texts: 80mm decking post into a 75mm metal post holder

texts:
It appears posts designed for balustrades are 80mm wide whereas fence posts are only 75mm.  The problem being is wedge-grip post holders are made for 75mm posts.

Firstly I wonder:

Why are fence posts and decking posts different widths?
Can I use a 75mm fence post for my balustrade?
Is there an easy, and effective way to remove 2.5mm from each side (up to the height of the post holder so it'll fit in neatly.

Or:

Are there alternative ways to a metpost to hold an 80mm timber post upright safely - on a concrete platform with a 1m drop on the otherside?


texts: I have some Roma Tomatoes that I have just brought outside the last few days now that we have some warmer nights (50s) and hotter days (70s and 80s) to harden off.  I noticed this morning some light browning on the leaves and was wondering if this was anything I needed to worry about and/or if there was anything I could do about it.


texts:
I have several rosemary bushes in the backyard; I live in San Francisco and rosemary thrives here.

However, the landlord overwatered one of the bushes for several months.  It's now got some kind of fungus or root-rot which causes it to look unhealthy and the leaves on some branches to turn yellow.  Since then, I've removed the soaker hose he put there, and have been letting it dry out.  It doesn't seem to be getting better though.

My question is: is there a way I can rescue this rosemary bush?  Should I expect it to recover with mostly dry soil and infrequent watering?  Or is it doomed at this point and I should rip it out and plant another one?


texts:
The plum tree produced lot of fruits last season, but, there is no sign of any leaves yet this year. We are well in to spring (Auckland, NZ) and all I can see is a bare tree and some green growth on it. I initially tried to remove it by hand, but, it did not work. The stem looks really dry and I cannot see any green scratching the surface. I do not remember exactly when we got leaves last time, but, it was very quick from nothing to whole tree full of leaves.
obviously, I want to save the tree, any insights will be very useful.


texts: Using clothesline in the garden - what needs the most support?

texts:
So, a yet another windstorm came through this week and dropped a branch tree on my clothesline, ripped it right off the house!

I was planning repurposing the line on using to support my peas next year, but they're doing just fine on the front lines with just jute twine.  So I thought I'd ask what veggies could benefit the most from being propped up with the steel reinforced clothesline wire? I've got about 300 feet of it.


texts: Do Pawpaws do well in common landscape settings in hardiness zones 6B?

texts:
I've seen wild pawpaw in VA, but never spent the time to investigate any special growing conditions. I'd love to plant them as an edge plant here in NY, but I've never seen them around here. I'm wondering if there's a good reason for that absence.

So, is it possible to grow them productively on Long Island?

What are the soil, lighting, fertility, and watering requirements?

How far from optimal could conditions vary while still producing fruit?


texts: How to remedy die-off of lower and middle branches on my plum tree?

texts:
Introduction

I have a plum tree that is not doing well. It is situated alongside a dirt road which gets regular (but not heavy) traffic. There's not a lot of wind, and the sun shines on it for about half the day.

For the last 4 or 5 years, the branches on my plum tree have been growing in a strange pattern. Every year, there are three zones:

Bottom zone (red line in the picture above): The lowest thick branches have no twigs or leaves.
Middle zone (yellow line in the picture above): Branches in the middle (about 6-10 feet above the ground) have sick twigs and few leaves.
Top zone (green line in the picture above): The top of the tree (about 10-15 feet above the ground) has lots of healthier-looking twigs and leaves.

The sparse nature of the middle zone is hard to see in this picture due to the background trees and the poor camera/photographer (I include a close-up below). In reality the tree looks pretty goofy, because the majority of the leaves are very high off the ground.

Every year it seems the bottom zone gets taller, and the middle and top zones start a little higher off the ground.

Here's a description of the three zones:

Bottom zone

The trunk and the thick branches in the bottom zone have lots of lichen. They also have some cracks in the bark which expose orange/yellowish streaks, like this:

Middle zone

In the middle zone, there are a lot of twigs. Some of the twigs have no leaves on them (but did have leaves in previous years). Some twigs have small, dead, shriveled-up leaves. And some twigs have a few, leaves at the ends. Here's a close-up picture of some twigs from the middle zone, where you can see the typical distribution of leaves. There are also some of the dark, shriveled-up leaves in this picture. (In the full-tree picture above, the angle and background trees make it hard to tell the nature of the 'middle zone'.)

This year (and some previous years), the leaves have holes in them, like this:

Top zone

All the good twigs and leaves are at the top of the tree. They're not great, but they're good and they're the best the tree has. They are packed with flowers every year, and some years I get an occasional small fruit.

They grow tall and there's little or no lichen.

I say they're "good not great" because by this time of year, those top leaves also have lots of holes in them (see leaf close-up above) and the fruit-production is almost non-existent. (I've only got one plum tree, so maybe that's why there's almost no fruit.)

Summary

What's causing the slow die-off of this tree from the bottom up, and how do I promote healthy growth on the lower branches?

I have not taken good care of this tree. This means little to no fertilizing and pruning in the last few years. I know I need to feed and prune it, but at this point I'd like to integrate the feeding and pruning with a broader approach to solving the three-zone problem.

I've thought about grafting top branches onto the lower parts of the tree (but I don't have experience grafting), I've thought about severely pruning the top to tree to force growth on the lower branches (feels too risky!), and I've thought about just removing the tree (too passive).

Thanks in advance for your ideas.


texts:
I bought a house 2 years ago in San Francisco where the yard had been allowed to do whatever it pleased.  Now I have an amazing mix of clover, weeds and grass throughout the entire yard.

Is there a good selective herbicide I can use or is my only option ripping out the lawn and re-sodding/seeding.

We plan on doing a major renovation on our house in a few years, so I am looking for relatively inexpensive options to improve the lawn without feeling guilty later when the renovation hurts/destroys it.


texts: How to prepare a small vege garden for Toronto's winter?

texts: We have about 5 small garden beds, that we grow tomato, peppers, okra, egg plants etc.  After the growing season (Apr - Sep; Toronto, Canada) we usually bury the left over stems and leave the beds exposed for the winter.  I have read that covering up the beds with mulch would be better, keeping the soil warmer!.  Is that so?  What else should we do to prepare the garden for the winter?


texts:
My aunt has several varieties of store-bought Phalaenopsis orchids which were blooming when she bought them last spring. However, after the blooms fell off, they did not bloom again.

Throughout the summer she continued to water them using the ice cube method. She kept them on a screened porch in an area where they only received morning sunlight.

The tags don't explain anything except how to water them. She has some small ones (about 4-5 inches tall when they had a flowering stalk) and some large ones (12-15 inches tall when they had a flowering stalk). They were mixed variety which she bought at the local Kroger store.

The roots still appear to be healthy and several of the plants have grown new leaves but still there have been no further blooms.

She has even tried using the "orchid food" fertilizers. Any ideas on how to help the orchids flower again?


texts: How do gardeners revive succulents and root them?

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For example, I picked these up from some rather poorly maintained succulents, and want to revive the leaves, somehow.

I'm soaking them in water for a few hours, then putting half in water, half out, in hopes that they'll absorb some.

On one particularly large dried leaf, I cut off a centimeter of material from the base of the leaf, and put it in a vase, half submerged, with the cut down.

Is it even possible to revive from a condition where the leaves are brown, but are still flexible and contain moisture?

If it WAS possible, what would increase my chances of successfully reviving and rooting these leaves?

That is, for an answer relevant to a more general audience, what "leaf revival" options are most likely to work for a given common variety of succulent?


texts:
The plant (Syzygium cumini) was growing really good, but now I see these black spots on the new leaves. What is this and what to do next?

Some fungus in soil? Insect? physical damage? What's causing this? The plant was growing really good (apart form some deformed leaves) with really long and green leaves. I live in Delhi.


texts: Piece of fabric in planter, how to use it?

texts:
I bought few planters with soil and basil seeds included. There was also piece of fabric at the bottom that I do not know what to do with. There were no instructions and I wasn't able to google anything (I do not know right keywords I guess, I am very new to anything gardening related).

planter looks like this:

An idea occurred to me while writing this question, was I supposed to thread that piece of fabric through those slits at the bottom of top part so that it could pull moisture from bottom part up toward the soil? If so, how exactly is it supposed to look? Is it too late to fix it now?

Bonus questions:
What is this type of planter called and how to use (water) it properly?


texts:
We purchased our home two years ago and inherited what the former owner called two young "plum trees". Is this in fact a plum tree/bush?

If so, what kind is it? What can I do to encourage it to yield fruits? We didn't receive any blossoms this year, just new leaves.
Thank you!


texts:
I am a beginner gardener. I wanted to know if aquatic plants can grow in a small (100 x 10 x 10 inch) outdoor water tank filled with clean tap water? Also, does the water have to be treated in any way?

Also, are there are any good books that you would suggest? And any particular water plants that would easily grow in London?

Thank you.


texts: What has caused this strange growth on my euonymus?

texts: We have an otherwise apparently healthy euonymus in our garden, but a couple of branches have gone very pale, wide and flat with tightly bunched stunted leaves on the end. What causes this and is it anything to worry about?


texts: enter image description hereI have an outdoor patio in New Mexico bordered in bricks set in Mortar.  These bricks were set 5 years ago.They get wet from the sprinklers.  They are seperating from the concrete foundation.  You can tap the bricks and the mortar falls off in big chunks leaving the brick clean of any mortar.  I have a brick border that is 20 years old getting wet from the same sprinkler water and it is solid as can be.  My contractor wants to charge me to re-do what i think was a bad martor mix.  Does anyone have ideas as to what the problem may be beyond bad mix?


texts: Habit of Clethra alnifolia 'Pink Spires' (aka summersweet)

texts:
At the suggestion of @Jurp I purchased three clethras. The motivation is attracting wildlife, and having nice summer fragrance. Now however I don't know what to do with them, I'll explain the reason in a moment.

The nursery says they are 1m high max. They swear it is true. However, they delivered all three plants exciding their max height! :-o All are around 1.2m high. When I brought this to their attention, they just stared blankly at me.

If I search the internet, max height varies between 1m and 2.5m. I am afraid I will plant them in wrong place. Can you help?

Adult unpruned clethra 'Pink spires' should look like this:


texts:
I have found many blogs and articles saying that the original tomatoes (before selective breeding) were the size of peas.
Is this true for the majority of them? What is an authoritative source for this?


texts: What are the most effective ways to maximize solar radiation?

texts:
How can I maximize solar radiation for sun lovers?

For example, in central Germany, you'll have some summers that won't have a lot of sun and/or heat, yet you want big peppers and good grapes.


texts: Is there a way I can keep my plant cuttings humid indoors?

texts: I just started trying to root cuttings in a hydroponic cloning system I built. Is there any way I can keep my cutting humid indoors? Thanks.


texts: How can I get my fava beans to grow faster and start flowering?

texts: I planted some fava beans in large pots late october. They should be flowering by now, but all I can see is small flower buds, only in a couple of the plants. And it is growing very slowly. What can I do to help them?


texts:
I have a spruce that had green needles one day then in 2-3 days all the needles fell off the tree, still green and soft. I have no idea what could cause this but found it odd.

I am not sure if I should cut the tree down or if my other much larger spruces will have the same issue.

Will try to add pictures later


texts: What privacy hedge plants create little shade?

texts:
I'm interested in finding plants that make good hedges, but that have translucent leaves so as to let light through. I'm interested in plants that can create privacy without blocking all the light.

The reason I want the extra light is to allow for more sun in the garden (and to attract more pollinators—they like light).

What do you think would best handle this scenario?

(It's a bonus if they're edible, medicinal, or otherwise multipurpose.)

For landscaping purposes, I guess it doesn't really have to be a hedge of plants, if you can think of something else that could work.


texts: What is a desiccant and is it helpful when saving annual Snapdragon seeds for the winter?

texts: I live in Massachusetts and harvested some Snapdragon seeds to save for planting next spring. I've never done this, but have been told to let them dry, seal them in something airtight such as an envelope or small jar and store in a dark, cool place. One person suggested adding a desiccant to the seeds. What does that mean and is it an important part of the seed-saving process?


texts: Are these Holly tree leaves affected by White Mildew?

texts:
I just noticed that one of my Holly trees has some leaves with white tips like these:

It doesn't quite match pictures I've seen of White Mildew online, but I've never noticed this before so wanted to determine if this was anything serious.  My other Holly bushes and trees seem to be fine.  Could it be pest or heat related damage instead?  For perspective, I live in Middle Tennessee, which has pretty hot summers.


texts: What caused the roselle seedlings to emerge like this?

texts: I had planted some roselle seeds in a seed tray with an old mix of cocopeat, perlite, vermiculite and compost. The seeds were soaked in water before planting for some time. Now after eight days or so they are sprouting but two of them have one seed leaf rotten. Two of them couldn't break the seed coat. I had washed the seed trays with laundry detergent since I hadn't any sterilising agent available, but it was washed off with water thoroughly. What could be the cause of this and how do I avoid it since I need to plant new ones?


texts: How to help an avocado plant recover from plant transplant shock?

texts:
I have an avocado plant which has sat and grown happily (well probably not) on a windowsill in my flat for ~ 2 years.  I paid it no attention except to water it occasionally when I noticed it needed it as it was left here by an old flatmate.  I decided last weekend I wish to take better care of it as it looked like it wasn't doing so well, so I went to the garden centre and bought a new pot, soil and some filter type stuff and repotted the plant.

It has been a week since repotting and the plant looks very sad and thirsty.  I read up about plant shock after repotting and was aware this would happen.  But that after a week or so there should be some improvement, it only seems to be getting worse.

Here is a picture of the plant as a whole: .

I repotted the plant as it was in a much smaller plant pot and the tips of the leaves had started turning brown which I read that probably means the soil of the plant has a concentration of salt in it that is too high.  What's more I think the plant was just planted in soil taken from the garden which I also read is bad for an indoor plant.  Repotting the plant disturbed the roots significantly.  I cleaned all the existing soil from them (I don't know whether this was a good idea or not) by washing them in a bucket of water but did not trim any of the roots (as I didn't know to check for root rot).

I put it in a new, bigger, clay pot following advice from the garden centre with the following structure (sorry it's in german but the picture shows how it is set up).

Since repotting I have watered it a few days after repotting, letting the water drain through the soil as I read this should help the plant settle.  The soil is moist to the touch and does not feel like it needs watering again but as you can see the plant does look thirsty.  Should I water it more or not?

Is there anything I can do to help the plant recover and adapt to its new, hopefully better home?  The plant is in a warm room with ambient daytime temperature of ~18 degrees celsius and is above a radiator next to a window.  The window is east facing but this is not something that can be changed, nor can the plants location to another facing window.


texts:
My "raised" beds are infested with weeds and way too high maintenance, so I am planning on completely obliterating the garden, putting down weed block fabric, topping it with sand and rocks and pavers, and then getting some aluminum feed containers with fresh soil to plant in.

However, there is a large currant bush I don't want to leave behind. I could try digging it up and replanting it in one of the containers, but worried I will kill it and maybe even take the weeds with it's soil.

Or maybe there's a way to block the weed around it? Maybe tape up the stems and seal the ground with weed block fabric and rocks? Anything like that exist? I tried a rubber tree ring, but the weeds climb up through the gaps anyways. Mostly the vine weeds (morning glory?).

Any good ideas?

Thanks!


texts: Re: Apple tree regrowth after original cut down

texts:
I read the discussion about regrowth from a root, [or the rootstock] when the grafted variety had been felled. I reversed a car into a small named apple tree and damaged the tree so badly cutting it down seemed the best option. After mowing over the stump for the last few years I was very surprised to see regrowth ! I think if the 'tree' is that determined I'd like to give it a shot....
Could anyone advise how long it takes to be able to assess the regrowth to ascertain whether the regrowth is rootstock or the grafted variety ? In the earlier discussion someone mentioned 'prickly regrowth'. I assume that this refers to crab apple type foliage which becomes spiny/thorny but only after a few years. [I think crab/wild apple species are often used for rootstocks due to their vigour.] Is it just a question of waiting ? Is it feasible to identify what you may have from the differences in leaf type or shape sooner ?
Thanks A [Scotland UK]


texts: Is this crabgrass or thatch-whatever it is how do I get rid of it?


texts: Can I harvest vegetable seeds and store for the next year?

texts:
This discussion of seed storage got me wondering if it is feasible to harvest seeds from vegetables (I'm partial to tomatoes) as I cut them up for consumption.

Generally, I buy seeds each year. But if I have a steady supply, and it's not ill-advised, could I not save seeds for the next year? If so, what steps should I take? Is there a reason not to save vegetable seeds?


texts:
I am trying to figure out what type of weed this is. I was thinking horseweed but the more I look at it the less I think so. This is a picture of young plants.

It is growing in New Hampshire in an area close to seasonal wetlands (muddy during spring but otherwise dry).


texts:
I have several plants hanging in my balcony from something like this, so when I water them, the residual water naturally spills to the floor. So I was thinking of building a wood planter, similar to the image below, to pick up any residual water.

I'll be building this planter with treated wood. So two questions:

1) Should I drill some holes at the bottom of the planter so that the plants in there don't rot from too much residual water?

2) If I do drill some holes, what can I do to avoid so that the residual water from the planter doesn't spill to the floor?

3) I've read that there are materials I can put at the bottom of the planter to absorb any water. Would this be healthy?

4) Is there any special paint or treatment that I should use with this wood so that it doesn't rot from the combination of moisture, soil, water, humid & hot weather, etc?

5) Any other creative ideas on how to pick up any residual water from the plants above? I particularly thought about this because I can use it to add more plants.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks.


texts: What are some tall, narrow perennials suited for dry soils, sun & shade?

texts:
I have an herb garden that stays quite dry. Although this garden is in the notoriously wet Pacific Northwest (USDA zone 8a), it is against a two story south-facing brick wall, under a large overhang, and in a sandy soil. Combining that with our rainless summers and a hard-nosed gardener who refuses to provide supplemental water after a plant's second year, it is surprising anything survives. And yet, all the standard dry soil herbs, thyme, chives, fennel, tarragon, sage, and rosemary, are all doing well in this little piece of Provence in Washington State.

I am looking for a plant (perennial) for a spot behind a rugosa rose against the wall. It must be narrow so it does not crowd the rose, but tall, 4 to 6 feet, so it stands up above the rose.

Here is the trouble: the typical tall, narrow dry-soil perennials — mulleins (Verbascum), yucca, or fox-tail lilies (Eremurus) — may have flowers that will go up above the rose, but that important part of the plant, the foliage, will be shaded by the rose. As the rose gets bigger, the problem will get worse.

A lily might be a acceptable plant choice, but lilies and dry soils do not get along well. My research tells me the madonna lily (Lilium candidum) is from the dry eastern Mediterranean, but I am skeptical.

Have you grown madonna lilies (or other lilies) on a dry soil and succeeded?
Can you think you any better choices?


texts: One Thread Graft - Two Branches? (Cherry)

texts: Once a thread graft has fully and truly succeeded, will the “entry” side of the scion reverse its direction of growth (and survive) if you cut it ‘long’ thus creating two branches for the price of a single graft?


texts: What plant is this: yellow/orange berries


texts: Fruit trees unproductive, shooting off lots of suckers/offsprings

texts:
So I have this huge garden at the edge of a forest, on a hilly landscape, left over from my grandparents. It's been unmaintained for 5-10 years now. There used to some great grafted fruit trees with significant yearly fruit production . But since it's been unmaintained a lot of wild trees from the forest have invaded the garden ( accacia, oak etc.). Most fruit trees have almost suffocated, have lost most access to light, some died. I cleared some of the wild trees last year, but here's the issue.

A sour cherry and some plum trees are showing this weird (in my view) behavior. They have been shooting tens of offsprings for the past few years, i assume from an underground root network. Some are quite mature, spread over an area of 50-100m2 around the original trees. However, they are barely producing anything, although they do have quite a bit of flowers. Most fruits just dry out and fall off. Now I'm assuming this is because the tree has switch its reproductive strategy, so that it's no longer investing in fruits? Does that make sense.

A couple of years ago, one such offspring was moved to another garden, 100km away, and it's been very productive. However, these two "forests" of sour cherries and plum trees are producing almost nothing, less than that 1 moved offspring.

I know it's not the soil, the soil was perfectly good for decades. Yes, the trees have grown a bit too close to each other, so they are fighting for light between themselves, the plum trees mostly only have leaves at the top.

Is there anything I can do to obtain production out of them again? Only by digging them out and moving them ? Some are too large/old for this already.

Thanks.


texts: How do I encourage morning glories to bloom?

texts:
I know that many of you will find this unbelievable -- but my morning glories did not bloom this year.

For those of you that live where morning glories are a perenial that borders on "weed" this might sound amazing -- but I live in a colder environment where they are an annual.

This is my first summer in a new house and we planted morning glories along the fence line. They shot up and have covered the fence with green -- but the buds never came. The cutting in the glass on the window sill did-- but the plants in the earth never did.

Now the bottom leaves are begining to brown like it is the end of the season -- and I am wondering: What did I do wrong?

They get good early morning sun. Are protected from the mid day sun, and then get evening sun.

My mother in Law for whom morning glories were the bane of her gardening-soul in Tennessee thinks the gods shown warmly on me so that I didn't have to have them blooming their dirty flowers in my yard -- but I really wanted to see their sunny faces in the morning.

What is wrong?

Additional Information

No idea what variety. Sorry. I will have to do a better job on that next year!
I am in the heartland where we have had a heat wave with intolerable humidity. The flowers should have started and bloomed long before the heat hit.
I started the seeds directly in the ground after rubbing them on a little file and soaking them overnight. They do get mid day shade, the sun they receiving is morning (until 11ish) and afternoon (after 3ish). We water regularly. During the heat we watered twice a day, in the morning before the sun got too hot, and in the evening when it started getting less hot. The location is very well drained. We added no fertilizer to the soil prior to planing. The soil was a new mix of top soil and manure. A wood chip mulch was added to the top to keep in moisture.
Pictures below:


texts:
They're a variety called 'yard long' I think. Could somebody confirm or let me know what else it could be? What's the best way to treat them?

It has been a pretty wet spring. We're in zone 3/4.

Oops - here are the images:
http://m.imgur.com/nqFAWkf
http://m.imgur.com/cO3kXF5


texts: Insect infestation on my pepper plant, what do I do?

texts:
I have spotted that one - and only one - of my peppers plants has a number of small black flies of some type hanging around the soil. And while writing this I've just spotted that one (and only one!) of the leaves has what I guess might be aphids on the back of it. So I'm now even more concerned than I was.

I first spotted the bugs 2 or 3 days ago, and it's definitely the case that the black flies are living on, or around, the plant given their behaviour and location. They are most often walking around the soil or pot, occasionally sat on the lowest leaves.

The plant seems healthy at the moment (as much as my negligible experience can tell) and doesn't look like it's being eaten or anything, but I guess this might not last long.

Note that there is another pepper plant about 30cm away, which is showing no signs of similar pests or anything on the leaves.

What should I do?
Having started doing research on the web, can I just say that the plants are indoor potted plants and I have no external garden whatsoever; introducing another insect that will eat these is not possible.

Here are some images to hopefully help:

One of the bugs sat on the pot by the soil line:

And the back of one concerning leaf:


texts: Mistake - should have used ericaceous compost

texts:
I repotted a camellia yesterday but used multi purpose compost by mistake.

That compost is on the bottom, but I used rotted manure around the root ball.

What should I do?


texts: How can I pump water from a rain barrel to my balcony?

texts:
I live in an apartment with a porch that is one story off of the ground.  I plan on container gardening on the porch, but I don't have a spigot outside to connect a hose.  There is, however, a gutter drain near the porch at ground level that I could attach to a rain barrel to collect rain water.  The challenge with this will be pumping the water up one story to the porch to use in a timer based irrigation system.

Has anyone done this before? If so, what were the challenges with this setup, how did you go about doing it and do you have any recommendations for a pump method?


texts:
I recently acquired a money plant (Pilea Peperomioides) and have placed it indoors at the top of a stairway in a non-draining pot. The plant seems to be growing very well. I have two specific questions:

I have branched one part of it on the staircase in a downward direction. I heard from someone it will not grow in a downward direction but I'm not sure and would like to check whether it will work or not.
How much should I water the plant? It would be super if someone can be specific in terms of quantity and timing.


texts: Should I trim burnt parts in an evergreen hedge?

texts: Not sure what to do with the brown, burnt layer of my fence trees: what will happen if I do nothing? Should I trim all the brown parts?


texts: Why would South Koreans grow cabbages at high altitudes?

texts:
I happened upon this picture on p. 170 of National Geographic Night Vision: Magical Photographs of Life After Dark . The caption is on p 169.

Can anyone deduce the type of clouds, and thus the approximate
altitude?

Most of South Korea is under 400 m. Why not grow cabbages at lower altitudes? Indubitably, high altitude gardening is more difficult.


texts:
I'm have two bell pepper plants that seem to be attracting a hungry pest. I'm in Phoenix AZ.

What insect is causing this damage?
Is this a significant threat to the health of the plant? So far it looks like the plant can do just fine with this level of damage.
How do I stop it? I've never caught the culprit. I've checked around and under the leaves, and I've never seen any bugs or eggs of any sort. I removed a caterpillar once a few months ago before the damage started but that's it.

I do know there's some sun damage there - I was out of town during the worst of the heat and it got burned a bit.

Also, on another note - I planted these from seed in March. The package said around 70 day harvest. The larger plant is about 18 inches tall. When can I expect first flowers? This is my first year attempting to grow anything at all so I guess I should be happy with this.


texts: What is causing curling and white, hairy growth on the leaves of my chili plants?

texts: The leaves on my chili plants have started curling up, and on the underside of the leaves along the petiole, I've noticed a line of very fine white hairs. What's wrong with my plant?


texts: Watering new turf under ever changing condition

texts:
We laid new turf like 9 days ago. It has been turning green and each turf are growing in each other blurring the lines. Thanks to @bamboo , I been watering it twice daily n none in rainy days as uk weather is very serve and now a days it’s really hot. My concern is what is best time to give water (IMO when it’s not hot) as sun can turn water hot which when sucked by soil might burn, so time of 4-5 seems right when Earth is turning down cold? I might be wrong but having said how much should I water when it’s really hot or ok weather.
I read somewhere that if you put knife in soil if it moist/clean then it means it’s plenty but that is not possible everyday.


texts: Looking for irrigation solution for a big orchard with clay soil and salty spring water

texts:
Some facts about the property

Area: 4 hectares
Altitude: 1600m from sea level
Zone 6: Winter lows down to -20 celisius.
Full sun more than 95% of year
Yearly Rainfall/Snow 50- 200ml
Access to a shared spring water 48 hours every 12 days. the water is not salty but has a relatively high Salt + Sulfur content
soil is Heavy clay
the previous owners had used the property as an orchard, around 30% of the land has some 5- 15 years old trees of plums, apples, pears and grapes. the rest of the trees have died for various reasons, most importantly suffocation from excess salt build up. some walnut trees also exists but they are still as big as a seedling after 15 years.
- there are two big ponds built into the property high up, for water storage of plastic
- traditionally the farmers in the area grow almonds, apples, pears, plums, apricots and walnuts. besides many farms are just monoculture wheat, corn, sugar beet and potato. however since each (group of farms rely on a different local spring water and each spring has different mineral profile I can't just copy their style and except the same results.
- own it since autumn 2020 and this is the first time I own a land for agriculture

What I'm aiming for
Taking full advantage of the land and its properties and produce as much food and other organic material as possible for income as well as,
-Full self sufficient off-grid and organic living using,
-Permacuture Food forest (native traditional farming really.. however I want to incorporate the ideas from the modern era permaculture as well, hoping for a better result)
Challenges
Besides harsh weather, the main solution I'm researching right now is the irrigation. The previous owners of the property have tried flood irrigation and dripping irrigation but they all have resigned in frustration as far as I know for the reasons bellow:

Flood irrigation causes excess salt build up in the soil, besides heavy clay causes soil erosion all the time by the moving water and requires maintenance all the time
Dripping irrigation breaks quite fast because of the sediment build up in the drippers and rodents destroying the plastic pipes all around
Minimal water infiltration due to clay soil has resulted in dwarf trees

For water, here are the test results from lab:

EC: 2080 us/cm
Salt: 1.56 ppt
Ca: 168 mg/l
Na: 230 mg/l
Sulfates: 116 mg/l
Mg: 72 mg/l
K: 4.1 mg/l
Ba: 1.5 mg/l
Nitrates (NO3): 2.21 mg/l
Nitrites (NO2): 0.0049 mg/l

anyone having dealt with the same scenarios who want to share some ideas?


texts: Should I use both blue and yellow sticky traps?

texts:
I currently use yellow sticky traps to control white flies and aphids infestations, but I noticed that the black thrips don't get attracted to the yellow traps as much as the white flies. I searched a bit and found some people use a combination of yellow and blue traps to maximize the pest control done by the traps. I also read that thrips prefer the color blue over yellow, unlike white flies which prefer yellow.
Does anyone have any experience with blue sticky traps? Are they effective with black thrips? If I already have yellow sticky traps, are the blue traps really necessary?


texts: I think mice have been eating my air plant. Can I save it?

texts: The past couple days, I've noticed the tips of my air plant have "come off" and I've also noticed mouse droppings in the bottom of the jar, so I"m assuming mice are eating it. Will it die simply from the tips being chewed off or can it be saved?


texts: Why did my blackberry plant fail to set fruit?

texts:
I planted a dwarf everbearing blackberry ("Baby Cakes" cultivar) in a container this past spring. After growing vigorously through the summer to fill a 30-35 gallon trough, it flowered voluminously on the primocanes in the fall, but none of the flowers developed into fruit.
Why might this have happened, and is there anything I can do to encourage fruiting in the future? I have read that blackberries can suffer from incurable "sterility," in which plants reliably flower but never fruit. Is that a likely explanation in this instance?
Additional (possibly irrelevant) background: I am in zone 7a. The plant is on a roof deck in full sun. There is abundant pollinator activity where it is planted, although the blackberry plant does not seem to be the bees' favorite. Right after that plant was planted in the spring, it produced a single bloom on a floricane, which did develop into a berry.
UPDATE: With the benefit of another growing season of experience, it is clear that the plant is not sterile. In the spring/summer after I wrote my question, the bush set abundant fruit.
However, it once again did not produce much fruit in the fall. The blooms from the late summer/early fall generally failed to develop into fruit. In the mid-fall, a decent number of blooms did start to develop into fruit, but those fruit were a week or two short of maturity when the cold weather hit. This seems possibly consistent with the theory given below that the plant is not truly everbearing in my climate, at least when it is young, although its modest success in setting fruit this past fall could be a good harbinger for future years.


texts: Shrubs leaves are yellow/brown - Butterfly bush, crape myrtle

texts:
We have several shrubs/bushes around our house (front back left and right) and they all have this same common issue. Any idea what it is and how to correct it?
For these specific bushes, last summer we pulled out several adult shrubs of this flower bed and refilled the holes with new dirt. When giving away the shrubs, a lady who works at a local nursery said "I don't want these ones. They're sick" to shrubs which had this same yellow leaf.


texts: How to kmow if a young rose is a climber

texts: I bought this young rose and it already has blooms,  smaller than the regular rose flowers but I noticed that it's kinda growing horizontally and long stems so I put a stick beside it to support its growth.  Just wondering,  could this rose be a climber? How to know if a young rose is a climber?


texts: Can anyone identify this plant. It is driving me mad now. Any help is much appreciated.


texts: What is wrong with my variegated pittosporum?

texts: All the green-ish leaves visible on the lower branches in the photo is what the plant was when i first got it last year. Ever since, all the newer growth has been slow to come through out the season with pale-ish green leaves that eventually turns yellow and fall off. I decided to repot it and prune off a little of the top growth a few weeks back but now there's this white stuff on all the tips of the branches. Why has this pittosporum performed so badly and what can be done to bring it back to it's old self? The plant is in full sun and is only watered when the soil is dry.


texts: How do string trimmer accessories compare to dedicated tools

texts:
I'm considering purchasing a gas powered string trimmer, after my previous electric one died.

I've noticed that some offer accessories. I have also been thinking of getting a cultivator, and that's one of the accessories some offer.

Example 1 Trimmer Example 1 Cultivator

Example 2 Trimmer Example 2 Cultivator

What are the advantages and disadvantages of that compared to buying a dedicated cultivator?

Edit: My soil is red clay, probably ultisols.

While the cultivator accessory interests me most right now, I'd also be interested in hearing about the limitations of other common accessories. They seem to offer edgers, brush cutters, blowers, hedge trimmers, and something that looks like a chain saw on a pole.


texts:
My house came with a dwarf Japanese maple, which was damaged last fall when we had our roof done. About 1/3 to 1/2 of the tree broke off when a bunch of roofing debris fell on it, as below:

I had assumed that the tree was a goner and was starting to think about how to pull it up and replace it this spring, but then I noticed that it's alive and budding:

Now that I know that the tree survived the damage, I want to help it thrive and hopefully look good again. So, two questions:

Is there anything special I should do to help the remaining half flourish?
How can I maximize the beauty of this tree's new shape? Can I somehow turn the odd shape and broken trunk into features instead of flaws?

If it's relevant, I'm in the northeastern US.


texts: What is this tiny pink flower? Found in my mother's lawn in Norfolk, Virginia. It's so small, but they're showing up randomly here and there. Stalk appears to be greener at the top near the bloom and reddish pink below that all the way into the ground. Cute little booger. I do not wish to get rid of them, but they'll most likely end up being mowed down; not sure if it's worth transplanting them yet, as they're so tiny  and delicate looking. You even see the little buds in the pic, looking like a deeper pink almost purple.


texts: Using glyphosate to control bengrass questions

texts:
I am planning on spot spraying with Glyphosate in the fall to get rid of some bentgrass patches:

If I wait a day or so can I overseed and fertilize? Or should I wait longer remove the dead grass/bentgrass with a rake and then overseed and fertilize? I think the product will start working in a few hours but need weeksto completely kill the bentgrass. Is core aeration a good idea before the seeding process. Thanks.

My grasstype is kbg and tall fescue.


texts: I planted a few cucumber plants back in May, and a few weeks ago, they have started to flower and produce fruit, though they have not grown much, perhaps due to the lack of pollination. After doing some research and asking some friends, I received mixed answers as to whether or not I should pollinate the plants. I don't know if the appearance of fruit signifies that they have already been pollinated, still need to be, or maybe the ants crawling around in the flowers are doing the pollinating. Any insight into this would be helpful. Thanks.


texts: Is it ok to plant 2 or even 3 of a vegetable plant in a 25 gallon smart pot

texts: I was wondering if I could plant 3 bell pepper plants in one 25 gallon smart pot and one zucchini/ one yellow squash in another 25 gallon smart pot? Tomatoes and cucumbers have their own pots. I don’t like this idea but the wife is reluctant to buy more soil and pots.


texts: What type of moss is best suited for a hanging Kokedama (moss ball)?

texts:
I have tried rock cap moss but it does not hold together very well. Works fine if you display the ball on a flat surface but I am looking to make one that will hang by a string.

Is there a specific type of moss that works best for this type of Kokedama?

I am aiming for something similar to the picture below.


texts:
I smelled burning the other day and asked my neighbor what they were burning. (We had just had a skirmish with a hurricane and most of the debris was gone)
Anyway,  her response was she was burning up the leaves and going to use on her flower beds.
I mulch my oak leaves and use them in my garden, flower, vegetable,  and on lawn patches that need help.
Are burnt Oak leaves a good fertilizer? I have never heard that use. Anyone ever heard of this?
We are in SC and have a combination of white oak and what we call scrub oaks in our neighborhood.
Thank you


texts: What is a good method for transplanting an established gooseberry bush?

texts:
My fiancee is moving in with me, and would like to bring her gooseberry bush along, since it makes excellent jam, and the melomel (mead) that we made with the gooseberries appears to be promising as well.

My thought is that we should wait until it has gone dormant for the winter, cut the branches back somewhat, and then dig it up, hoping that we've got a decent root mass to above-ground mass ratio.   I'm not totally comfortable with that, but the only other established plants that I have successfully transplanted (from the ground) are bulbs and groundcover, and I assume this will work somewhat differently.   Also, gooseberry bushes are somewhat thorny, so we'll have to contend with that somehow, as well.

In full foliage, the bush takes up probably 6 or 8 square feet of area in the yard.   It has been in that spot for 5-7 years.   My expectation is to get it back into the ground in its new location within a day of digging it up.


texts: What are some paving options that will not get damaged by de-icing salt?

texts: My wife is disabled with Cerebral Palsy and therefore can’t walk on ice or snow, so we must be able to use lots of de-icing salt on our front path.  We would like to replace the paving with something that looks nicer. What are our options?


texts: Butternut yellow and fall off before blooming

texts:
So far my Butternut squash plant was doing fine. The first two fruits turned black and fell off after blooming, which I think was because there was no male flower available. Now three more fruits bloomed and I supported pollination by hand and they are growing. However, the next small bumps, which I assume are to be female flowers, are turning yellow and then black, falling off even before blooming. What could be the cause of that ? I'm new to gardening and I'm wondering if I water incorrect or don't offer the right nourishments. The plant is located on a house flat roof in the city (8th floor) and it is my only Butternut squash plant. A Zucchini is right next to it. My neighbor has a Butternut plant too, which is located on the same roof.

There are some dead leaves beneath the still green ones in the center of the plant. Not sure if this is linked.

Edit:
The gravel that you see is what the plants are planted in. It is a mix of brick debris, compost, sand and soil that was provided by the building's maintainer. I don't get the impression that it gets very hot during the day. My neighbor's squash is planted in the same substrate and I didn't see their fruits falling off. I used a 2-2-2 NPK fertilizer at first but 12 days ago was the first time that I used a 3-2-5 NP fertilizer (it says tomatato fertilizer that can be used for squash too). I used the amount that is described on the fertilizer for the Zucchini and Butternut plants together since they are very close to each other. But I guess you are suggesting that I need another fertilizer that has more P?

My watering habits are irregular. I sometimes water in the morning, but more often in the evening. I watered a bit less lately because it was raining sometimes but maybe the leaves are diverting the water? I have just been on the roof and removed all the dead leaves and took some more pictures. I saw two new dry leaves, so maybe I didn't water enough?

Also maybe it is worth adding that this happened to some of my zucchinis lately after I successfully harvested two big normal zucchinis already :
[
Could be because of no male flower available, but I don't know.


texts: Maintaining Moisture in an Above Ground Bed

texts:
Brand new to gardening.

Recently setup a 3.5'x4' above ground garden with some herbs, peppers, and tomatoes. Ground soil is mostly sand (Living in Orlando, FL). How do I ensure the bed maintains proper hydration? When I put down the top soil I used 3 bags, which was supposed to give me 4" height per every 2' x 2' area. However, it seems there's not nearly enough soil for anything to sustain anything.


texts: This is evergreen, and doesn’t flower and however hard I try I can’t identify it, except it’s not a lonicera or Symphoricarpos. It’s a fast grower with Arching stems, with opposite leaves.


texts: Will small tomato plant thrive under strong heat sun?

texts:
I bought this small tomato plant at a grocery store. I'm considering moving it to our rooftop.

In the rooftop, it will receive shade during sunrise and sunset (there are buildings on both sides), and obviously at night. It will receive direct sun for about 8 hours, and since we're in the Caribbean it will also be very hot (over 90°F). We're also close to the ocean, so the air's salty.

With frequent watering, will the plant thrive or will it die from the heat and the sun? I also tend to rinse the leaves with a hose every few days to remove any salt.

Btw, it's in a 6" pot. Also, it was always under shade and in a cooler environment at the supermarket. I'm mentioning this since it could be a factor?


texts:
In the early Spring, I planted a bunch of these seeds. I just threw them out there and they grew very close together. I picked them last night after most of the bulbs were exposed

I was just going to go ahead and replant them, but in the answer to this question, it is stated that

  Onion sets are the bulbs from onions that were planted the year before

So should I wait until next Spring to plant them? If so, how should I keep them?


texts: It is European zone 8a, mid-May. The flowers have strong honey-like fragrance. The plant may be a climber or semi-climber since it grew around fence.


texts:
I have some Sambucus Peruviana, which gives a beautiful white flower that I boil to make a soothing drink for sore throats.  It also gives a nice berry that can be snacked on.

I see online that there are many species of Sambucus worldwide with different flowers and fruit, could I graft other interesting varieties onto my native sambucus?  I live in the Andean Tropics at 1800m above sea level, could I just plant cuttings of other species?


texts: Is it possible to grow the corn kernels from commercial popcorn?

texts: It doesn't seem like there's any process that would kill the kernels, as they're just being dried out. So would it be theoretically possible to grow the kernels into full corn plants? Would there be any difference between the kernels found in commercial, microwavable, bagged popcorn and corn kernels sold specifically for planting?


texts:
Does anyone know what this is? Will soap water kill this?

Unlike the mealyworms I’ve seen this on the top part of the leaf. It also doesn’t come off easily; you kinda have to scrape it off.

I started spraying it with soapy water today.

Can anyone identify this? Thanks.


texts: What exactly is a gritty mix for succulents?

texts:
I have seen very few gardeners (online) use gritty mix for succulents. Here are two of them:

Gritty Mix

another different gritty mix

Both of them talk about gritty mix and to me gritty mix makes sense.

I am thinking of trying this succulent mix

  Ingredients mentioned:  Four different kinds of Grit, Pumice, Coco
  chips and plant food.

But what I don't get is that how do the plants get nutrients then? From those big chunks? And what are some important materials for a succulent gritty mix?

Wouldn't these stones get too hot in summers and damage the roots?

Should I try this mix (it's quite expensive) alone or mix it half with the succulent mix I already have?


texts: What plant resembles a tomato plant with thorns? The leaves are similar to watermelon, but the plant and flowers look like a tomato plant.


texts: Does anyone know the name of the two shrubs in this picture?


texts: It’s not a fuzzy weed like a geranium. Smooth leaves, with a citrusy smell when rubbed.


texts: Will my Frangipani Plumeria (Champa Flower) survive in water without adding soil?

texts:
I have what I think are Frangipani cuttings which I got from Laos.
After having the cutting for about 2 months without pouring I decided to give my planting skills a try, so I filled a glass with water and put the Frangipani inside. After a few days the plant took roots. After 2-3 weeks the first leaves have been formed and now, after almost 2 months in water, there are multiple leaves (some very big) and the plant looks great.

My question: Do I have to put the plant into earth? It's recommended in every source I found, but as it's growing absolutely great at the moment,  why should I change it?

Will I kill the plant by keeping it in just water?


texts:
I sprouted 4 lotus plants (Nelumbo nucifera) in the start of May this year.
I expected the leaves to be green like the one you see at the bottom center of the image below. However, as you can see from the attached images, the leaves display a wide range of colors. One is even pink! Please note that this started with the very first leaf, when the seeds were still in a tall glass vase.
Is this normal, or is there something wrong my my plants?
If the latter, what can I do to cure the problem?
Additional information:

Growing medium: Aquarium sand.
Container size: 70 L (18.5 gal)
Fertilizer: None
Sunlight: 7h direct + 9h indirect (59°N)
Air temperature : 15-30°C (59-86°F)
Water temperature : 15-40°C (59-104°F)
Water quality: Voss water (aka. Norwegian tap water)
Store: Seeds purchased from Plant World Devon Ltd

Update #1
~5 weeks after applying slow release fertilizer:

Update #2
~7 weeks after applying slow release fertilizer:


texts: Can a half broken tomato stem heal with assistance?

texts:
I have round cherry tomato plants in grow bags. Recently while shifting the position to a better one, one of the plants got snapped to 90 degrees with half of the circumference of the stem broken. I quickly taped it with some plastic cello tape and small sticks supported by a larger stick as shown in picture. It has been 2-3 days now and the plant continues to grow Asif nothing happened. Will it affect my plants later on? Is there hope of regeneration? Will there be less nutrient input into my plants?
The tape is not put tightly around the plant

Thank You

Also wanted to say that the plant is now starting flowering.


texts:
I have read all the questions to this point in the overseeding category. There are questions about if the asker is doing things right, but not about the how. What I'd like to know is:

What is the proper way to overseed your lawn?
How much seed should you be putting down (ie: x lbs of seed per 1000 square foot or some other measure)?
What time of year should we be attempting to overseed? Or is it an anytime thing?
How often should you attempt to overseed?
Should I utilize fertilizer while overseeding? If so, what mixture would be best?

Is there anything I'm not considering?

EDIT: To clarify a few needed points at J. Musser's request ...

My location is central Virginia, USA, which means it's in Zone 3 climate wise (I believe) about 300ft above sea level, but not near the coast. Summers are very warm (temps to 100+F) and humid (upwards of 100%). Winters are cold and dry. Time of year was actually in the question ... as to, what time of you should I be doing, now you could say, considering my climate. Soil conditions are rich without much clay in the top soil (lucky one around here). Soil stays moist. I do have a mole problem at the present, but plan on trying to kill all of the grubs this spring so hopefully they will move on. I don't know what else I can add.

NOTE: I realize there is more than one question here, but since they are very much related to a single thing, I've asked here as one question.


texts:
I got some hot pepper seeds off the internet earlier this year and managed to get a couple of plants to fruit.

The two plant that I've kept were supposed to be scotch bonnets and lemon drop peppers. I now know for sure that neither of the plants looks even remotely similar to the scotch bonnet variety. One looks like it might actually be the lemon drop or some kind of cayenne.

And then there's this one. The fruits are growing upwards and are light-green in colour. I'm quite curious to see what colour and size they will end up being.

One fruit has curious-looking lumps that look like small, blunt spikes. I'm wondering what it could be. It this caused by insects or some kind of infection?

Here's another fruit on the same plant, which looks a little funny but does not have the same kind of lumps.


texts:
We have two compost bins, roughly 1m x 1m x 1m each. We fill the "primary" bin and then turn it into the "secondary" bin. We stopped catching our lawn clippings about a year ago so we're having to turn the bins less frequently with the reduced volume.

Last week, I topped off the primary bin with a load of weeds and then, yesterday, I turned it into the secondary bin. By the time I got to the bottom, I discovered the compost was ready to use but I wasn't surprised because of the longer timeframe. However, it meant I was dumping about half a cubic metre of ready compost on top of totally fresh material.

I'm wondering if having such a heap on top is going to inhibit the composting of the fresh material? We had bountiful tiger worms in the upper portion of the primary bin but these are now buried. We also had loads of other insects, including slaters, operating in that upper later which is now buried.

Should I remove some of that top layer? Or is it fine to leave it for now?


texts: What can I do with a dead bonsai that was an anniversary gift?

texts:
For our anniversary, my wife gave me a ficus bonsai tree. About 2 months ago, it suddenly lost all its leaves. We took it to a garden store that specializes in bonsais, and we were told that it had root rot. They helped us trim it back and replant it, with the hope that it would start to thrive again.

It did not recover. I took it back again today, and confirmed it is officially dead.

Since this was an anniversary gift, I'm not inclined to just put it in the compost or trash. Since it is wood (albeit small), is there anything that I could do to somehow preserve it for sentimental reasons?

For example, something crafty or decorative, such as putting small silk flowers on the remaining branches and putting it in a small vase. The branches are so thin and brittle that most snap off when they are touched, which would make this difficult.


texts: How can I tell if my nematodes are working?

texts:
I bought three different species of nematodes from an online vendor: Heterorhabditis bacteriaphora, Steinernema carpocapsae and Steinernema feltiae (250 million each). I've sprayed the H. bacteriaphora by filling a 4-gallon pump sprayer similar to this one by filling it half full with water, added half the bag of nematodes, agitating slightly, then filling with water. Once the sprayer was empty I repeated the process for the other half of the bag. The time of day I did this was late in the evening since they apparently are killed by UV, it was a pretty cloudy day and the ground was still wet from rain the day before.

Before I repeat this for the other two species which are currently living in my fridge I was hoping to verify that what I did worked. The vendor says to use them no more than 14 days after receipt though, so the clock is ticking. How can I tell if the nematodes I sprayed are alive, given that I do not have access to a microscope? Is it possible to see any sort of evidence of activity less than 14 days after application?

Answers to comments

Overnight temperature is currently ~45-55°F. My intention is to control pests, namely fire ants, fleas, aphids, grubs, etc. For everything except the ants and fleas though the measure is preventative. I sprayed a large area of mostly lawn grass, as well as rows where I plan on planting blueberry bushes, but I sprayed directly on the ground. I also read somewhere that some of the associated bacteria related to these parasites is beneficial for the soil which seemed like a "good" thing, but whether that's true or not I am not sure.


texts: Will a lemon tree grow back after being cut down low?

texts: My lemon tree was cut down very low by the person cutting my yard.  The tree was about two years old.  It was cut with a weed eater.


texts:
I'm new to DIY farming and have invested in a vertical farming unit. I love the efficiency and effectiveness of these systems in providing nutrients, oxygen and water to the roots of plants in a small footprint.

The unit came with nutrients labelled A and B, which you would add ml of each to your water reservoir to make the water nutrient rich to grow tasty vegetables. This got me wondering... is it possible to extract my own plant nutrients from tons soil I have laying around?

is it possible and how would one achieve this?


texts: Why are my mint plants getting brown weak stem feels they are dying

texts: I planted my mint plant from a stem and within 15 days new leaves were seen for which I was happy but in next 7 days the stems started turning brown and seems falling toward earth. What's the reason for the same? The plant get around 30 min sunlight in the day which is the limitation for me at the place I m staying.


texts: how can i stop my dracaena growing to tall?

texts:
[![enter image description here][1]][1]I had just one dracaena 10 years ago.
But it grew too fast.
Finally It reached to top of the room.
At first, it was not quite a big problem.
Every time when It reaches to top of the room, I cut if half.
Now, I have 10 dracaenas that were came out from one dracaena.
And that is the problem now.
Because they are a lot more than 10 years ago,
I cant afford total "plants growing speed".
Simply calculated the speed, It would be 10 times faster than 10 years ago.
Even though when i cut tip of the plants,another head came out from top.
Eventually it reached to top of the room.Result was the same.
I want to make my plants maintain their form forever.
Is there anything I could do to stop this?
I can't afford any more


texts:
In the last year, we've started seeing more and more moles in our large lawn area... From the odd hill at one corner to many all over.

I know moles are a big problem for those aiming for perfectly manicured lawns but other than cosmetic, what damage can they do to my lawn and garden; is it important to get rid of them out are they fairly innocuous?


texts: Where can I educate myself about palm trees?

texts:
I'm looking for a palm tree to provide a back drop to a swimming pool. I think I want a medium sized palm but I know nothing about them and need to educate myself. Where can I learn about the different palms that are available and what would be most suitable for my needs.

I've already tried going to local nurseries but they only seem to be interested in advising me on palms that they have in stock and I worry that I'm not getting objective advice.


texts: We just recently bought and installed a hydrangea about a month ago. We planted it and added organic fertilizer and have been watering it daily. It gets morning and mid day sun and shade in the afternoon. It is starting to brown on its leaves. What is causing this and how do we prevent it?


texts: Water from tiling in yard constantly on sidewalk

texts:
We just purchased our house. The back yard has a large hill in it. The construction company that built our house installed tiling (french drain) in the hill that comes out right by the sidewalk in front of the house. There is almost always water stagnant on the sidewalk. Here's a photo:

Like I said, there is almost always water. The construction company said they thought there was water coming out of the hill, so it sounds like there will always be water seeping out and getting into the tiling. Is there anything we can do to keep the water from just sitting there?

** Update ** Here's a picture of the preliminary plat map with the elevation lines (We are on property 150). As you can see, the back yard (upper right corner) is decently steep). I added in the approx location of the french drain that was put in (red lines) As you can see from the first picture, the water comes out at the sidewalk, then follows the sidewalk down to the street corner (lower left hand corner)


texts: How can I get rid of a bush, without digging into the ground?

texts:
I recently made my annual visit to my grandparents' graves. While there, I couldn't help but notice that the plant that my great-aunt had planted by my great-grandparents' grave was overgrown to the point of having moved the (insanely heavy) grave marker. I think it's time for this bush to go, and my dad agrees with me.
My dad removed a lot of the small branches with a hedge clipper, removed all the small branches at the top; however, we could not hack through the heavy, thick "trunk" of the bush. (see picture)

So, we have to find some way to get rid of this overgrown trunk. The logical thing to do (I assume) would be to dig under the thing, and take it out from the roots. However, Jewish law proscribes digging into the ground under a grave (besides for the fact that I don't really want to.....).

What can I do to get rid of this plant, without digging?


texts: What are the white and black spots on the under side of my chilli leaves?

texts:
I am a newbie to gardening and was so chuffed to see my chilli (the plants are Chile guajilo and Chile chipotle) plants grow up. However, I have noticed leaves starting to fall. These leaves have, on the underside, black and white dots. They look like a central black dot with surrounding white clouds. How do I get rid of it? Is it going to kill my chilli plant?

What are some helpful suggestions?


texts:
Last year I noticed 2 or 3 of these plants popping up in my garden. Since they didn't look like any weed that I know I left them to their own device thinking they could be some form of ornamental flower that had reseeded.

They didn't flower last year but I thought they might be bi-annuals because of their rosette of leaves.

This year in spring I've noticed that there are about 8-9 of them all over the garden. We're still in spring here (it's been a late, cold and wet spring) in zone 4b/5a in Canada. Their proliferation has me worried.

They seem to be evergreen or very fast growers because they were among the first plants to be seen after the snow melted. As you can see in the second picture, there are some bulbs showing and some pansies that somehow survived the winter but otherwise everything else is still in dormancy.

Anyone know what they might be?


texts: Will grape ivy harm oak and sumac if allowed to spread?

texts:
I see what I believe to be grape ivy growing on oaks, sumacs and other chaparral in the San Diego back country.

Will this harm those plants if allowed to spread?


texts: What is this whispy grass stalk with a red base and thick woody roots, and how can I get rid of it?

texts:
This grass is slowly taking over my yard, and it's highly irritating as it grows at 3-5 times the speed of the rest of the lawn. I'd dearly love to get rid of it, but broadleaf weed killer is not effective and pulling several hundred if not thousands of them is less than ideal. What is it, and can I kill it without killing the surrounding lawn? It has broad leaves that grow off a circular red stem with a red base. It also has a very thick root that I believe hosts several shoots. Most blades I pull pop off with a dozen or so short thin roots, but after I pulled a couple out that had much thicker woodier roots I realized I wasn't going to do much good by pulling alone.

What is this, and how can I get rid of it?

An example of the plant:

And an example of the root:


texts: How can I regulate lettuce indoors so it doesn't bolt/flower?

texts: Is there a science to regulating lettuce indoors in a way that prevents or minimizes bolting/flowering?


texts:
I'm growing this in England, a cutting from a garden in Scotland. It's about 10--15cm high, and looks like it spreads by runners. Any idea what it is and how I should look after it?

I love the orange-brown of the dead leaves, which persist and make a nice backdrop for the green.

Edit: it flowered, with pink fluffy spikes, and I'm guessing Persicaria vacciniifolia.


texts: What should I do with multiple pots with a lot of young Jalapeños seedlings?

texts:
Recently I have been interested in starting growing chillies. The first thing I did was buy some seeds online, 50 jalapeño seeds.  I planted them all (yes I know it's a mistake) in a small/medium pot. To my surprise, most of them germinated!

I split some into some other pots, but I am not sure if I can just keep the big pot and plant it in a bigger pot. Any tips please?


texts: My Emerald Arborvitaes are Yellowing on the Inside!

texts:
I live in Utah and the weather is getting a bit colder. About a month ago all my of trees were going very strong, all green throughout, but now they are starting to yellow from the inside out. This makes me so sad. They are getting plenty of water from a drip line I installed this summer. Is there anything I can do for them?

Here's the weather for my zip code:

https://www.google.com/search?q=weather%2084601

And a picture:

And a video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBGoQvLfJSI&feature=youtu.be


texts: should i trim the roots of my phalaenopsis

texts:
i was recently repotting some orchids from the hardware store / ikea after watching https://www.youtube.com/MissOrchidGirl

some of the roots look like the one being held in the photo, where there is a substantial withered / dried part near the plant and further down the root it seems healthy(er). is the end of the root just growing in autonomy? should i cut it? does it actually still service the plant? many thanks


texts: Utility lines blocking off areas of my designed sprinkler system entirely, what to do?

texts:
So I'm starting the design of my Home Sprinkler system, and the first thing I do naturally is call the utility company and have them mark everything.  The problem is, they've essentially "boxed off" a big section of yard to where if I'm going to get at least 50% of my house covered by sprinklers I'd have to go over at least one utility line.  I figure maybe there's a few options:

Dig really carefully (I'll resort to my kid's Sand Shovel if needed)?  One of the lines is a telephone line so I figure if I break the line the electric shock wouldn't be too great.
Ask someone about relocating a line?
Maybe go topside for a stretch over the line in question?
One side of the "box" is the property line, I could ask my neighbor about a tresspass to circle around the utilities, don't know about the legal issues there.

Other ideas?


texts: What possible reasons could the previous owner have for burying chicken wire under the lawn?

texts:
My wife and I have learned over the course of our landscaping duties that the previous owner of our home embedded chicken wire in the ground, seemingly throughout the entire backyard. It's about 2-3 inches underneath the soil.

It's everywhere we dig. We have no plans to try to extricate it; we'll just keep doing what we're doing and deal with it when we have to pierce the ground. I just want to know why.

As much as my heart tells me (usually while digging) that this is some super-slow-burn premeditated maliciousness on the behalf of the old lady we purchased the house from, the rational parts of me are pretty certain the truth is a lot less sinister.

Could it be a pest-control measure? If so, I'd guess we have a rock-solid defense against underground chickens.

Some trivia that may help:

The previous owner "hated trees," according to neighbors, and kept
the place barren. No evidence of a garden. Just a neglected lawn.
The front yard didn't suffer the same fate.
It appears to be actual chicken wire from the size of the mesh, and it's really lightweight. Differs from the stuff gopher baskets are made out of.

My curiosity is hoping for some concrete rationale, but my rage will absolutely accept crackpot conspiracy theories.

UPDATE:

Going with Kevinsky for the firsthand account, but thank you all for your input. Probably an anti-critter measure. Will update if I ever hit the secret underground lab, though.


texts: How to turn a field of high grass/shrub into lawn or food forest?

texts:
I have a 1.5-acre section that has not been properly maintained for many years. It is covered with high grass with some shrubs of willow, gorse and broom:

(the grass is actually much higher now as the photo is 1 year old)

The plan is to either make it a nice and clean green lawn that would be regularly maintained, or food forest, or both as I am actually planning to build on the land. Either way, the section needs to be easy to traverse, so the vegetation needs to be kept under control — especially gorse; the soil would have lots of gorse seeds now.

What would be the steps and what machinery would need to be involved? Does it need to be bulldozered/plowed/harrowed first? Or can the vegetation be simply cut somehow so that mowing and/or tree planting could proceed right afterwards?


texts:
I have two overgrown apple trees that haven't fruited in years. So this year in late winter I cut one of them back heavily (as high up as I could get with my ladder), and I left the other one alone for comparison.

To my surprise, the one that I did not prune flowered well, although I'm not expecting fruit. But the one I pruned did not flower at all. Why would this be?!


texts: Can I transplant the cucumbers in these pictures?

texts:
I have two cucumber plants in pots (pics below) the one in the terracotta pots is a type of slicing cucumber and the cream colored pot is pickling cukes. Neither are burpless.

I read that moving and transplanting cucumbers can do a lot of damage but the pots appear to be too small. I don't know much about growing cucumbers, but I know I always transplant my tomatoes into big 5gallon buckets after they've reached about a foot tall but they transplant easily since they're in the nightshade family. These are both about two feet.

I just bought a trellis to put behind them between the pots and a bench. What should I do? Should I leave them in their current pots because it'll do more damage than harm or transplant them? If so, how big should the pots be? Is there anything special I should do to prevent shock? Also, when I remove the rigged wire trellis's I have now, is it okay to snip the viney, spindly light green vines that have curled along, or do I gently unwind them?
Please help!


texts: Is it harmful to prune summer bearing raspberries in early autumn?

texts:
I planted raspberry canes last autumn which have grown well and produced a good crop this year. Some of the canes have grown to 7 or 8 feet and are dangling over the fence into a neighbour's garden.

Can these be safely cut back at this time of year?  (early autumn, UK)


texts: After every rainstorm here in south florida, the landscape has been full of sand and gravel that I rake every week, but it continues to appear again and again out of nowhere - Anyone with a suggestion or explanation for this?


texts: My Robellini palm (Phoenix roebelenii) has while dots on leaves and brown oil all over leaves and the ground surrounding tree. I’ve tried to upload a picture but it’s not working


texts: Avocado pruning, fertilizing and repotting advice

texts:
My very leggy avocado plant is about 1 meter tall and seems to be suffering from chlorosis. I think I need to prune it to make it more bushy, fertilize it and repot it. In what order should I do these things and how much time should I wait between each action?

I live in Spain on the Mediterranean coast. The climate is subtropical. We have hot summers and mild winters.

Thanks in advance.


texts:
I am growing vegetables. I need soil and compost testing kits for soil Ph, soil EC and compost nutrients test.

Can anyone suggest which instruments will be good and have a reasonable price?


texts: How to transition among compost stages in a multi-stage bin

texts:
I built a two-stage compost bin with pallet wood and cedar. Each stage is one cubic yard. I have been adding food scraps and leaves to the first stage since the spring, and there is currently about half a bin full of material. I was planning to follow this guide on how to transition among stages.

I live in Rhode Island, and in preparation for the winter, I am wondering if I should transition half of stage one to stage two now as the guide suggests (even though there is not as much material as I thought there would be at this point), or if I should let the half-cubic-yard sit and become stage 2 while I add new material to the other stage, or if I should just keep adding raw material to the first stage until I reach a full cubic yard of material.

If possible, I was hoping to have some useful compost for planting in the spring.

Update: I left almost all the material in stage one (the older stage), just put one shovel's worth of it into the other stage where I'm adding new material. Then I stirred and covered stage one with about 3 layers of insulation batts from a grocery delivery service, pictured below, and I mostly left it alone for the winter.

It seems to have progressed a bit, hard to tell though. Here's how the pile looks as of 4/14/18.


texts: Small tree identification - Pacific Northwest USA

texts:
I'm in the Pacific Northwest (Portland, OR area).

I have a couple of these small (currently 8-10') trees in my back yard.  The previous owners of the house pollarded the trees at some point, probably 6-7  years ago, so I can't determine their natural height.

Here's a full view.

The younger growth is curious in that the branches and stems have little "wings" in pairs alternating and offset by 90°, as seen in the following two images.

A Google search on "tree branch with wings" turns up some images that look vaguely similar under the name "winged elm" but I'm not sure it's the same tree.  The image in Wikipedia for Ulmus alata bears only a passing resemblance to the branches on my trees, on which the wings are much "sharper", clearly arranged in opposing pairs and alternating 90° at 1-2" intervals.

Is this a variety of winged elm, or something else?


texts: How to avoid clay pots from turning white and moldy outside?

texts: My pots are turning white outside because of the mold and it bothers me a lot. Is there anything I can do? Does it have to do with the humidity of the place where I live (Portugal) or with the type of substrate I use? My plants look good and healthy. I tried to wash it, but the mold always comes back.


texts:
I'm sensitive to pollen, dust, and pet dander, but my wife wants a jade plant for our apartment.  As far as I know, jade plants are a non-fragrant plant, and shouldn't produce any allergens, but I've never owned one before.

Can a jade plant cause any issues for those sensitive to allergens?


texts: Plant identification (wild sorrel or clover)

texts: I have found these plants in my local park. These tastes like lemon. I am not sure if these are edible. Although.I have been using these in my terrarium.


texts: Does anyone know what these seedlings are?

texts:
This is an acorn that I've found in abundance is Rockford, Illinois, USA. I think it may be a red or black oak but I'm not sure. It has a very distinct look with the line showing separating the two halves.

[![enter image description here][1]][1]

[1]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/6iPxX.jpg


texts:
My garden seeds did not come up this year and in the past I had problems with wireworms.

Would wire worms or sow bugs destroy germinated seeds that did not come up through the soil?  None of the seeds I planted came up through the soil.


texts: What mushrooms can I grow on kitchen waste?

texts: I've got a box where kitchen waste, old pasta, lettuce etc, goes for composting. If I could grow mushrooms on it I'd try that so are there any that would ?


texts: Philodendron McColley’s Finale older leaves turning brown

texts: My Philodendron McColley’s Finale’s old leaves have been getting brown that spreads across the whole leaf eventually.  I’ve had about 3 that have fallen off.  At first I thought they were just getting old, but this doesn’t look normal.  Also, there are new red leaves but they haven’t opened up.  Does anyone know what is causing this brown?  Of the 4 big leaves, 2 on one side have this browning and the other two so far seem okay.  The New ones in the middle aren’t opening up


texts: Why does my mint have dry, brown or black leaves and stems that are falling over?

texts: What do I do for an indoor mint plant with dry leaves and stems which are falling over? Some leaves are brown or black.


texts: Can I build a raised bed from cinder blocks without using mortar?

texts: I have a cement platform edged by wood next to the wall of my home (? purpose). I would like to create a raised bed to grow vegetables there by using cinder blocks (6x8x16) on the 27x60 in. platform. I will line it with 2 layers of landscape fabric to keep the dirt in, but I do not want to have to use any mortar. It is only going to be 2 levels of cinder blocks. Will this be structurally sound without joining the blocks with mortar? Because the platform is cement I can not drive stakes into the ground for added stability.


texts: Why am I getting some white, bleached leaves on my miltoniopsis?

texts:
I have two miltoniopsis divisions that have leaves that are turning white.  Any ideas on what the problem might be?  They were divided from a larger plant about 4 months ago and are growing in cocnout bark in clear plastic pots that have aeration slots in them.  They've been watered every 3-4 under the tap and allowed to drain on the drainboard before placing them back in a southern exposure.

I've tried to upload an image - the jpeg taken with my samsung galaxy is too large?  Hard to believe.  I also tried to input a link to the verizon cloud copy of the image, but it tells me the format isn't correct - it's just a web address.


texts: Trying to decide if I should pull this. Anyone know what it is?


texts: Is there a way to help a stunted Euonymus europaeus grow more?

texts:
I have an Euonymus europaeus.

However, it appears its growth is stunted - it consists of only one weak looking main branch (I really can't call it a trunk) with several smaller branches.

There is no visible damage, or illness. It is just so small.

How can I help this bush achieve its full potential?

This is a picture from wikimedia of a full grown euonymus:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Argentr%C3%A9-du-Plessis_-_Euonymus_europaeus_-20111104(2).JPG

Just imagine 1/30th of the bush in the picture - that is my bush.

I should say that it is situated in part shade area.

Note: I know there is a similar question: Best help for a tree with stunted growth? I hope I can get more advice specific to this bush.

Should I perhaps cut it to the ground? Or only add some natural fertilizer?


texts: What is a good method for  extracting the earliest-viable seeds from young pumpkins?

texts:
I am in need of a good strategy to extract the earliest-possible batch of seeds from an upcoming batch of white pumpkins (I may have a few available within a month).

My main uncertainty is at what size a pumpkin needs to be before extracting seeds of any sort.

Beyond that, my plan is to do the following:

Extract seeds from pumpkin
Dry seeds for 1 day (2 of it is humid)
Place seeds in freezer for 2 to 3 days
Thaw seeds, begin germination process in a 85f, enclosed, lit greenhouse container

Is there anything noteworthy that I can do to encourage my pumpkins to provide viable seeds sooner than later?


texts: Do you know of ways that help a plant to produce more flowers?

texts: In Crocus sativus, or saffron crocus, the most commercially important part is stigma of flowers. Each plant produces one flower (so there is more than one plant in this picture) and each flower has three stigmas (stigmas are red in this picture). What are your agricultural, horticultural and... suggestions to produce more stigma in a plant? What are your genetic engineering and biotechnological suggestion and experiences?


texts: What's the right way to modify an inclined backyard for an outdoor playset?

texts:
I plan to install an outdoor playset/swingset in my backyard. My concern is the backyard is inclined, and the playset will be at the lower grade.
What's the right way to flatten the yard (where the playset will go) while ensuring proper grading for drainage?


texts: I started tomato plants outside but we had a scorching summer.  I have finally gotten them healthy but it is the end of the growing season.  The question is can I take my plants into my greenhouse and hope for a new crop in the spring? They are about 3 feet tall. I have black cherry tomato and purple prince. Also, will they produce fruit once they are in the greenhouse and I replicate more mild temperatures?  Thanks


texts: What else (if anything) can I support in the same pot with my lime trees?

texts:
I have two lime trees in pots, because I need to bring them indoors during the winter.  Additionally, we recently found that keeping mint in our lawn garden was a bad idea, since it spreads so vigorously.

Can we move the mint into our pots with the lime trees to keep the mint contained?  Will the mint compete in any way with the tree itself?


texts: Identify a succulent with gray-green paired ovate leaves

texts:
I saw this potted plant at a local grocery store. It was USD $10 and there was only .

Can someone identify this plant? Is it fast-growing? Does it have flowers? Is it indoor or outdoor?

Does it have any practical uses?

Thanks.


texts: Trident maple leaf curl with some dark tips

texts:
Two maples have just come out of dormancy sprouting deformed leaves. They are nearly all curled and some have shrivelled and died with black edges.

Any idea what it could be?

They are outside mainly in shade. Direct sun is not an issue. Its warm temparatures, and I cannot see any bugs.


texts: Does eggshell dust work as pest control?

texts:
I was looking through some DIY/Organic gardening ideas, and saw one that mentioned using eggshell powder as an organic pest control. Supposedly grinding dried eggshells with a coffee grinder works to keep beetles away if you sprinkle it on leaves, and slugs away if you sprinkle it around the base of the plant.

I thought eggshells were used for putting calcium in the soil, which I think is why it's used in compost, but does eggshell powder actually work as pest control?


texts: Can I save my Dwarf Umbrella (Schefflera) Tree?! It's suddenly dying (possibly my cat?!)

texts: Wondering if I can still "save" this dying branch on my dwarf umbrella tree (Schefflera) houseplant?? I've never had much luck when it came to house plants but this one was really growing on me (ha! no pun intended!) and now it's suddenly dying! I've had it for about 3 months and recently put in a couple of those fertilizer sticks (for the 1st time since I bought the plant) about a month ago.  ALSO, my cat has recently "escaped" up here to my office where I keep my plants.  It's 2 floors above where the cats live and it's closed off so there's a slim chance of them getting in here usually.  I didn't see her nibbling on the plant but it is possible she tried playing with it at least.  Not sure if she's the culprit or the fertilizer or something else?? Notice how the branch has turned an ugly brown color about 3/4 of the way up. I'm afraid it it will continue all the way up and kill off those last 2 "bunches".   Several leaves fell off at once (suddenly) only one other time and it was before the fertilizer. Other than that it's been healthy & growing. Any advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated! TY!!


texts: Can excess NPK fertilizer damage my container-grown plants?

texts:
I live in an apartment building, and all my plants grow in pots or small flower beds. Since I moved here, 7 years ago, I have only watered the pots and revolved the "soil", eventually adding more vegetable compost to fill the pots.

I believe that a splash of NPK fertilizer would be good, but I am concerned about poisoning the plants. Is there a possibility to overdo the amount of such nutrients? What kind of damage could happen?


texts: Hardening off plants grown under grow lights

texts:
Is the process of hardening off still the same if the plants have sat under grow lights since germination, or can they be put under the sun straight away?

And is there a difference if they have been under heat producing lights?


texts: Can a tomato plant break by its own weight?

texts:
I have a garden with San Marzano tomato plants which began budding, but recently there was heavy rain which tilted some plants at large angles. Some are using the ground as support. My question is, will this be a threat to the plant once it starts fruiting? Is there a chance that it will just snap off due to weight?

The plants are about one and a half feet tall, one month old.


texts:
I was walking through an abandoned parking lot, and saw this plant. It's about 5 feet tall (more or less 150cm).

I was thinking of cutting it and placing it in a pot. Considering the plant is already over 5' tall, I don't know if this type of plant will actually flourish in a pot.
If I decide to take it home, it would receive as much sunlight as it currently does. But it would be growing in a pot.


texts: I bought this marigold from a local nursery and it looked fine for a few days but after about a week it is starting to wilt. I have cut off the dried flowers and stems and it looks like this. Is there any hope? I stay in India so the weather is dry and hot. It gets its sunlight and regular water every two days. Please advise


texts: Should perennials purchased at a greenhouse nursery be acclimatized before planting outside?

texts:
Most local nurseries in my area keep perennial plants outside during the summer months.

There is one nursery which grows and keeps everything inside a greenhouse all the time.

In zone 4 or 5, does this mean that those perennials should be acclimatized to the outside like I would normally do for seedlings started inside?

Is there a risk if those plants are planted outside directly?


texts: I have 3 raised beds in my backyard where I am growing vegetables (tomatoes, bell peppers, etc).  Right now, I don't have any mulch covering the soil but am thinking that would be a good thing to do to preserve moisture in the soil particularly as summer is upon us.  I am only using organic materials in the vegetable garden (no pesticides, organic fertilizer only) so wanted to know what organic mulch are people using?


texts: Is this hosta? The flowers were actually beautiful, but seemed to harbor small bugs.


texts:
so I think I have an Haworthia Fasciata and I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong.

I think I was over watering, so I stopped watering And put it outside for 3 days to dry out. it’s been a few weeks now without water and in this new spot. I have it by a north west facing window, getting bright light but not direct light.  It has one lil brown spot and crispy yellow tips. Is it dying?? Can I save it?!


texts: Why aren't my morning glories sprouting this year?

texts:
Every year I plant morning glories from fresh seeds, in containers (the long, rectangular kind).  They always take a bit of time (1-2 weeks) to sprout, and after that, really take off (I hang some twine on the walls of my terrace and they climb up like crazy).

This year, I planted more seeds than I ever have - different varieties of morning glories, as well as some moon flowers.  I soaked the seeds overnight as I always do (for about 24 hours, and I'd say the seeds double, if not triple in size).  Planted them as I always do (about a 1/4" deep as per the directions), in a "zigzag" pattern in the planters, about 4" or so apart.  Probably about 40 seeds in total.

3 weeks later, only 2 have broken through the soil, and even those are not looking so good (very "wrinkly" and weak-looking).  No sign of the others.  I've been watering regularly, and the weather seems about the same as it always (maybe a few nights that have been colder than average).

Basically I've done exactly the same thing that I've done for years, and it's not working for some reason this year.  Any ideas what could be wrong, or what I could to improve the process?  I just planted a whole new batch of seeds (in the same planters) a few days ago.

EDIT:  I should add - I'm in New York City, and the plants get tons of sun.


texts: So I’ve lost about two of these little stalks over the pas couple of weeks and I’m not sure what the problem is. They are sitting in a place a couple meters from a window but there is enough sunlight to make some sort of shadow behind the plants. (Indirect sunlight) they certainly don’t get overwatered as I don’t water them everyday. Could I be underwatering the plants? I water them a couple times a week but I may be waiting for the soil to be too dry before I water it. Could this be an underwatering problem?


texts: How do I keep my olive tree from sending up shoots?

texts:
I've got a wild olive tree in my yard. I believe it is a https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaeagnus_angustifolia .  I absolutely love it and it is the main feature of the yard.

The thing is, after about 7-8 years, it seems to want to reproduce. A lot. New trees are spawning around its root. At first, I cut them.

Seeing this would not stop, I tried letting a new one grow, hoping it would stop it from growing new ones. It didn't. See below for picture of the tree, the bunch I let grow and the multiple new ones.

I would like to keep the large one I've got. I don't mind having another one grow. I would like it to stop trying to grow new trees. How should I go about it ?

Location is Montreal, Qc, Canada, if it makes any difference.


texts: Looking for a tall flower that blooms like a sparkler burns

texts:
It was several years since I saw it, so I'm unclear on some details. However, the short description is that it blooms in a manner that resembles a sparkler (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparkler).

The stalk is very tall and thick. It was at least chest height to me or perhaps just below head height. I'm 187 cm (6'1) tall. The shaft is barren, without any leaves. The only leaves were at ground level, and they were pretty large.

On top of the stalk, the flower buds grow in a manner that resembles a corn cob. The buds start out a dark purple and when they start to bloom they go through pink and then orange before it fully blooms into a vibrant yellow. The individual flowers are bell-shaped. After a brief blooming period, they shrink back into orange and then wilts into brown.

While beautiful, the colours truly stand out due to the manner in which these flowers bloom. They don't all bloom at once, rather the "cob" starts blooming from the top and the blooming moves downward. However, the blooming period for each row of flowers is very short, so the top has wilted long before the bottom has even started to bloom. This makes the plant look like an extremely slow-burning sparkler.

I think I saw it blooming around July-August in southern Sweden. It took it multiple weeks to bloom through all its flowers. It was a truly impressive sight as I observed it every night as I worked with newspaper deliveries at the time.


texts: Is there a problem with my Japanese Maple shrub?

texts:
We live in Vienna, Austria, very near the Danube. We planted this Japanese Maple in the first year after moving in the spring of 2013.  It has been slow but steady growing, improving a bit every year.  After five years, it really started looking like a nice bush, when the leaves started curling and dying. It has one branch that produces no new growth, the rest seems to be still growing new leaves, but the existing ones seem to dry up very quickly and fall off. I don't know enough about the tree to figure out if this is normal or not or where the problem might be.  I hope the pictures will help, because other than the images, I can't provide much more information. We have not done anything different with the tree this year that would cause this strange behavior.

Photos:


texts: Is drainage important in Greenhouse beds?

texts:
I just finished building my first greenhouse!
I built in beds on the shelves along the wall that can have up to 10 inches of soil. (I'm planning on putting 8 inches in.)
I lined the bottom of the beds with plastic because I don't want the plywood to get wet. I was about to put the dirt in when I had the thought that perhaps I would need drainage for my beds due to the plastic preventing water from draining. Then I thought that the water would just evaporate due to the heat inside the greenhouse.
I'm in hardiness zone 3b.

Is drainage so important that I should drill holes in my beds and devise some sort of drainage system? Or should I be OK and just have to keep an eye out for mould or something?

Edit 1 year later

For what it is worth, this is what I ended up doing.

If I had to do it again I think I would just do plastic and dirt. The heat of the greenhouse pretty much vaporizes the water in the soil, even on cool days. This pretty much eliminates the threat of root rot. I'm thinking it must be the dry climate where I live. If I built my boxes out of spruce lumber instead of plywood I wouldn't even bother with the plastic.

All in all though they turned out great!


texts: Do Golden Pothos need a day/night cycle?

texts:
My office has quite a few Golden Pothos and they are beautiful! I am wondering: how many hours of light do these plants need per day in an indoor environment? To go along with that I know that some plants need periods of darkness – do pothos require darkness each day?

As it may be of interest: there is no natural light for these plants at all. It is 100% artificial lighting.


texts: Root system size and planting distance from smokebush (smoke tree, cotinus coggygria) to wall

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Am thinking of planting a smoke bush in an area that is enclosed by a retaining wall, but am concerned about the root system eventually growing big enough to displace the wall.

How can I estimate the eventual root system size to prevent or mitigate displacement of the wall?

Note: I am a shrub and tree novice. So if my question or the way I've asked it seems "off the mark" or if more info is needed, then of course that feedback is welcome. I did an online search and found articles that stated the "spread" as 10-18 feet, but could not determine if that referred to the spread of the branches, the roots, or both.

For example, if I know the eventual root size, then do I add some additional distance between the wall and smokebush, such as roots = 15 feet so planting distance is 15 feet + 5 feet?


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My grandmother has this plant on her sunny windowsill. She barely waters it. It's grown quite leggy as the winters here (in Ireland) are quite dark, but overall it's gotten much bigger during its time at her house (according to Granny).

Leaves are kalancho-ic (rubbery feel, jagged edge) but I've personally never seen anything like it. Anyone any ideas?