texts: Does it matter which side up a seed is planted?

texts: I've got some seeds which I couldn't identify and I'd like to know if it makes any difference if I plant them the "wrong" side up or sideways. Would it significantly decrease its chances to grow? Or does it depend on the seed? My seeds vary in sizes from 2mm to 6cm in average diameter, but I'm interested in answers for all possible sizes.


texts: Are the seed pods of giant sunflowers normally empty?

texts:
So, I'm attempting to harvest sunflower seeds from some giant sunflowers I planted an age ago.  Unfortunately, there's nothing inside the seed pods!

I believe the sunflower was a 'giant', it may have been a mammoth though (actually it may have been both as I just used some old seeds my mom gave me a year or two ago and threw away the packs). Also searching for this info on the Internet is hard since 'giant'  is also a brand of sunflower seeds (apparently not coming from giant sunflowers)

Should there be anything inside the seed pods to begin with? i.e., whether or not certain sunflower varieties are purely ornamental.


texts: I have these strange round brown things on my peach tree. they can't be insect eggs because they have the size of a lentil. they are white and sticky inside.


texts: Hello I am working on grass weed detection. I have captured three different types of weeds from my Univ lawn. But I want to know the name of those weeds.


texts: Identify a Plant, that killed the original small tree

texts:
we had this little tree in a Pot and after a while there grew a green Stark. Over 3 Months the tree died and only the stark grew further.

And now a Year and a half later there grew this  thingy and no one knows what it is. You great people are my Last Hope.

Further Details:

Is standing on the Sunny Side.
Temperatur 22-25C
Watered once a Week


texts: What insect/disease causes lemons to look like a Cthulhu and how can this be prevented?

texts:
Earlier today, pictures of weirdly shaped lemons were shared on reddit. The top comment there says it is a case of citrus bud mites, which actually seems to make sense.

My questions are:

Is this really the cause of the deformation or could it be caused due to other non-insect factors (similar to blossom end rot in peppers & tomatoes)?
How can one prevent this from happening/attacking (if possible)?
Post attack/occurrence, how can one control this insect/disease? There is a comment on that thread that describes an organic solution. Does that seem reasonable? Are there other/better alternatives?

Image credits: Evan1 (left), VanillaCocaCola (right)


texts: Why would my citrus tree have dying twigs, burrowing insects and black scale?

texts:
My citrus tree is not healthy. The leaves are falling off, and the twigs are becoming brown and dying:

In the middle trunk, where a large branch was pruned years ago, there seems to be some burrowing insect that's causing saw dust and what looks like tunnels.

Also I've been scraping black scale off the citrus and have sprayed with white oil, pyrethrum spray.

Any other ideas about what could be happening? What should I do about it?


texts: Why are my courgettes enormous, and my pumpkins puny?

texts:
Typically in August/September I get vigourous courgette plants but if I don't catch and harvest the fruits quickly I end up with enormous useless marrows.

At the same time my pumpkins are doing the opposite, that is growing to size of large oranges then stopping and sulking.

I want small courgettes and large pumpkins but I get the opposite. It's perverse! They're basically the same thing aren't they?

Is there any way to encourage courgettes to slow down?

More importantly - how to boost pumpkins? The pumpkins are being grown in tons of horse manure so they're not hungry. I'm wondering whether I'm putting them in too late, and they're running out of daylight by August/September.


texts: This plant was a gift and the flower keeps coming back. Is it a sweet pea? I can’t be sure because the leaves don’t look like sweet pea, at least that I know of. It is so pretty.


texts: Can weeds be put into compost, or will they grow again when the compost is used?

texts:
I usually discard weeds but it occurred to me that they would probably be good for compost.

Are there any steps I can take to use them in compost without having them grow again when I use the compost? Do different types of weeds need different treatment prior to composting?

The main weeds I have are dandelions and "farmers friend".


texts:
My kids are fruititarians. There also happens to be a lot of produce-bearing trees and plants around our neighborhood, and when we confirm it is okay with the owners, my children like to help themselves (Loquat season just ended here).

We were on a walk this weekend and saw what looks like a number of "wild" (in the sense that they aren't in a yard and don't look cultivated) blackberry bushes. We walk in this area semi-regularly and so I'd love to let the kids chow down, bit I know there are many varieties of berries that look alike, and not all are safe. Again, from their location (a recently built walking path through what was previously a small section of woods right next to a development) it is unlikely these were planted by someone for food.

Can anyone identify these bushes with certainty and let me know if they are safe to eat?  If it helps, I'm in USDA zone 8B/9A (aka north central Florida).


texts: What is the driving force behind flower stalks growing towards the light?

texts: When a plant starts to flower, the flower stalk grows towards the light.   If a potted plant has a flower stalk, a pedicel, already growing in towards the sunlight, then the same potted plant is turned 180° the pedicel will bend so the flower is pointed towards the light again.   What is the drive behind this action?  I understand a flower would start to grow towards the light because it has a better chance at being noticed by pollinators or a greater chance of catching a breeze to disperse it’s pollen or better chance at catching pollen in the wind.  But, what physiological action causes it to make that bend?  Is it as simple as the photosynthesis that is taking place in the stalk?


texts: What should I do about standing water in potted plant?

texts:
I have a large (70L?) moulded plastic pot which is filled with topsoil, and has a freshly planted lilac bush in it. I had noticed this pot did not have drainage holes at the bottom, but had thought that the large volume would allow for a fair amount of water to be locked away in the soil.

I've quickly noticed that I am getting a fair amount of standing water on top of the soil, even after fairly modest watering.

Should I drill drainage holes in the bottom of this pot, or is there another suggestion on how to deal with this situation?


texts: Do tomatoes require pollinators to bear fruit?

texts: I ask because I have a small raised bed wrapped in hardware cloth to keep the wildlife out, and then it's covered in shade cloth to keep the hot southwestern sun out. The plants (one "container tomato" and some herbs) themselves have thrived since I put the shade cloth on, but there is limited access to any bees or other pollinators. I've seen new tomatoes on the plant, but I'm wondering if bees had more access, would I see more fruits?


texts: What size of rocks are worth sifting out of a garden?

texts:
I'm sifting out rocks in my garden, which I'm pretty sure used to be a gravel lot. I'm wanting to grow root vegetables like radishes and carrots, so I don't want them having to push rocks out of the way as they grow.

I've heard that you shouldn't worry about rocks under an inch in diameter, so according to that, I should be sifting these rocks out.

But.. I've also heard not to worry about rocks smaller than an egg, so according to that, I shouldn't worry.

What size rocks are worth sifting out of a garden, and which ones aren't?


texts:
I live in Phoenix, AZ and had some grass (sod) laid in the yard 3 weeks ago. Now, each day, clumps of mushrooms are now popping up all over the lawn.

How did the mushrooms get in there?

How can I find out if these mushrooms are poisonous? I have small children who might eat them -- I don't want to try them.

[Thanks to everyone for your awesome answers, I wish I could mark them all as correct.]


texts: Have I ruined my Japanese maple by over-pruning?

texts: I pruned the dead bits off my Bihou Acer two weeks ago. Now there are no leaves and the stems are going black. Have I wrecked it?


texts: What is the name of this onion like plant?

texts:
Hello
About an year ago, I found this plant in the streets. I couldn't let it die there, so I took it my home. What is its name so that I can take care of it?
I searched the Internet with no luck.


texts: Why are my jalapeño peppers turning black?

texts: I have a healthy jalapeño pepper plant but noticed that the peppers have a black patch on them. What could be the reason for that?


texts:
We purchased this plant at an estate sale and hope you can identify it. They thought it was a corpse flower, but research shows it is not.
It's place of origin is unknown. Any help would be appreciated.


texts:
What's this brown spot on the leaf of my jade plant? I first saw it on the leaf about a week ago. A few days before I saw it, I had to remove one of its bottom leaves because it looked like it was rotting. I'm an amateur plant parent, but I'm thinking it could be overwatering, root rot, pests... What do you think it is?
I'm super attached to this jade baby because it's the first plant I ever propagated, so I hope that whatever it is, it's fixable!


texts: What is this weed whose leaves fold in at night?

texts: Can anyone tell me what this weed is? It's about two feet tall now and the leaves fold in like insect wings at night.


texts:
I've recently dug up some small oaks from a friend's woods (they were on the outer edge in mostly shade). I'm confident I did some unintentional root damage while digging them up (at least the largest of the three).
I've put them in pots because the place where I'm going to eventually plant them doesn't have easy access to water.
Location: Ohio, US
Date: Early August
Current Temp:  ~75-90 degrees F in day, 70-75 at night.

How much water do I give them?
Do I keep them soaked? Do I only water them every few days? Once a week?

How much light do I give them?
Should I keep them shaded, and slowly work them into the sun over a few weeks? Or put them out in the sun immediately?

Is there anything else I should be doing...?
...to attempt to keep them alive for now until I can plant them at a later time?


texts: What is this shrub with fan shaped toothed leaves and small white blooms, and what are these small bugs?

texts:
Can anyone help ID this shrub growing in Zone 6.

It's about 5' tall and 3' spread after pruning in the fall. It grows fairly fast.

Leaves sort of look like a fan leafed hawthorne to me but not quite.

Has clusters of small white blooms with yellow centers.

Today I noticed some green colored aphids on the stems. On the underside of leaves there were small gnat looking bugs. Any idea what the bugs on the undersides might have been? Dark colored bodies and large clear wings.

Other narrow, simple leaved shrubs in that vicinity were bug free.


texts: What could cause brown spots on the leaves of a Song of India plant (Dracaena reflexa)?

texts:
As you can see in these pictures our Song of India (Dracaena reflexa) is having some problems. I say it is too much water, while my wife says not.

What do you say?

Click any photo  for full size


texts: What is the name of this tree and is it dangerous for our daughter?

texts:
We have two identical big trees right behind our property in Southern California that just started dropping their pods and seeds into our yard and we're having a hard time to keep our two-year-old daughter from tasting them. I've spent the last hour or so on Google and various tree identification websites, but I can't for the life of me (or my daughter?) find out what this tree is called so I can check whether it is poisonous. I don't even know why this is hard, since the seeds alone are quite unique and should provide a lot of good keywords for a Google search: It has 3 seeds per pod. The seeds are very black and covered by a bright red waxy skin.

Here is a picture of the leaves and pods lying on a letter sized sheet of paper (the pods are about 3/4" wide and the leaves around 4" long):

One of just the seeds in the pod:

And here is the whole tree:

The only thing that I've found that has even remotely similar looking fruits is the Ackee, but its fruits are much bigger and the skin is a white flesh, not red and waxy.

Any idea what this tree might be, and whether its fruits are poisonous?


texts: Pruning an ignored 8 year old apple tree

texts: I have bought a garden recently and It seems like these apple trees have never been pruned. I don't know If I should cut down main branches to make these apple trees something like open center or central leader. All branches are gone straight forward to sky. I would be so much grateful if someone show me where should i cut with red marks on picture.


texts: Why are my newly planted Honeysuckle leaves turning purple/brown?

texts:
I  am based in London, UK.

I have recently acquired a late Dutch Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum 'Serotina').

However, after a few weeks, the leaves have started going slightly purple - I want to take good care of this plant, so I would like to know how to solve this problem.

As Can be seen in the image below, it seems to be the leaves right at the ends of the stems of the plant.

The instructions given to me with the plant suggested it would need considerable watering - I took this to heart, so I watered the plant well to begin with. Since then, it has been quite rainy and the soil has remained damp, so I can't see there being an issue with too little water.

The stems at the ends of some of the plant are also purple-ish in places, as can be seen in the image below:

What could be causing this discolouration, and how do I deal with it?

Edit: additional photos

The plant is attached to a pole, north facing, but it gets sunlight ( garden is south facing ). There are canes and seashells on the ground to stop the local cats from digging the fresh soil up.

Here is a close up of the stem going into the ground:


texts: What is this sweet smelling herb-like plant?

texts:
I have some mysterious, herb-like plant growing in my backyard. Any idea what it is? The closest match I can find is Italian parsley, but the leaf shape is wrong.

I tried crushing one leaf and smelling it. It has a distinct, sweetish smell, but I can't identify it.

Some background: my backyard is (literally) a dandelion/weed jungle. The breakdown is approximately:

80% dandelions
15% bull thistle
5% other (including clover)

I haven't tended to it in a while. I noticed this growing in a pretty full-sun area. I don't know how old it is.

Also present in the picture are two decapitated dandelion stems (the hollow ones), and some other weed thing that reminds me of wheat. (Brownie points if you know what that is.)

If it matters, I'm in a hardiness zone 5(a), and my soil composition is heavy clay.

Edit:
I ended up mowing this down with a lawn-mower (along with the rest of the dandelions in my dandelion jungle), so this mystery will remain unsolved.

I wish I had taken Bamboo's suggestion and just uprooted+potted it first.


texts: The best way to naturally lower ph to 5.5

texts:
My pH is a steady 7.0
I'm organic and need to lower to 5.0-6.5 growing tea


texts: Lucky Bamboo : stems turning yellow, after I transferred the plants in soil

texts:
I recently transferred (2 weeks back) my lucky bamboo plants to soil (after a lot of research on google/youtube), assuming it will grow good, but some of the stems turned yellow now and they are dying.

It was in water before this. Soil is 50% sand 50% vermicompost and plant is kept indoors.

Here are few pics -


texts: Why seeds from the same citrus (kumquat) tree produce different sprouts?

texts: I've sprouted two kumquat seeds from the same tree. One sprout looks very green and "healthy", with considerable cotyledons, while the other is very pale, with tiny cotyledons, that aren't growing any more. What could be the reason for the difference? The soil and location are the same.


texts:
I purchased seed from a reputable supplier that was labelled as buttonbush or Cephalanthus occidentalis.  One seed germinated and managed to grow two inches tall in the first two years.  I then planted it in a tiny pocket of soil with access to water.  Five years later this plant is now almost 15' tall (5 m) and flowering.  The species is described as having " hard spherical ball-like fruits".  The plant I have has elongated flowering bodies.

I wonder what exactly I have growing...it's taller, the flower is different but it sure likes water.
Alternate leaves, deciduous, not a willow, pollinators like it for early spring bloom.

Here is a picture of a buttonbush from Ontario trees

.

Other pictures and descriptions of the species can be found here and here.

Here is what is growing in my backyard.  What is it?


texts:
We've got PJM rhododendrons at our new house in Michigan... a couple of them are absolutely flourishing, but two of the smaller bushes right next to them are not having a good time.  Some of the branches flowered sparsely this year, but about half the bush is woody and bare.  I see buds, but they didn't open, and no new leaves are growing on these branches now.  Two questions:

(1) Why?  What caused this, and how can I prevent it in the future?  Cold winter?  Soil conditions?  I got some Holly-tone but haven't applied it yet...

(2) How to fix it?  I understand that you can prune as long as you do so above a growing center, and the buds have not set for next year.  But some of these branches don't have a hint of green anywhere, all the way down to the ground.  Should I lop them off and hope the rest of the bush fills out over the next few years?


texts: What is this white mold growing in my germinating avocado roots?

texts:
It forms white textured bumps near the top of the root, underwater:

This also happened to a previous avocado seed I started, and when the plant died after about 12 months, I dug up the roots, and these textured bumps were still visible (but brown from the soil).  Here is a picture I found on the internet of somebody else with a more advanced version of the same problem:

It's not where new roots form, I can say that with confidence after watching it for several months.  I can scrape it off, but it leaves a pale mark, so I hesitate to do so without knowing what it is.
Is it mold?  Or something else?  And is it hurting the plant?
Thanks for your help!


texts: Is it safe to use a sealed container to compost the raw chicken manure? Because as far as I know, these nitrogen-rich materials generate huge ammonia when decomposing. If I use a sealed compost bin it can produce methane (due to lack of oxygen).


texts: When should I start repotting bonsai Juniper?

texts: Are January and February good months to repot evergreen bonsai Juniper. This would be my first time repotting it and the plant is doing great so far, but I don't want to kill it: I want to make sure that I do it at the right time of year.


texts: What is the right plant for obscuring a neighbour's second story window?

texts:
I would like to obscure a neighbour's second story window, overlooking my deck (low deck, almost ground level).

I can plant a tree, but that means cutting into the deck, not to mention that the area is close to the house. So I've got a lot of requirements: Evergreen, tall (3 metres minimum), ideally low on fruit (decking mess), pretty (of-course) and grows in a pot. Whew!

I have found "Ficus microcarpa hillii ‘Flash’". Is this a tree that could grow large in a pot? Due to space, I can only fit in a small container, say 800x300x300cm, so I'm wondering if such a container will mean tree remains small...


texts: Best way to encourage grass to grow through dirt?

texts:
I recently had a patio put in, and because my lawn had more of slope than the installed patio they used the dirt from the excavation to level the law to the patio.
I had originally thought that I would have to re-seed this patch of dirt, but it appears that the grass below is starting to come through, so I am thinking that maybe just a “wait and see” approach may work.
Is it reasonable to think that nature will find a way and that the grass will grow through the dirt to the point where it looks like a normal lawn?  If so, are there any tips and tricks I can use to encourage the process? Or, should I just go for the re-seeding approach?


texts: Can I keep my Japanese Larch small by pruning?

texts: I have a 4 year old Japanese Larch and would like to prune the leader as it grew very quickly last year and has very few branches compared to the bottom half of the tree which is nice and bushy. I would also like to control the size of the tree (sort of like an 8 foot bonsai). Will I damage the tree?


texts: Brown leaves and spots on Baby Rubber Plant (Peperomia Obtusifolia)

texts:
I have a Peperomia Obtusifolia which has developed brown leaf edges and spots prior to this it was growing well and no issues.
I have tried to diagnose the issue which seems similar to black spots on rubber tree and brown spots on rubber plant
When it was first noticed nothing had changed in terms of watering or placement and the only thing would be the seasonal temperature i.e. central heating in the day and no heating at night, the air humidity reads about avg 55%.
I suspected it could be root rot so cut the watering down but the roots/soil looks dry if anything.
Any ideas


texts: Is it late to seed? weather 90s , end of May.

texts: I bought Turf Builder Grass Seed Sun and Shade Mix for my yard. I live in Kansas City and weather was around 70s but now all the sudden 90s and seems like it will be 90s for a while. Can I seed now or is it too hot. I can water 2-3 times a day to keep them moist. I will also use turf builder starter fertilizer.  I did rake my old grass and got rid of the dead grass. Some areas overseeding some areas I don't have grass. I had to wait because I applied weed killer late and had to wait.


texts: The leaves are turning yellow on my geraniums. Am I over watering them or are they getting too much? What is causing this? I have only had them a couple of weeks.


texts: Is it fine if I use the same type of soil for different houseplants?

texts: At my home I have got a few different plants (Aloe, Rose, Neem, Pisum, Air plant, Lucky Bamboo). I got some type of soil (mixed with compost) from the plant nursery, and I'm wondering if using the same type of soil for all of them will be fine, or if I need to arrange for their specific soil requirement.


texts: I planted one tomatillo plant this year and I got hundreds of tomatillos; however, I got very few that had the fruit burst the husks, so that they were useable. Also, the fruit that was mature enough to eat tasted like crab apples. Is that normal? I have bought tomatillos in the supermarket, and I don't remember them tasting like that.


texts: Help identifying species of vegetable garden pest

texts: I am having trouble determining what type of pest has invaded my vegetable garden. It has started with the bok choy and is working its way toward the peppers and herbs. Please advise.


texts: Do yellowing grape leaves indicate a serious problem?

texts:
I planted the vine in early Spring.  It seemed to grow quite well for the first few months.  However, over the last several weeks some of the older leaves have begun to yellow.

(For what it's worth I have no experience with grapes.)


texts: Is it safe to eat these lightly spotted mint leaves?

texts:
Note: I'm not a gardener.

These mint plants were planted by my family a while back in the garden.

I don't know why these white/yellowish spots appear on the leaves, but I'll try to give detail of the environment as best as I can.

This is in Cairo, Egypt, in the summer. Heat rises up to 35-40 degrees celsius in the morning these days.
The people who run our compound spray pesticides on plants in gardens, and a larger white cloudy/smoky looking pesticide around the entire compound for mosquitoes
I have no idea what the soil conditions are, or any way to find out.

If it's not safe to eat these leaves due to their spots, is it okay to eat leaves which don't have those spots but are from the same plant?


texts:
I've read about compost, and compost tea, but now I've become aware of a newish solution on the block, namely actively aerated compost tea (ACT) versus the traditional non-aerated compost tea.

What's the difference and why would I want to use this as a foliar spray or bathe my plant roots in this prior to transplanting?  Is there science behind this?


texts: What is this leaf vegetable with thin pale green stalks and mid-green leaves?

texts: I thought I planted the Asian vegetable seed bok choy but what is coming out from the ground does not look like bok choy? Do you know what it is?


texts: How long (in terms of time) does it take for a newly born cane to bloom ?


texts: What are these strange brown things coming out of plant soil?

texts: I found these strange brown bugs coming out from my plants soil. I don't understand if these are soil mites or what. I found that 5 of my plants have the same problem. Same brown things coming out from soil. Can anyone please help me? Does anyone know what are these? And how to get rid of them?


texts:
I have 3 areas on my lawn where water pools when it rains. My soil is clay and the water takes a long time to be absorbed into the ground.

One of these area is bordered by a planting bed and patio, preventing the water from running off.

The other areas are shallower and I noticed that the grass is less strong there. Maybe because of the pooling, or is the pooling because of lack of grass?

Here is a photo taken in the early spring before the lawn has had a chance to start growing again (in summer it's greener).

?

This was taken about 2 hours after it stopped raining. During the rain the area was bigger.

What should I do to lessen/solve this problem? Are there alternatives to re-levelling large portions of my lawn (even if they are less efficient)

I'm in zone 4/5 if that matters.


texts: Is it possible for indoor allergies to be aggravated by potting mix?

texts:
Anecdotally, I've noticed that my allergies seem worse after working with it, even when using those brands specifically formulated for indoor containers.

(Also, I tried to tag this "allergies," and it wouldn't let me because of lack of reputation.)


texts: What kind of mushrooms are these growing in the sun in Houston

texts:
Any guesses as to what kind of mushrooms these are. They were growing at the base of an old Oak tree stump in the bright sunlight. I've provided a number of different views. I'm located on Lake Houston in the greater Houston area.
Edit: I've now found these same mushrooms in several other areas of the yard, mostly growing in the lawn and also in some dirt patches, both in the sun and in the shade.


texts: How much water is needed using drip irrigation for Gold Mound hedge?

texts: Using drip irrigation, how long and how often should a gold mound hedge in Tampa, FL be watered during the the summer months?  Also, how often during the rest of the year?


texts: Did we somehow accidentally plant an oak tree on our balcony?

texts:
My wife had a poinsettia on our balcony that died in a surprise frost while we were away. The empty pot stayed on our balcony for a while, and new sprouts gave her hope that it had managed to survive in the roots.

But it soon developed leaves that were clearly not poinsettia. I took one look at them and thought they looked quite like traditional oak leaves, though I don’t see how that could have happened. Friends all concurred that they look like oak leaves.

At this point, they look a little more pointy than the traditional knobby look, but still, pretty oak-like:

So, is this an oak tree? Any idea how it got there?

This is in Arlington, Virginia.


texts:
This particular plant had flowers before, but they fell off. This is the second wave of buds, some of them are looking black, could it be underwatering? (currently, 2x a week)
Current state:

Full plant:

First flower season (before they fell off), a month ago :

Full disclosure, I haven't been very consistent at removing extra water draining at the bottom, so a few roots might have been feeding off of that:

Any suggestions? Thanks!
PS: Bonus round, another plant in a different room with some wilting, is this clear under/over-watering case? Maybe too small of a pot?


texts: This is a berry bush outside my workplace. What species is it? I can easily get more pictures if that would be helpful.


texts: How can I repair an apple espalier that broke off above the first lateral tier?

texts:
I have a Fiesta apple tree being trained as an espalier. I snapped the main stem, all growth in fact, above the first tier. The young tree is effectively now a T, a step-over.

Will it form new shoots from near the T junction, either from the main stem or somewhere along the side branches, but close enough to the main stem for me to take it up as a new leader?

My fear is that the tree won't ever form new shoots suitable to re-train.


texts: What vine grows purple grapes which taste like lollipops?

texts:
When I was younger lots of people we knew had grape vines with grapes that tasted quite a lot like the grape lolly flavour. (I guess it's the grape they designed that flavour from.)

They had purple skin and white flesh.

I was just wondering if anyone knows the variety I'm talking about as I would really like to get one for my garden. I've asked around and looked online but can't find what type I'm looking for.


texts: What are some good pet-safe pollinator-attracting vines?

texts:
I have some areas I want to cover in vines, and I want them to attract pollinators, but also be pet-safe (especially cats, as mine are quite curious). I could not find much documentation on this (it was either a list of pet-safe, or pollinator-attracting vines, but not combined). So can anyone think of any?

EDIT: More info:

Zone: 6
Sunlight: Partial to Full Shade
Soil: Clay, but I have materials to reduce the hardness of the soil
Amount of space: Around 750ft2


texts:
I live in western Arkansas / eastern Oklahoma. There are generally mild winters with snow and hot, humid summers where the temperature is often over 90 °F

For the past year I have been growing an Avocado that I started from a seed. About 6 months ago the original stem lost its leaves and turned brown, but it is still there in the pot. Right after this happened another "plant" started growing in the same pot. Since we moved a couple of months ago, I moved the entire contents of the pot to a much larger 20" pot and kept it outside for the summer. I've already looked at many of the other posts about avocados but none of them look like what is now growing in my pot.

Link to pictures

My questions are:

Is this plant still an Avocado or is it something totally different?
Do I need to prune it back or should I continue to let it grow?


texts:
I have just planted my avocado seed in soil, and it had grown about 30 cm tall. I read online that you were supposed to cut it back when it was still around 20 cm so two weeks ago I did what everyone was saying. Now it’s been 2 weeks and no new leaves have grown out. I can see what look like tiny leaves around the stem but they have been there since day 1 and don’t seem to be growing (a couple have fallen off too). I don't think I have killed it since it's been two weeks and the stem is still green... My question is, has this happened to any of you? Do you think I killed it or there's something I can do, or do I just have to wait and pray?
Please help me :)
EDIT: You were right! My avocado after a month was able to push out new leaves from the side! Now it’s kind of funny because it has a cactus shape but it’s a great example of resilience. I will never cut it back again unless has grown a lot I promise!


texts: Best Practices for fertilizing fruit trees

texts: I have some fruit trees (apple, pear, orange, pomegranate, grapes) in my small backyard and have questions about taking good care of these fruit trees from a nutritional standpoint. I am wondering when is the best time to fertilize the fruit trees and how many times a year I should be doing this.  Also, it would be helpful to know if the same fertilizer can be applied to all the fruit trees and throughout the year (vs. different fertilizer for different seasons).


texts: Begonia (angel wing) has scraggly leaves

texts:
My begonia has developed the weirdest leaf symptoms over the last few months and I can’t figure out what’s wrong.
The stems are strong and the growth rate seems normal, but nearly every leaf developed delicate brown spots, scraggly torn edges, or they simply drop without warning. Often, the healthier looking leaves drop, but the scraggly ones stay on. Baby leaves develop symptoms almost immediately.
I thought it might be bugs of some sort, or root rot, but I’ve found no evidence of either. No other plants nearby have bugs or symptoms.
The plant is in a terra-cotta pot with good drainage. She gets a many (4-6) hours of indirect south facing sunlight. I water about once per week, unless she’s looking extra droopy. (It’s droopy I’m the photos, today is watering day though. It is also an indoor plant, despite being outside in the pictures. I took it outside just briefly for other purposes.)
Any ideas of what’s wrong? She used to be so shiny and vibrant! Begonias are one of my favorite plants, but I’m stumped!


texts: Can anyone help me? Suddenly my Buxus sempervirens appeared with the new shoots with deformed leaves. I'm in zone 9. It has not been cold though, and yes, it's a lot humidity every night.


texts:
I grew a few strawberry plants from seed and got this one!
It looks a bit sad as it has just been repotted in a bad way.

Would this be a new type of strawberry plant, or is this normal sometimes?


texts:
I’m new here :)  I’ve been tasked with propagating my mom’s rubber plant when we chopped off the top. I started with leaf propagation in water but after about 6 weeks there were only a few little nodules but no roots. So I moved them each into perlite/tent and most leaves have been progressing well for the last 2 weeks.  I’ve never done this before so I’m a little nervous about the next step.

One of the leaves has new growth coming in, but has not developed even one root. How should I proceed with this? The new growth started around 5 weeks after cutting.

Another one has a good little cluster of roots and new growth as well. How do I know when it’s time to move to soil, and what’s the best way to transition?

Thanks for any help and please excuse my lack of knowledge.


texts: What equipment to use for a large garden/lawn?

texts:
I've got a battle raging with about 1.5ha (4 acres) of grass. So far, the grass is winning.
Scattered through the grounds there are a few old buildings, multiple fruit trees and many berry bushes. In days long past this used to be a part of a sprawling farm, but these days it's just me and my family who go there for summer weekends. Mostly every other weekend, really. For one day. Umm... yeah, this isn't looking too good. Our interest is to keep it from overgrowing entirely, but we're not going to be doing any actual gardening soon. The apples and gooseberries are nice though.
So I need to combat the grass which is growing faster than I can mow it down. I have a regular petrol powered lawnmower but that stops being effective in tall grass. We also have a schyte and a rudimentary skill in using it, but that stops being effective for such a large area. Or at least it gets pretty tiring.
So I'm thinking about a grass trimmer, but I'm not sure what to pick.
Electric trimmers seem pretty neat - cheap, simple, lightweight, no mess, low maintenance, nature friendly, etc. But how to get the power?
If it's a corded trimmer, I estimate I need an extension cord of about 100m. That in and of itself is tricky. But even if I could pull that off, how easy would it actually be to maneuver around with all that cord? Has anyone ever done this and can confirm whether this is feasible or not?
If it's a cordless trimmer, the engine power drops dramatically (about 1/3 of that of a corded one) and the estimated mowing time is only about 30-40 minutes. Now, they do say that they can charge in about 1.5 hours, so maybe if I got 4 batteries to exchange... But still, the tiny engine power makes me weary. How good are cordless electrical trimmers in practice?
I could, of course, opt for a petrol type. My dad has one and he lent it to me once. It was a 2-stroke engine and required the oil mixing dance which was messy as hell. Not to mention the smoke of a thousand chimneys.
I read that 4-stroke engines are cleaner, but they seem to be getting pretty pricey already, and some that I found also used the oil-mixing trick rather than a separate lubricant.
If I choose a petrol-powered trimmer, how to pick one?
I'd also prefer a metal blade rather than the plastic string spool, I think, because I suspect it is easier in everyday use (don't need to extend the cord every 10 minutes), has an overall greater cutting power, and doesn't litter the garden with tiny pieces of plastic. But I'd like to hear other opinions on this.
My budget would be... well, not enough for a lawnmower tractor. Besides, a tractor wouldn't be able to maneuver between the bushes anyway. Up to 200€ would be nice, but I suppose I can stretch it to 400€, if it's for a good cause.
I'm also open for other ideas. (Except for selling the land. It's been in the family for generations; too much sentimental value there)


texts: Processing compost while protecting earthworms

texts:
We were processing some messy compost/soil to get the junk (ie plastic bags, large bones) out when we realized it is full of earthworms. Any suggestions on a process that results in fewer worms being diced up?

This is NOT a question about what belongs in a compost pile.


texts: A "clone looking" tomato plant with no fruit

texts: We've had volunteer cherry tomatoes come up in our yard, but this isn't a cherry tomato.   The plant I am questioning came up next to a bird feeder in a flower bed.  It now is about 21/2 ft. tall and seems to still be growing.  It has leaves that look exactly like a regular tomato plant, but with stickers on the stems.  I was sure it was a tomato as it blossomed with yellow flowers, tho they look a little ruffled (or double) but the size of a real tomato plant flower. However when the blooms fall off, there is no sign of a tomato starting on the stem.  It is erect, no sign that it wants to trail and the stems & branches are sturdy.  I am sorry I cannot send a picture.


texts: What gauge wire should I train my bonsai branches with?

texts:
I want to train my bonsai branches down to give the appearance of an old, tired tree.It's about 20cm high and the trunk is around 8mm thick and the branches tapper from around 5 to about 3mm.

I want to know what gauge or (or diameter) wire I should use, but it would be most useful to the community if there was a "rule of thumb".

Is there a general rule for the thickness of wire one should use to train a bonsai?
ie. the thickness of the branch at the thickest or thinnest place.


texts: Using rotary and spray sprinklers on the same zone?

texts: In my front yard I have two sprinkler zones. I have all areas working great, except for one area of the yard. The area gets no water and I would like to install a spray head to take care of that. I have read that doing so is not good since the rest of the sprinklers on that zone are rotary heads and they do not put down the same amount of water. It is about a 6x8ft area that is getting missed, which seems to small for a rotary head. The dry area is represented with the brown area in the image. Any thoughts what my best bet would be, besides replacing all the heads to be spray heads?


texts: Controlling a thorny vine in a wooded area

texts:
First, if somebody can identify this thorny vine, I'd certainly appreciate it. It seems to be extremely common in wooded areas of Northern Virginia. It is roughly as thick as a plastic drinking straw or pencil. It seems to have segmented sections and has no leaves, the thorns are up to about 1/4" long.

It is prevalent in a wooded section of land, and it is impossible to walk through the woods without destroying a pair of pants/shirt and ending up looking like I got into a fight with a gang of rogue cats. Some sections are so thick with it that it looks like a loose green bush. Is there something I can use to control this without harming other vegetation (namely the trees it grows around)?


texts: Why is my Cauliflower not producing nice shape

texts: See picture. Instead of one large cauliflower head it is producing individual florets.  What is the possible reason for that?  I have done the usual watering and fertilizing so don't think that is the issue.


texts: Does anyone know what this plant with stiff red and green leaves is?

texts: I have kept this alive for months, but don't know if it is indoors or outdoors


texts: Why do peppers grow poorly in Northern US?

texts:
We live in Upstate New York and have happily gardened between (about) Ithaca New York and Boston Mass. (so let’s say zone 5b-6a). When growing peppers (of all kinds), our experience and in the experience of our gardening friends shows that the fruit have very thin walls.
Does anyone have a good answer for why this might happen? (And ideally some strategies for improving them)
A few we thought of: a lack of heat, a lack of sun hours, a lack of soil heat, an increase in irrigation in warmer, southerly growing areas.


texts: What is the name of this fat-stemmed plant?

texts:
I got this plant few months back, but I forgot to ask its name from the vendor. Could anyone identify it? I have taken a few pics:

Full Plant:

Stem:

Flower:

Leaves:


texts: Need perennial cover crop/grass suggestion

texts:
We don't live in our native town through out the year and instead visit on some days of the year, but have some help from people who do live to water plants growing in our house there, occasionally.

The town is situated in deep South India, on the coast, has sandy soil on top, but clay below. Before it used to rain well and we used to have many ponds, but it has not really rained in 10-15 years, and the soil and well water have become very salty.

Neem grows pretty much like a weed everywhere, on its own, and coconuts and drum stick trees, where planted, also do reasonably well.

My parent's generation have pretty much given up as a result, but I'd like to rejuvenate at least our backyard to look more green. Not only is it sandy on top, but also full of pebbles and stones and very compact and hard to dig into.

I have started to mulch the soil with all the fallen leaves I can find and tear up. I would like to put some perennial natural grass cover, or something, that will keep the soil protected and moist and green looking. It should tolerate salty soil conditions and not require regular watering, if that is possible.

I do realise what I ask is a tall order, and am open to other suggestions as well. I did plant a new mulberry stem. There is already a drum stick growing well, and there is a papaya and pomegranate tree as well, but the fruit is very small. Not sure what to do to improve the yield on them.


texts: Is a Windmill palm with some green at the base, but no green fronds, alive?

texts:
Last spring (1.5 years ago) we planted 3 Windmill palms.  We live in SW PA, so we knew it was up in the air as to whether they'd survive here.  The first winter we winterized them by tieing the fronds up, putting four stakes around each tree, and wrapping thick plastic around the stakes to keep the worst of the wind off of them.  I also wrapped one string of 100 incandescent string lights around each and ran them for 8 hours each evening to help provide warmth.

This past spring (6 months ago) I unwrapped them and found one tree green and healthy, one tree completely dead, and one tree with green at the base and brown fronds.  I hoped that tree #3 would recover over the summer, but it hasn't really changed.  Now that winter is approaching again the base is still green and the fronds are still brown, and I need to make the decision whether it's worth winterizing.

It takes a fair amount of time to winterize, along with a material cost.  I've also installed artificial turf around the trees and winterizing requires four holes in the turf for the stakes.  So I don't want to winterize if the tree is not going to recover.  However, if there is a substantial chance it will recover I'll do the winterizing.

Is this tree still alive and how likely is it that it will recover and put out new fronds in the coming year?


texts: Can you over-water a staghorn fern root-ball?

texts: I have a large staghorn fern , the "root ball" is about 14" tall and about 12" in diameter. I bring it in in winter . I water it at about 2 week intervals by using a 60 ml syringe to put about 600 ml of water into the top of the root ball. Today ,a couple drops of water dripped out for the first time. Each winter it looses about 10 fronds (that does not make much difference in the appearance) , I expect because of the low humidity in the house. Should I be concerned that a little water drained out of the root-ball ?


texts: How to remove High Performance Bedding (HPB) from the bottom of my raised garden bed without disturbing the surrounding interlocking?

texts:
I recently got my backyard interlocked and had a stone garden wall installed (6 feet long, 3 feet wide and 15 inches tall). The garden wall is surrounded by interlocking on 3 sides and a wall on the fourth side. The contractor used high performance bedding (HPB) as the base material and ended up filling the bottom of the raised garden with HPB. I believe they did it so it's easier for them to level the whole area. As I didn't know much about gardening then I didn't think it would be a big deal cause there is still 15" space left for garden soil and compost. Moreover the contractor told me that the gravel is useful for drainage. So I went along with their plan.
But now as I am looking up on ways to fill up this garden bed I have found out that many vegetables require deep roots for optimal growth and that filling the bottom of the garden bed with stones is actually bad for plants (e.g. What "gotchas" should I avoid when building a raised garden?). So I am thinking about removing the gravel and replacing it with top soil and organic material. The main concern I have is whether removing the gravel from the bottom of the raised bed would disturb the HPB and interlocking around the garden wall. I would assume that some of the HPB surrounding the garden wall (beneath the tiles) would fall into the empty space that I create by removing HPB from the garden bed floor. But If I replace the removed HPB with soil immediately I am hoping that this disturbance would be minimal ? Is that true ? Is there anything I can do to avoid disturbing the surrounding HPB ?


texts:
So my neighbours have this fruiting tree, which is growing into my garden and it has a huge amount of fruit on it. It seems a waste to not use them if they're safe. I'm asking here what type of fruit are they and are they safe? The neighbours aren't exactly the most pleasant people to ask what the tree is, hence why asking here.

I've been doing some digging and I think they're greengages. I'm in Ireland in case that helps narrow down what can grow here in terms of fruiting plants.

Thanks for the help!


texts: Does a sprinkler or spray nozzle increase the PSI exerted on a garden hose?

texts:
I am looking to buy some garden hoses and I want to be sure they will be strong enough to use with a sprinkler, spray nozzle, or drip irrigation system if I buy one in the future.

My water pressure at the faucet is 50 PSI. I've read that your hose burst pressure should be 4 times the expected working pressure. So that would mean a burst pressure of 200 PSI. I also read that if you're going to use a garden hose with a nozzle or a sprinkler, you want a burst pressure of at least 350 PSI. But I can't find anywhere else on the Internet that talks about this, so I'm wondering if this second article is just making a overgeneralization since some places might have a high faucet pressure and so they just picked a high PSI number just to be safe rather than trying to explain to people the aforementioned 4:1 ratio.

So my question is - do you really need such a high hose burst pressure for a sprinkler or nozzle? For example, might a sprinkler actually increase the PSI exerted on the hose - thereby making the working pressure on the hose higher than 50 PSI even if the water pressure coming into the system was only 50 PSI? Like might there be some designs that exert some sort of backpressure that increases PSI on the system to increase the distance water sprays?

Thanks for any insight you can provide.


texts:
Recently, I saw a video about reforestation in Thailand by dropping millions of seed bombs and thought about doing something similar in my own area (at least to start with).

I have zero knowledge about gardening... But I would like to take an initiative about growing more trees.

Why do I want to grow trees? It feels right.

I really like nature and the life-cycle of different animals. One animal eats another animal. Those animals eat plants. Plant grows flowers. Some bees rely on flowers. Some plants become trees. Birds build their nests on trees. And we chop those trees for our bed and furniture. I'm not against the use of furniture, but we should at least grow more trees to meet our need.
When I go to my office, I see people walking on footpaths under 35-40 degree Celsius (sometimes it touches 45). There is no shade. Many people died from heat stroke last year in my city. Providing shade to pedestrian helps.

So I need expert advice on how I can help my community. What sort of seeds would I need to buy and plant in my neighborhood. And anything else I need to know?

I live in Karachi, Pakistan.


texts: Uncommon Plants in Northern Argentina (Misiones)

texts:
A friend of mine has a little plantation in Argentina, Misiones. It's kind of a small rain forrest.

I would like to bring him some seed that would grow there and that he can't get there from every florist. I was thinking of a tree, medical plants or vegetables.

Any ideas?


texts: When dealing with soil mixture and compost ratios, are you supposed to go by volume or weight?

texts: I found what looks like a good raised vegetable garden soil mixture: 1/3 top soil, 1/3 compost manure, and 1/3 peat moss. Should I go by weight or volume?


texts: Will mulch on top of exposed tree roots cause rot?

texts: I've been planning on adding a mulch circle around my trees for a while now and have time to do it this weekend. I've been reading that you shouldn't butt the mulch directly against the tree, as the humidity can cause rot in the trunk. Looking at the trees however, I have several with roots that come back up out of the ground and are exposed. Does mulch present the same hazard to them? Should I avoid covering them?


texts: Why is my Sago Palm (Cycas Revoluta) leaves yellowing?

texts: I got this plant from IKEA, and transplanted it with a cactus soil mix. However, the leaves are turning yellow from the bottom ring of leaves and spreading to the top ring. What may be the reason and how can I fix it?


texts: Resource for time until maturity and yield of fruit trees?

texts:
I'm putting together a plan for a fruit wine business, and need to calculate expected yields for fruit trees each year from the date of planting. I have found various resources that provide 'time to first fruiting' and 'yield at maturity', but rarely can I find information stating the yield at first fruiting and the time to maturity. Without these pieces of information, it is impossible to estimate expected yield from year to year.

I am aware of how hopelessly imprecise any such calculations would be; locality and climate clearly have a large impact. Nevertheless, I need to show some figures from an authoritative source to provide a rough estimate for year-on-year production. Given the four pieces of information above, I could assume a linear increase in yield from the first fruiting until maturity.

Does anyone know of a reliable source of such information for fruiting trees? I am based in the UK, so ideally am looking for a resource relating to temperate climates.

Edit: To provide some logic for asking this question: our local government allows people to establish smallholdings if they can provide a business plan for a land-based enterprise. These business plans are heavily scrutinised, so although I recognise that any figures are likely to be imprecise, so long as they are from a reputable source, they would provide a 'ballpark' estimate of year-on-year yield from various crops. We can then base our business plan around, for example, a very poor year in which only 30% of the expected crop is yielded.


texts: "Burn" holes on Japanese Snowball / Viburnum

texts:
I have several Japanese Snowball in my yard, and two of them recently developed holes and damage that looks like a "burn". Some leaves also have some sort of general discoloration on them. The underside of the leaves look to be fine. I live in zone 7a. Ideas?
Images on Imgur


texts: When to harvest chilis? What happens if I don't? How can I store them?

texts:
My last chili experiment was some 5 years ago, when the dried results started to use up. So I went to buy 2 chili plants (habanero & jalapeno, both F1 hybrids) this European spring - and the results are overwhelming: I have some 15-20 Jalapeno fruits and 30-40 Habaneros still on the plants, all ripe as far as I can tell. This is far more than I expected or can use now, so my questions are:

Should I harvest them now?
If I don't, will they start to rot?
If I harvest them all, what's the best way to store them?

Apparently I prefer drying them up and making chili powder, but I can't remember how I dried them without them starting to rot.


texts:
I'm new to maintaining plants and want to cultivate caring for plants. I find that every so often, a couple of leaves at the bottom turn brown, and I prune them off. I also find that some leaves show partial wilting, especially close to their tips, as seen here.

As for caring for the plant, I water it once every two days. It doesn't receive direct sunlight but does receive scattered sunlight.

Would like to get your recommendations on how to meet the demands of this plant and make any changes that would help plant live healthily.


texts: Fencing removal with an old beautiful rose on it

texts: We need to replace our fencing but an old rose bush we’re desperate to keep and established ivy, which we’re happy to keep for privacy, is partly covering it. What’s the best time of year to do it and how can we do it to cause the least damage and maximum status quo of the plants.


texts: I repotted my dracaena marginata in an oversized pot. Now that I know this is incorrect, should I repot it again to a smaller pot?

texts:
I have a dracaena that was seriously rootbound in a 10-12 inch container. (That's the approximate size; I can't remember it exactly now). In March of this year, I untangled its roots and repotted it into a container that's 17 in high and 18 in in diameter. It seemed too big so I only planted it about 1/2 - 3/4 of the way up; there isn't a huge amount of soil on the bottom. It had transplant shock and lost some lower leaves on the bottom of its different "trunks," but it has bounced back after a few weeks and and looks good now!

However I now realize the risk of root rot in repotting it in an oversized container. Also, a secondary worry is that it might now grow/expand to its potential because so much energy is going toward its roots. Should I be proactive and repot it? Even if it's doing fine for now? Or is it okay because it's sitting lower in the pot? I really don't want root rot.

Thanks!


texts: What are the best vegetables to grow in containers?

texts:
I'm trying to grow some vegetables in the second floor balcony of my house. I am from Sri Lanka.  It gets about 5 to 4 hours (some days a bit less) of direct sunlight.

What are the best vegetables to grow in a place like this in containers?

Here are a couple of photos of the balcony:


texts: What's the best thing to do for a neglected agave?

texts:
I have an Agave victoriae-reginae.

This plant has had a hard life. I bought it at a local greenhouse in 2011, and kept it properly all year, on a stump on the hill, with other plants in a collection (which has now dispersed). When winter came, it somehow got overlooked, and remained outside. In early January, it was found and brought to me in its clay pot (which had cracked because the wet mix had frozen) and it was encased in ice from the freezing rain. I set it on the counter, and it thawed out slowly. Then I looked at it, and it was still alive! The outer leaves had dried, but it was surprisingly still alive.

I trimmed it, repotted it, and set it on a shelf in my basement, where there was a grow light installed. The shelf was up against a wall. It went missing soon after, and with all the traffic the area gets, I kind of forgot it existed.

Seems it had fallen behind the shelf, come out of its pot, and lost most of the soil. It must have been like that for almost two years. I just found it now, and it's ... still alive! Much smaller, and very shriveled!

What is the best thing I can do to revive the plant? It's kind of cool how it has survived, I didn't know these were so resilient. Do I immediately put it into good conditions, or break it back in slowly?


texts: Which plant is this? “Dead ends,” pruning, watering tips

texts:
This plant has been in my possession since last summer (I moved into a new, and otherwise empty, apartment one year ago). I wanted to keep it, but because there are no labels, I decided to water it only when the soil felt dry, which ended up being about once a week. Also, it gets bright indirect sunlight (in Western Europe, 47°N), and never direct sunlight.

This seems to have worked; new leaves are growing, and it generally looks healthy. Can anyone tell me what the plant is called?

There are some issues, though. Some leaves have “dead ends” (not easy to see in the picture), i.e. the tips of the leaves look dead (or at least not healthy). I assume this isn’t normal, so how can I fix it? Is it safe to prune those leaves, or in general?


texts: Does this orchid have a viable stem? If not, will it grow one if transplanted to a larger pot?

texts:
I received a Phalaenopsis Orchid as a Valentine's Day present. It was in a glass vase, and atop the straight stem, which was held to a support stick by a hair clip, were two lovely pink flowers. It looked great until last week, when the flowers fell off, and the stem started bending over.

I carefully lifted it out of the glass, and saw strings of moss coming out of the bottom of the little cup, so I assume what it needs is a transfer to a bigger pot. There are good instructions for that in some other questions here, but my question pertains to this plant's viability.

The tall stem is shriveling more each day, and I thought it had buds, but they're just empty brown pods. There seem to be two other small stems peeking up over the edge of the cup, but they don't look healthy either.

The leaves are a nice color and texture, though, and the plant base looks okay. Also, there are two bright green things in the moss, which I think are healthy roots. Currently it's sitting on top of an empty jar. I know I have to do something, unless it's too late.

Will any of the existing stems bloom? If not, will new stems grow if it's in a larger pot?


texts:
I have been growing this avocado plant from pip - it is now nearly 4 years old and about 5ft high. I water it regularly but never so it sits in water and prune the ends to stop it growing larger.

Does anyone know why the lower leaves are tinged with brown (and sometimes go totally brown/yellow and fall off!).

Also, how do I encourage more leaf growth lower down on the plant?
Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. J x


texts: We have a home garden and recently fuschia was added to our collection. it was all great looking and healthy but after a few days there were no blooms and it was all leaves on the plant. I did read some articles Googling the issue, and they suggested pruning or pinching. I did cut off some stems to encourage blooming two days ago and it dried out and is dying! I try to keep the soil moist and It is getting all of the daylight hours of bright, indirect light. The temp. in the house is about 27-30 (C). Here are the photos before and after the issue:


texts: How can I preserve a bouquet of flowers for two days before gifting them?

texts:
I bought a bouquet of flowers today (Saturday) but I must give them on Monday

How should I preserve them?

in water?
in closed room without sun?
in a fresh room ?
at what temperature ?


texts: What plant is this and what do I do with it?

texts:
I now work at a new desk and inherited this plant.

Click to enlarge.

What is it and what can I do with it (to fix it or trim it)?
Indoors, no sunlight.

I am not a gardener :)


texts:
I don't really know much about plants and soils, I'm trying to make a vegetable garden and since the soil is a little ugly:

I was thinking about sifting it

The soil feels very nice after doing it but I don't know how good it would be for the plants. I want to use some fertilizer after doing it. Those little stones would still, of course, remain there a few centimeters deep down below the surface. Is it a good idea?


texts: How to care for/water Snake's Plant (Mother-In-Law Tongue Plant) indoor potted plant?

texts:
I have several indoor potted Snake's plants. One pot has several kinds of plants in it, and is reasonably large - probably 16" diameter. It is filled with Prayer plants, another plant (the name escapes me at the moment), and two varieties of Snake's Tongue. One of them looks like S. trifasciata (Snakeskin Plant), and the other one looks like S. trifasciata laurentii (Mother-in-Law's Tongue). I have had trouble knowing how to water the pot. The latter Snake's plant I mentioned loses leaves when they become soft and bend over. I lost about 18" of one leaf to that, and it looks like I'm about to lose 4" of another leaf due to that. The first variety mentioned doesn't seem to have that problem.

I don't remember when I fertilized it last, but it's been a while. The Prayer plant and the other plant variety don't seem to mind less water, they just don't grow as fast, and may drop a few leaves - usually nothing major. I usually let the soil get reasonably dry before watering it. The pot is a clay pot if it matters, and it is on the south side of a window facing east, so it gets plenty of light, it's just not direct through the window.

Am I over or under watering, or is there something else I am missing?


texts:
What happened to my beautiful Azalea japonica? I bought it in full bloom about two weeks ago (here in Central Europe), repotted it after a few days (which was perhaps a mistake), initially placed it in a sunny spot (perhaps another mistake) and watered it daily and a quite a lot (with regular water).

Now within the last few days all of its blooms have collapsed, many have fallen off, and there is a a white substance on many leafs. So I guess the azalea has caught some disease (even though its natural blooming season is also coming to an end.)

What is this and how can I treat it? Will this be contagious to my other plants? And what are some general best-practice rules for handling azaleae?

UPDATE Here is another photo. The terracotta pot is approx. 30 cm in upper diameter. The original one was approx. 26 cm in diameter and made of plastic. I've also run a quite test with a simple (Seramis) moisture indicator and it currently says "dry".


texts: What is this green, fuzzy, plant growing on a tree?

texts:
I'm working at an office in Texas and there is an old tree with this mossy fuzzy stuff. It looks like it's leeching off the tree. There is some kind seed or flower thing sticking out of it.

Edit: each clump in the trees is one.


texts: How often can I mow when starting with a 6" high grass and want to get down to 2"

texts:
Coming back from vacation with 6" high grass. Using the one third rule, I need to mow three times to get down to 2" (my lawn maintenance service recommends 2" high cut at this time of year in the Northeast w/ leaves/pine needles falling).

First time at 4", second time at 3", last time at 2". Most advice I've seen recommends go back to cut again in 2-3 days. Why not cut in successive days rather than waiting for 2-3 days?


texts: What are the optimal N-P-K levels for fertilizing potatoes?

texts:
I have some russet potatoes that seem to be doing well growing in a plastic tub.

(This photo was taken near sunset; they do get 8+ hours open sun.)

I have a choice between these three fertilizers, and was about to go for the 7-4-5 but figured I'd run it by.. the world.  which is the right one?


texts:
Hello guys,

I've actually got this pepper plant from my local "bazaar" or market and its been really bothering me as I don't know the variety. Anyone of you ever encountered this? Thanks!


texts:
I am aware that different plants thrive/need different pH levels to grow.  What is it about the alkalinity/acidity of the soil that effects how a plant grows?

Note: I understand that this could have an in-depth answer about plant biology; but I am speaking a more basic level - not on the mechanics of molecular biology.


texts: What's the difference between corms, bulbs, and tubers?

texts:
Some plants, such as tulips, daffodils, and onions, grow from bulbs. Others, such as crocosmia, gladiolus, and taro, grow from corms. And then there are tuberous plants, such as potatoes, dahlias, and begonias. These are the most common underground storage organs in plants.

How do I distinguish between them?


texts: How do germinate the seed of a coffee plant?

texts: I bought some Arabica Nana seeds and I would like to know what the best / most successful way would be to germinate them. I've tried putting them in pots in normal potting soil, but they failed. Any advice?


texts: Should I rototill compost into existing barren soil before planting drought-hardy grass?

texts: I've had 2" of composted manure added to my desert front yard (New Mexico, zone 7a) to serve as new topsoil after having someone with a bobcat and a dump truck to haul off the gravel and plastic sheeting that was previously there. I'm planning to plant Buffalo grass, Curly Mesquite grass, or some kind of prairie grass mix this spring, but before I do that, should I rototill the compost into the existing soil? Or just plant right in the compost itself? I worry that if I rototill, ancient weed seeds that were covered by the plastic and gravel for decades will be brought to the surface, but if I don't, the grass roots won't see any need to spread deeper than the 2" of compost, inhibiting its drought resistance. The existing soil is heavy clay.


texts:
How much sun do standard peach trees (pruned short) need in order to set fruit, if they have plenty of heat?

These particular peaches are seed-grown (so probably not exactly like the parent, which I think was an Elberta peach), and they may have crossed with our old nectarine tree.

Anyway, a relative of mine wants to plant them somewhere where other trees will be blocking most of the morning and early afternoon sun. I'm not certain they'll have enough sun to set any fruit (when they're mature; they're currently only about three years old, growing in a raised bed, in need of transplanting out). The rest of the afternoon sun will likely be partially filtered, too, but much lighter.


texts: Can egg shells be put in the compost bin?

texts: I am relatively new to composting and still have not figured out how to generate heat so for now it is mainly cold composting. I was wondering if it is a good idea to put egg shells in the compost bin both to make sure it decomposes fast but also to ensure it does not attach mice or voles.


texts:
I have cement base under my lawn therefore my lawn has just 7 inches of soil and then below that it is fully covered with cement. This is done to prevent water seepage in my basement so I can't drill holes in it to improve drainage because then my basement may suffer from water seepage. As there is cement base during heavy rains due to poor drainage I can see green algae at some places in patches. After few days when sun falls on it it turns to black and looks very ugly. I just pour handful of soil over it to cover it up. So, basically I am just hiding the problem instead of solving it.

Is there any solution to algae? May be pouring diluted vinegar but I read it can harm the grass as well. I need some solution that can kill the algae but not my lawn.

Any help is appreciated.

Edit:

So here is the picture I found from the internet. You can see the green colored substance in the picture. If I rub my fingers it feels Jelly like. This is exactly how it looks and once rain stops and sun falls on it it becomes completely black:


texts: What are the best trees to grow as sustainable firewood in the UK?

texts:
I would like to plant trees in a small area of land in N.E. England, to supplement our long-term firewood supply i.e. they will periodically be chopped and re-planted, or coppiced depending on species.

As I see it the two main factors are:

yield - how much wood I'll get per tree/per square metre each year
quality - how suitable the wood is as firewood

Lesser factors would be cost, attractiveness, disease resistance, and maintenance.

What are the obvious tree varieties to consider in my location that give a good balance of fast growth and useful fire-wood, and what are reasonable expectations?


texts: How long to wait to harden off seedlings after transplanting?

texts:
I started some seedlings (mostly brassicas, lettuce, and chard) in a 72-cell 1020 tray under a T5. I then waited for the second true leaf to appear to transplant them to a 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" (approx.) seedling pot. The transplant shock seems to be close to wearing off. They're doing pretty well.
How long should I wait to start to harden them off before planting outside? I'm worried that if I do it too close to when I just potted them up a few days ago that the stress will kill them. But I also don't want to wait too long to transplant them outside if I can help it.


texts: Can propagation by layering be started in the fall?

texts: I have a thriving elderberry bush I'd like to propagate. Can I start layering, as in bury a shoot of the bush, in late summer/fall and expect to have an independent rooted plant which can be separated and transplanted in the following spring or fall? If so, are there any additional considerations for layering over winter that I should have in mind to boost chances of success?


texts: Why is my Mulberry bush flowering later than all my other trees?

texts:
I have a Mulberry bush in my garden that I planted last year. I can see buds on it like the leaves are starting to grow.  The thing is every other tree in my garden has flowers now, even my apple tree.

Why is my Mulberry bush so far behind everything else?


texts:
Watering the lettuces, I spotted a Red Cabbage head leaning sideways on the ground.

On close inspection, here's what I saw:

Three little worm-like bugs having a feast of the bottom of the stalk of this head of red cabbage.

Their posse was crushed by hand.  The cabbage will be cooked tonight.

Now what?

two days later

Neighboring Mesclun, Red Sail, Collards, Arugula and the other three Red Cabbages are all basically well.  Photographed on a warm sunny day just before being watered:

These are growing in an above-ground planter built a couple of months ago in the backyard of a 3-family apartment building in Brooklyn, NY.

There is heavy duty landscaping cloth under the planter. Worth noting, the wood I built the planters from was reclaimed, though I inspected each board thoroughly and (I believe) they were bug-free.

But.. see that yellow card?  It's a sticky trap to kill hatching larvae, placed there one month ago when A swiss chard planted in that exact location suddenly wilted!!

As Stormy points out, next season it would be advantageous for the lettuces overall to be dispersed throughout other locations, or with companion species besides cole crops.

I'll update this post as the cabbage root excavation continues.

aha!

Fiasco Labs has ID'd the bugs as termites.  What an outright terrifying little species those are.  Confirmed watching spine-chilling YouTube videos, the motion of their "feasting" is very distinct.

Questions about Termites:

Are Nematodes known to mitigate termites in soil?
Can termites just appear out of thin (local) air?  Might they have come from the wood in the planters?  From the ground?  Are termites just around, like mosquitoes?

also

A few weeks ago, Nematodes were added to all of the soil in the various planters. Scanmask was used, and I did my best to not over- or under- populate my garden based on the instructions. We hope beneficial Nematodes put the hurt on all nefarious bugs!


texts:
Ive had this cactus which i think is a Pachycereus Schotti/Monstrosus since years and its been growing fabulous. Ive just recently noticed it acquired some brown scales (non Insect) and looks like theres something wrong. Could it be from some chemical reaction? I did spray some Neem oil on several plants around it?? I loved this cactus and would hate to see it die.
Help! Thanks!


texts: Why has my double rose started single flowering?

texts:
I have a climbing rose that started life as a double, but after a couple of years started flowering as singles (in the same colour).
What's the deal? And is there a way to get the doubling back?


texts: Is it Pear blight? What's the best way to fix it?


texts: Maple Tree Typical Dormancy Requirements?

texts:
To give a little bit of context, I'm looking to start growing bonsai trees indoor. I really like maple trees and I'm thinking of building an indoor growth enclosure(like a Grow Box) with artificial lighting(for those interested I'll be using driverless full spectrum grow LEDs), temperature control, etc.
I know these plants require dormancy, and to avoid "eternal summer", which is fatal, some people use refrigerators to meet dormancy requirement. Guess it depends a lot on the type of maple tree, but my questions are the following :

What's the maximum temperature to meet dormancy requirements and "simulate" winter?
How should I vary the light cycles during the year?
What humidity percentage should I be working with?
How should I vary the light cycles and temperature during the year?


texts:
I recently noticed that my weeping fig isn't going well and many of its leaves have white traces and black dots on them. After inspecting the leaves for a while, I think I found the culprit. It is about 1 mm long, it moves extremely slowly, and it looks like this:

While it looks very friendly and has little cute eyes, my ficus doesn't seem to appreciate its company, and therefore I don't either.

What is it, and how do I get rid of this sort of pest? Is it a sort of thrips, or something else?


texts: Should I cut tomatoes once they reach the top of the greenhouse?

texts:
I have tomatoes in a greenhouse. Most of the stem is fortified with a curled rod, so they don't break under the weight of their fruits.

Now they have outgrown their rod and are reaching the top of the greenhouse. I am wondering if I should cut them so they don't touch the roof. For once because there is no way I can further physically support them. But also, maybe they should put their strength in the remaining fruits?


texts: What kind of succulent is this and why are the leaves wilting and changing color?

texts: What kind of cactus is this and what's wrong with him?  I got him at the farmer's market and he didn't have a tab that says what conditions or how often you should water. I spray him with water once a week but some of the leaves have wilted and turned orangish reddish.  Am I watering too much or is there anything I can do to save him?


texts: Best help for a tree with stunted growth?

texts:
I have a few trees on my property which are at least five years old (sorry I don't know the kinds yet). Compared to other trees in neighboring lots, planted at the same age at the same time, they are notably stunted, short, and devoid of many branches. They are alive and well, with new growth and green leaves, but are not growing taller and branching.

I suspect a soil problem, but it could also be due to a history of underwatering.

What steps can I take to turn these trees around, and help them grow properly? (Or is the damage done and it's too late?)


texts: What would cause the bark to fall of a tree?

texts: What would cause the bark to fall off a tree like this? See the squiggly markings on the trunk?


texts: Why am I not getting any peaches on my peach tree I bought at Lowes last year?

texts: I bought a small peach tree last year at Lowes. Last year, it had 7 little peaches that grew pretty nice. In the last year, the tree has grown pretty rapidly compared to how tall it was when I bought it and produced a beautiful display of flowers this spring, but no peaches. Maybe the little chipmonks or ground squirrels grab them as soon as they start budding, IDK.


texts: What is the best privacy hedge for the US northeast?

texts:
I am looking for a privacy hedge which is dense, grows to at least 6 ft tall, has small leaves and is evergreen and can sustain harsh winter of northeast USA.

I like boxwood "Green Velvet" for its leaf size and color but it doesn't grow that tall and growth is slow as well.

I see a lot of hedge videos on YouTube from Australia but not as much in the USA.

I really like Moonshadow Euonymus which has awesome leaves but it doesn't grow tall and have not seen any pictures showing as hedge.


texts: Is my pineapple plant growing another pineapple?

texts:
I've read that pineapple plants grow only one pineapple, and possibly additional crowns from which more pineapples can grow.

But my plant is growing something that looks like another pineapple (judging by the roundness and bumps), and it isn't coming from another crown.

Have a look under the pineapple fruit in the attached picture...

Thank you!


texts:
The last two mornings I have come out to find 4 or 5 of my newly planted vegetables dug up out of their holes. The plants themselves appear to be undamaged so I just keep replanting them in the hole that some creature dug it out of.

What could be doing this and what is it looking for? My best bet is raccoons, but I have never heard of them doing stuff like this.

FYI I live in Northern California in the foothills.


texts: Does comfrey make a great garden perimeter?

texts: I'm into the no till side of gardening, and have heard that comfrey "grows in place". Would comfrey make a great garden perimeter plant to keep animals out by feeding them better food than the stuff in the middle of the garden?


texts: How far should I place garden plants from concrete and fences?

texts:
I have a 9' strip of land nestled between my driveway and the neighbor's fence. I'd like to plant some rows of blackberries and make some raised beds with tomatoes and vegetables here since it's one of the few locations not shaded by trees on my small property.

How far from the concrete and fence should I plant things? Can I make the raised beds go right up to the concrete and right up to my neighbor's fence? From the survey it looks like the fence is right on the property line.

I live in North Texas (Zone 8a) so I'm worried the heat retention and radiation from the concrete driveway will be an issue.


texts: What is this caterpillar and how to fight it?

texts:
This caterpillar is on a sage plant> It's less than 5mm long. It seems to be eating it. What is it exactly and how can I prevent it?

Thanks!


texts: What is this tree with alternate leaves, and large green fruits?

texts: I was told it was an almond tree, but after looking almond trees up, I don't think that's what it is. The green drupes turn yellowish/brownish and partially split open and drop. When I open them, there are 2 seed cavities that contain black smooth seeds. And they aren't shaped like almonds either. I would appreciate any help you can give. Apparently the tree was given as a gift to my landlords several years ago and they were told it was an almond tree. It's about 8 ft. tall.


texts: What's the best way to remove grass/topsoil to prepare for grading?

texts:
I want to remove about 250 square feet of grass/topsoil and then lightly grade for drainage below a future deck.

Should I:

Man up with a spade & a rake?
Rent a sod cutter & go deep?
Use some tool I'm not aware of but you're about to explain?


texts: I heard about Yacón, a tuberous vegetable cultivated in the Andes, and was wondering if I can grow Yacón in Minnesota.


texts:
Just wondering if anyone has tried using burnt dead or discarded plants as fertilizer for new plants, and how much of the nutrients you can recycle if you reuse the waste from the previous harvest. My idea was simply to burn the plant matter, possibly in an oxygen rich environment, to be left with only ashes, and then either do some more chemical separation or just use the ash as it was. From my limited understanding all the Carbon and Hydrogen should just be turned into CO2 and H2O and I should be left with the nutrients (ideally I would conserve the CO2 so I can have a CO2 rich environment to speed up the growth).

Has anyone here done something similar?

EDIT: I was rather tired when I asked the question it seems :/ I meant to ask specifically about burning the plants, not composting (I want to extract energy while burning them)


texts: Why does my peppermint have long purple stems with very small leaves?

texts: For the past few months I have been trying to grow a peppermint plant indoors. It grows pretty well except for a few stems that have gone purple and only seem to be able to grow these small leaves and seem to be trying to dig their way into the substrate. Should I be concerned about it? What is the cause of these stems?


texts: I have a house plant which has green leaves in the summer and the leaves turn pink and white at the tips in the autumn to spring. When cut at the tip it sprouts another growing shoot from the next leaf node.


texts: what fungus or bacterium is eating away at the leaves of my fava bean plant?

texts:
I am growing aquadulce fava bean plants and something is eating holes into the leaves. At first i thought this was caused by slugs but when i look closely i can actually see that the holes are preceded by necrotic black spots.
This must be caused by either a bacterium or by a fungus. The problem is, i don't know which one is exactly causing these spots (and eventually holes) to form. I live in the netherlands and i've sown the fava beans in autumn. All of the fava bean plants are still very young (seedlings) and the climate is very cold and wet, with the temperature averaging between 7 to 15 degrees celcius or so. I've read that the disease Ascochyta occurs in environments with prolonged wet and cool conditions and that it also develops early in the growing season. The problem is that the marks that ascochyta leaves don't have the same color as the marks that are on my plants.
It could also be botrytis fabae (chocolate spot disease). What do you guys think? Below are some photo's.

EDIT: Here are some more pictures that show both the dark spots as the development of those spots into lesions/holes.


texts:
After digging out loads of Buddleia plants and brambles I started hacking away at what I thought was just overgrown grass. However I've a feeling it might be bamboo. If so I would just like to know if I can leave it there or if it's the bad sort that needs digging out? I've lived here for 11 years and it seems pretty small so I don't know where it came from if it is bamboo. Any info would be great! If it's not the sort to completely take over the garden it will be great as I'm starting to grow tropical style plants e.g. [Musa basjoo][1] and palms.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musa_basjoo


texts: How much soil to remove from root ball when repotting?

texts:
I have a plant that I think had a high salt content in the soil, likely from watering it with tap water instead of distilled water. To fix this, I followed someone's recommendation to re-pot the plant using new potting soil. However, there was lots of soil in the root ball that I wasn't able to remove for fear of damaging the plant.

I tried to shake/brush off as much soil as possible, but how much is enough? Are there any other techniques or suggestions about how to handle the tradeoff between replacing enough potting soil vs avoiding too much damage to the plant?

I understand that this issue my be solved by getting a "feel" for it. But I'm a fairly novice gardener, so a thorough description about how to remove the proper amount of soil from the root ball would be very helpful.

Here are some pics from my repotting attempt:

Before the repotting:

The initial rootball:

Rootball after shaking off some soil:

After fingering through the rootball, here it is before replanting:


texts: What is this fast growing plant and should I rip it out?

texts: So we planted a big new garden, and I think my wife sprinkled some assorted seeds (possibly wildflower?) and now we have three huge plants growing that don't seem to either produce flowers or fruit/vegetable of any kind. The stalks are quite thick for being at most 6 weeks old and they are a purplish color. Any ideas what it could be? Should I rip it out?


texts: Are these brown areas on my dracaena leaves a disease?

texts:
My dracaena has several leaves with this kind of quite big brown areas on them:

Photo source

Does this look like a disease or might it be only bad caring?

I have a separate post related to falling leaves, but now I see these brown areas on green, seemingly healthy leaves.


texts:
Someone in our house put a ficus benjamina onto a staircase, which basically means 'thrown away'.
The tree is in moderate or poor condition. I think it will not have enough light in this place (there is only a small window to the east), the pot is apparently too small for a tree of that size, so I'm considering taking it to my flat. It is currently about 150-170 cm in height.
The tree looks healthy, but there's not much foliage on it.
Is it possible to make it more dense, bushy and good looking?
How much should I prune out of it in case of pruning?
What is an optimal pot size for a tree like this?
Any advice for a good care and rejuvenation is welcome. Thanks!
Update:
The tree does not have any signs of scale infestation on leaves, so I brought it home. I turned the plant out of the pot and figured out that it was not pot bounded at all, root system was weak compared to my smaller ficus. I decided to keep it in its own pot for now. Its size is around 8-9 liters (25 cm in diameter, 23 cm in depth). Do I need a larger one later? Tree height is 160 cm.


texts: Pruning and caring for heuchera / coral bells that have gotten too much sun?

texts:
It's getting into the driest, hottest part of summer here in MI and my heuchera / coral bells are starting to show some dissatisfaction with it. The outer leaves are browning and turning crispy.

My question is: should I prune off the browning/drying outer leaves or leave them on to provide a little sun protection to the inner foliage? Short of transplanting them to shade (I have nowhere to move them to!) what can I do to make sure they are happiest during this time of year?


texts: need help to identify this plant, please!

texts: How do i include pictures?? Impossible without them. If i remember correctly, i planted them from seed two years ago.  Never has bloomed.  This year it has large buds on it and as of now has not opened.  It is about 3 feet tall.  Has very long fragile hairy individual leaves that start right at ground level. If i remember right, i think it was not a perennial for my zone 4 and i protected in winter and it came back.


texts:
My first time growing eggplants. I have about 10 plants that seem to be healthy, the tallest one is almost 4 feet high. Lots of flowers in the past 6 weeks, but only 2 fruits so far.

I am in central Florida, very hot now, they need heavy watering every day. The natural soil is very sandy, I enriched this area with 5 cubic feet of garden soil.

The plants are in an isolated area, and the flowers are rather inconspicuous, maybe the pollinators aren't finding them? Should I plant some flowers next to them? Pentas do well here.


texts: Should I use creeping types of plants to cover walking paths in my veggie gardens?

texts: I'm wanting to suppress weeds in my garden with creeping plants, and am wondering if I should get varieties of short plants for my garden so they spread to cover the entire garden so I can go around on it bare foot.


texts: What is wrong with my potted mango tree?

texts:
I started growing these in 2016.
One is doing good but growing very slowly. The other one grew fast but now the leaves at the top are dying but yet at the bottom, new branches are growing.
I live in Miami, FL and they get direct sun daily since I'm facing the east.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b50/yasmel/20180421_172311_zpsqnxcbu0r.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b50/yasmel/20180421_172825_zpsau8ju39z.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b50/yasmel/20180421_171727_zpsm1usku87.jpg


texts: Growing cold climate cedar in warm climate

texts:
I am trying to plant some trees which are usually native to colder climates into Subtropical climate, is there any possibility that if i plant these 20 trees saplings in winters they will grow to be a tree, due to some random genetic mutation, given all nutrients all provided to it?

Tree in Question is Deodar


texts: How far back should you prune rambling roses with lots of old/diseased wood?

texts:
I have a rambling rose (or maybe climbing, I'm not too sure) that has a lot of old or possibly diseased wood. I've read that it's good to remove old wood, but since both main stems have old wood at the base this would mean cutting it back right down to the base.

So, for a rose in this condition should you cut back close to the base? If not, then how much?


texts:
I bought some mint twigs from the supermarket, and I needed only a few leaves. The rest of it was surplus, and I didn't want to throw it away. Knowing that mint is an invasive plant, I assumed it was hard to kill and could reproduce from basically any part of it, so I tried to put the twigs in water to see if they would produce roots. After three days, most of the twigs appear to be dry and dead. A small number of them, however, till have some leaves that appear healthy, so I still have hope. No roots though.

I have two questions:

Is this a possible way to propagate mint?
How do you get mint, considering that the plant does not give seeds? I know that you can look for runners somewhere, but I don't know where, to be honest.


texts: Why does the lime half of a grafted tree suffer, while the lemon half thrives?

texts:
I have a dwarf grafted citrus in a pot in my garden. The trunk is grafted with one lemon branch and one lime branch. Over the last two years the lemon half of the tree has grown well and fruited several times, while the lime half has not grown at all, and the few tiny fruit that develop after flowering drop off after about a week.

The tree is potted in a well known brand of citrus potting compost, and I've added a small amount of slow release citrus fertiliser periodically.

Here are some photos of the graft and the tree itself - the lime is the thin branch on the right in both:

What can I do to encourage the lime side of the tree to grow and produce fruit?


texts: Cucumber plants wilting in greenhouse, but fine indoors?

texts:
I've been growing cucumber plants from seed this year and everything was going fine until I started trying to move them outside when they were about 8 inches tall. I was acclimating them to the outdoor conditions along with my tomato and pepper plants by placing them outside for a few hours each day, but I always found that the cucumbers wilted by such a large degree when they were outside that I got scared and moved them back indoors after an hour or so. The other plants were fine.

I ended up moving the cucumber plants straight into the greenhouse a few weeks ago, and since then they've gradually got worse and worse, with the leaves becoming very floppy and wilted, followed by the young fruit wilting, and now the entire stems are buckling and collapsing to the soil level. Meanwhile, I kept two plants indoors that were, up until that point, treated identically to the outside plants, and they're thriving (or, at least, not dying).

I'm fairly certain that they have had sufficient water, and the temperature hasn't dropped below about 5°C here since they've been outside, however I forgot to poke holes in the bottom of the plants' growbag, so they spent the first couple of weeks with no drainage. At no point did the soil appear to be saturated, though, and I've since cut some drainage holes about a week ago, but the plants have only got worse.

Does anyone have any idea what I've done wrong? I'm really quite baffled at this stage...

For reference, the seeds I sowed were shop-bought Cucumber Amanda F1 seeds, and I've included photos of both the wilting and healthy plants below.

I am in the UK.

Image of wilting plants:

Image of healthy plant:


texts: Will Cedar Hedge pruned in dead zone grow back?

texts: I decided to prune hedge. Will it grow new leaves.


texts: Should I keep tulip bulbs that didn't flower this year, or replace them with new?

texts: My tulip bulbs have not made any flowers this spring, maybe due to lack of sun and/or phosphorus. Is there any chance they will make flowers next year if I give them phosphorus and more sun, or should I just throw them away?


texts: Should I trim this small peach tree shoot?

texts:
I grew this peach tree from a pit from a peach tree that grew in in my yard which grew the most delicious peaches. That was in Seattle 2 years ago but now I live in Colorado and I'd like to plant it in the ground eventually. The leaves are starting to come back after the winter.

I trimmed the tips off the branches because they were dried and dead looking after the winter (maybe 1-2 inches depending on the branch). I was watering the plant in this pot during the winter.

My question is about this little shoot coming off the bottom. Should I cut it completely off? Should I let it grow? It is growing much faster than the rest of the leaves. Is it pulling energy away from the rest of the tree? Is it a problem that it is coming out of the base?


texts:
I potted a Jubilee Blueberry plant 2 weeks ago. The leaves have started to brown this week. The same thing happened to my Spartan Blueberry plant. That one completely browned up and died. How do I prevent my Jubilee from dying too?

Soil PH appears to be 3. I have no idea how accurate this cheap $5 PH meter is.
When planting, I mixed in a trowel-full of cottonseed meal. Yesterday, after discovering the alkalinity of the soil, I sprinkpled another trowel-full on the service and watered it in.
Container has drain holes in the bottom.
I am in Zone 9 California.
It has been hotter than usual these past days - 90 degrees F. But the product description of Jubilee says that "this selection performs well in heavier soils through summer heat, and is resilient to winter cold spells."
Mulched with cedar chips.
Before transplanting, I massaged the roots to prevent them from circling around. When I pulled my dead Spartan from the pot, I noticed that it never grew new roots. I didn't massage the Spartan.


texts: Should I cut concrete panel into strips, and rings with hooks, or leave it in long strips?

texts:
I've decided to build all of my trellises out of concrete panel, and was wondering if I should cut it into strips, and make easy to handle panels, and rings that hook together (at the support posts), or leave the panels grow flat to keep the various plants grow right next to the edges of the panels and move them in the fall in the back of the truck. I know both ways would work, but what way would work better for the long run?

I'll be putting it up once a year until it will be no longer able to support its load properly