a grow-light system?

texts:
I will build a grow light system from LED lights for a 1m x 2m square area. I am planning to grow 6 plants (vegetables) in that area. I am a little tight in terms of budget. So I want to find cheapest option while obtaining enough result.

My plan is to build a grid system made from LEDs.

I know that I should obtain full spectrum by using different wavelengths, but I can't decide how many watts I should obtain. According to my research I should get 1200 watts for 2 meter square. But it really costs me too much.

So I want to ask exactly how many watts do I need for that kind of setup.


texts: dracena mass cane is dying... I think? Can anyone give me advice?

texts:
I bought this mass cane from Ikea in Sept 2019. Since the day I bought it, the leaves were constantly turning brown. At first, I thought it was because I had given it tap water. Ek. I started over, and store bought distilled water. Ok - still the leaves turned brown. I stopped watering it for almost two months. Still brown leaves that I pruned away. Then I tried repotting it in a bigger pot etc. Now I feel like it's worse than ever. Now full leaves are turning brown and it seems like the stems (not the cane/base) are turning white.

What's wrong with her?? I need help because I can't seem to figure out what's going on... maybe nothing and I'm overreacting?

Not sure - but any advice I would be really appreciative.

Thanks!


texts: What causes mildew on plants and how to prevent it?

texts:
Whats the best/cheapest/natural (3 separate questions or 1?) way to control mildew on plants?

We have a lot of roses that had not been nurtured for years, and they are really struggling with mildew (black, white, yellow, you name it these roses got it).

I'm also getting a small garden started and noticed white mildew showing up on my pumpkin leaves.

Will the same solution work for many different types of plants and mildew, or will I need to trouble shoot each case individually?


texts: Non-glyphosate weed killer for swedish ivy?

texts:
Can anyone recommend a non-glyphosate weed killer that's effective against Swedish Ivy?  I have a lot invading from next door, and I can't keep up with pulling it out anymore.

I'm pretty sure this ivy is Plectranthus coleoides.  Photo:


texts:
We have a soaker hose that waters our bushes.  It's on one of the zones of sprinkler timer.   Somehow (probably helped by our puppy when he was younger) one spot has developed too much of a leak, and the water all sprays out of that one spot and makes a small lake.

We tried wrapping it in various types of tape, aided with hose clamps, but only managed to slow it down.

All of the hose repair options I can find seem to involve cutting the hose.  We have to be careful about this because the ends are both buried and I can't easily get more slack in the line, so I can't just cut out a big chunk.  I'm thinking of trying this next, but wanted to find out if there is a better way?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Orbit-5-8-in-Inline-Male-Metal-Mender-27945/100659290


texts: Propagating crassula leafs and cuttings in Lechuza PON soil

texts:
I'm going to propagate my crassula cuttings and leafs.
I did put them into water and there are very little roots appeared though 20 days passed.
I know that the best way to propagate crassula leaf or cutting is to put it directly into soil for succulents.
My current crassula tree (I've got cuttings & leafs from it) is growing in Lechuza PON soil for almost a year and it looks it feels pretty good.

But I still have a question. Can I put my crassula cuttings and leafs directly into such a soil? I'm asking it because it is granular and tough.


texts: Identify potted plant growing too tall (>8-9 ft)

texts:
My parents have had this plant probably around 15-20 years now, during which it has spent its time slowly growing upwards while the bottom leaves drop off and don't regrow. It's traditionally been kept indoors during winter and moved to an enclosed atrium during the summer, the latter of which may have encouraged the upwards growth.

Anyway, this past year they did not move it into the atrium as it has too unwieldy to move, and also to attempt to remove the suspected atrium's upwards encouragement.

So the basic questions are

What is this plant?
Is there a way to encourage it to regrow lower leaves / stop only growing upwards?
If not, can a cutting be taken to start fresh? And if so, what would discourage this type of growth pattern?

It does look like theres another issue here - new leaves being curled/withered - but I think that's a symptom of lack of direct sunlight due to its incessant need to grow upwards.

This image was taken from above the plant from the stairs.


texts:
I've got the following Epilobium in my garden that I fail to properly identify:

At first I thought that it was Epilobium parviflorum, because the flower seems similar and most of the description also fits: the ones with flowers I have are 20-70cm in height, the stem is erect, round (no distinct edge) and densely covered with hairs, the leaves are opposite, lanceolate and toothed.
However the pictures of parviflorum didn't quite match: the stem and leaves of the ones I have often have a reddish brown hue, the leaves seem even more lanceolate than parviflorum. The flowers range from pale pink or pale purple to white (maybe the pink/purple is just that faint). Also what bugs me the most is that some of the flowers I have grow in a 30yo concrete & stone wall while some others grow between said wall and the pavement's asphalt: I read that parviflorum generally prefers marshes, swamps and moist meadows while this one grows in rock and seemingly didn't have any issue with the exceptionally hot spring for the region (Brittany, France).
I wanted to dry the leaves and use them for infusions - apparently most Epilobium are safe for consumption (this one isn't really exposed to cars) and the ones that look like parviflorum seem to share the same properties. Does anyone know which species of Epilobium this is and whether it should be safe for consumption?


texts: What should I do about bare patches in my lawn after killing off Creeping Charlie?

texts:
I live in midwest Iowa and my lawn has started to get taken over by Creeping Charlie. After much reading, I went out and bought the Ortho Weed Be Gone to try and kill it off. A week ago I tested by spraying just a few patches in my front yard. After just a few days, it started turning brown and yellow so it appears to be killing it off, just how I wanted.

So yesterday, I went ahead and walked around my ENTIRE yard (1/2 acre) and sprayed every spot/patch that I could find. Now I'm in a wait-and-see step to see how it does.

What's the next step here? I wanted to put down the Scot's Weed and Feed because it says it will "push out" all the weeds because my good grass will grow and take over. But it says that it should only be done in late spring. Should I go ahead and fertilize with this? I don't want the spots that [hopefully] get killed off to be just completely dead, I want my good grass to come in.

Any help is appreciated!


texts:
I want to kill the EAB in my wood before they get to my trees. And if they do get to my trees what is a safe effective way of killing them? I would use pesticides if I want to but I would prefer to do something more natural. Anything on how to take them out would be great. And if possible provide the name of the thing or how to make something. Thank you all!
Edit: I did read the other question but really tells me nothing about how I could Kill them. It helped with the preventing part. If I needed to kill them, what would be the naturally way to go. A small addition to my question is what bugs attack and kill the EAB? Is it worth trying a insect that would kill them?


texts:
At my school, every project team has their own plant and needs to take care of it. I was wondering if you guys could help me out taking care of my plant.

A picture of my plant can be seen below.

So, by that, I have a couple of questions:

What's the name of this plant?
What is the best way to take care of this plant?


texts: Grow Light - Does power line flicker affect plants?

texts:
I prefer to build my own grow lights since I can have full control over the output. The parts will be arriving late unfortunately, and the suspicious $5 50W (30W as measured) grow light (that I ordered out of curiosity) arrived first. The seeds I've planted have sprouted exactly when the DIY grow light parts would've arrived.
The cheap grow light flickers at what seems to be 120Hz. Is there any info on what effects this has on plant growth?
The closest I could find is this study: Effect of Flashing Light on Plant Growth Rate. They flash it on the order of 5 seconds though, and not 60Hz/120Hz.


texts:
I have a young wisteria plant in a large wooden sided container in my sunken courtyard. It should get pretty good sun on the wall it's climbing.

Most wisteria info seems to say you can't grow ANYTHING underneath them as it will strangle them. How about heather?

If not any recommendations for ground cover that will grow under wisteria in a container?

Thanks.


texts: Trying to identify this plant in my garden?

texts: Had some early season chaos with squirrels taking out a bunch of seedlings. Replanted and transplanted a variety of vegetable plants and have no idea what this is?  Look familiar to anyone?  I live on Long Island, NY.


texts:
All of a sudden the leaves started turning brown and shriveling up and it started spreading to other plants. Anyone know the cause of this? The plants get regular water (soil is usually moist) and no getting direct sunlight.
I'm in northeast, tropical climates, and we're experiencing a heat-wave so I've often slept with the fan on.


texts: What is the term for removing weeds from bodies of water?

texts: A control technique before planting aquatic plants in water bodies is to remove existing water weeds. I've heard of this being called "uprooting" or "cutting" the weeds. What's the proper term?


texts: Does it make sense to plant a cover crop in raised beds?

texts:
I'm wondering if it makes sense to plant a cover crop in my raised beds over winter. If so, what plant would you recommend for south-central Ohio.

I have three 4'x8' double dug beds.


texts: I have a Japanese Maple tree that we planted 6 years back. It is on the east side of the lot and gets morning and afternoon sunlight. I have not done much to care for it and it has not grown in size at all in 6 years. What do I need to do so it grows in size?  I am in Northern California.


texts: My sunchokes that I planted back around late April seem like they've stopped growing between 3 and 4 feet, but are suckering like crazy (3rd degree) why is this? Is the growth going to the tubers I'm keeping well watered, or do they grow out in phases where they grow up a few feet, out a few inches, and back up a lot of feet while going out?


texts: Is sea buckthorn able to be grown in pots?

texts: Is it easy to grow sea buckthorn in pots anchored into the ground (since I don't have the rights to plant into the soil).


texts:
Asking for my mom.
My mom picked in the garden some kind of "bushy" herb/spice, dried it and now does not remember anymore what it is, but she thinks it may be dill. Can you help identify it?
Unfortunately I have only pictures of the dried plant, the "branches" are around 40cm long and rather woody. Location is northern Italy (Alps), she claims it was somewhat overgrowing in the garden.


texts:
So I've been experimenting for the last few months with hydroponics, the general goal is to have an entirely automated system. For the most part I have this in place but I'm not too happy with the results and I'm trying to eliminate potential cause for not great growth.

So I'm in Ireland, and during the summer we only really get about 6 hours of darkness at night time, and during this time, both a bit before and after, my grow light is on. Essentially my plants are getting light 24 hours a day. Now things are growing, but not as fast as they should. I have done research on nutrients and I'm monitoring on that side, but I'm wondering if perhaps the plants need a nighttime cycle? Am I over doing it by the plants essentially getting 24 hours of light everyday?


texts: Anyone know the name of this variegated plant. I purchased it a month ago from nursery , i week ago it was at home in low light now i put it in bright indirect sunlight.


texts: Stopping rats from digging up bulbs from pots

texts:
My parents have moved out to the country and are trying to prepare a group of pots to flower in the spring.

They planted bulbs in pots about 2 weeks ago but suddenly for 3 nights in a row rats are getting into and digging up/eating the bulbs out of the pots.

Any suggestions of ways to protect the bulbs? Will rats chew through chicken wire?


texts: What kind of early spring SW Idaho weed is this?

texts:
We've been getting this weed growing on our property in recent years. It's one of the first weeds to sprout in the late winter or early spring (nothing else seems to sprout at that time but Creeping Charlie, some small unidentified weed, and this). It doesn't seem to mind shade. Someone I know claims that they're edible and delicious (but I want to verify what they are before I eat any of them, and I don't know if this person is right; I mention this in case it helps in a diagnosis). A flower can be seen in the third picture (there are other flowers, but they're kind of small to see in the other pictures). It seems to be an annual in my zone (I'm in southwestern Idaho). It's pretty easy to pull up. Usually, they haven't been this big, but I saw this nice healthy patch of them and decided to ask the question.

The last picture is of a single plant with its roots. That's about as big as they generally get in our garden. I don't recall if the summer heat kills them off, but they're more prevalent long before the last frost.

Upon questioning the person who claimed they were edible, the person thought they were cleavers (and tasted them and proclaimed that they tasted like cleavers, too). I don't think they look like the cleavers I see online, though.

EDIT: Here's a picture of the plants after they've matured more and gone to seed. Apparently, they turn into vine-like things with burr-like things on the nodes (which might be the fruit).

It seems like early in the spring, it grows vegatatively, but later, even the plants that aren't terribly old go to seed and vine around.


texts: Repotting Lithops received in mail are getting wrinkled

texts:
I received 8 Lithops that we’re all grown in the same pot. They came in original pot and dirt. I took them apart and repot them and the 3 Dorthea Lithops are the ones that are getting wrinkled. The other ones are fine and seem to be doing good. Is this normal for that type of Lithop this time of year? Should I put them in their own pot?

Thank you!
Celina


texts: How do you grow a mushroom around a ring?

texts: There's a lass that I'm very intrigued by, and am planning to get her a purity ring. She knows I love mushroom hunting, and cultivating, so I want to grow a mushroom around a purity ring before the next time we have dinner together. How can I ensure the ring grows inside the mushroom (like a jewelry box)?


texts: Is it practical to breed new cultivars at home?

texts:
Is it sensible and possible for a home gardener to attempt to create new cultivars (e.g. of citrus) via manual/controlled pollination in a home garden without specialist equipment?

For instance, if I wanted to cross two different apple cultivars is it easily achievable without using specialist equipment to prevent the flowers from being accidentally fertilised by the wrong pollen?


texts: How to encourage growth from seed in an avocado tree?

texts:
I have an avocado seedling. I've recently pruned the tree and there is new growth visible.
However, when I inspect the seed, I see multiple sprouts just waiting there. How do I encourage those to grow from the seed?

Pruned tree and new growth:

Seed:

The full plant looks as follows:


texts: Hi I have had this plant for a while and I am trying to figure out what type of plant this is. If you suspect or know the name please let me know thank you.


texts: How long to leave wrap around major tree repair?

texts:
A few months ago, I toppled a heavy bamboo trunk on top of a small (6') citrus sapling, snapping it completely in half. I basically grafted the broken trunk back in place and wrapped it in tape.

Surprise, it survived and is flourishing.

So my question is, how long should I leave this wrap in place to allow this load-bearing repair to heal? The trunk is about 1/2" in diameter at the break, and the remaining portion weighs maybe 2 lbs. The tree is subject to high winds (typical Florida summer).


texts:
these days I am going to prune my plum tree, I will perform the pruning following the guidelines of this article that talks about pruning a plum tree (it is in Spanish but nothing that Google translator cannot solve;)).

The prune plum is a very strong tree that gives a very good amount of fruits, in addition they are of very good quality. On the other hand, this plant already has a good number of years, so I think it does not have so many years of life.

From there arises my need to create a new plant to prepare to replace the one I already have. I have some small specimens that I have been born from seed, and I would like to graft them. My idea is to take advantage and at the same time that I prune the adult plum, select good yolks to perform the grafting.

Faced with this I would like you to guide me on how to make the grafting of my plum. I have searched for information on Google but the truth is that there is not much, I would appreciate your advice. Thanks in advance. :)


texts: I planted 12 pieces of potatoes ~2-3 weeks back and see few sprouts but don't know if they are weeds or actually the potato plants. The plants look like this:


texts: Can I use the output from a house boiler to heat a greenhouse?

texts:
I live in relatively cold, rainy Manchester in the north of England and have been experimenting with growing chillies and tomatoes. I've found that they are fine indoors, but die quite quickly outdoors, presumably form the cold.

I have an output from my house's gas combi boiler next to my small plastic greenhouse, which outputs steam. Would there be any advantage in hooking up a pipe between this and my greenhouse to increase the temperature and humidity?


texts: Can I use greens, such as grass, as a fertilizer for tomatoes?

texts:
In my country I don't have fertilizer products, but I know that I can get nitrogen from any greens.

I already knew that I can soak them in water to make liquid fertilizer, but what if I want to make slow release fertilizer? Someone told me just to bury them in the soil. Is that true? Is there a better method to get use of the greens as a fertilizer?

UPDATE:
I live in Egypt.
I want to grow cherry tomatoes in containers.
The green is kind of grass.
I don't have space to make compost.


texts: How do I get rid of box rust in December? Will fungicide work?

texts: I have two buxus which have suffered a lack of water due to irrigation failing in the summer and no time to hand water them. There is a definite orange tinge to the first 2 or 3 inches of top growth. I fear pruning at this time of year will kill them. Will a good fungicide at least kill the disease. Advice please? Would be much appreciated.


texts: Do blueberry bushes do well around pine stumps?

texts: We are purchasing property next to us that has a row of pine trees. I would like to cut a couple of the tree's down because it will be a sunny and acidic place for blueberry bushes. Can I leave the stumps and plant the berries in a circle around them? The stumps won't bother them if they are planted 3 or 4 feet away, will they?


texts: What is this weed and how can I kill it?

texts:
I'm having a hard time identifying the weed pictured below.  I live in southwest Connecticut.

I have a smallish flat area behind my house where this was rampant.  I dug up all of it that I could find, turned over all the soil and planted new grass.  Since then, the weeds have come back up.

I should also mention they flower bluish-purple in the spring.

There's quite a bit of it and it spreads fast, so I'm hoping there's a topical treatment or something I can use to get rid of it.  I've been pulling it by hand but it keeps coming back.


texts: What type of irrigation system works best with blueberries?

texts:
Several months ago I planted a row of blueberries in order to form an (edible) hedge. At the same time I installed an automatic watering system for these and the rest of my fruit trees and vegetable patches.

I used a variety of systems including mini sprinklers, drippers and soaker hoses for the different types of trees, shrubs and vegies. For the blueberries, I put in two drippers for each plant, one either side of the trunk about 20cm (8 inches) from the trunk and underneath a 1-2 inch layer of lucern mulch. The rationale for this was that since I will train these bushes to grow as a hedge, a dripper would work to sit under the hedge and apply water to the root zone, whereas a sprinkler would get blocked. I applied well rotted compost and acid loving plant poultry manure based pelleted fertiliser when planting, and added additional fertiliser 2 months after planting. The subsurface soil in my area is an acidic heavy clay, although the top 6-12 inches in the location of the blueberries is a more balanced imported garden soil. I am in Sydney, so we are currently in the middle of a hot, dry summer.

That is the background. My problem is that the blueberries are growing very slowly with little new growth and the tips (in some cases the 'tip' is up to half of the leaf) are showing a burnt reddish appearance and shrivel up and die. I found this question which appears to describe the same issue. One thing I noted is the suggestion to wet the entire root area. I also found on this site the comment

  There is little lateral translocation of water and nutrients within the plant. This means that irrigation should moisten entire root zone, not just a portion.

Could my problem be that the use of two localise watering points means I am not getting water to the whole root zone? The worst case scenario would be that I'm over-watering some parts and under-watering others!

What would the optimal irrigation method for a blueberry hedge be?


texts: Is there any truth behind planting by phases of the moon?

texts:
A book I've been skimming through recently, How to Grow More Vegetables and Fruits, talks about this, and I've also heard it mentioned, and read about it several other places--perhaps most notably the Farmer's Almanac which I have seen for sale on many news stands, and which has a web site.
From the book:

One of the most controversial aspects of [our] method is [the] method of planting seeds and transplanting seedlings according to the phases of the moon.
... Short-germinating and extra-long-germinating seeds are planted 2 days before the new moon, when significant magnetic forces occur, and up to 7 days after the new moon. Long-germinating seeds are planted at the full moon and up to 7 days afterward. Seedlings are transplanted at the opposite time.

(emphasis in original)
It goes on to explain in much greater detail when certain types of seeds and seedlings ought to be planted or transplanted, in accordance with lunar phases.
The gist of it seems to boil down to the idea that moonlight helps leaf development, and that lunar gravity, helps root development. (I'm not really sure what it means by the "magnetic forces" in the above quote).
At least the book acknowledges, right off the bat, that this lunar stuff is controversial.  But my question is:  Is there real evidence that there is a benefit to plants to be planted and/or transplanted by phases of the moon?


texts: My beautiful palm tree started showing black spots on the stems near the roots and then further up the stems as time progressed.  Some of the leaves have a brown tinge to them.  It hasn't stopped growing new stems/leaves.  I cleaned the stems with soapy water and most of the spots disappeared but now they are reappearing faster than ever. Leaves are starting to die off at the ends. The only thing I haven't done is change the soil totally - I'm scared that it will die if I disturb it too much. Any advice appreciated.


texts:
I'm trying to build a DIY greenhouse and have a question about the plastic sheeting.

I see that no one is using clear plastic - it's almost always translucent. Is that on purpose or just that the very clear plastic sheet is not available on large scale.

I was planning to purchase this 3.5 mil clear plastic sheet for my DIY greenhouse (to be built on 1st floor patio (5ft x 5ft x 5ft)) in Cupertino, California (Hardiness Zones 10a, 10b and 9b)

Does this plastic sheeting looks good or should I find something really clear plastic sheet like in this photo?

Any ideas & feedback much appreciated.

Cheers!


texts: Why it's getting sick, and what can I do to prevent this? Is this damaging, like spreading to other plants?


texts:
I ordered grow lights and I never put thought into it until I got bored. But the ones I ordered (found Here) use blue and red LED's for light. What role does the Blue and Red light play for plants?

Also I noticed how it has what the 2 colors do for there plant in the description, I am just not sure it is accurate or if there is more to it...


texts: Is there a simple rule of thumb for caring for potted plants in an office?

texts:
I've recently been made responsible for watering and taking care of many small potted plants around our office, and I have little to no gardening experience. There are many different types of plants, and I don't have the time to research the details of each one.

Is there a simple rule of thumb for how much/often to water plants like these, in general (and how to tell whether they're being over or under watered)? What about other maintenance (e.g. cutting or removing dead leaves)?


texts: Can any one tell me what are these white cotton like substances growing on these leaves?

texts:
My chili plant leaves have these white cotton like blobs growing on them. Is this some kind of disease?

Sorry, for bad image quality.


texts: I have an old-style gas-powered lawnmower, regular residential size, and I just put too much oil in it.  The dipstick measures about 3/4", and it looks like I went over by about 3/16".   So I'm guessing about 25% too much oil.   Do I need to go to the trouble to drain it and start over, or can I just go with it and let the level drop by itself over time?    Obviously if the level was way over, I would have to drain it, but I am not sure if I can live with +25%.   thanks!


texts: Am I overwatering my cherry & beefsteak tomato plants or do I have some kind of fungus?

texts:
I'm new to gardening and this is my first real try. I've grown some cherry and beefsteak tomato plants (and other veges) from seedlings and have had them growing for a month or so.

Some of my tomato plants lower leaves are dying off and they have tiny black spots around the leaves before they seem to go yellow and die off. The new leaves at the top look green with no issues, however about midway up on some plants these black spots are showing up. Worse down the bottom. The fact that it's climbing has me thinking it might be a fungus from some brief research, however, the pictures of the fungus don't really look like mine at all. Some of my other plants have similar symptoms but not exactly the same.

So I started them as seedlings a month or so ago. We planted them in deep pots sitting directly on grass (maybe drainage problem?) using bagged potting mix from the hardware store (bunnings). I started them in direct sunlight in Townsville Australia where the temperature can get up to 31C/87F. I was watering them once or twice a day with a sprinkler for about half-hour to an hour. All my plants weren't growing too good and I suspected that it might have been too hot for them and that I was overwatering. So 3 weeks or so ago, I moved them under a marquee covered with insect netting (to prevent cats from digging as well as light shade). I also stopped watering them so much (every 2 days once a day). They improved very quickly and grew quite a lot. Looking very healthy. I installed drip irrigation about a week ago and have been watering them with that every 2 days but for longer (1.5 hours). I've also sprayed some insecticide on all my plants a few days ago after finding lots of ants and a caterpillar. It's over these last few days that I've noticed these black spots on a lot of my plants. Mainly my tomato plants.

I'm not sure about what is causing the yellow leaves, black spots and dying of some of my plants. My suspicions are:

The insecticide might be causing issues as I've only noticed issues after using it
I'm overwatering them.
They are not getting enough drainage in pots sitting directly on grass/dirt
I have a fungus that is killing my plants

Here is an imgur link of more pictures containing:

The insecticide I used.
Various images of healthly and unhealthy parts of my tomato plants
Other plants that have similar issues in my garden
Image of how shaded the area is
Pots used

https://imgur.com/a/Y1jJ8j6


texts: Help me save my Variegated Rubber Plant 'Variegata' (Ficus elastica)

texts:
I bought this plant about 4 months ago. I repotted it form its original nursery pot to a larger nursery pot around 2 weeks later. Sometime after that, the bottom leaves started to get brown on the edges, but they didn't fall. I watered every 6-7 days, checking the top 2 inches of soil first. Since I also started to get fly gnats in the house, I decided to repot the plant once again into the same nursery pot but loosening the roots of the plant (they looked fine to me, but I'm no expert) and changing the soil. The previous soil looked too damp, so I also added more drainage holes.

It's been 2 weeks since that, I've been watering every 7 days and it's near a window that provides bright indirect light. It's getting worse and it has lost a lot of the bottom leaves.

What should I do? Is there anything that can help to save it? Is this a watering issue or it can be a disease?

Thanks so much for your help!


texts:
Please check images below. The fiddle leaf tree has been losing leaves, and they were brown at their endings. When the leaves fall, I noticed inside there is a brownish water.
Is it possible to save this plant, even if it means cutting the black part?
I don't know if it's black due to rotting or black just because it was in the soil. Many roots look brownish but also many are yellow.
Thank you.


texts: Is there such a thing as a specifically indoor only orange/citrus tree?

texts:
I obtained an orange tree a few months ago and it always seems to have a lot of problems. Curling leaves, yellow leaves and dying leaves. I am not looking for suggestions as to why I have problems here, but when talking to a person at a hardware store I was told that the tree was probably an indoor tree only and the heat was probably causing it stress. Other people have told me there is no such thing...

It said indoor/miniature Washington navel orange on the tag but also said that it could be outdoors. The sales person said that it's not really indoors but just miniature and that it needed lots of sun. Several other nurseries have also said there is no such thing as an indoor citrus tree that would not do well outside. So question is does such an a/c needing orange tree even exist? Could my tree be one of those?


texts: I found these with yellow flowers in the field past my backyard nearby a tiny stream.  After attempting to identify it using Virginia Tech weed id tool, it looks like its wild parsnip, and gotta be careful with it? (At least not let kids go near it?) I'm based in Northern Virginia.  Thanks.


texts: Would unwashed (dirty) river rock used over weed block fabric allow weeds to grow?

texts: Landscaper used dirty river rock over weed block fabric.


texts: What are the best herbs to grow hydroponically in Texas when starting in June?

texts:
I'm wanting to build a small vertical hydroponic system from PVC or Bamboo to grow herbs and possibly veggies/fruit at a rental house.

This is my first time trying to grow anything and I'm not sure which herbs and other plants are the best to grow this time of year in Texas (June). I would like to grow mint, cilantro, strawberry or blueberry and anything else that will fit into what I'm trying to build.

What are the best types of plants for this type of setup and what can easily, or moderately, be grown hydroponically during a Texas summer in the hill country? (I'm sure I could move this inside as well if needed)


texts:
I prepared seedlings of tomato plants. Now from around a week there are snake like design in leafs. There is some sort of bug inside leaf which is eating. What should i do for it. Can/should i use some pesticide on such small plants?

I live in Jaipur, India. Current temperature ranging between 20-30 degree C.

Update : soil is a mix of 50% coco peat and 50% of vermi compost. Watering alternate day. They are on roof outside, partial sun. From where these larvas are coming ? Flies? If i spray pesticide wont that help in keeping flies away ?


texts:
I have a chilli plant that's on its second year of fruit production. On a couple of chillies I noticed these bumps or loops growing out of the top of the chillies.

See the photographs below for an example:

What's causing this deformity?


texts:
My mother wants to know what this plant in her new garden is. Please help since I have no clue.

It's South Korea here btw.


texts:
My established Bramley trees throw off an enormous amount of water shoots:

This was taken earlier in the year; the ones I didn't cull have grown up to a metre in a single year (I think they must be on very vigorous root stock but they are not planted somewhere they can grow very large).

Are there any times of year removing these might cause problems, or should I just remove them whenever I have the time?


texts: How to grow wax apple / jambu (Syzygium samarangense)?

texts:
I bought a Black Pearl Wax Apple tree to grow in the Bay Area in California. This fruit is popular in tropical areas of Asia, but it virtually impossible to find in supermarkets outside of Asia. I've scoured Google for how to grow Wax Apple, but could not find any useful information.

What kind of soil does it like?
Is it self-fruitful or do I need to cross-pollinate?
Does it like to be pruned?
Is it deciduous and can it withstand winters of 45 degrees Fahrenheit at night?
How much light does it prefer?


texts: Ficus elastica — Will its leaves uncurl?

texts:
I started getting a bit of leaf curl on a rubber fig we bought for our studio a few weeks ago. The soil felt a little damp, so I've slowed down on the watering, but gave the leaves a mist once this week because I hadn't before.
My question is, will the leaves uncurl once they're happy again, or do they stay like this?


texts: How to remove small insects from broccoli?

texts:
I'm growing up vegetables (without any chemical products) and among them broccoli. They are good, but they've a big problem: they're full of very small insects, and when I cook them, I find them in my dish. This isn't very nice.

How do you keep far away your dish these small boring insects?

How can I eat my broccoli without insects? they hid themselves within broccoli and don't go away even if I wash broccoli with flowing water, neither if I put them in water with salt... :(


texts: What is causing a section of this ornamental apple tree to lose its leaves and grow moss?

texts:
Pictured above is an ornamental apple tree outside of my home in Portsmouth, NH. Over the course of the summer I noticed that a section of the tree was not leafing and was totally bare. I don’t believe this is how it has been in the past, and I wanted to investigate what might have caused this and if I needed to provide any remedy to ensure the tree's health.

The tree is on the south side of the house and it gets plenty of sun. There is some sort of green moss type growth that I see on the area that is not leafing.


texts: What is this tool for carrying pots called?

texts: Landscapers were using them to carry 2 5-gallon landscape pots in each hand.


texts: proper drainage in aluminum foil dish, container

texts:
I have a bunch of aluminum foil dishes that are maybe 3" deep:

I'm going to fill with soil and put on the roof of my apartment building.  How should I prepare the container?  Specifically, how do I take care of drainage?
I was going to just prick it with pin holes a bunch of times, and then rest it on a few sticks or something to keep it technically off the ground so it will drain.  Do I need to put anything in at the bottom of the dish?  I've heard mixed things about gravel (and I'm not sure I have the vertical room here anyway.  Do I line the bottom with newspaper?  I was going to fill the bottom half with normal potting soil, and then the top half with seed starting soil, and then plug it with arugula or some other vegetable.
Any recommendations on how to prepare the container, and how/what to fill it with would be greatly appreciated!


texts:
Recently my mint has been looking less and less healthy. Here's what it looks like right now:

I made two changes since when it looked relatively healthy and when it started looking like this, which may be the culprit. First, I added a spoon of fertilizer, mixed with a cup of water. The instructions say to use two spoons for a pot of that size. Second, I started watering it every day. I suspect the second is more of a culprit, because when I tested the soil yesterday, and noticed that when I pressed down on it, water actually squeezed out the bottom of the pot. This was several hours after I'd watered it, so I'm guessing there isn't very good drainage.

I carefully removed the mint from the soil, which was easy, since the roots hadn't spread very far, and squeezed the excess water out of the soil. It was like ringing out a shirt after jumping into a lake with it. Then I broke up the soil to aerate it and replanted, and I haven't watered it today.

What, if anything, can be done to save this poor thing at this point?


texts: Asking for a friend. I have not seen the tree in person. The leaves look so much like Tilia americana to me, but the bark doesn't look quite like what I'm used to. I also didn't notice any bracts in the pictures. Does anyone confirm the ID?


texts:
My grocery store was selling some weird Valentine’s Day rose bush things. They were desperately under-watered and looked so sad, so I picked one up, hoping to save it.
But I’m not sure where to start outside of giving it some water. I’ve never cared for a rose bush at all, let alone a mini one in a pot. I’ve given it some water and put it in a sunny window. The tag gives me next to no info on care.
Do I have any chance of saving this guy? Or is it beyond saving? Once it perks up, should I put it in a larger pot?


texts: What is this shrub with shiny green leaves?

texts:
In a west European city in front of an office building I found this plant which for some reason has many spider webs built on it.
The shrub has about 70 cm height but clearly pruned.
Any idea what it is?


texts: Is this a chili pepper? If it is, which one?

texts:
I got some seeds, which are Cayenne pepper seeds I was told. I'm not so sure about it, but it has grown and started to produce fruit. Does anyone know whether this is really Cayenne, and/or is it safe to eat?

I have images of the flowers, the plant itself and the leaves.

Flower and fruit:

Plant:

Leaves:

Thanks in advance!


texts:
I have a drive-way made of interlocked bricks. Friends and neighbours clear all weeds regularly. I can see that some weeds will damage the brick-work (e.g. large roots).

However I was thinking that some plants will not cause a problem, would look nice, and maybe even displace the bad plants.

Traffic: Some walking over it, some parts may get driven over 4 times a day (probably less).
Climate: South of England.
Maintenance: Needs to be low, but I can spend time setting it up.
Current condition: It is a few years old, but good condition. The gaps are very small, no mortar, but sand was swept between the bricks.

Is my reasoning good? What plants? Can I push (good) seeds into the cracks?


texts: Why is my monsters leaves turning brown and yellow?

texts: I bought my monsters about 2 months ago from my local Home Depot. When I bought it all the leaves were perfect and green. A month after buying it it started to get brown spots on the leaves and a little bit of yellowing. I thought the problem was because I still had it in it’s original  pot so I repotted It. I put it in a bigger pot and recently the leaves are getting more brown spots and the new growth are turning yellow. The plant gets light from my window reflecting off my mirror. I water it when the top soil is dry. I don’t know what is wrong.


texts: I got a lucky bamboo yesterday but it had some red spots on the leaves and stem. Also one of the stem is turning yellow. The tips of one of the leaf is also yellow. These are red spots not brown. Also the plant is in soil. Please note its winter here with temperature of 30°C high and 18°C low. The rest of the plant look healthy to me with green leaves. Pics attched


texts: What is this houseplant with white-speckled red and green leaves?

texts:
I have a houseplant that was given to me. It was mostly dead when I first got it but it has a tree-like branch that the foliage grows from with red and green leaves, red underneath, and white speckles on the top of them. It looked like a stick with nothing on it when I got it, now it has 9 big red and green leaves on it. I have no clue what kind of plant this is. I've been caring for it for months and I would really like to know!

I was told it was a bonsai but I don't have much knowledge of bonsais.


texts: I just noticed what seems to be rot in the main limb crotch.  Should I cut off the limb?  Can I save the tree?


texts: What is this hanging, green-white plant?

texts: I brought this plant and it didn't have a name or instructions attached to it as other ones they sell. Would anyone know what kind of plant this is and how to maintain it? It's really pretty and I would hate for it to die due to ignorance.


texts: Can I graft an orange tree to a hardier northern root stock?

texts: I know you can graft like trees to like trees, but my question is: Can I graft an orange tree to a northern hardy root stock like a peach tree, and have it still grow and maybe produce an orange or two? I live in Buffalo, New York, USDA hardiness zone 6a.


texts:
This year's garlic got infected with garlic rust. The bulb's are actually decent size (60-80g), but I have a feeling that the garlic didn't mature due to being heavily infected. The leaves are completely dry, but the stem and cloves look like they might need some more time.

Garlic was planted in October, 10 weeks before the first frost due to unusually warm weather we had and harvested today.

Is it okay to plant garlic cloves that were harvested too early? Will such garlic develop normally?


texts: carnivorous plants in self-watering pots?

texts:
I have been gifted three small carnivorous plants: Cepholatus, Pinguicula, and Nepenthes (no species info). The growing information for all three stress that should be kept moist, so I am thinking about placing them into self-watering pots. However, I looked at some information online and have not seen any mention of self-watering pots anywhere - so is it a good idea, or not?
Moreover, the instructions for Nepenthes say "place light, but not direct sunlight", and similarly for Pinguicula, "place light, but bot direct sunlight for longer time". How much concerned should I be about this in Norway? Can I place them in an east-facing window, or even a south-facing window with direct sunlight couple hours a day?


texts: How to create a bushy rose plant when leaves only appear on the top?

texts:
Background: I bought a rose stem with root, planted it, and it began growing.  The growth produced a plant that had a thick stem (diameter of a magic marker) with leaves only on the top.  Like a 3 foot long tree.  I really want it to spread out, and be short and bushy.

Guidelines indicate I should cut off no more than 1/3.  If I cut off 1/3, I will be cutting all foliage from the plant.  Should I attempt this anyway in hopes new growth starts with a split at a lower point if I want to achieve a wide rose bush with many branches?


texts: What's the best way to kill cucumber beetles after I've started harvesting?

texts:
My yellow squash and zucchini are infested with both striped and spotted cucumber beetles. I don't think I can use Sevin Dust anymore because I've already started harvesting them. I tried food grade diatomaceous earth, but I don't think it's working. (But it did start raining a couple days after I applied it)

What are my best options for killing them?

They're also attacking my tomatoes and eggplant.

Edit: I have not tried Neem oil, I have not tried pyrethrum.

Organic is not the same as safe. I don't necessarily care if it's organic or not. But I do care whether or not it's safe apply to plants that I'm actively harvesting from. I'm picking squash and zucchini as often as daily.

Application details would be nice too. And along with that, how labor and time intensive it is to use these products. If I have to spray the bugs individually (which doesn't seem all that practical, they do have wings...) that's going to be a different experience than spraying the plants or applying a powder.


texts: Strange brown winged insect on nectarine

texts:
I was picking fruit the other day and saw this large bug, just about an inch long I want to say, perched on top of one of the nectarines near the top of the tree. Anyone know what it is and what kind of damage it can produce?

It flew away when I drew near, not a zippy flyer like a fly but sort of slow in its motion.


texts: Can my Arborvitae be saved after a fire?

texts: I recently had a brush fire which burned my Arborvitae hedge in several places. Can these plants be saved? They are mature and at least 20 years old.


texts: What is this clover-like plant with a thick woody root system?

texts:
This plant is growing all over the place in one part of the garden. I'm wondering whether to try to get rid of it completely, or just reduce it - but I'd like to know what it is.

It seems to have a very well established root system. (some kind of tuber I think, see image below).

I've attached photos. (It's just sprouting at the moment - normally a lot bigger.)

I'm in Central Europe.


texts: Soil Specifications — C:N Ratio Notation

texts:
I'm compiling some critical parameters for soil specifications for my wife, and unfortunately I come from a different industry (food safety, post-gate).  I'm trying to read a set of lab analysis results for C:N Ratio and I cannot understand for the life of me:

Are these listed as decimals?  Or just notated with period as the ratio delimitator?  If it's the latter, what is the significance in listing, e.g., 31:31 rather than 1:1?


texts:
I have a fig tree that is covered in these strange pests. They appear to be live organisms, but they don't move.

What could these be and how can I deal with them?


texts: So if I have 3 leaves growing in a pot, and 1 gets root rot, is it possible to save the other 2? And if so, how would this be achieved?


texts: Are these whiteflies under my tomato plant's leaf?

texts: For the last week or so, I have noticed several small yellow spots on the top of one of the leaves. Today, I looked under the leaf and noticed a bunch of very small, dark lumps, and a couple of small white flies. Afraid that they were eggs, I removed the branch (leaf?) entirely. I have uploaded images of what I saw. I am now beginning to see the same thing on higher leaves, after removing the one that I removed (which can be seen in the images).


texts: Tomato plant w/ multiple symptoms. Under-watering? Over-Watering? Both?

texts:
I'm an absolute beginner so bear with me.
I've started growing tomatoes but I'm seeing multiple problems:

Looks like mushrooms are sprouting under the plant.
The bottom of the fruit is black.
The leaves at the bottom of the plant are curling.

Here is an array showing the (apparent) mushrooms, the black spots on the bottom of the tomatoes, the curling leaves, and then the overall planter.

Based on looking around online I see that the mushrooms are likely caused by over-watering or too much moisture in the soil, and no opportunity for sunlight to hit the soil. But then item 2 (bottom of fruit is black) is most likely blossom end rot -- see the comments at the end of this post -- and the most likely cause of that is under-watering of the plant. Lastly, my research tells me that the curling leaves are a sign of distress, but there could be multiple causes of that distress.
I had been giving the plant a thorough watering 1x daily (I had no idea of the "correct" watering schedule, this was just a guess). I'm located in Southern California so the days have been very hot and dry lately. I've been giving plant food once every 2 weeks per the directions on the box. Am I over-watering? Under-watering? Or do I perhaps have both problems due to the small size of my planter? Any advice on the underlying problem, and best way to fix it, would be appreciated.


texts:
I got this echinacea from a small nursery that could not tell me the exact latin and cultivar name of this species, except that they got seeds by a special order from abroad. To their credit, I had never seen such one!

UPDATE:

The pollen was almost white, so this pointed to pallida. However, I collected the seed, and they look like regular Echinacea purpurea seed, but are smaller, and whitish. Actually, the color is more similar to simulata seed color. (head-banging-against-the-wall)


texts: I have very dry sandy soil. Even though I have irrigation, I overseed and aerate each year, some places just will not fill in. Can these places be sodded?


texts:
We moved into a house a little over a year ago. We really love this particular small tree that's in the front yard. One day I noticed that it had two holes in it, one towards the center and one near the ground. Both of the holes looked kind of juicy. Now, the upper hole has dried up a little bit but has some slug looking things in it. The bottom hole is growing a ton of tiny mushrooms.

Is this a sign of something serious to the tree's health, or no need to worry? If serious, is there anything that can be done?


texts:
I'm looking for an indoor hydroponic system and I've found the AeroGarden family which looks great but I'd like to check the alternatives. Are there systems similar to this? Important features for me:

Relatively compact size
Adjustable lamp height
Adjustable light cycle
Automatic pump cycle
Silent pump


texts: Does it make sense to mix dead fig leaves in my soil?

texts:
I garden in an "arid desert" zone, with almost no rain and little vegetation. We have a number of fig trees, which I recently cut back. I separated the leaves from the twigs.

I've read that desert soil generally tends to contain little organic matter (obviously) and tends to be on the alkaline side (I should do a pH test, I know!)

Under these circumstances, does it make sense for me to crumble the fig leaves after drying them a couple of days, and mix them in next time we start a bed? Would it be beneficial for the soil, and would the soil have to be permanently moist for it to have any effect?


texts: What is this parasite / mushroom / sickness on my crabapple tree?

texts:
My crabapple tree is having a hard time.  It's fighting Japanese beetles, spider mites and now this "thing" on some leaves.  It starts by creating a red spot on the leaf and eventually there's some "thingies" that pops out.

Does anyone know what it is and how to get rid of it?  I live in Québec, Canada.

Sorry, my gardening vocabulary is fairly limited! :)


texts: How do I prevent parrots from snacking on my fruit trees?

texts:
I live in a neighborhood in California that has a number of parrots that, presumably, escaped from captivity sometime ago and have since multiplied in number. They are all the same kind of parrot, these noisy little green guys.

In addition to the noise, these guys like to snack on my apple and persimmon trees. I've seen parrots sitting on the branches taking bites out of my apples and while I haven't seen them on my persimmon tree, now that the persimmons are starting to ripen I see bite marks in them that are identical to the bite marks in the apples.

How do I keep parrots off of my fruit trees? My first thought was to get a plastic owl but I'm uncertain if that would work. These parrots seem fearless and have skirmishes with much bigger crows all the time. (Now that is a fun scene to watch, a crow being attacked by a pack of parrots.)


texts: How to encourage weeping cherry to grow larger

texts:
I purchased my Mother two 'Weeping Cherry' trees this year. I've planted them out and they've actually shown a large amount of new growth. I've had new whips growing 2'+ off of them. The plants are roughly 5' tall from the ground. There are no limbs all the way up and the trunk is ~2" in diameter. All the growth is on the top and it's all coming out of the top 4". I know it was probably cut and encouraged to do this at the nursery, since many people will buy them as a container plant or as a decorative plant for a small yard.

However, she has a large yard and would like to grow this tree much larger. I know they do grow to be large and I would love something that grew to look like this:

I will add pictures of what mine currently look like soon, but my question is about how to encourage them to grow bigger. With a regular tree, they'd tend to put branches straight up and I could choose a leader to encourage it to grow. However, these all hang down. Will they just keep building up higher, will it eventually put out a leader, do I need to pick one that's close to the top and splint it up till it thickens and stays pointing up? What do I do in this situation. Thank you.

Edit: Here are the pictures I promised. Also, the back of the plant tag said it would get roughly 34-40' tall and have a 20-30' spread. I did see that it was grafted. When I say it has whips growing out, you'll see them in the pick, they don't grow straight out. It appears there were branches on the grafted section that were pruned back and the new whips are growing horizontally and down from near these joints. Because of the tag, I wasn't really worried about the height, but more about if I needed to do anything to encourage it to grow upwards, since the branches all droop. I didn't know if a leader would eventually grow upright.


texts:
I came across this tree when going for a walk last weekend.

I live in a rather cold climate. In winter we experience -10°C and less so I was suprised to find this tree that looks like it comes from some warmer climate.
Anyone knows what that is?


texts: Making a leylandii hedge more bushy and thick

texts:
I have this long, very tall leylandii hedge, I guess the taller ones are approaching 40 feet high and one for thick trunks.

Especially the older ones are quite sparse... Fine as trees but this is my privacy barrier from a main road both for noise, and people seeing through.

The other day I saw another leylandii hedge that was very neat and very dense - it looked totally solid, almost fake!

What can I do, if anything, to get a denser foliage?


texts:
I found a caterpillar in my garden in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is mostly black/brown, quite large, and has four white patches on its head. The tail has a small spotted white tip. It’s is about 10cm long
Here is an image:

Should I kill it, or is it safe to let it free. Will it destroy my garden?


texts:
I have a potting mix from a majestic palm that I'm attempting to reuse, it has some odd small green balls in it that are maybe one or two mm large, perfectly spherical and uniform.  I opened one and it appeared to break like plastic and was hollow inside.  What is this, a slow release fertilizer?  Is it biodegradable or is this plastic ball going to be in the soil forever?

Thanks


texts:
We bought a rose we love about two years ago in US zone 10a (California Bay Area) and lost the tag, and have been searching online trying to identify the variety-- and thought one of the experts here might have an idea. It has almost no scent, and here are a few photos of a bloom, buds, and its habit.

The only other thing my wife remembers is it's not a David Austen style, because that's the style she usually buys and she remembers this one being different. Thanks for any tips, ideas, or resources... or requests for other information or photos that would help..

I read a few articles about using the "everyrose" database, but that web site seems to be down currently.


texts:
I have a 5.5 acre lot backing up to a field where the farmer rotates corn/soy beans. Voles haven't been a problem until this year, but now they're taking over! The yard is now riddled with their holes and paths.

I've trapped (mouse traps) 14 voles so far in just under 2 days. Is this a pointless endeavor, or should I keep going with this method?  It's time-consuming to check, clear and reset the 64 traps I have out. If there are 1,000 voles out there, I have no chance, but if 100, maybe worth keep going?

Any thoughts, suggestions...etc welcome!


texts: Can I cross pollinate basil and chili peppers?

texts:
If I want to plant 2 different species of chili pepper, should I be careful to prevent cross pollination? I heard that chili are self-pollinating, but I don't understand this. Wouldn't any plant become self-pollinated if we use their anther to brush their stigma?

In addition, I wonder whether different genus plant can be hybridized, because I want to plant sweet basil, together with holy basil and wonder if it'll cross-pollinate with the chilis.


texts:
A couple of years ago, during a holidays in Segovia (Spain), I picked some seeds from a couple of trees.
I sowed them and eventually, some baby trees were born.
I wonder if some of you knows what kind of tree they are.
You can see them in Google Maps:
https://www.google.es/maps/@40.9493991,-4.1259099,3a,38.4y,6h,104.32t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sKweY1Wbj4qFQs6SXAm_U6g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

(The brown "leaves" in the branches are some paper-like tulips which have the seeds inside)
And one of those I planted so you can see the leaves  (We are in a heat wave and my plants are a little bit sad!):

Any clues? Thanks!

Edit:
Good news! I moved these to larger pots and pruned them, and they are growing greener and happier. Thanks you all for the advices!


texts:
I'm fresh at growing radish, I used Captain Jack's Deadbug Brew and Shake 'N Feed Vegetable Plant Food.
I found part of the radish is above the soil, is it ok? Do I need to cut some leaves? How can I ensure radish is good to harvest?
Thanks a lot


texts:
Unfortunately where I am Google is blocked so my searching for this tree is somewhat crippled.

Found by a staircase to an overpass in the city of Urumqi, with temperatures ranging from -/+ 34 deg Celcius. Right now it's closer to the latter.

And seed pods opened


texts:
I had both cilantro and parsley growing in this container. Much time has passed, and now I have no idea what I'm looking at!

click on the image for a larger version

I want to grow just parsley in this pot now- should I rip out what I've got here and start fresh with a transplant or seeds? Or is this something dormant that's going to release seeds and start fresh?

Thanks


texts: What is causing tip dieback of Norway Spruce?

texts: This is a recently planted Norway Spruce in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. 1/3 planted trees is experiencing tip dieback. Is this planting stress, symptom of a tip blight, or something else?


texts:
These seedlings are 3 weeks old that are grown indoors still in a bio-dome plug.
They started developing white spots on the first real leaves. Is it a fungus?


texts: Plants not growing well in containers despite taking all the measures that I could read about

texts:
can people please help me out on what can I do in order to grow the plants in containers. This summer, I had planted bitter gourd as well, as bottle gourd and lemongrass in different containers. These were in large grow bag containers measuring about 3 feet in height and 2 ft in  breadth and  length (one plant in each of the containers).
I filled them with potting mix. I also made the holes at the bottom for drainage and in fact made holes in the side also. I placed them by the side of a bed where the same plants were planted in the ground.

The bitter gourd produced only a few fruits though it did flower quite a bit but none of the fruits ever grew. The bottle gourd was similar. While the plant, which was in the ground produced almost 30 KG of bottle gourd, the plant in the container produced around three KG. For the lemongrass, the one which was planted in the ground looks like a thick bush. The one planted in the container did grow, but it is a far cry from being dense.

All I could understand from reading about plants being grown in container was that the drain it should be good and therefore we made sure that the soil was properly aerated. What else can be done?

Are there any case studies or even papers anywhere on this? Most of the knowledge that I have got is by watching YouTube videos and reading about it and none of it is helping so I thought maybe getting more technical perhaps will help.

Please advise. Thank you for any inputs
Edit : as required in the comments, I am appending the photographs. The first one is the image of the lemongrass planted in the ground. The second is the image of the lemongrass planted in the container. You can see how dense the lemongrass planted in the ground is as I was not even able to capture the entire plant with the camera standing at about the same distance as I was when taking the picture of the lemongrass in the container. The third picture is that of the larger container that I had used with the same results for the lemongrass as in the smaller container


texts: Should I pinch out the flowers on my potato plants?

texts:
After a very warm and dry spring, my potato plants have already started to bloom in early June. I wondered if they are putting a significant amount of energy into producing the flowers, and if pinching them out would cause the plants to put that energy into producing tubers instead.

Does pinching out flowers on a potato plant have an affect on the crop, whether in the number or size of the tubers?


texts: Is it safe to grow vegetable bushes like Tomato and Chili Peppers on an Active Compost?

texts: I have a 2 months old compost and there are still undecomposed greens in it, and I also have propagated some varieties of Capsicum cultivars & Tomato cultivars and they are getting bigger that they need to be transplanted to a larger containers. Will they grow on an active compost?


texts: How should I save an oak tree wounded by ground root removal?

texts: I had somebody remove some oak tree roots from the ground one month ago. Now a couple of branches look dried. Others have no new leaves growing and the old leaves are dropping. This is in Houston, Texas. What should I do to save this tree? Thanks!


texts:
We currently have bowls of apple-cider vinegar set out, and the flies are definitely attracted to them but very few are actually ending up IN the vinegar. Mostly they are just sitting on the bowl.

What are other pesticide-free ways of killing fruit flies?


texts: What's happening to my tomato plant leaves?

texts:
Can you help me identify what this is on my tomato plant leaves? It's like inside the leaf..you can't feel it by touching the leaf.

If the info helps, the plants are in a container.


texts:
here is my peace lily: https://imgur.com/a/XE8oeH8

first picture is 4 months ago and second picture is from an hour ago.

It is blooming way more than it has 4 months ago, so I guess I am doing a good job taking care of it? but why is my peace lily slouching instead of "standing up" straight?


texts: What are these wooden posts ringed with copper tubes for?

texts:
My friends recently moved into a new house and found these wooden posts in the garden.  In a roughly triangular formation, each is ringed by vertical copper(?) tubes, maybe 1cm wide.  We assume that they supported something but can't figure out what.  We thought perhaps it was for climbing plants, but there are much simpler options for that and the layout is weird.  The estate agent didn't know what they were and my friends aren't in contact with the previous owners.

Two extra facts that may or may not be relevant - extensive work has been done to the garden but we don't know the timeline, so it's possible the wooden fence and paved area weren't there when the posts were added.  Finally, the flower bed in the background was once a sandpit, which suggests that the garden has been modified for children at some point.

Edit: added some new photos, including a close-up top-down view.  The pipes are nailed to the posts...


texts: Can I grow a Szechuan/Sichuan pepper tree from store bought peppercorns meant for cooking?

texts: The packaging for the peppers just states that they have been dried and they don't look like they have been processed much.


texts: How can I protect small fruit plants that were planted in the fall to survive the winter?

texts:
I have two blueberry bushes and some raspberry bushes that are suppose to be delivered next month. I was planning on planting them in the ground, but it doesn't seem like it will be a whole lot of time after for them to get established before winter.

I live in Zone six, and our winter is usually pretty late, it will get cold in december and snow in January.

I was wondering if there was a way I could make sure they're protected over the winter, so that the frost and cold wouldn't be so much of a worry for them. Or maybe it's not a worry at all?

I was thinking about making a little greenhouse type structure with some scrap wood and painter's plastic.


texts: How do I grow grass in a North Texas climate under trees?

texts:
I have giant bare spots underneath two trees in my front yard.  The climate is that of North Texas near Dallas. The soil content seems to be a lot of clay and dirt that dries out easily. My house faces to the South if that helps.

The previous owners of the home had to have some of the house's foundation pillars replaced/worked on. I think this resulted in a lot of the lawn being upturned near the front of the home.  Even though it can get dry, most of the rest of the yard is overall healthy, even in dry stretches. I try to water the grass in those times to keep it going.

To try and solve this problem, I used a cultivator to loosed the soil. I purchased some Scott's grass seed that helps to retain water. I threw that down and proceeded to water everyday as instructed.  In addition, I've tried to help the soil by putting down weed and feed, hoping it would help to improve the soil quality. I saw very minimal results. Most of it never grew. I'm not sure if this is a result of the shade under the trees, the trees themselves, or bad soil. When I pick up the soil it's pretty loose, with a little stickiness to it.

My question is, how do I grow grass in these bare spots?  Or is there another way to handle this?


texts:
I've been contemplating putting up a fence, but I'm not exactly sure how high it should be.  Can anyone point me to some instructions on what specs a good deer fence should have as well as how to build it?

I have also seen motion sensor sprinklers that claim to scare deer away when they get too close.  Has anyone had any luck with these?  If it would work I would rather go this route.


texts:
I recently got a ficus bonsai and I've been following instructions to keep it pruned, however, I have a few questions that I can't find information on.

I've allowed a few branches to get a bit longer than they should have and I'm a bit worried about cutting those back. If I cut them back, how will that affect my bonsai? Will the new shoots grow and continue the growth of the branches I cut back, or will that effectively be stopping the branch from growing from that point? Or would it create a point were a new branch will grow from the pruned point?

Thank you for any help.


texts: Identify tree with gray ridged bark and large cordate leaves


texts: When to cut chives for drying, and can I separate them?

texts:
Should I wait until my chives have bloomed to cut them for or can I cut them anytime? Will the taste be different? I'm growing them in a small terracotta pot inside. They're small but I read online to snip them when they're about 8" tall, and they're about that.

Also, this is a pod of 4 bulbs. Should I separate them? And will separating them help growth? Or a bigger pot (included a yard stick for size reference in pic). Some plants don't handle damage to roots very well, and I'm an amateur to edible gardening.


texts: I need to identify this Unusual plant growing in pot in my garden

texts: It has green insignificant fluffy looking flowers growing all down the stem and each one now has a smaller version of the main leaves growing from it! The plant is only about 30 inches tall.   It is not related to the other green camelia growing in the same pot behind it.


texts: What causes spruce branches to drop their needles?

texts: I have a spruce tree that has a problem. Every year, some branches suddenly drop all of their green needles and die. I would like to prevent this, but I don't know what the cause is. What causes this and how do I prevent it?


texts: Computerised record of vegetable plot plan over time

texts:
I'm looking for a simple solution for keeping track of where I have planted various plants over time. The most obvious solution seems to be to use something like Inkscape, which is free, and allows me to label what has been planted where, and unlike paper notes, I can make simple adjustments by 'duplicating' a layer of the drawing, adding the date, and modifying the new layer with any changes in the garden. This will allow me to go back in time and see where, for example, I had planted potatoes four years ago. The 'inactive' layers on the graphical drawing can be turned off, so I can essentially get a 2D map of the garden across time. I can then add notes to each of the graphical layer so that I can learn from previous years' mistakes and triumphs.

However, I don't want to reinvent the wheel, and I'm sure there must be people already out there doing something like this in a computerised way. I wonder if anyone can suggest either (a) a bank of graphical objects that I can dump into my Inkscape drawing to represent things like trees, paths, etc, or (b) an alternative free software that does what I'm trying to achieve even more easily..?

I'm not looking for anything too fancy (i.e. I'm not designing a garden); just a way of keeping track of what's gone where, and how well it worked in the past.


texts: What are my options for plant choices near a pressure treated retaining wall at base of backyard fence?

texts:
My backyard has a fence built on a retaining wall of pressure treated wood which was built some 15 yrs ago to address height/level difference between my yard and backyard neighbor's yard. When I couldn't get a Bower vine to succeed there I dug in and explored. I found the cut off tops of the fence post had been buried there, rotted and left tunnels that water would escape through. (I filled them in.) It also left behind more chemicals. I've also had sweet peas, and morning glories fail there.

We had tons of rain this past winter, but it doesn't wash chemicals away. Existing shrubs (crepe myrtles & raphiolepis) which were there before the fence and retaining wall were replaced are doing fine, but could I expect new plantings to succeed there now? How far from the fence would be safe and not be affected by the chemicals?


texts: Are these black pods something to do with wasps?

texts:
I have a tree that is swarming with wasps. I cannot see a nest but assume there is one somewhere. I also noticed the tree is covered in patches of black pod types things:

Are the two things related? If not, what could these pods be?

This is in the south of the UK.


texts: What disease is affecting this rosemary?

texts:
My rosemary has been looking like this since last summer. It's currently getting worse. New leafs (if it develops any) soon have these white little spots on it.

What disease is this? Maybe false mildew?

What would be a good treatment for this?

Edit: In a first version of this post, I said the plant was a thyme, but it's a rosemary of course.


texts: How should I prepare garlic bulbs prior to planting?

texts:
To add to the recent garlic posts, I thought I'd make my own.

I noticed that some store bought garlic was starting to sprout in the fridge, and so took some out to see if they might be viable for planting now that it's close to winter.  Now, this garlic is imported from China, and is supposed to be fumigated and treated to prevent sprouting.

but what I found when I split it open was that it was full of onion aphids.  I'm guessing that some eggs were laid inside the bulb at some stage and then hatched after we bought them from the store.

So, my question is, what are the recommended cultural practices for planting garlic cloves that are bought, and how to prevent pests and diseases being imported into your garden?


texts: This alien-looking plant sprouted very suddenly from a clump of moss, several months after the moss had been brought in from the outdoors. I've never seen anything like it. It doesn't have a grass-like shaft, it resembles a fern but isn't a variety I know or can find through research. It's also definitely not part of the moss. Originally from California, if that helps. Also, when it sprouted it came up with it's seed pod/shell trapped on it's head, so I know it came from a seed. I'm extremely curious, any ideas?


texts: What is the best time of the year to plant St. Augustine grass plugs?

texts: I live in Dallas, Texas. When would you say the best time of year would be to plant St. Augustine grass plugs?


texts: Flowering plant identification and why might flowers not open?

texts:
Are there common/well-known (and hopefully curable) reasons why a plant's flowers would fail to open?
The plant in the pictures below has remained in the same earthenware pot - about 45cm at the top, tapering down to 30 cm, and about 40 cm tall - for at least the four years since I inherited it along with a property purchase.

Notice that none of the flowers have actually opened - they've actually been that way for a good four weeks at least. The same is true of the entire plant: not one flower has actually opened! Some have even started wilting without having ever even opened - as in the first picture. I'm almost certain this is the first year the plant has behaved this way - I'm nearly sure the plant was "unexeptional" last year, just going through a "normal" cycle of flowers budding, blooming, and dying.
What are reasons this might be happening? And is there anything I can do to help the plant get back to being healthy?
Also, I'm curious if anyone can help identify the plant. The plant is in southern California, but I have no idea if it is native to the area. I don't think I've seen it anywhere "out in the wild" locally.

Update: As requested, posting a fuller profile pic of the plant with non-opening flowers:

Here's a picture of its neighbor plant - not five feet away. Other than the neighbor plant's flowers being more fully pink than the "sick" one's white/pink mottling, I'd have said they're the same type of plant. Interesting that the healthy one grows far more upward than outward, which the "sick" one seems to prefer.

Lastly, here's a closeup of the healthy neighbor plant's fully opened flower:


texts: What happens if you plant lettuce in hot weather?

texts:
For whatever reason my lettuce (except for the mustard) in my mesclun mix didn't take this year.  I'm about ready to rotate in something else, but I'd really like a decent crop of lettuce.

I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be able to plant lettuce and pick it while it's still really tiny right?  I thought the reason you shouldn't plant it in hot weather was because it bolts quick.  Does it just not taste good?


texts:
Is it possible to save trees that are harmed by dog urine?

I have some young trees which died some time ago, and at first I didn’t understand why that happened. But it happened very suddenly. The trunk began to get black and the leaves became dry very fast.

Now I have a few trees again affected by these symptoms.

Is it possible to stop the dying of the young trees? Is there a counter elixir that will eliminate the saline solution, acids and highly concentrated urea (chloride)?

I have also heard that urine is a fertilizer, but apparently not for young trees and not if the urine is overdosed.

Will it help to water the affected trees extensively?


texts: The garden balsam doesn't seem as healthy and fresh as it used to be

texts: It's been a few days since we noticed something like a spider web and a few semi-bugs living  on the leafs. The store where I bought it from was a big greenhouse and they warned us to keep it away from direct sunlight but as I googled to learn more about its soil requirements and watering frequency, it turned out it needs full sunlight. Please give me some accurate information about this Plant. What's wrong with it? How to save it?


texts: How should I drain an overly watered potted plant?

texts:
Sometimes one leaves a potted plant in the care of people who then proceed to overwater your plants.  If rot ensues, you may be forced to repot the whole plant which can be messy, and tricky if it's a largish tree.

What are other ways to remediate a pot with excessive water in the potting mix?


texts: Starting seeds before the age of seed trays?

texts:
Related to this question Why is it best to start seeds in shallow trays? I'm questioning the need for seed trays. In particular I'm wondering how did folks start seeds before these mass produced plastic seed trays were available?

Were egg cartons more commonly used? Were regular pots, or special clay trays, used to start seeds? Or was less indoor starting done, because heat mats and grow lights were less available?

I try to use minimal money and fossil fuel to garden. I like direct seeding but wanted to start some things indoors to get to harvests a little sooner. I have a heat mat already and two small grow lights, and I'd be starting small batches of seeds for a small household garden. I have various gardening materials, including some seed trays, but I'm wondering how I could start seeds without those special made plastic trays. How would my great grandma have done it?


texts: Separating landscaping from short foundation and low wood siding

texts:
We have a house with a concrete block foundation, a layer of brick on the outside visible portion of the foundation, and painted wood siding that comes down to within an inch of the surrounding ground.

We have a very shallow pitch from the side of the house out to the street, but want to put in landscaping beds around the house. What's the best way to put in the beds but keep moisture away from the wood siding?

We're considering:

Raising the beds as little as we can and keep the height low next to the house
Putting a 12-inch barrier of gravel between the house and the beds
Put a vinyl cover over the bottom layer of the siding (one landscaping contractor suggested this, but we're worried that it would just trap moisture against the siding)

What would be the best way to go keeping moisture away from the bottom of the house?


texts: Do you grow or have info on the evergreen stewartia (sometimes listed under the genus hartia)

texts:
My earlier question has seemed to generate much confusion so I am taking a stab at re-writing it.  Part of me fears that this board doesn't contain enough plant geeks (aka plant collectors), and perhaps it better suited for the American Public Garden Association but before I go there I hope others here might have experience with these plants.

We currently grow 5 species of deciduous stewartia and I have my eyes on another 3 or 4.  However, I recently learned about the "evergreen" stewartia from the same 2008 Royal Horticulture article that @stormy linked to.  Wikipedia suggests that some botanists classify the evergreen stewartia in the genus Hartia, so to avoid confusion I am going to call the group of plants I am interested in learning about Hartia.

The RHS article suggests that Hartia is not well know in the public garden sector, and has not been introduced into the nursery trade in either Europe or the US.  The two articles above are my sole references to Hartia - I have found nothing in my 'common' references - Bean, Dirr, Rehder, etc, and was wondering if folks out there have come across references that talk about evergreen stewartia.

The second half of my question is a reach out the the gardening community to ask it anyone (especially in the US) is growing these plants.  Poly Hill Arboreteum, the US national stewartia collection doesn't list any among their collections (dead or alive) under either genus.  I haven't done a search of other major US  arboreta, but I suspect nobody is growing this genus.  If you are growing an evergreen steartia (Hartia) in your private garden, I would love to know how you heard about it, where you found it, etc.

If you are else where in the world and grow this genus, I would love to touch base.  Perhaps there are issues with the genus that I'm not aware of that have prevented it from entering into the nursery trade.

Lastly, if there are any taxonomic geeks out there that would be willing to point me towards a better understanding of if I'm looking for the genus Stewartia or the genus Hartia that would most wonderful.


texts: Can you help me identify this pear-shaped fruit?

texts:
I need help identifying a strange fruit I discovered while camping. Its characteristics are:

Roughly pear-shaped
Bright green
Dark green "spikes" on fruit
Grown on a vine
Large seeds (≈1 in)
Fruit is ≈4 in
found on cliff face in the San Juans in Washington in the United States


texts: I planted tomato seeds into a seed starting tray (one of those 72 pro hex ones) on May 8th and they germinated after only about 4-6 days. They've been growing well under led shop lights and I've been watering daily but recently have started flopping over and being weak. Why is this happening and how do I fix it? Is it possible they need to be put into a larger container at this point? The leaves look healthy enough and they've been growing under an led light for 16 hours a day.


texts: Should I leave or remove sand under a demolished brick walkway to allow grass to grow?

texts: I started demolishing an old brick walkway in my backyard and I found sand underneath about a good 3 inches worth of sand. My question is: If I leave the sand underneath and add about 2 inches of topsoil over the sand, will my grass grow on this top soil sitting on top of sand? Is it a bad idea to leave the sand down there? Should I remove it?


texts: I have had this cat palm plant for over a year now. Over the last couple of months I notice that the leaves are turning yellow. I’ve tried watering it less and then more


texts: Avocado leaves are browning and shriveling up

texts:
The plant was fine until a few days ago when i finally brought it outside. It has spent all of winter indoors in the same pot.

The browning on this one greatly differs from the one that has salt burns, this one is a much more mild, greenish brown, spread evenly throughout the leaf.

Also note that the only leaves affected thus far are the ones facing the sunny side.

One more leaf is just starting to brown, but hasn't started to shrivel up yet.


texts: How should I trim spent flowers from a sun star (Ornithogalum dubium)?

texts:
I've read several online guides about taking care of sun star, Ornithogalum dubium, plants, but I'm confused about how to trim off the spent flowers. The instructions say to "remove spent flowers from the base, and another guide says to gently pull them out (and that it wouldn't harm the plant).

I can easily pull the individual spent flowers out of the spike:

Or am I supposed to pull the entire thing out of the plant? I tried to gently pull one of them out (one without any flowers on it) but it wouldn't budge. Should I be cutting the entire spike off? How do I trim the spent flowers here?


texts: No sun in apartment, options for seedlings/propagation?

texts:
I have roof apartment with northfacing windows and southfacing terrace. Unfortunatley, there is no windowstill on the windows, and roof angle means that any particular spot on the floor has direct sunlight only about 2-3 hours a day.
Trying to come up with a solution for seedlings propagation indoors and i only see two options -grow light or mini-greenhouse on southfacing terrace. Avg outdoor temps in my area are - 4c in Feb and 9c in March. Will greenhouse even work with that ?


texts: Automatic drain valve for drip irrigation

texts:
I have a terraced drip irrigation system that is a few stories high.  I’d like to put an automatic  (but passive) drain valve at the bottom, so that when the system isn’t pressurized, the valve opens up and drains the water out of the system tubing into a cistern.  But when the system turns on again, the pressure closes the valve, and it waters like normal.

I don’t know what such a valve is called though.  I have searched amazon and the web under many different search terms, but am not finding what I want.

One thought... Could I use an anti-siphon valve (installed backwards?) to do what I want?


texts:
I have been growing my own Chilli's in the kitchen window sill, but this has resulted in a massive greenfly epidemic.

I've tried two different brands of bug spray Provado Ultimate Bug Killer and Doff All in one bug spray and they seem to be immune! Both are supposedly for use on fruit and veg but they don't seem to do a thing :(

Does anyone have any recommendations for getting rid of them and also preventing them from coming back?

I am based in Derby, England.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Cheers,

Gareth


texts: 8-month avocado plant developed large spots on leaves that are spreading... what do I do?

texts: I have an ~8 month avocado plant that was growing really well until about two months ago, when it started developing large dark brown spots on the leafs. The spots continued to spread to the neighboring leafs (started at the bottom leafs and have moved up), until the entire leaf browns and dries up, at which time I remove. At one point the plant was also drooping, but water seemed to help that. I also moved the plant into a larger pot, and have been spraying some fertilizer on it but it seems to be progressing, with the leaves turning brown and curling on the ends. I moved the plant to a sunnier spot a couple of days ago, but it does still get cold in the house. Any suggestions on how to proceed to prevent my plant from dying? :( Thank you in advance!!


texts:
We would like to build a brick fence with the leftover bricks from the house. The height of the piers will be 1.6m. What height should the wall in between the piers be? I would like to grow a hedge behind the fence, if that makes any difference. Would love to hear your advice.

This is the fence I mocked up.


texts: What kinds of gloves are best for handling thorny rose bushes?

texts: I have a couple of rose bushes in my new house and the thorns in the bush (there are a lot of them!) go right through my current gardening gloves, and they hurt. what kind of gloves are available that will prevent rose bushes from stabbing my hands?


texts: How tall will my Dracaena fragrans grow?

texts:
I have a potted dracaena fragrans that I got from a garden store. How tall will potted ones like this grow? Related, how long should I expect it to live with proper care?

I should note that it has a dark brown waxy ring around the top of the stalk almost like it was painted - maybe it was cut and this was put ? I don't know what that means.


texts: How should budding off be prevented on Gardenias?

texts: How can budding off be stopped on a mature Gardenia? The plant is healthy in all other ways, but the buds always fall off before opening. What is causing this?


texts: I have a bonsai ash but would like stone lower branches on the tree. Can I force the mini-tree to make any?


texts:
What is this Wild Grass that randomly grows in 3 spots?

Any ideas? Thanks?


texts: Tree / shrub identification, grows in Ireland

texts: Can anyone identify this plant? It grows in Ireland. Picture taken in October so it is somewhat hardy (was about -1 at night recently). Looks a bit like Bay Leaf tree but no smell.