texts:
I'm looking for options to cover some ground around a cabin we will be building soon. It will be a heavily wooded lot. Don't want to deal with mowing it every week either. I'll have a path that goes where we need one

Want to stay away from anything too intrusive that would get into our stone dust path. I will have landscape fabric under the stone dust though. What are my options? I also want to keep it low to the ground so we can enjoy the views.


texts: Will a forest trail that's not regularly used always become overgrown?

texts:
This question belongs more to forestry than to gardening per se, but as this seems to be the Stack that's closest in subject matter, I'll go ahead and ask anyway.

I'm writing a story where the main character, while walking in a forest, stumbles upon an old, long-forgotten mule trail that nobody uses anymore. But then I asked myself, is such a thing even possible? I mean, if a trail isn't used for some time, won't it eventually become so overgrown with vegetation as to be completely inaccessible as well as indistinguishable from the ambient shrubbery? If not, what would be some naturally occurring barriers to prevent this overgrowth from happening?

Many thanks for any insights!


texts: What plant might this be? Think it might be cherry

texts:
Found this in my backyard, thought it might be black cherry or cherry laurel, but the leaves don't really match up.
Some of the stems are red.


texts: Should we add gravel to the cacti soil mix for succulent?

texts:
I made a custom cacti soil mix for succulent, which is 1:2:1:1 of potting soil, pumice/perlite, coir and fine vermiculite.

I think it should be quite loose, should I add gravel?


texts: These sparsely branched trees appear all over northern Tuscany, is anyone able to help identify them?


texts: Why are my figs dry inside and not ripening?

texts:
I have this several year old fig tree, should be coming up on 6-7 years. It's about 18 feet tall perhaps, and for the last several years it has produced figs. They get tender on the skin but when I cut them open they're always full of dry things that look like seeds.

Is the plant still gearing up to produce fully ripe figs a few years down the road or did I get a dud?

Is this dry interior a fleeting phase or is this some kind of male/female tree thing?

What sort of figs do these appear to be?


texts: Lemon plant age 5-6 months branches are drying?

texts:
Let us know why the branches of lemon dried ?
What’s the cure of it.


texts: How can I tell if my greenhouse plastic film is facing the right direction

texts:
I just built a polytunnel with pvc pipes and special greenhouse film. This film has an inside and an outside.

I'm pretty sure the text on the film that says 'inside' was facing the correct way when I installed it, however, I'm now second guessing myself and wondering if there is an easy way to tell inside from outside by looking at the plastic (at a glance the plastic looks similar on both sides)? The text saying 'inside' is now buried somewhere in the soil so I can't reference that easily.

Also what are the likely effects of putting the film on the wrong way around?


texts: Goji Berry plants have not grown much over 2 years!

texts:
My Goji Berry plants have only grown in the spring, when they have grown at all. I had some berries the first year, but not since. (Of course, they only fruit on new wood, but the plants are growing a few inches per year). The plants should be 6 foot tall and cascading over towards the ground, filling in that area.

I have done every possible thing I can think of, or that the nursery can think of. The selling nursery said any PH would be fine... However, the internet says slightly alkaline soil is needed. This is my ONLY IDEA re the problem... I do NOT know if this is accurate for my variety re PH needed.
Note - the nursery says these plants don't like much water or fertilizer.

If it is that I need to raise the PH from approximately 5.75 to 7.0+, how do i do this?? Can I spread like over the surface where they are planted? How can I get results this year? Thanks!


texts: Last summer the sprinklers worked fine but when trying to replace them with drip we found the water no longer flowed. I opened the pressure regulator to inspect if it was blocked but it seemed fine. I can hear the gurgling of water when I turn on the system either with the actuator or manually. But water just barely flows out and only at the first sprinkler outlet. There may be some dirt or stones in the pipes. Is there any way to clear out the pipes without water pressure? Or how can I troubleshoot the lack of pressure?


texts:
My lawn has both peaks and troughs. I guess that I can just fill the troughs with lawn soil or compost, right?

But how do I flatten the peaks?
I’ve read that a water filled roller does nothing.
Has anyone been successful at flattening out an established lawn or do I have to rip it out and re-sod?


texts: How to replace my gas hedge trimmer rope starter

texts:
The rope starter for my Craftsman Gas Hedge Trimmer disconnected from the engine while pulling to start.
Please explain how to reattach this rope starter. I am a DIY individual.
Thanks for your help.


texts: Garden smells of dog urine due to no drainage

texts:
I have 2 dogs, who routinely use the bathroom in my front garden. One of my dogs pees in the same place about 90% of the time he goes out. Due to a lack of drainage, and what I imagine is 100% saturation of the soil beneath, the pee will pool on the surface and stay there, some times for days at a time (and even when it's gone/evaporated, the remnants of what's left still emits a strong odour). This results in a really nasty smell that can be smelled from the inside of the house, and if my dog happens to walk through that general area, his paws absolutely stink.

How can I improve or resolve this situation? The soil bedding the grass is quite clay-like, so I suspect this is contributing to, if not causing, the problem, but I've no idea what I can put down to either eliminate the smell or resolve the drainage issue without digging drainage holes all over the garden (or both).


texts: Can I use swimming pool water to water plants and vegetables?

texts:
A relative of mine has a small surface swimming pool for kids filled with 5000 liters of water. Now that summer is ending I would like to remove it and put it inside. I don't want to waste water. This is still the dry season and the water is useful. Not to mention that it is a resource that shouldn't be wasted. Is it safe to use the treated water?

I heard that chlorine dissolves fast but I would like to know it for sure if there can be other consequences to using this water.


texts: Why are we instructed not to use manure before planting carrots?

texts:
It's said that we shouldn't use manure when preparing ground intended for carrots. Is it that carrots don't thrive on manure, or is it that they fork and splinter too much?

What about other roots? Radishes, beetroots etc?


texts: Flowering climbing planting in areas that are close to auto traffic

texts:
I'm wondering about what kinds of plants would be good to grow by busy streets. Specifically I'm interested in recommendations of climbing plants that could scale a wide column with or without a trellis. I'm thinking of doing a project that could use different plants for different climates. Initially I was thinking hops would be an interesting plant to do this with but I would be worried about using the flowers for beer or even composting them. What kinds of flowering, climbing plants would do at least okay in an environment that is close to auto traffic on a regular basis?
Edit: specified flowering plants


texts: What type of grass is growing in our lawn?

texts: I’m struggling to identify the type(s) of grass in our lawn. Grateful for any help. Thanks.


texts: Is testing the pH of soil with cabbage juice accurate?

texts:
I was looking into testing the soil in my yard so I knew how much I needed to prepare it for blueberry plants. I came across a method I hadn't heard of before, that I thought was interesting.

It involved boiling cabbage leaves in distilled water, then placing the soil in the juice. Then supposedly the juice will change colors based on the soil's pH level.

It sounds pretty easy, but I was wondering if that's an accurate method for testing the pH of soil? Is it accurate enough for a general idea of where the pH is at, or should I not use that method at all?


texts: Is there anything I should avoid putting in compost that I am going to use for blueberries?

texts: Is there anything I should avoid (or encourage) adding to compost that I am going to make to grow blueberries?


texts: My new evergreen was about 4 feet tall.  Deer ripped the top half out of it.  Is it ruined beyond hope?


texts: Tree about 5m high. Temperate, moderately continental climate (winters below freezing, so it can overwinter). It has these pretty flowers, but I've no clue about botany and nobody to ask. Please help.


texts: It is good to use water of a pond to irrigate my garden?

texts: I am growing some vegetables in my garden and I also have a pond where some turtles and fish live together. I thought maybe when I change the water of my pond could I use that water to irrigate my vegetables? I know that fish and especially turtles can contain bacteria and other parasites so those can also infect my vegetables and even worst, if we eat some of the vegetables could be harmful to our health?


texts: Is the attached bindweed or something else? I have it all over and was planning to treat with glyphosphate as there are a lot of other weeds as well ( poison ivy, creeping charlie)1


texts: How should I propagate day neutral strawberries which don't develop runners?

texts:
I just planted a Seascape Strawberry plant, which is day-neutral. According to Home Guides, day-neutral strawberries do not produce runners.

Developed at the University of California, Seascape strawberry,
(Fragaria x ananassa) produces a high yield of large, firm, flavorful
berries. Seascape is a day-neutral variety, which means that unlike
June-bearing strawberries that produce berries in June and July,
day-neutral varieties produce fruit throughout summer and into autumn,
as long as temperatures are between 35 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Day-neutral strawberries do not develop runners. Seascape strawberry is suitable for growing in U.S. Department of Agriculture
growing zones 3 through 9.

How would I propagate my Seascape strawberries if the typical way of propagating via runners is not an option?
I looked at my plant and verified that it does not have runners. Since Seascape strawberry's leaves are humungous, it would be easy to spot the runners, which have small leaves at the tip. No small leaves were seen.

Photo from Sakuma Bros.
Update
My Seascape has been producing runners like crazy. This photo was taken just a week after asking my question.

I don't have any recent photos, but since then I have been able to create around 10 new daughter plants. Even the daughters sent out their own runners, but I snipped theirs off. Don't want any teenage pregnancy, now do we?
I made the mistake of transplanting some of the daughters too soon. If I severed their runner when they were "4 inch pot nursery" size, they would shrivel within a day. It's best to leave the umbilical chord attached for a couple weeks. It actually doesn't do them any harm to leave them attached longer than necessary. I still have some daughters drinking mother's milk after a month - they're still lush looking.
Also, I learned that transplanting time should be well after runner severing time. If I severed the runner and immediately planted the daughter in my raised garden bed, it would shrivel within a day. However, if I sever the runner and let the daughter grow up in its container for another week or so, I could then transplant it to my garden bed without it shriveling. These daughters need time to adjust living away from Mother. It's not like a human where once they turn 18, you send them off to college without a transition phase. No, you have to hug them for a while and dry their tears.


texts: What should I do with damaged leaves on my Money Plant?

texts:
Some leaves on my money plant, Epipremnum aureum, have been damaged by rats.

Should I cut them or leave them? If cutting them is good for the plant, from where should I cut the leaves?

Here are some pictures of the leaves:

Leaf 1:

Leaf 2:

Leaf 3:

Leaf 3 (close-up):

Leaf 4:

Leaf 5:


texts: Can I graft a Scion on a mature tree branch?

texts:
Can I graft a scion on a different variety mature tree branch?
For example can I graft a Kingston Black apple scion on a Dabinett apple tree branch?


texts: Can you eat lettuce that your dog pees on

texts:
I planted some leafy greens on a space of dirt where my dog likes to pee and poo. She has almost certainly pee/pooed on the lettuce, or near  the lettuce, a couple of times.

The plant was perpetual spinach. Can I eat it, given that I wash it? Can I eat it if I boil it? Can I eat any plants that are in a space that my dog pees/poos on? The spinach is doing quite well.


texts: How do I calculate residential fruit spray application rate for commercial spray?

texts:
I have over a dozen fruit trees I raise as a hobby.  I recently purchased some Horticultural Oil to apply this spring.  The label states the following commercial application rate:

  DORMANT OR DELAYED DORMANT:
  Use 1-2 gallons per 100 gallons of water at 100-800 gallons per acre.
  (Concentrate Spray: Use 3-8 gallons per
  acre in a minimum of 20-100 gallons of water per acre.)

How do I calculate how much to apply using my small pull behind garden sprayer?  I would probably only mix up 25 gallons of water at most and 3 gallons of concentrate seems like too much!


texts: Hello! My daughter and I planted a veggie garden together and cannot remember what we planted! We have no idea what this is?  Anyone know?


texts:
Six years ago I planted a fig tree that was given to me.  I was told it was a "dwarf" fig but there has never been anything dwarf about it.  Within a couple of years of planting the tree it began producing very large (nearly the size of an egg) figs that were very juicy and the best tasting fig I've eaten.

Then three years ago we had a snow storm (rare here in Alabama) with single digit temperatures and the tree died back to the roots.  It has since grown back to its original size (probably 12' tall) but has never produced another fig.  We do not water or fertilize the tree and never have.  The tree I was given was started from a cutting and was not grafted.

Does anyone know why this tree has become sterile?


texts: What is this dark purple discoloration on my Apache Blackberry?

texts:
I bought a young Apache Blackberry plant in a 4'' container. I transferred it to a gallon glazed clay pot. I use wood chip mulch. It has been around 2 months and the leaves are getting much bigger, but there has been hardly any vertical growth. It is 6'' tall now. It sits outside (zone 10) and gets 10 hours of sunlight.

I noticed that dark purple spots are showing up on half of the leaves. I see no insect pests. Is this discoloration a cause for my Apache Blackberry's slow growth?


texts: How to tell if indoor lemons are ready to pick

texts: I have an indoor lemon tree that has two lemons. It took a long time, but they finally turned yellow from green. How do I know when they are ready to pick?


texts:
I live in Illinois, and have a new construction home (I moved in April 2016). This tree was left and original to the land. Not sure what kind it is. The first year I moved in it was fine through fall.

Winter, I hung some Christmas lights, and large shaped Christmas light bulb ornaments. It gets windy, so I'm not sure if this area was damaged from stringing lights and possibly cracking branches while blowing in the wind.. but it seems to be limited to one area, like a damaged root.

Should I cut off this dead area? If so how far back?

I will say, last year was first i noticed this, and it seemed the leaves were not as full last year, as the year before, and also last year had this area of no leaves. But this year, the leaves seem fuller. Like the first season i moved in. But just this area of no leaves.

What could be happening with this tree?

Update
Here are some additional images:
Picture of first summer after home construction.

Picture of trunk area.

Picture of (possibly) dead branch coming from lower trunk going to top.


texts: Can I use sweet potato leaves as a dynamic accumulator?

texts:
I have been thinking about growing Comfrey in my garden but I came across several articles mentioning that once it is in your garden, it is there forever because if you cut the roots, it grows like a earthworm, doubling itself.

I have Sweet Potato growing throughout my garden and I think it has a similar property with the roots. When I dig it up, it just comes back again, and grows throughout most of the year.

I found a list of dynamic accumulators that can be turned into compost.

http://oregonbd.org/Class/accum.htm

Is there any reason why legumes such as a sweet potato aren't listed? Where they listed on some websites, they are only considered Nitrogen sources. I'm not sure whether the root length is considered when categorising plants as dyanmic accumulators. Clovers don't appear to have a deep root system but are also dynamic accumulators. Could it be that "Dynamic Accumulators" are only weeds by definition?

Here is a nutritional factsheet for Sweet Potato leaves.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2664/2
Apparently it is high in Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Manganese. This is similar to the Comfrey's nutritional content. So, would it be advisable to use this rather than planting Comfrey which I don't believe I would use other than for creating an organic fertiliser?

Some other weeds in my garden are Grass, Lemon Balm, Dandelions and Clover, but only the Dandelions would decompose to a rich compost high in trace elements and there aren't many of those growing in my garden.

I also have Biden pilosa growing in my garden because of my neighbour, but I noticed that if I use it in my compost, it just grows faster, so I just place it in the bin.


texts:
I am in the Northeast (Vermont).  I have been gardening at a clients house for over a decade.  There is a patch of rugosa roses (not sure of the variety), that used to be full and healthy.  The patch is slowly dwindling. The still produce flowers, but the actually number of plants is less.

I think I may have pruned them at the wrong time.  What is the best time to prune them?


texts: How can one prevent baby/recently sprouted plant disease?

texts:
When one desires to germinate seeds in the seedling tray, he/she has to keep a humid and warm environment. But this environment is also favored by fungus. Other than sterilizing the soil, how can one prevent fungus growth on baby plants?

Also if you sterilize the soil will you have the same germination rate?


texts:
We recently moved house in New Jersey and I'm finally getting around to getting the back garden into some kind of shape. There are trees along the perimeter of the property which i assume were planted for privacy. I think they are fir or pine trees. There are no no needles on the lower branches and the upper branches look pretty sparse. The bark looks very pale and is peeling.
I'm hoping someone can tell me what is wrong with these trees, and whether they can be saved or is it better to have them removed.

Thanks

Pic 1:

Pic 2:

Pic :

Pic 4:


texts: Discoloration of leaves on Carolina Reaper plants

texts:
I started several Carolina Reaper and Cayenne plants indoors and I have recently moved them outside as the temperatures got high enough. This is my first year growing them.

A week ago, I noticed what was initially a slight discoloration of leaves (a beige tint to the mid part of a leaf on one plant), the problem has escalated since then. Now I'm dealing with clear discoloration of leaves on all but one of my Carolina Reaper plants.

What could be causing this? Some parasites? Maybe sunscald? I noticed that the discoloration is more pronounced on the plants receiving more sunlight.

I've checked the undersides of the leaves but they seem clear of unwelcome guests, at least ones visible to the naked eye.

The Cayenne peppers are growing in the exact same spot but they seem unaffected.


texts: I recently bought inverted planters for my living room (indoors). I planted a spider plant in it. Used the water indicator to water it twice a week. To my dismay it died in two weeks. What did I do wrong? Is there anyone who’s had success with these planters? (Indoors, so no sunlight). Most of the reviews said they don’t work. Is it true?


texts: A website for keeping track of my houseplants

texts:
Is there a website where I can submit information about my houseplants and manage them. I am looking for a service that would allow me to have a kind of a diary where I could keep track of their growth by uploading photos, comments etc.

I tried searching for something like this but couldn't find anything.

Thanks!


texts: What is the ideal Daylight Time for Herbs, Tomatoes and Peppers?

texts: I am looking into the development of a hydroponics system with artificial lighting and temperature. Is there a chart showing daylight time and type(Cloud, Direct, etc.) and temperatures between plants for ideal production?


texts: How much topsoil should be laid over hardcore before sowing grass seed?

texts:
I have an uneven back garden which i now want to level. There is also a lot of old brick and blocks of concrete in the garden which are ready to be skipped.

I spoke to a builder and he recommended using the old brick etc to level off the garden and then place topsoil and grass seed over that.

Firstly is this a good idea and secondly how much topsoil would be needed on top of the hardcorde to give me a good lawn?


texts:
What reasons are there to remove dead leaves from plants? Does plant type or indoor vs. outdoor change the important of removing dead leaves?

People says it's the correct thing to do. Searching google only returns pages about how to do it and not why it's done.

I'm particularly interested in any research. I find too many anecdotes are used when it comes to questions like this.


texts: I have a basil plant and the tips are getting yellow with white and black dots does anyone know what this is Or how to treat it


texts:
My apricot tree seem to be so weak. And had dead branch ends which I cut off.
I have other apricot trees around this tree that drink almost same amount of water and are healthy. But two of my trees that are near this tree  are pretty much look the same. Nearby walnut trees and water pushing sand under trees are two things that I thought worth mentioning ad possible suspect
 What is the problem?


texts: I have a kind of perennial evergreen grass that I would like to spread around the yard. How can I save seeds from the plants efficiently ?


texts: My bonsai, a pomegranate, has already lost all its leaves, it’s getting a little growth, but what can I do to help it?

texts: It’s still alive, the fiber just under the bark is alive/green, but the only new growth has died and the newest is dying. The fiber of one of the roots coming up is losing its green, so I think it’s dying too. I moved it outside and it i a sunnier spot and I’m watering it when the top seems to be pretty dry, but I might be overwatering it since the pot is deep. The tree also hasn’t settled well, with the other soil in the pot and the roots. But it still seems strong and persistent, maybe it’s just starting to give out though?


texts:
When I was a child, my mother had a handy mechanical device that could be hooked to standard garden hose fittings.  You turned the knob to the number of gallons you wanted to dispense and it would automatically turn off after that amount had passed through.  It was useful for certain applications where the amount of water was important, but the delivery rate was not constant and/or it needed to sit in readiness for a while, but then only dispense a particular amount of water once activated.

These days everyone seems to use simple timers, whether mechanical or electronic, and I can't find such a metering device anywhere.  I can find valves with no meter, and meters with no valves, but come up completely dry when I look for meters that shut the water off.  I do have the skills to manufacture one myself, but that would be quite a bit of effort, and I'd rather avoid kludging it all together just to have somebody tell me that I could have just purchased one for half the price of the parts...

Does anybody still make such a contraption?  Or does everyone really just use timers?


texts: Why are my olive trees losing their leaves?

texts:
I have olive trees that I recently bought to replace my cypress that went sick (turning orange). Yet, my olive trees are losing their leaves, some branches are almost naked.

It might not be related but some leaves seem to be “eaten” I was wondering why and what should I do?

I live on the Mediterranean shores, it shouldn’t be a climate problem


texts:
I would like to put a raised garden about 2x8 feet 6 inches deep but the area is covered in thick moss. If I cover it with a pourous plastic sheeting under the garden dirt will the moss die?
Is a shady area good for tomatoes and vegetables?  Currently it gets some morning and afternoon sun


texts: Why is my mulching mower clumping and not mulching?

texts:
Last year I had this problem. This year I'm having a problem with the mulching mower not mulching. The grass is clumping up and clogging whatever you call the 'chamber' where the blade spins and is supposed to chop up the grass.

It sounds like it's running high or faster, based on what I did last year with the throttle/governor spring. Could this have anything to do with it?

I've had the blade sharpened and balanced recently by a friend and it is plenty sharp. But I think he only sharpened the front main edge. Are there edges on the back edge where it's turned up that also need to be sharpened? Does this actually cut, or just force the cuttings up so they can be chopped up more?

I generally mow when it's dry.

I usually cut it pretty long, on the 2nd or 3rd highest setting, going by those notches and ridges where you manually change the height of the mower near the wheels. I've read you're only supposed to cut 1/3 of the height. I'm not out there measuring it, but sometimes it's been longer with all the rain we've had.


texts:
Pretty much all my corn is like this.

The tassle ends are all eaten. I doubt the stalk would support possums, so maybe rats, or possibly birds?

In NZ near the Zealandia eco-sanctuary


texts: Is there a small variety of weeping willow?

texts: My brief online search tells me weeping willows can grow to 50ft talk and 50ft wide. Is there a smaller variety that would only be 20-30 feet wide? Or a similarly inviting shade tree that is smaller than a weeping willow?


texts:
I tested my soil and discoverd it has 10% clay, 29% silt, and 59% sand. I've noticed my soil sucks when it comes to draining water (unless it's slowly raining). Water will pool on the top of the ground.

What can I add to my soil to make it drain better? I am growing watermelon and tomatoes.


texts: I recently transplanted a bunch of corn flowers and they are turning purple and red. I also have lupins, tomatoes, and sun flowers turning red and purple. When I transplanted them i dug the hole twice as deep and filled the difference with soil, 3 in 1 and 1/8 of a teaspoon of organic 4-4-4 fertilizer and lightly watered it before placing in the seedlings. They were all hardened off prior and had not been fertilized in ten days. Last fertilizer i used was a 2-2-2 fish emulsion at half strength. I thought I might have over fertilized but I have some that haven't been transplanted that look the same. What could the problem be and what can I do?


texts: I bought this mini bonsai from home depot, but it didn't have a specific bonsai name, so I'm trying to guess what is this kind of bonsai?


texts: Is there a way to straighten an older tree that started crooked?

texts:
I have a pecan tree that is about 6 years old that is growing about 5 degrees off vertical.  I've tried to stake it several times but to little effect.  Currently I have a ratchet strap trying to pull it straight (with little effect) but my question is:

Is there an effective and safe way to straighten an older tree?

I don't want to hurt the tree or waste my time if this is futile.

Most of the advice is talking about straightening new trees but this tree has a diameter of about 2.5 to 3 inches.


texts:
Can anyone help me identify some bite marks please? I'm attaching pictures.

I've seen some ants around, I'm planning to get rid of them. These marks however seem to have some "saliva" left-over, which is weird.
I thought it could be a snail/slug, but I didn't find any slime trail anywhere around the plant, nor in the ground close to the plant. As you may notice I'm using growbags, so it could be that it's hiding below the growbag during the day. Still, I didn't find slime trails around.

Today is the first day I've noticed these ones, and they are only present in 2 plants, out of the 10 I have. I have them in a row, so it's likely that this pest is living close by this end of the row. These are tomatillos, which is a variety of mexican green tomato.

Any guesses and recommendations?

By the way, I heard cinammon powder would keep ants away, so I sprinkled a circle around the base of my plants, but I think it didn't work that well. I'm not sure, becuase it has been raining recently and the water washed it away.
How to keep ants away, in your experience? Should I continue with the cinammon?

Thank you very much for your help!


texts:
I have a cactus in which some yellow spots are appearing, some are starting to turn brown even.

Then the spines seem to be dark brown on the top and white on the sides. Not sure if that's normal.

I notice the yellow spots are more noticeable in the front side of the cactus (facing the sun). I wonder if that means there's too much sun, or maybe not related. The cactus is placed outside of a window in Madrid (Spain) where it gets direct sunlight in the morning (facing East).

The pot has wholes below, but the recipient in which it is does not (it's a robot). BUT the pot doesn't get to the bottom, so, there's water in the recipient, but the pot is not touching that water. Is that a problem? I'd expect it isn't since water is not in contact with the pot. The soil is actually quite dry... maybe too much?

Also, I don't know what species it is, I think it's a Echinocactus platyacanthus but may very well be wrong.

Any help appreciated, thanks.

Front:

Back:


texts:
I am not sure if this will fit here or on lifehacks.SE.

I have an African night crawler escaping from my vermicompost bin and it's really hard to pick them up carefully without hurting them.

Things that I've tried so far:

Pick them using my hand - This takes a lot of time, specially if they are on the wet places.
Use broom and dustpan to transfer them back to my bin - it seems that I'm still hurting them.

My question is how do I quickly transfer worms to my bin without hurting them? Is there a proper way to transfer them?


texts: Is it possible to create lilacs with different colored flowers on different branches?

texts: Is it possible to create (using grafting) a Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) which has different colors? One branch with white flowers, the other with lilac?


texts: How does removing spruce tips affect the tree health and growth?

texts:
I recently learned that spruce tips are edible. Having an abundance of spruce growing around here I'd like to harvest some for culinary experiments.

My question is, how will this affect the trees' growth and health?

If I remove the new growth at the tip of a branch will it still be able to create new growth this season or in years to come?  Will it injure the tree? And in any case, what would be the most responsible way to harvest these tips with minimal impact on the tree?


texts: Identify mushroom found at the base of a red fir stump

texts: I found this mushroom at the base of a red fir stump at around 7000' (2100 m) above sea level. It is light brown with white markings.


texts: What are these insects I believe are eating my hydrangea leaves and how can I treat them?

texts: What are these insects I believe are eating the leaves of my hydrangeas?


texts:
I am from southern NH, my neighbor in the next neighborhood has a tree with both pears and apples. I have heard of this but never thought it was practical. I have a peach tree that is less than half alive, but still yields fruit on a small portion (or at least it did last year). I was planning on taking it down this year so I thought I could do an experiment.

Do I stand a chance at combining my combining my peach tree with probably an apple tree or anything else? Does anyone have any experience with this? I have been trying to research possibilities but I mostly get led to people trying to sell me combination trees.

I am going to put a 50 pt bounty on this as soon as I am allowed so take your time in answering. I am most concerned with the different factors of success and failures of tree grafting because I would like to pursue this whether my peach tree is suitable or not. I am not only interested in any documented successes but willing to try where others have failed if anyone has any innovative suggestions or insights.


texts: Will my Aloe vera plant survive after all of the leaves broke off?

texts:
I have made the same mistake as the person who asked the question Can I save my damaged Aloe vera plant?: my Aloe vera plant fell off of its stand and all of the leaves bent and broke off except for a tiny new one on top. The stem didn't break though.

Will my Aloe survive? Will it grow new leaves again? How should I care for it at this point?


texts: Aphid or mites on Japanese maple? (Acer plamatum katsura)

texts:
I have noticed this morning that my potted Acer tree is covered in what look to be black/brown aphids?
I am in the North West England and we have recently had very wet and windy weather and wondering if the aphids have just boomed beasue of this?
Anyway are they damaging my tree? Should I kill as many as I can see to keep the numbers under control? Is there anything else I should do?
Thanks for your help. Images of the bugs below.


texts:
I've got a pot with a bonsai tree. Recently I started seeing a white powder over the moss at the bottom.

Is that some kind of fungus? What can I do about it?

The tree pot is inside, gets quite a lot of sun now (summer in Oz), gets watered every 2-3 days.


texts:
It looks to me that this pruning cut left too much of the branch that was cut:

Should I cut again closer to the trunk?

Should I perhaps fill the hole in the center with something?

Is there a sign of any serious illness?

UPDATE: New photos:


texts: Avocado plant "gone wrong"; can I lop off the top and get it back on track?

texts:
I have an avocado plant (indoors) which I grew from seed just for fun. Alas, I've neglected it and now it is 'leggy' and the top quarter is twisted 45 degrees.

Can I cut it back close to the root and let it start over? That would mean cutting off all of its leaves.

Edit: added photo. It's not an optical illusion: the top 25% of the plant is bent at a 45 degree angle.


texts: Why shouldn't squash, and potatoes be planted together?

texts:
I did a little research on growing squash with potatoes, and was wondering why they're not good for growing together.

Is this because they take up the same nutrients?
Or is because the squash will cover all of the ground for the potatoes to be dug up?

Any other reason?


texts: Epsom salts to container potting mixture

texts: Is adding Epsom salt to soil based container potting mixtures, non-harmful to grow vegetables with?


texts: We live in Las Vegas and have two bushes in the backyard dropping this fruit. It had a sweet taste. What is it?


texts: What is the part where a seed starts growing called?

texts:
Is it hilum?
Is this a common word? I'm looking for a word that a layman can understand. I'm not native in English, so I don't know which word to use.
From wikipedia:

On a bean seed, the hilum is called the "eye".

My seed is malabar chestnut. Can I call the white dot on top the "eye", or "hilum" if it's understood by most people?


texts: Brown spots with yellow on cucumber and tomato plants

texts: Leaves of some my Cucumber and tomatoes plants are browning with yellow frames. also some of the stems of tomato plants appear to have a dark brown rust on them.  Is this a fungus?


texts: Is there a version of the Hoya bella that doesn't climb, or hang?

texts: My mother in law swears she had a miniature Hoya carnosa with tiny leaves with white flowers that had a red center all over it, which she has pointed out on the Hoya carnosa but said that hers didn't have anything hanging down and the leaves on hers were tiny. This was over 40 years ago and I was thinking that maybe it was a plant that looks similar to a Hoya carnosa with the same flowers? If anyone could please help me out with this question I would greatly appreciate your time and help, and if by some chance you do know what she is talking about and you know where I could get one for her, well you would be my best friend and make my decade. Thank everyone who read this for your time!


texts: I live in an area (Delhi, India) where sterilised potting mixes are unavailable. And potting mixes are expensive. So I prepare my own usually. I want to prepare potting soil for planting roselle and lettuce separately. I have the following things with me- Cocopeat, Vermicompost, Bagasse compost, Neem kernel meal, Mustard meal, Perlite (mostly powdered) and Vermiculite. I also have soil used previously. But I avoid it because it is difficult to move the container and it becomes prone to disease and other problems. So is there any general ratio I can follow for the ingredients for these plants?


texts:
First insect question: When I turned our compost pile yesterday, there was a lot of very rich smelling black soil, semi composted vegetables/plant/oak leaf matter, and a LOT of pill bugs. My wife said, "They're doing their job well." Are pill bugs good for the compost pile?

Second insect question: I've read in so many places online, and in Robert Rodale Press organic gardening books about; "Anything that was once alive - is organic." Would that include the hordes of grasshoppers we have here in Texas? If so, would there be a benefit to me throwing a few hundred of them (dead) into my compost pile?

I do not put anything inorganic, diseased, or with pesticides in our compost pile. Our compost pile/bin is 5'x5' and 36 inches tall.


texts:
With little kids in the Indianapolis yard, I want to make sure this vine is safe. You can see what the leaf looks like and what the vine looks like in the photos below:

Click either photo for full size


texts: How to get rid of Japanese knotweed (hogweed?)

texts:
I have Japanese knotweed growing into my garden from an adjoining neighbour's garden.

Does anyone please have any advice of how to get rid of this awful plant?

I'm in the UK.


texts: How to prevent insects coming to a water-puddle

texts: Some neighbours in our common building put the water-pipes of their air-conditioning systems over the garden. The water drips from the pipes and creates puddles in the garden. There are plants growing nearby, but still there is sufficient water in the puddles to attract musquitos, bees and other insects. These are quite a nuisance to the other neighbours. We asked the neighbours to direct their pipes to somewhere else, but they didn't want to. Is there anything we can do in order to prevent insects from coming to the water puddles?


texts: Should I mulch after turning in a cover crop? In a raised bed

texts: I planted a cover cropping mix (clover mix) and recently turned it into the soil so that it can decompose in 3-6 weeks. First I cut the green parts of the cover crop into the soil and then used a hoe to turn them in. I usually mulch my bed with straw. However if I want the cover crops to decompose into the soil quickly, should I not mulch? Instinctively, I want to mulch to better protect the soil. However, I feel like the direct sunlight would lead the to cover crops decomposing more quickly because of photodegradation? Am I totally wrong about that?


texts:
As part of my other question, I started uprooting dandelions. How successful, exactly, in removing the root, I'm not sure.

Assuming that I am not always extracting 100% of the root, what can I put in the dug-up "grave" to prevent or stunt future dandelion growth? For example, if I put salt, it's not likely the dandelion will grow back -- but neither will anything else! (I plan to eventually grow something.)

So, what can or should I be putting in here? Is grass seed "okay" or "good enough?" Is there something benign that will compete with dandelions?

Chemicals are a no-go -- I have young kids who play in the backyard, and in my area, they just banned a whole slew of lawn chemicals.


texts: My new philodendron plant leaves are turning brown

texts: I have a philodendron that is starting to turn brown. I’ve read it could be caused by misting with tap water. I’ve only had the plant a few months. I don’t think it could be due to overwatering. If anything, I tend to space out waterings. Help!


texts: What is the name of this house plant with textured leaves?

texts: I've tried every search term online to find this plant to no avail. Does anyone out there know its name?


texts: What is this plant and is it safe around toddlers?

texts:
I wondered what kind of plant this is and whether it's ok to have in the garden with a toddler. It was quite soft when it started growing but now seems to be covered in a fuzz that stings the skin.
Thanks


texts: Concerns with breathing in fine particles from soil

texts:
I've been filling planter boxes (PB5s to PB12s) with organic soil mixes, with a tiny amount of synthetic fertlizer.

Is this bad for my lungs? The environment wasn't windy, and the soil was moist enough so that any airborne dust was unnoticable, however I've found very fine particles turning my mucus black after work. I was unable to wear a mask for other reasons.

I'm not sincerely concerned with this due to the brevity of the job, however i'm wondering from a theoretical perspective if this would ever be an issue if I held the job long enough? Could it be carcinogenic or reduce lung capacity as it blocks alveolae?


texts:
Does anyone know what this plant is called?

It looks tropical-ish to me, but I don't know.  Some bromeliad, maybe?

I don't have access to the plant shown in the picture, BTW.  I found the picture online, without any other identification info.

EDIT

I found some candidates by scanning results from Google Image Search.

Interestingly enough, none is a bromeliad, or even tropical.  In order of similarity (to my eyes) to the picture above:

Veratrum californicum (aka California corn lilies) http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/false-hellebore-pattern-veratrum-californicum-picture-id131409908
Veratrum viride (aka false hellebore)
Allium tricoccum (aka [wild] leeks)

After some more scanning, I'm inclined to call it some species of Veratrum/corn lily: a local beauty with an exotic look.


texts: How much of the peach pit must be broken for successful germination?

texts:
I successfully removed 1/4 of the pit of a peach seed. About 1/2 a cm, what I was told is the root, grew out of it.

Is that 1/4 opening enough for the non-root part to grow out of it or should I take the risk of fully opening the pit?

In other words, can the non-root part grow out of the same 1/4 opening of the pit or can it only grow out of the other side, which is still covered by the very tough pit?


texts:
I would like to use a drip irrigation system for my houseplant, for fun and to hopefully go from watering it daily to maybe checking up on it weekly. I don't want to deal with connecting it to my actual plumbing, so I want to use a large water tank as the water supply. In my mind, I should be able to set it up so that so long as there some amount of water left in the tank, it will deliver water at a constant, very low rate to my plant. Whenever I see the water level get too low I can refill the tank (which should be once in a couple days or so). This implies that I must somehow keep pressure constant, I think I can set up an intermediate water reservoir with constant water level using a floater valve, or I can just connect a very low pressure regulator (I've found a cheap one that is 5 PSI).

After shopping around for emitters, regulators and valves, however, it seems like all the readily available parts are designed for scales much higher than what I want:

My plants seem happy with about a liter per day (possibly less) and the smallest emitter I've seen is 0.5 gallons per hour.
Common PSI ratings for the emitters are 50-60 or so. Even the mini emitters seem designed for close to 15 PSI. In order for me to provide 15 PSI through gravity, the water column would have to be many meters high, which seems impractical.
Based on some simple calculations, I find that if I just punched a hole in my tank, even with a water depth of just 10 cm, I would need a ~50 micron hole to drip water at 1 l/day. This is obviously beyond my limit to construct precisely.

It seems like I need either a very low pressure regulator (<1 PSI), a very low rate emitter which operates at low pressure (order of 0.1 PSI) and provides a very small flow rate (order of 0.01 GPD), or an adjustable emitter that can be accurately set to tiny fractions of its maximum. I suppose another option is to find a valve that can be precisely opened so as to have a defined, micron-scale aperture (which I suppose is what a dripper is, in a way).

Closest thing I was able to find was this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Elgo-Planters-Drip-Kit-12-Dripper-Set-ELCDK12/301617796 The description is unclear about the minimum pressure and how tunable it is, but it does claim a flow rate of 0.35 GPH, which is somewhat close to what I need. But I don't understand how much less than 0.35 GPH it can do.

Just to be clear: my question is of a purely practical nature. I know people set up drip irrigation in larger gardens, greenhouses and fields all the time and the components seem to be readily available. Surely if it so easy to do with larger flow rates, setting up a miniature version with low flow rate must be no problem, but I can't figure out how to get the flow rate down to the level I need.

I know I can use a timer or electrovalve, but I'd like to keep this project purely hydraulic if possible, out of personal preference.

I haven't specified a plant because I feel like if such a system is set up properly, it should be very easy to tune the exact amount delivered. Then I can adjust it depending on my needs. In fact the ability to precisely control amount of water is part of my motivation.


texts: What hedging plants will grow in a shady area?

texts:
There's a narrow belt of land - a couple of metres - between a path and our land about 50m long and I'd like to grow a barrier. However since we're in woodland I would like it to be more natural - more of a thicket than a formal hedge - even if screening isn't perfect it will keep people on the path.
I was considering things like Holly and Beech as both grow wild here and keep their leaves, but the area is fairly shady and not wonderfully rich soil. Currently a few birch and willow trees are dotted along and are surviving though not thriving.
Laurel is another obvious choice though not quite so authentic. I had considered laurel/holly a nice mix as it's evergreen, provides great screening AND even before it provides a visual barrier the spiky leaves will deter anyone from walking right up to us!
What will grow in a shady environment though in the UK? Is there something I've missed?


texts: Should I just trim the leaves when I harvest my herbs?

texts:
In the past, I grew some herbs which I harvest them when I see them grow out of space. Then I just cut the whole stem, then the plant will split in 2 ways growing in a Y shape. The next time it grew out of space, I cut the whole stem again, and produce another Y shape branch. Eventually its leaves become smaller and are too small to harvest.

Is this a bad way of harvest? Should I just take the leaves?


texts: What's the difference between annual, biennial, and perennial plants?

texts: Before deciding whether to purchase a plant, and how best to plan where to place it, the basic knowledge of how long it lives and how often it blooms is a necessity. What's the difference between annuals, biennials and perennials?


texts: Why are there kinks in my aloe vera leaves?

texts: On several of my aloe vera plants, the leaves suddenly became kinked. The leaf would get very thin in a spot and bend over. It starts near the tip and is most noticeable on older leaves. What is causing this? It happens inside more often than out, and it isn't the cat - he isn't allowed in the house.


texts: The bark is falling off my tree - is it diseased or dead?

texts:
The bark is falling off my tree. Is the tree dead? Diseased? Will I have to have it removed? Please see the pics:

Click on any photo for full size


texts:
I planted a young liquidambar tree (which was basically just a single 2ft branch, plus roots off course) this spring.

For unknown reasons (transplant shock?), the tree soon appeared to be dead. However, three months later, new leaves appeared from the ground. Two more months later, the tree recovered fully its previous height, but this time it has three branches/stems. One of these three appears to be stronger than the other two.

I would like to have a multistem liquidambar. How can I prune this tree to encourage all three stems to grow approximately equally?


texts: Starting growing herbs inside, is there anything I should worry about?

texts:
I plan on starting growing some herbs (for exemple parsley) inside. I'm worried about 2 things:

Bugs: I think that having potted herbs inside will attract bugs in my appartment. Am I worried about nothing?

Time of the year: I live in Canada, so should I wait for a particular time to start growing or can I start that at any point in the year?


texts: What are these plants collected from the atacama desert in Chile?

texts: Can anyone tell me what this two plants are? They were found in the entrance of San Pedro de atacama in the country of Chile.


texts: Removing blooms from these unidentified Bromeliads?

texts:
So, I have two Bromeliads (I don't know specific names) for conversation sake, until identified I've labeled the pics Small Brom(1st 3 pics) and Larger Brom(last 2 pics) below. Please see blooms. Both of their blooms are starting to brown. I held up white paper behind each in the close ups, so it's a little easier to see color contrast.

Can you please help identify types of Bromeliads I have?

Also, at what point do I snip the blooms? And how far down do I snip? Or do I wait for them to fall off? The small Brom has 4 pups and the larger has 6, which I was told is very unusual. Is this unusual or normal? The small Brom has a bloom thats formed at the top of the leaves (doesn't have it's own stock coming from core, like the larger Brom) so I assumed where to snip the blooms would differ? I'm really unsure though.

They both have more than quadrupled in size and are not in their original pots. I didn't know until a recent post I asked about a different Brom, that I should've have reported them, and that they prefer to get root bound... So if you were curious about their pot size, that's why... My bad :(


texts:
I've got a used John Deere LA145.  After using it perfectly a few times, it started developing some issues that I am 99% sure has to do with the mower "thinking" the blades are engaged when they aren't.

Every time I try to start it after leaving it overnight, it gives one try, then sounds like it has a dead battery.  Using a battery charger/jumper makes it start the first time.
Once it starts, you can flip the switch to start the blades fine, then it runs for 5-10 minutes, and eventually the blades cut out, but the mower keeps running.  At this point, if I stop the engine, it will NOT start at all (even with the charger/jumper).  It acts exactly like it does when it is in working condition and you try to start it with the blades on.
After I leave it out overnight, the next day this process repeats again.

I'm not a handy man, but I'd like to try to figure this out.  Anyone have any advice?


texts: What's this plant with long pink hanging blossoms?

texts:
In my garden I have a small bed of flowers pictured below. I don't know what the plant is, so I don't know whether I can move it or not.

The blossoms are long, pink, hang down and almost touch the ground. The stem is also pink. The leaves were much greener than in the images below, but that was before Autumn (Fall) arrived. The roots are relatively poor. It can easily been ripped out of the ground. The plants are 30-50cm (12-18inches) high.

(Click the images for a larger version)
From the top:                                                           From the side:


texts: Is there a model out there for companion planting

texts:
I've been looking at companion planting and it's very confusing. People say "plant cucumber with beans, peas, lettuce or corn", but then somewhere else they say "don't plant beans and peas together". So what I'd really like to find is not a list of or grid of plants but someone who has figured out already which ones can grow together and made a model.

So far I've organized one bed with tomatoes, peppers, garlic and basil, my Italian plot. Another with carrot, parsnip, onions, celery and parsley; my stew pot plot. And I need to figure out where to put the spinach, radish, beans, peas, fruit bushes, rhubarb, squash and cucumber....never mind the herbs! and medicinal herbs. Ok I'm being over ambitious this year.

Also I have a walled garden so only one half will have full sun and only one quarter full sun all day so I'm hoping some of these plants will like a little shade in the evening as I'm running out of wall space for the trailing plants. Anyone who can direct me to a useful website please do as I'm over confused at this point.


texts: Can I successfully cross-pollinate different species of Aloe?

texts:
Okay, I have the big guy from this question, and the little guy from this question. I believe, from their different growth habits, flowers, and mature sizes that these are different species. I have tried to pollinate the big one, without success. It is now putting up a new flower stalk. I think some of the bloom time on it will overlap the existing flower stalk (the first one for this plant) on my smaller plant. Can I successfully cross-pollinate these two different aloes? I this is entirely a waste of time, I won't try. If this is possible, how would I go about it?

Pictures below of the two plants:


texts: What is a safe proximity for a Boxwood hedge to a paver walkway?

texts:
Background

I am designing a screen of narrow shrubs for a space between a sunken stairwell and an existing paver walkway.  The width of the area in question is 2.5' with a desired plant height of 5'.

As such, I've narrowed my search to one of Dee Runk or Green Tower Boxwoods; both of which I expect to grow 18"-24" wide.

Question

With this proximity to the sidewalk, am I risking disruption/buckling of the existing paver walkway with the roots of these plants?  Any ideas what a safe minimum distance would be?


texts:
I have been growing a Majesty Palm I got from Home Depot for almost half a year now. I recently noticed that under the leaves are these small, long, thin white/brown things that seem to be on the middle of the palm leaves. These are not on every leaf, but are on most. I read somewhere that I should wipe them off with alcohol if it was some sort of scale, however I am not sure what this is. I tried wiping with rubbing alcohol and most of them wipe off easily, but some I need to rub a little harder to get off. The plant seems to be doing ok and there does not seem to be visible damage on the leaves with these on them. What is this and is this normal? And if this is not normal, how do I help my plant?

Thanks!


texts: What conditions cause trunk sprouts on oak trees?

texts: I asked a similar question here, but something annoying is catching my attention. Almost all of the pin oak trees in my area are sprouting up and down the trunks like crazy this spring, many of them for the first time. Note: These are not root suckers. What conditions might be causing this? Does it have anything to do with the severe winter?


texts: what is this coarse spreading weed from my lawn

texts:
Located in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. Canada's most northern major city. The summer here started out very hot and dry with many days above 30C and stretches of no rain for weeks. The grass did not take off very well this season and there seems to be a way higher than ever average of weeds growing in the grass. This weed first only appeared in our yard about 3 years ago and now I cannot seem to keep up with them.

Some traits of this weed are.

- very coarse tough stems
- lay down and creep along the ground
- one long root for whole plant
- easy to pull out intact due to the strong nature of the plant
- no flowers that I have noticed
- grow in the center of the lawn and on the edge

what is this prolific weed? and is there anything that can be done to rid my grass of this weed or make it undesirable for this weed to grow?


texts: Is it normal to mushrooms caps to dry over a day?

texts:
Yesterday I was watering one small succulent plant I take care I noticed three Mushroom caps growing next to it. I took a photo and let them be. Today I woke up excitedly to check on them and found that they had opened their caps already, I added some more water and went to work.
However now that I'm back from work I noticed that they are drying and look like dying.

They looked like grooved bonnets on an app I'm using, but I'm not sure.
I was expecting that they would stand more than just 24h. Is this normal to this type of mushroom? They aren't anything fancy but I was quite delighted they were there.
Edit: I understand that the organism below the surface is probably alive, my question is focussed on the caps specifically


texts: Is there any reason not to keep lemons on the tree after they are ripe?

texts:
Are there any known problems with leaving lemons on the tree after they are ripe?

Last year I had a heavy crop and I just picked them as I needed them.  The following spring the tree lost most of its leaves and produced only one single lemon this year.

The tree has had problems with yellowing leaves and curling which I (reluctantly) treated with a copper spray and I applied Epsom salts around the base in case of magnesium deficiency. It has also been the wettest of summers in New Zealand, but that hasn't stopped my orange tree or neighbours' lemon trees from producing.

I suspect I sapped the tree's energy by leaving the fruit on too long.  Could that be the case?


texts: How to level an area that was once a vegetable garden?

texts:
I have a leveled yard, all except for one area of the yard which was a vegetable garden many years ago.

The area is built up with cinder blocks and filled with dirt.

How do I remove both to level the area like the rest of the yard?


texts: What can I do to save my homegrown pineapple plant

texts:
Looks as if my homegrown pineapple plant has heart rot
Roots seem ok.I have cut off the tips of leaves that are brown but the centre is very black and new growth  coming through is quite blackened.I do keep it inside but it does get sun


texts: Why do tomato plants in stores still have healthy looking cotyledons?

texts:
I was at a couple of different stores recently that were selling tomato plants and saw some more from another nursery that still had green and healthy looking cotelydons (seed leaves) on them even though the plants were about 5-6" tall with a lot of true leaves. Most were in 4 packs but some were in larger pots. Same with some plants I ordered from a large seed/plant supplier online last year.

When I start my tomatoes from seed the coteledons start to yellowafter about 3 weeks when they're still only about 3" tall or so with only 2 or three sets of true leaves. I started them in 98 cell trays with an organic soil that contains fertilizer and also fertilized them with a little dilute fish fertilizer a couple of times when they were still in the 98 cell inserts.

At 4 weeks old, when I transplanted them to larger pots, the cotyledons were practically falling off the plantson most of the plants when I just touched them with the scissor to cut them off so I can plant them deeper in the larger pots. It's been about 4 weeks since potting up and the plants look great.

Why are the cotyledon's on the plants at the nursery still completely green?

Here's a picture of my seedlings at 4 weeks. Sorry for the poor quality, taken with cell phone in dark room.


texts: Cucumber plants wilting and dying outside during a rainy summer

texts:
I have several cucumber plants planted outside (I'm in Zone 4). They are planted in large containers or raised garden beds.

hey were doing okay until about a week ago when we started having rain every day. The plants are wilting and dying and I don't know what to do. They are obviously well-watered because of the rain, at night the temperature is around 10C.

Is this something that can be caused by rain? We also had some small hail but it didn't damage the leaves, although I am curious if it chilled the plants too much. The soil is wet, but not soggy/swampy.

Is there anything I can do to help the ones that are struggling but still alive? My watermelon plant is dying too now (leaves curling and wilting) and I'm getting a bit more desperate as I see more and more plants being affected.


texts:
The leaves of peace lily are turning black and sometimes yellow.
Earlier I have kept the plant indoor, a month back I have moved it outdoor in the shade. There is not direct sunlight.
The location is Pune, India.

What is the reason of it and how should I take care of the plant?


texts: What is wrong with my plant? and why is it turning yellow?

texts: For some reason, my plant started turning yellow. At first, I thought maybe I'm over watering it, because I was watering once a week. Then I stopped watering for three weeks, and even though there are new leaves coming out, a lot of the green leaves have turned yellow. What can be the cause of the problem?


texts: What is wrong with my cactus? (Red spots)

texts: Is it dying? There are these weird red marks, is this a fungal infection or sunburn?


texts:
Yesterday I was looking at a plant in pretty bad shape that I had bought a few months ago. The plant was indoors and the ceramic pot didn't have any holes at the bottom.

When I start looking at the soil I notice it has about five reddish worms in it. Here are some pictures of the soil and the worms. The soil did not have a single weed growing in it.

My question is: should I just dump this soil in the garbage? If it's reusable, then what can I do with the soil to prepare it for other plants?


texts: Flowers to sustain long-duration of absence during winter and summer?

texts: During xmess and summer, one needs to work elsewhere about 2-3 months. Flowers should not die during that time. What kind of flowers should one have and how should one keep them not to die? A lot of watering before leaving? Keeping in cold/dark place? Which flowers?


texts:
My meyer lemon tree is getting malformed leaves on all new sprouts. It's a 4-year old tree growing in the container. It bears about 10 lemons and they are healthy.

Any idea how it happens? Thank you all in advance!


texts: Rods (either metal, bendable PVC or..?) options for creating a garden border? USA

texts:
I am trying to find some type of sturdy yet bendable tubing in some kind of metal that I can shape into this type of fence in the photos below. I am trying to protect a sidewalk garden in front of our home by discouraging people from walking onto my flower beds. I'd like something at least an inch or more thick and I plan on priming it and painting it white so that it matches the color of the house but more importantly, so that it can be seen at night time so people don't trip over it.

Here are images I've seen online. But to buy something like this already made would be costly. Plus I try to make as much as I can by hand because I take pride in being crafty. So I'm hoping that there is something I can cut and bend to the shape I want and place them in the ground. I want the sides of the hoops to be no more than 12-16" wide, give or take. I like the aspect ratio the most in this first photo below.

Here is a pic of my sidewalk garden. I am putting taller stanchions along the sides and back (toward the curb) but want to do this smaller "hoop" design in the front and along the two pathways I created that are in the middle. You can't see them because the plants are too tall. But this hoop idea is pretty much my only option because our home is on a hill. You can sort of tell by the photos I took below. Take notice of the vertical stair railing in the bottom photo to get more perspective on the slope of the sidewalk. So placing something like this individually to allow for the elevation to one side would be ideal. I won't do longer garden fence panels because then the vertical portion would look crooked. I see some people do this in gardens that are on hills and I don't like that look at all.

Suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Here's a video of my garden, by the way to help give better perspective:

My sidwealk garden


texts: How many tomato plants can I put in a 4 ft. x4 ft. raised bed?

texts: I would like a mix of cherry and other sizes. Figure indeterminate growth.


texts: Why is my phalaenopsis' keiki (orchid) not thriving?

texts:
About five years ago, I bought a fully grown and blooming Phalaenopsis orchid. After a month or so, the blooms fell off as expected. I continued to care for it as directed, but it never flowered again.

Instead, it produced four keiki, which I carefully transplanted into their own bowls with moss. None of them ever grew leaves larger than about 3.5 inches. Four of the keiki and the mother plant eventually died after about three years.

I have just one of the keiki left, and although it seems healthy, it has not grown much. It has three healthy, green leaves, none larger than 3.5 inches. I fertilize it about once a month, change its moss when the moss gets green, and keep it in a constant temperature with some sunlight throughout the day. I've starting watering it with ice cubes to see if that makes a difference, but it hasn't.

How can I get this last survivor to thrive? After five years, shouldn't it have at least grown to a full size?


texts: Medium you can add to soil to improve airiness and create loose soil

texts:
I am making a list of mediums that I can use to make soil more loose and improve airiness.

Soil will be used primarily in pots. I am interested in both home made mediums and commercially available, but more in the home made ones.

Currently on the list:
1. coir
2. forest soil

What other mediums can be used?

UPDATE: I use garden soil for pots (and so far had zero diseases and pests), but I need to mix it with something to keep it loose over a long time.

What about straw? Is it okay to add it to soil?


texts: What could cause a weak or no spark from a string trimmer's spark plug?

texts:
I got a free string trimmer from a buddy who couldn't get it to start.

I did a compression check by pulling the pull starter and the compression seemed good. Next I pulled the spark plug, put it back on the boot, grounded it to something metal. I then pulled the cord again and saw no spark. I kept doing this and some times I'd get a very weak spark, but most of the time I'd see no spark at all.

I haven't had time to look at it again for a few days, but I will be pulling it out again probably tomorrow. What things would you check and in what order?


texts:
I have a few potted plants, and plan on expanding with more different variety of plants. Not sure what kinds.

I am looking for good quality pruners that will be most suitable for my different kinds of needs. I heard that anvil and bypass pruners are great but caters to different needs. Anvil for dead branches/stems and by-pass for live/green branches/stems. However, I have no idea how to know which one is live or dead.

Some of the plants I have right now:

Rubber plant
Money plant
Weeping fig
Neem Plant
Lemon plant
tamarind plant.

I am on a tight budget and because this is my first time, I am reluctant to invest in two different kinds of pruners. Please suggest me some nice ones from amazon.in or simply guide me with what kind of pruners I should purchase for first time and what kind of branches/stems I can cut with it.

Place India.


texts: I've got a five-foot-tall maple sapling that's growing too close to the house. I want to dig it up and move it somewhere else. Is this feasible? What's the best time of year to do it if so?


texts: How to fertilize strawberries in containers?

texts: I have strawberries in containers and i want to fertilize them. What is the best approch and what type of fetilizer do I need?


texts:
I have this Cathedral Gem Sausage Vine on my trellis. It was planted two years ago and up until at least last October or so it was fine. I live in the pacific northwest and we've had very little sun and a lot of rain the past few months, I'm not sure if that has anything to do with this vine not doing well, but it has at the least contributed to me only seeing the issue now. Here are some pictures of what it looks like:

Any idea what could be causing this or how to stop it from progressing?


texts:
I've been having trouble re-planting a bare patch of lawn at the back of my small garden. I was wondering if birds had been raiding the seeds (and I have bought some plastic netting ready for next attempt), but just a few hours ago at dusk, I spotted a mouse hopping out into the sown patch and helping itself. The mouse came back about 30 seconds after being scared off - so it clearly found getting into the garden for the seeds worthwhile.

The garden backs onto a small woodland area, and I don't think I can realistically mouse-proof entry to the garden physically (e.g. with wire mesh).

I don't want to bait or poison any mice. First I don't like the idea, also these are just wild mice, just taking an opportunity to fill up from my garden, they aren't an infestation, there are none in the house.

It is not a huge area, I have about 4 square metres of lawn to return from bare mud to grassy. Overall the garden is also small - just 5 metres by 5 metres.

What is my best option to get a green patch on the lawn?

Ideas I have considered:

I have read that peppermint oil is repellent to mice, but will putting a line of it or something similar along the back fence be effective? Is there any other way to mouse-proof my grass seed in the garden long enough for it to sprout before being eaten?

Alternatively, I may be better off pre-germinating the grass somewhere mouse-proof and spreading it out after a certain time as in this question: Will pre-germinating grass seed produce a green lawn in less time than just seeding and watering properly? - if so, how long is good enough to not be interesting to the mouse?


texts: Assistance identifying plant, white flowers, 6 lobed leaves, almost a foot high?

texts: I am trying to identify the plant shown in the picture, the flowers are a little larger than an inch wide, with deep 6 lobed leaves, all plants are about a foot tall. Growing in North Eastern Ohio. If you need any additional observations let me know. Thanks


texts:
I need to clean and restore an old olive plantation which was not cultivated for around 20 years and is now covered with weeds, bushes and spruce tree. I'm new to olive trees but have clean almost everything. But one "pest" bothers and comes back very quickly. It is a plant Smilax aspera which so far I was unable to eradicate. It grows very quickly and is capable to cover and suffocate whole olive tree.

What is the best way to get rid of Smilax aspera?

Initially I thought to do everything in an ecological way, but now this Smilax aspera is very resistant and I'm comfortable to use chemicals. Reason (frustration) for this is that olive plantation is far from road access, 1200 m (6000 ft) on very difficult to walk Mediterranean rocky terrain and even when Smilax aspera is removed from under the olive trees, it grows from nearby dry walls as on this image:

What other options do I have?
Would burning and use of fire remove it permanently?


texts: Monstera: 2 new stalks, only one survived?

texts:
Recently 2 new stalks started simultaneously to grow from the same base of my Monstera. You can see them below:

You've probably noticed that one thrived and became a beautiful new leaf! The other stopped pretty early and suddenly and got this odd brown ending appearing. Here's a zoom on this:

Any idea what is this thing and what could have happened here?
What should I do with this? Cut it off? Cut at the base?


texts: What is this white grub I found in my soil in southern England?

texts:
I found a white grub about an inch long, in my soil.  At first I thought it looked like a wide, white prawn.  It's not the long thin one with the brown head that I've seen online.

I'm having trouble identifying it, or working out how to go about identifying it.

This is in the South of England if that helps.


texts: My Kalanchoe plant leaves have developed brown/balck spots on them. Although fresh leaves are coming the old leaves have started falling by the handful. Any tips what it might be causing it and how I can take care?


texts:
The front yard of my New Mexico (USDA zone 7a) house has a salt cedar (Tamarix ramosissima), which is growing like a huge bush. Its salt uptake appears to be preventing anything else in the vicinity from growing. I would like to kill it so that other things can grow in the front yard, and also so I can replace it with a large fruit-bearing shade tree.

I cut it down to a stump this spring, but to my horror, while I was puzzling over what to do after that, it has grown back to its full 6-foot-tall size by now. I am amazed by its growth!

Some people recommend drilling the stump and dumping glyphosate into the holes. Other people recommend burning out the stump and roots. What would work? For stumps in general, and for an incredibly tenacious salt cedar in particular?


texts: What to plant in a shady London small area?

texts: What shall I plant in the 4m² soil area in front of a London house? I want something beautiful and that needs minimal care. Also it shouldn't grow taller than 1m. The house is located South-East from the spot, so the area receives little sunshine, except during summer afternoons.


texts:
I just moved into this house and there are a few random potted plants left over from the previous tenants. I live in Perth, Western Australia.

I recently gave this one some water since it didn't look dead and suddenly it had these shoots growing off of it. Then a couple of days later they bloomed into large white flowers.


texts: Strange Mutation in Toadflax: what is the reason, and is this normal?

texts:
[ Location: UK - fully organic wildflower garden ]

The mutation shown in the photographs happened this year to one of my Toadflax. I thought at first that it may have been the result of the plant growing around a rock, but then the same happened to several others.

The plant stalks are supposed to be thin and rounded, - the strap-like stalk on this plant is around 10x the usual width but with the usual thickness.

As can be seen in the photographs, it does not prevent the plant from growing or flowering, and there is no die-back, rot, mould, or signs of insect infestation; so I am thinking that it could be a mutation. Does anyone here have any ideas or input on this?

Fasciation then, or dare I say fascinating? - Thanks for both answers, - this is what I love about gardening: no end of chaos, weirdness, beauty ...and many strange critters (gardener excluded).


texts:
I have an alpine strawberry plant which produces fruit (and no runners).

How can I make a second plant from this one?

Can I remove the seeds from a fruit and plant them?


texts: What is the name of this bamboo looking plant?

texts:
I recently found this plant hiding behind a bush.

Could someone please identify it?


texts: Is there a way to kill weeds in a brick patio without killing the Moss

texts: Does anyone know how to kill the weeds in my brick patio without killing the Moss. I love the Moss that has started growing in the cracks but it is not mature enough to fight off the weeds yet.


texts: What herbaceous plants like acid soil, blueberries and white pine mulch?

texts: Looking for herbs to fill out a blueberry bed. The soil is somewhat sandy and acidic, lots of coffee grounds mixed in, and its topped with white pine chips and needles.  What herbs would be happy here?


texts:
I have a problem with my echeveria, when I received it all its leaves where pointing up but then started to decay as if they where plastic in a hot place but I see new leaves so I think it was the normal cycle. However now the leaves are getting translucent like if they are converting into water.

I have water only 2 times in 5 months, because friends also got another and water them every month and got dead by the same symptoms of mine and I though the problem was too much water.

About the light and environment, it doesn't receive direct sun light and is in a interior not near windows. Maybe is because it needs more light?

Here are some photographs of the plant:


texts:
In our back garden now, we have mostly sandy topsoil sitting on an old Victorian sea defence, which is shingle.  We trucked in literally tons of topsoil about 5 years ago, laid turf and all was well for a year.  Then the lawn became very patchy and we could not recover it.  We then had a grass expert in who aerated the soil and sowed seeds.  It never really came up.

In my very inexperienced view, we have too much sand in our soil.  I suspect the top soil we brought in 5 years ago has drained down through the shingle.  I suspect that we cannot grow grass because there isn’t enough water retention due to the large particles of sand and stones to which water cannot adhere.  Does this sound feasible to those who are more experienced than I am?

My solution is a bit of a radical one which I am not sure will work.  I was thinking I need 1) to keep soil above the stones 2) retain water.  Does anyone think it would work if I used a water retention fabric used for garden roofs?  I would be  able to retain the soil and also a bit of water.

My idea would mean that we dig up the sandy soil and add more organic material trying to achieve the balanced loam.  We would lay the membrane down on the shingle then relay the soil, (I’m not sure how much), and then either sow seeds again or lay turf again, but this time with a drought and salt resistant grass.

If anyone have any comments, words of advice or experience in any of this, I would be very grateful to listen.
Thank you very much!


texts: What are some good tree suggestions for providing some shade for the house (Seattle, WA)?

texts:
There's been another question asked about trees for shading a house, but I have some different criteria (plus a different climate).

I'm planning on landscaping an area that's next to my house that's currently a cement patio.  This patio, which is on the west side of the house, results in the house warming up quite a bit in late summer when the afternoon sun hits. So, my primary goal in landscaping is to add a few features that will minimize the heat in the summer.

I'm looking to plant one to three smaller trees, and am looking for suggestions.  Here's the criteria I'd like to match:

Deciduous tree
Height between 10 and 30 feet maximum
Spread between 10 and 20 feet in diameter
Provides at least some shade (e.g. not like that ginkgo tree I have in front)
Roots aren't too aggressive (won't rob nearby plants of water or attack pipes)
Does well in US pacific NW climate


texts:
Found an interesting tree fruit in Santa Cruz today on a couple trees with and without foliage. (Near Wilder Ranch State Park along the bluffs on the ocean)

The green colored fruit has three 'panels'. (The most unique aspect to me) It contains a large whitish hollow seed/nut and some smaller seeds. It weeps a clear sticky liquid from the stem and when opened the liquid froths a bit.

Tree leaf is single lobed, simple. Bark was grey and smooth if I remember correctly.

Any thoughts?


texts: To be effective, how long does Glyphosate weed killer need to be applied before it rains?

texts:
Yesterday I used around 3 litres (approximately 1 gallon) of glyphosate (generic Roundup) around my garden. It was in the evening around 6pm.

This morning I awoke to the sound of rain. Will the rain have diluted the glyphosate or will my weeds die?

To make this more generic:

To be 100% effective how long before rain should I poison?


texts: Why are my hydroponic peas wilting right after planting?

texts:
I'm trying to get into hydroponics and have started with peas as it's winter in in Wollongong, Australia.

However I've had an ongoing issue ever since planting them a week ago. I haven't seen much growth at all and constant wilting of the leaves. They were in rock wool in a running water setup that remained saturated and so I thought over-watering might be an issue so I've taken the rock wool out and now they are just sitting in the clay balls with the bottom of their roots in the running water. Also when taking out the rock wool I noticed that the roots are trimmed with brown now.

I bought an air pump a couple of days ago thinking that it may have been an oxygen issue but I haven't seen any results since having installed it in the reservoir.

I'm a beginner and everything I've read on the net points to over-watering however everything I have tried hasn't worked.


texts: What is this houseplant with large waxy leaves and a reddish base?

texts: I have a problem with my house plant that I want to research on the net about what may have caused it and how to prevent it.  The problem is I have no idea of the name of the plant.  It looks like this:


texts: What's this cactus with large red and white spines?

texts: I just got this cactus with large red and white spines and I'd like to know its species. It looks like a ferocactus emoryi except the spines are not hooked. But it could be something else as there are so many different species of ferocactus. Some species of gymnocalycium also look like this.


texts: What is this large orange mushroom found in lodgepole pine forest in Oregon's high desert?

texts: This mushroom grows in Oregon's high desert in lodgepole pine forest.  It is big, 4-6" high and wide.  Bright orange with yellow meat.  Definitely a parasol type.


texts:
Do rosemary plants exhibit phototropism? I bought a rosemary plant from a nursery with its woody stem not perpendicular to the soil surface (about 50 deg between the soil and the stem). While its branches and leaves grew perpendicular to the soil surface, it did not form a "straight" line with the stem (less than 180 deg between the bulk of branches and the stem). I just did not like how it looked.

I re-potted it with the stem sticking straight up from the soil, but now the leaves and branches are the ones that are leaning to one side. I tried to "correct" this by rotating the pot of the plant such that it is leaning/facing away from the sun, assuming that, just like any other plants in my garden, it would bend towards the light and "fix" itself to stand upright. But it has already been a week since I did this and nothing has changed.

Could it be that they do not respond to phototropism? (But they shouldn't have grown this way if it doesn't). Could it also be that only the new growths grow towards the light as older branches have started to become woody and stiff so they are not able to "bend"?


texts: Is it possible to tell by shape of the flower if it will attract butterflies or hummingbirds?

texts:
Looking through plants, I've started noticing that all the flowers marked that they attract hummingbirds have flowers with deep, tube-like, petals. Meanwhile, it seems like the plants that are marked that they attract butterflies have clusters of tiny, star-shaped flowers.

Is this just a correlation I've noticed, or do butterflies and hummingbirds actually have a preference for the shape of flowers they visit?

Here's an example of a plant for hummingbirds:

(Source)

Here's an example of a plant for butterflies:

(Source)


texts:
Last summer (and after checking info on posts here) I planted three columnar blue spruce trees (picea pungens fastigata).

In the fall, I noticed needles losing color and later dropping, leaving little branches bare at the bottom  and moving up the trunk. Up close, the needles that fell look pale and have tiny dark dots. I guessed that it was rhizosphaera needle cast. By the time I came to that conclusion, it had gotten cold enough that I figured it was dormant and I would deal with it in the spring.

I am not seeing any signs of new growth, except for purple pine cones. I also have a globe blue spruce in another area, and it's now covered in robins egg blue new growth.

Can anyone lend some expertise as to how to make sure these trees do as well as possible?

Thanks for reading!


texts: So far the tree has been doing really well. Its only a year old (chinar tree). Infact, the ants have made the heavy clay soil in which the tree was planted from dense and compacted to very porous and well drained. Its as if the tree considers itself lucky to have the ants but will this do harm in the long run?


texts: What's the purpose of mixing native soil with store bought soil?

texts:
On most store-bought soil, it gives instructions to mix the soil with equal parts of your native soil. Why should I create a mixture instead of using the store-bought soil purely?

I usually buy Kellogg garden soil. The texture is quite coarse - like that of ground up wood chips. I have been mixing this garden soil with store-bought soil conditioner/amendments, but never with my native soil. My native soil is tough clay, so I was hesitant of mixing it in. Could this be the reason why I'm having such bad luck in my first year of gardening? My blackberry and strawberries shriveled after one week of planting. However, others such as raspberry and goji berry are thriving.


texts: Why aren't my Lemon and Feijoa trees growing or sprouting leaves?

texts:
I have a 1 year old lemon tree that has only 5 leaves, most of which look as if they are dying. It also has dry, splintered stalks that look as if they have sealed themselves, and refuse to grow any further. The soil doesn't seem dry, and the leaves aren't yellowing.

I also have a feijoa tree that does not look so poorly, but hasn't sprouted any new growth at all since it has been planted.

This is in comparison to a nearby feijoa tree that gets the same amount of sun and rain, and was also half destroyed by a fence falling on it, yet is sprouting leaves and buds.

What could be causing the stunted growth of the the feijoa tree? Do I need to drop a fence on it?

New Zealand climate


texts: Starting seeds in the ground during summer

texts: I heard from a friend that Lunaria annua seed should be started now (July-August) (directly in the ground) since this is their natural time for starting (without human intervention). She actually says that this is the only time of the year one can successfully do it. Is there anybother plant whose seed can and should be started during summer?


texts: Who keeps tearing the leaves off my melons?

texts:
I have a small garden in my backyard (a 4x4 "square foot" garden). It has a variety of different plants in it. Recently I tried to grow melons in it (watermelons and cantaloupes). But, shortly after it grows a couple leaves I return the next day to find the leaves torn off the stem of the plant. Just the stem is left and torn pieces of the leaves. My other plants don't have this problem, it's just the melons. I replanted, and the same thing happened again. What could be doing this and how can I defend against it?

The photos below are from other plants in my garden that were damaged in similar ways. I'm not sure if it is from the same pest or not, but maybe it will provide a clue.


texts: How often should I water my lawn in Georgetown, Massachusetts

texts:
Looking to hear from any others in New England, or even more specifically Massachusetts. We just bought our dream home in Georgetown, MA and the one thing that needs a lot of work is the lawn and landscaping. We just had an irrigation system installed and it is running great. The age old question i'm trying to figure out is a watering schedule.

The irrigation company recommended 20 minutes a zone starting at 4:30am, every day. Online though i'm seeing a lot around water heavy and infrequently. Our front lawn is hit by the sun pretty hard all day long. Should I tweak it to every 2 or 3 days for longer?


texts: Can someone identify this plant. I was told that it blooms but I have no idea what kind of flowers.


texts: Can an indoor Birds of Paradise thrive in gardening soil?

texts: I bought gardening soil by accident and I have a beautiful and large BoP that I'm repotting. I am curious if gardening soil will be OK for this plant.


texts: What is this decorative flower (or membrane) (or seed) (or leaf) (or fruit)?

texts:
Do you know the latin name of this plant:

Update: There appear to be two more questions about the same species on this site:

Does anyone know what this wildflower is?

What are these small brown curved seeds?

A picture from the first question above: (one can notice oval membranes (in the top right potion of the photo) that are green at that stage, and contain seeds in the middle that just started developing - just incredible)


texts:
I dug out Iris rhizomes yesterday in order to put them somewhere else, I was surprised by their quantity and couldn't put all of them to their new destination due to space limitation.

So, now I have plenty of them dug out and before deciding what to do with them I need to store them somehow. How do I do that ideally?


texts: I have recently bought a fragrant rose which hasn't bloomed yet. The stems are densely thorned. You can see its small and delicate thorns in the middle of the picture. Is there any chance anyone knows the name of this breeding?


texts: Mixing Kentucky Blue Grass and Tall Fescue

texts:
Hello all I am renovating my backyard and about 85% of it has become pure dirt.
I am located in southern PA and began the process of planting grass seed.
I began by seeding the entire backyard with Kentucky Blue Grass... A few days later I came to the realization I probably should have used a tall fescue instead.
My question is:

can I reseed the entire backyard with Tall Fescue creating a mix of the two?


texts: Do I need to wait a year before harvesting garlic?

texts:
I'm confused about how to grow garlic. I'm planning to grow it from a clove.

After it grows, do I take the seed from the flower and plant it again, waiting for the second year to harvest the garlic?

Or can I harvest  it in the first year, straight from the clove which I've planted?


texts:
So I have some Venus fly trap seeds growing in a 72-cell germ station. The cells are pretty small and I will have to repot soon. Whenever I have read about repotting, I always hear it is best to try to get all the old soil off the root system before repotting it. My question is why? Why can't I just scoop the entire soil block and plant from the cell, not clean off any of the soil, and then just put the hunk of soil with the plant into a bigger pot with more soil? I ask because I hear of people damaging/killing their plant in the process of cleaning the plant of its 'old' soil, and don't want to do this if I don't have to. Hopefully this is not an ignorant question.

From https://www.flytrapcare.com/venus-fly-trap-soil :

"Once you have the old soil and plants free from the original pot, start breaking away the soil from the roots. Do this very gently and methodically to be sure not to tear or otherwise damage any of the roots. You can also simply dunk the entire soil ball into clean water (rain, reverse osmosis or distilled water) and swirl it around to release the soil."

From http://venusflytrap.info/venus-fly-trap-plant-transplant/ :

"The roots of a Venus Flytrap can break fairly easily, so be careful not to pull on them too much. Gentle taps on the soil are often all that is required to remove most of the soil."

and

"The Venus Flytrap can be soaked and rinsed in water in order to remove stubborn soil and to expose the rhizome so that it can be cleaned of any dead leaves and tissue. Small scissors and tweezers (forceps) are very handy for this cleaning."


texts: What is this orange crust around my pot?

texts:
I have a mini Rose bush growing Indoors and a yellow/orangish crust keeps appearing on the outside of my ceramic pot. It almost looks like it’s in lines like a slug leaves it behind. Every time I wipe it off it returns the next day. Please help if you know what it is or know how to stop it. Thanks!
Note: This is a poor picture representation. I wiped it off before making this post. But there was a little crust left. It normally is in streaks going in a direction around the pot.


texts: How do I know when to harvest my artichokes?

texts:
At the beginning of the UK summer I planted some artichoke seeds. What I didn't realise is how monstrous the plants would become. They're huge and taking over my vegetable patch. I've had to regularly break leaves off them to stop them strangling my other plants.

Anyway, they're now producing heads, but I'm confused. Some places say that the first years heads should be cut off and the plant left another year before harvest. If that's the case, I might as well kill the things now as I don't have the space to let them grow.

If you can eat the heads of a first-year artichoke, I can't find any advice on how to tell when they're ready to harvest. I found this question, My Artichoke Flowered, Now What? which illustrates why I need to know - they'll flower and be wasted otherwise. But it doesn't tell me how to pick them at the right time.

So in summary:
- Can I eat the heads of one-year old artichoke plants?
- If so, how do I tell when to pick them?


texts: My question is concerning an Avocado plant with very dry and brittle leaves

texts: My friend gave me an  avocado plant  from her place of work to revive.  As soon as I saw it droopy very dry and brittle leaves..they have not dropped  ..the soil was very very dry and looked old.. I asked her what happened..she said  although "Carlos" had been doing fine they were told to water him once a month or less..I think poor "Carlos went into some sort of shock. I gave him some fresh potting soil mixed with a bit of steer manure..watered him throughly then after he had absorbed that gave him some plant food..it was cati food it was all I had on hand at the time.  My question is what more can I do to help "Carlos" to come back from the dead so to speak..He still has his brittle leaves they are a medium green colour and have not dropped even though they both look and feel  very dry and brittle. the stem of the plant  feels suple as does the stem of the leaves though not as supple as they should.  any suggestions


texts: Do soil nutrients travel to the surface?

texts:
I've built four additional raised beds for my garden, and put a lot of tree branches and cow manure at the bottom.

The problem is, the beds are two feet deep (24" sides, I mean), and I had intended on filling them to within 4 inches of the top with soil (with woodchips on top).

Basically, if I have eight inches of soil on top of the tree branches, and if whatever I plant in the beds don't have roots that reach that deep, do the shallow rooted plants still benefit from the nutrients?

Or should I churn up the beds in three years to bring the nutrients to the surface?

(A quick google shows that tomato plant roots go 12+ inches, so I probably don't have anything to worry about, but am still curious. Also, I'll be sure to put good material in the upper eight inches, not just soil.)


texts: What are these small white balls that appeared on the soil in my greenhouse?

texts:
As a pre-emptive starting note, there are a lot of questions with similar titles but none I could find with pictures looking the same to what I have here.

Around a week ago, I applied lawn clippings to the surface of the soil in my greenhouse as a mulch. The soil was previously free of visible weeds or other pests and I'm aware that I may have made a mistake in introducing non composted grass clippings.

Today I noticed hundreds of small white balls that have appeared in several areas. They seem to be either eggs or some type of fungus. The fact that they appear to be "growing / deposited" on a plastic plant label makes me think that fungus is less likely, as I'm not sure that it would grow on a plastic.

In one picture a strawberry plant appears to be attacked.

What are these balls?
Are they harmful to my plants?
If so, how should I deal with them and what precautions can I take in the future?