texts:
I come over from New Zealand once a year and get the family garden sorted. This year I haven't been able to arrive any earlier because of Covid-19. So we are in the middle of summer and the garden needs a lift, it has underground watering.
1.Do I rack off the bark layer and replace it with a D Compost a few inches thick?
2. Leave the bark and just add a general garden fertilizer and water that in?
3. Is there another product I should be looking at that I can buy in this area by the yard?
The garden is in Los Altos Ca. and any help would be appreciated


texts: Why do wettable sulphur manufacturers say never to use it within 30 days of an oil-based spray?

texts:
And further:

1) what qualifies as an "oil-based spray" and at what amount?

2) does this warning still apply during the rainy season-- when the need for quick cycles of medicines is necessary?

(and yes, I've tried to ask manufacturers but to no avail).


texts: Why is the lower leaf wilted on all of these plants? Should I remove them?

texts: These basil plants have been thriving steadily better and better since being transplanted as sprouts.  However every one of this group of 8 in the end of a planter is exhibiting a wilted leaf, and it's always the lowest one.  What's going on here?  Should I snip off these wilted leaves?


texts: What is this plant with long skinny leaves with red margins?

texts:
I got the plant in the picture:

Which plant is it?


texts: How can I tell the difference between male and female trees?

texts:
How do you know what a male tree looks like from the female? Is it because of the leaves that fall or the ones that have more pollen?

Please help me to understand if there is such a thing.


texts: How many Gribnoe Lukoshko tomato plants are suggested for 1 person?

texts: When speaking about plants per person you see a list of plants suggested per person, but how many Gribnoe Lukoshko tomato plants are suggested per person when wanting to ensure there's plenty for you to eat, and make salsa with?


texts: How large a cultivation area to feed one person?

texts: Consider a project like the Earthship. Supposing one would like to grow food (organic polyculture) indoors in such a habitat (i.e. in a green house). How many m² would be required to feed one person yearly?


texts: What type of Bonsai is this, and how should I take care of it?

texts: I just received this beautiful Bonsai. But it didn't come with instructions on watering, or how much sunlight. I'm in New York and its freezing. I want to put it by the window because I get a lot of sunlight, but its cold by the window. Also the tree is very thorny and if you touch it. needles easily fall off. What should I be doing for this beauty?


texts: Suggestion for cheap and efficient way to shred compost ingredient?

texts: Everyone who has done composting would probably agree small particle size of compost ingredients is essential for quicker composting. Is there any way to shred compost ingredients without using machine (shredder/lawn mower)?


texts:
I live in Northern Arizona (grassland at 5300') and I've been finding these weeds in my backyard that I'm pretty sure are tomatillos:

So: 1) Are these poisonous? 2) Would they taste as good as cultivated tomatillos?

If they taste good enough then I'm going to save the seeds and plant a whole bunch of them to make green salsa next year, because these grew up and bore fruit in my backyard without any irrigation (some were even growing in the rocks on top of a weed barrier).


texts: How do you figure out if you have Rhizobia bacteria in your soil?

texts: I have prepared a leaf-rich garden patch (see here).  To promote decomposition of the leaves I have planted a lot of beans and peas to promote nitrogen fixation in the soil.  However, I don't know if there are any Rhizobia bacteria in the soil.  How do I figure this out?  How do I figure out their concentration?


texts:
My 3+ year old curry leaf plant has gotten some dark stains on some of the leaves. Some of it is on the edges and some on the inside as shown in the pictures. All pictures are of the same plant and taken the same day when I have posted this question.

I started noticing it in winter about, 5 months back, when I had moved the pot from under the tree shade into the sun. I felt like it may be burning the leaves so after about 2 months I moved it back under the tree share. It has been about 4 months and I see some improvement but I still see some of these. I would like to know whats wrong.

About the care of this plant, I usually water this plant about once a week and for compost I put in household kitchen waste like leftover/cut veggies, spoiled milk and the remains from Indian tea/chai. It is planted in a pot about 10+ inches high and the plant height is about 5+ feet.

What could be wrong with my curry leaf plant and how can I make it green and healthy back again?

Happy gardening!


texts: What's the best C:N ratio when vermicomposting?

texts:
I know that for 'regular' composting without worms you need a carbon-nitrogen ratio of something between 25:1 and 30:1. Is the same true for vermicomposting? I'm not sure if it matters, but I'm using tiger worms in a closed worm bin.

EDIT:
I tried google and  found mixed results. On this page and this one they say that the specific C:N: ratio doesn't matter, but Wikipedia mentions a ratio of 30:1 and on this page they say you should have a 70:30 ratio (of browns:greens).


texts:
My butterfly bush is not flowering.

I've had it for 3 years and every year was a little bit downhill from the previous one. Last fall, I gave it some compost and some new shoots emerged but no flowers.

I am located in Northern Virginia so it's the blooming season now. It's getting at least 2 hours of sunlight and I was hoping that the taller it gets the more sunlight it will get. The leaves seem twisted on top. What am I doing wrong?


texts: I'm not familiar with this effect. It seems to be getting worse by the day. Is there a common cause for something like this?


texts: How to reduce the growth of moss on the ground and on the tree?

texts:
We have a Norwegian Maple tree in front of the house. But it has lots of moss in the branches, stem and in the ground.

One of my neighbor said the tree is getting the moss from the ground. Last year we got the tree branches pruned so that there can be more air flow. Any tips or ideas on how to reduce the moss growth both on the ground and on the tree?


texts: Fine white fuzzy layer all over Ipomoea. What can it be?

texts:
I have noticed a fading on my Ipomoea leaves and a fine white fuzz around the leaves too.

Can anyone help me identify the problem? They grow on may balcony, Have plenty of sunshine and have not been fertilised.


texts: What could be the reason of this stem turning into white in the center areas?

texts: The stem stopped growing since 2 days and the flower/leaf is not opening up. I thought it could be thirsty but watering didn't help.


texts:
I've got 7 plants from clementine seeds and want to know what possible results I can expect in terms of fruiting if any, depending on which different citrus trees could have pollinated the parent.
The seeds come from fruits probably grown in spain

What is likeliest to have pollinated my seeds and will it produce fruits? That's what I'm most interested in.


texts: How much water does my square foot vegetable garden really need if I'm using drip irrigation?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How much water should I give my veggies every day?

I recently installed a drip irrigation kit in my square foot garden with 1GPH heads aimed at the center of each square foot region.

The instructions say to run the system for 30-60 minutes every 1 to 4 days depending on temperature, which comes out to anywhere from 60 minutes per day to 30 minutes every 4 days. If my math is correct, that's anywhere from 1.4" to 11" per week!

11" per week seems very excessive even in the heat of summer for where we are (Zone 10), yet 1.4" per week supplied via 30 minute waterings every 4 days seems like way too little in this heat.

I don't mind going through the cost/effort of adding extra lower/higher flow heads where appropriate, but I'd rather avoid ruining my crops due to experimenting with vague watering requirements from multiple sources.

Is there a good resource for watering requirements (volume and frequency) based on temperature for different types of vegetables that I could refer to in order to optimize my system?

In the mean time, what watering schedule could I use in general to keep my plants healthy?


texts: Cut the iris stem to the rhizome or only as far as the bottom leafs?

texts:
I have bearded iris growing at 7,000 feet.

I want to see which of the iris will rebloom this season, and when the blooms are finished, to split and propagate the plants.

In either case, it's my understanding that the steps are to (a) cut the stem as close to the rhizome as possible while leaving at least two leaves, (b) do so quickly (days, not weeks or months) after the iris stops blooming, and (c) fertilize.

But the bottom-most leaves of the iris are tightly wrapped up and around the stem. I tried loosening the leaves to cut the stem closer to the rhizome, but only succeeded in tearing the leaves.

So bottom-line, I can cut to the rhizome, making the plant leafless, or I can leave two or more leafs intact by cutting several inches above the rhizome.

What is the real importance of the two leaves? Is it just for looks, or critical to health and propagation?
If I need the two leaves, will they unravel from the stem, making it easier to cut to the rhizome, if I wait several weeks?
Are re-bloom and propagation two different problems with slightly different steps? I.e., do I need leaves only for propagation?


texts: What fungus is this, and how to get rid of it?

texts:
Next to our lawn, we have a strip of bark-covered earth where we grow blackberries and raspberries. Some fungus recently appeared on that bark.

Yesterday it looked like a handful of wet yellow cereal strewn about. Today (after immense rain) it looks like a spongy carpet, and it's no longer yellow but rather salmon-colored.

What is it, and much more important: how do I get rid of it?


texts:
About a year ago I got this orchid as a present. There are two separate plants in a single pot. They were blooming when I bought them, then bloomed a second time. The larger orchid bloomed first by a few weeks. The pictures are of the third bloom for the smaller orchid. The larger orchid hasn't bloomed a third time, and is instead growing these air roots. It's also tilted quite a bit to the north (I have a N-E corner kitchen with glass block walls, which generates a lot of diffuse light. The shoots tend to point North). The pot has drainage, I water it about once every 7-10 days, adding Orchid fertilizer roughly once a month.

I'm debating splitting them up into two pots, as the air roots and lack of bloom are concerning to me. If that's the way to go, should I wait for the smaller orchid to finish blooming, or am I hurting the larger one in the process?


texts: Trying to grow Chillis with a LED Grow Lamp

texts:
I started with some chilli seeds of varying types planted in some Gro-Sure Seed & Cutting compost (https://www.gardenhealth.com/product/grosure-seed-cutting-compost).

After a few weeks sitting on a heat map they started to appear. It was at this point I turned the grow lamp on for 12hrs a day as well with the lid down:

I watered once a day keeping the soil damp, but once the seedlings showed their first two leaves they wilted and looked pretty much dead or dying:

Any ideas would be much appreciated as to what I'm doing wrong... Maybe the lid shouldn't be on, or higher up... Maybe they can't breath, I don't know... I'd say inside the box it's warm, not hot, so I don't think it's too much heat, especially when its still quite cold at the moment in England UK (they are inside in my workshop).

Thanks for the comments guys, I've updated the setup now so that the seedlings (what's left) are outside..I have the grow light on from 0700 to 2200 with the heat matt coming on at 2200 to 0700:


texts:
Please help me identifying this bonsai plant.
Also what can i do to grow it more quickly and create a better bonsai.


texts: What is the best way to hide daffodil leaves after the flowers die?

texts:
I have an old flower bed in which the large daffodil clumps bloom spectacularly each spring, but after the flowers fade,  the leaves grow some and last for a couple of months before they also die. They aren't very attractive. What is the best method to disguise or hide them? Here are some options I've looked into:

plant throughout the daffodils a similar leaved plant that flowers during the time the leaves of the daffodils are up
plant various narrow leaved clump forming plants in with the daffodils for some variety
cut the leaves off at ground level (I've heard this damages the next seasons blooms)
flatten the leaves onto the ground and grow annuals through them
plant something tall in front of them

I've discovered all of these methods, but don't know which one is most natural looking.


texts:
When I am picking where to place vegetables in my raised garden bed, what is the rule of thumb in terms of the larger, taller plants on what side to avoid them shading the other one's as much as possible.

In my two 4x6 feet (121 cm by 182cm) beds I want to plant, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, beets, green beans, peas, and zucchini. What is the optimal layout?
The beds are 11 inches or 28 cm deep.

EDIT: The long side is on the East-West Axis and Width (4 feet) North-south


texts: Acer (Maple) white spots and dieback - infection and how to treat

texts:
For some time now my Acer has been dying back and appears to be infected - see the white spots on the trunk and the bark dieback. Is this something which can be treated - and if so how?

The photos I think summarise the issue well so I'm just looking to understand precisely what the condition is.


texts: How do I predict a plant species' water intake?

texts:
I'm an amateur gardener planning a future garden in an extremely dry area. The soil is fertile, but I understand you need to water artificially in order to grow anything significant.

I want to experiment with species and varieties that aren't traditionally used in the area. When selecting  species to try out, their estimated "thirstiness" is going to be a major factor, as water isn't going to be cheap.

Do any canonical resources on plant species' water consumption exist?

If not - what general characteristics should I look out for in order to determine how thirsty they are going to be?


texts: Does anyone know how to remedy fire-blight?

texts: Our neighborhood apple trees all have fireblight, I do see one tree with apples starting to appear, but the others do not have fruit.


texts: How to protect broccoli seedlings from high winds?

texts:
I am experimenting this autumn with more autumn/winter vegetables than I am used to. I have cabbages and leeks near maturity which will be the main events, but I've also put in some August sown purple sprouting broccoli. Not sure if it'll work, but I'm hoping for a crop early next year.

At this stage (September) the seedlings are still quite small.

At this time of year, high winds can be a problem. Do broccoli (and similar) plants, which are hardy enough to survive winter, need protection from winds? If so, what's the best approach?

I'm figuring it's too early to put them under glass or polythene, there can still be a lot of heat in the sun during the day.


texts:
I have discovered a lot of these larvae in the soil in a large plant pot after removing a woody plant that had recently died. I’ve also found a few in other plant pots in the garden. Does anyone know what they are? I particularly need to work out if they killed the plant or if it’s just coincidence.

They were found in a garden in South East London, UK.


texts:
Seattle

I've got a whole string of french lavenders that I've sort of 'trained' to be sort of like short hedges.

Unfortunately, they've fought back by getting woody and leggy. How hard can I/should I cut them back to re-shape them properly?

-Sometimes- they seem get new growth from the wood, but mostly not. How do I tell what new growth will come from and what won't?

Finally, is now the time of year to consider this?


texts: I couldn't find a photo similar to my orchid. What kind and color is it?


texts: Is it safe to harvest these cabbage leaves?

texts: My organic garden was ravaged by pests this year, but my cabbages took a special hit. In the meantime, I was wondering if I can harvest the tender leaves anyway and try again to protect them next year. I don't see any insects on them, but I wonder if it is proper to eat them and whether they will taste bug-flavored. Thanks.


texts: Should I get a tissue-cultured Rhaphidophora tetraspermas or find a regular one instead?

texts:
Rhaphidophora tetrasperma has become readily available due to its mass production using tissue-culture or otherwise known as micropropagation. So plants are kind of being cloned artificially in laboratory environments from cells or tissues of donor plants.

Should I have any concerns regarding a Rhaphidophora tetrasperma produced with this method?
Or these plants will be the same as a naturally propagated one?
My main areas of concerns are:

Susceptibility to diseases, etc. Will it be as healthy as regular one?
Will a tissue-cultured plant be as a prolific grower as a regular one?

I am asking because I have seen some small plants at my local nursery, with thick stems and 3-4 leaves, 1-2 with fenestration. Overall they did not look very healthy but they were small plants so maybe they just need some time to grow and get nicer. I am not sure if I should grab them or look for some other source.


texts: My young meyer lemon tree's are getting these yellowish spots and then falling off. Despite this, it has still bloomed and has quite a bit new growth. What is wrong?


texts:
I picked a bunch of basil last week so we could put up some pesto.

I brought the leaves inside, washed them, and set them on the counter in the kitchen while gathering other ingredients for pesto (grating cheese, etc). Many of the leaves started to turn black -- especially at the tips and in the veins. It didn't seem to affect the quality of the end product.

I'm planning to dry the next harvest batch, and I'd like to make sure it doesn't turn black during drying.

What makes basil leaves turn black?
What should I do post-harvest to prevent this?


texts:
I have been growing spring onions and am not sure whether or not I am regrowing them the best way. I have a few questions.

I have been cutting the spring onions at their base so that the regrow and I don't have to plant more spring onions. Can I keep doing this forever, or will the taste or size of the spring onion start to suffer if I do this a number of times.

I also want to be able to let the spring onions go to seed so that I can regrow them. I have one Spring onion plant that has just developed a 'bud' like object. (Early Spring) Will this flower and seed? If so, how can I get my other plants to do this too?

Can these two methods be used in combination? For example, can I cut the spring onions at the base until taste starts to suffer, then let them go to seed and replant the seeds?

Answers to any or all of these questions would be appreciated.

Photos


texts: I have a steep hill and in attempting to control erosion I built a small bricked wall (18" tall") and filled behind it with soil.  The wall is within the branches of a 15 year old maple.  Will the extra soil damage or kill the tree?


texts: I have a lot of nice sized oak trees. I have pin, black, and chestnut. Every once in a while one of them puts out sprouts all over the trunk and starts looking like a green pillar. How do  I keep that from happening?


texts:
I am planning on purchasing an avocado tree (grown from seed) online, as the seller has agreed to provide me with a cutting from his mature, fruit bearing plant, and I want to experiment with grafting.    Unfortunately the avo trees  (I think they are 1 or 2 years old) I'm purchasing are already in the ground - so they need to be dug up as well.   [ I expect the trees to be very cheap, so it doesn't really matter if I fail, but I'd like to get as much right as possible ]

Questions -

I understand that avocado trees have sensitive roots.  Are there any tips for relocating an avocado which is already in the ground ?
Do avocados have tap roots, and if so, how far down would they typically
go ?  (I've heard and read a lot of conflicting information here)


texts: Is there any real way to get rid of bamboo?  I have tried digging, every variety of round up, even salting the ground but it just keeps growing.   Is there anything I can do (short of calling in an air strike)?


texts: I've heard of coppicing apple trees, but if you coppice a pear tree, will it grow back (and does the variety matter)? This is with regard to standard-sized pear trees (without a different rootstock). I'm not talking about pollarding (although that would be interesting to know, too).


texts: What are these cute little seedlings that are growing in my houseplant soil?

texts: What are these very small seedlings? They just erupted out of nowhere. Should I leave it as it is? Or should I pluck it?


texts: I'm planing to use neem oil as insect repellent on my plants (mostly vegetables) but there is one thing that is puzzling me: If neem oil is efficient insect repellent does it have negative effect on pollinating insects? If so, when is the best time to apply it during flowering period?


texts: How can I move large amounts of soil without a wheelbarrow?

texts:
We source compost/soil/mulch etc. in two forms: bulk and bagged. We typically use bagged when there is limited access to the areas to which we need to apply materials. I would love an efficient alternative for two reasons. First, the bagged material is several to many times the cost of the bulk materials. Second, I hate to see all the plastic bags go to the dumpster/landfill/wherever.

Is there a device, garment, container, or contraption that would allow 1 or 2 guys to carry as much loose soil as they would be able to carry bagged - Say 2-3 cubic feet per person?

Edit: We get bulk compost in 1.25 cubic yard totes that have sling handles can be lifted with a forklift. Is there such a thing as a mini version of this? If so, please provide source.


texts: How should I remove a large number of stones in my plot of land?

texts:
I have a plot that I would like to use to make an orchard. The problem is that there are too many stones. I was looking for solutions and the only thing I found is a stone removing machine, which looks like this, but I think it's too expensive for a small orchard.

What's the best solution?


texts: How can I get weed seeds out of a gravel bed?

texts:
The side of my house has a small gravel bed that abuts the lawn. It is mostly choked with weeds and was in poor shape when we bought the place last year.

I want to dig it up, put down new fabric and reuse the existing river rock that is there. I don't want to reuse the existing weeds...

Any advice on how to clean the old gravel out so that I don't have weeds next spring?


texts: How much topsoil can I put over grass before needing to re-seed?

texts:
My lawn is very uneven - it seems that between trees & settling fill there are places where there are dips of up to 8".

I'm going to get a load of topsoil, but I'm wondering how much dirt I can place over existing grass before I will need to re-seed the area?


texts: Trimmer Line spool too loose inside head

texts:
I have a single line auto feed weed whacker, that I've bought replacement line for.
The problem is that the line I bought is wound around a spool thats about 10cm in diameter, so when I wrap it around my line trimmer head which is only 5cm diameter, it "uncoils" inside the head because it tries to spring back to its manufactured coil. Basically that means the line thats extruded gets sucked back into the head.
How do I coil the line tighter so it behaves itself inside the trimmer head


texts: Why do all my chilli plants stop growing?

texts:
I have been growing chilli plants for the last couple if years. In the first year I always get a decent amount of fruit considering the size of the plants. However, fairly consistently my chilli plants stop growing after their first season. They get to a certain height and just seem to stop. Some give up all together and just turn into sticks, others make it through the winter but then don't ever seem to get any bigger. I have seen chilli plants get quite large, a metre high or more, so I'm curious as to why mine are stunted.

I'm reasonably confident they are getting all the food they need and they always get plenty of water. So I'm wandering, what is the trick to getting large and plentiful chilli plants?!


texts:
I am not sure what is wrong with my adenium plant. I have google exhaustively but couldn't find any description that my plant is facing. There seems to be some swelling at the leaves stem and on the leaves it self. If you take a look at the photo uploaded, you can see the swelling on the leaves stem (the connection from the leaves to the stem and also on the leaves. The swelling shows a bit red in color.
oh yes, currently my plant also have been infested by some bugs.
Hope someone can give me some solution here. This plant is about 18 years old.

thank you in advance.


texts: Potted sweet peas have shot up quicker then expected

texts: Please help i've  never grown sweetpeas and wasn't sure what to expect when I chucked the seeds that had started to grow in the packet in with the ones i'd started already and now they have all grown to about 2ft already all 3 packets and the pot is over crowded but I don't know if I should risk planting them in the Garden now or wait till the weather is better


texts:
We have given our Yucca's new flower soil. Now they have mushy brown spots on the leaves. Before, they stood in the living room without direct sun. Now they are outside (sun in the day (morning 2 hours and evening 3 hours) and at night about 16 ° Celsius).

Do they need more water because of the sunshine? Normally, they do not need much water. Are the temperature fluctuations not good? Sunlight and at night 16 ° C?

An idea what caused these brown spots?

Our dragon trees have similar problems.


texts: Tree identification - pink buds and numerous fluffy stamen flowers

texts:
This is a tree growing in a friend's backyard, located in the Bay Area, Northern California, USA. (I'm not implying that the tree is native!)

Its flowers have numerous fluffy stamens which are cream in colour, and there are pink flower buds. (The buds look very similar to a eucalyptus).

There seems to be a parasitic infection on some (warped) leaves.


texts:
What is this plants with cup like flowers? Are the cups flowers or something else?

EDIT:

It bloomed:


texts: What evidence is there for the toxicity of Neem oil to humans?

texts:
I have used Neem oil (Fertilome's 3-in-1) on some tomato plants twice since I began getting into vegetable gardening. The thing is that I have heard/read, on one hand, that it is not toxic and quite "natural", but on the other hand, I have heard/read people claiming that it is toxic.

Most online searches I have done show a lot of subjective accounts that just contribute to the ambiguity.

I am looking for answers that provide information that is as unambiguous as possible.


texts: What is the maximum depth a seed can be planted?

texts:
When planting a seed, it is covered with a thin layer of earth. The initial shoot penetrates the soil and starts photosynthesis.

Are there plants which can be planted (as a seed) much deeper than a few centimeters? What is the maximum depth a seed of any plant can be planted and still sprouts?


texts: Why are there brown spots on my Haworthia?

texts: My Haworthia started to have brown spots on its "leaves" after a month of owning it. It doesn't look too bad but I want to make sure it's not dying. My room only has a north facing window so that's where it gets its sunlight from, and I try to only water it once a month.


texts: Does anyone know what the name of this tree is?

texts:
This tree started growing near our home about 5 years ago (volunteer). The tree has a very upright growth pattern and the branches are short and perpendicular to the trunk. It is quite polite, even though it is close to the house, the branches are not touching it.

We would love to know what kind of tree it is, as we would like a few more for our home in the country. We live in Noblesville Indiana.

See attached photos

Thank you!
Donna Barnes


texts: How many basil plants required to produce seed?

texts:
I have 5 groupings of basil plants, each containing between 5-7 unique plants.  I would like to produce enough seeds (say 100) to replant the same total amount of basil next season.
I have throughout the season been pinching out flowers to delay the plants.

How many groupings of plants should I stop pinching out in order to produce the desired amount of seed?


texts: Lower stems on tomato plants turning brown

texts:
Last year, I had a blight pretty bad in my raised beds.  I imagine it was because of the long wet spring and summer we had here in Ohio.  This year, I made sure to put a heavy mulch bed down of cut grass to prevent splashing of the soil underneath the leaves.  My tomato and pepper plants are all growing really well and were raised from seed.  I noticed the stems below the grass are turning brown and look a bit dried out.  Is this bad or normal?  I can't recall ever seeing this before.  I fear the plants will die soon.  Below are photos, including one of a healthy stem.

I did use Tomato Tone when I planted.  I mixed three tablespoons per plant in with the surrounding soil.  In the past, I have sprinkled it on top during the season with no adverse effects.


texts:
The white peeling bark looks like eucalytpous, but the leaves look like Lophostemon confertus (Brisbane box).

Found in urban setting in Inglewood, California.

Thanks


texts:
UK climate, planted in July
Standard John Innes potting soil
Not watered, just catches the rain from the balcony, has drainage holes in the bottom of the container
the balcony is shaded by the trees, so only gets full sun in the late afternoon

Did it just not get enough sun perhaps?


texts:
My mother has always wanted a weeping willow and we have a nice spot that won't hold water, but the majority of run-off water from the yard flows past it. So I bought her one and planted it. I babied it for her all summer. It did great. Then fall rolls around and deer decided it would be the perfect tree to rub it's velvet off on. It ended up taking the bark off all the way around and about 2' up and down. It stayed green, but I didn't have much hope. I figured it might have some cambium layer intact and had just had the outer bark removed. Over the winter, we got some snow and it bent the tree pretty much to the ground. It was completely dead by the spring.

So I bought her a new one for her birthday in March last year. As an interesting side note, I noticed a couple of little growths on the lower, undamaged, portion of the trunk. I cut of the dead top and when I took it out of the ground, I popped it in the pot the other came out of. I set it in the water puddle formed by the AC unit and it has grown an almost 6' tall whip over last summer and part of this summer. I've since planted it at the river.

I planted the new one and caged it to prevent deer from getting at it. It had a thick bamboo stake, so I left it there and made sure the ties weren't cutting into the bark. After a little over a year I decided to remove the stake the other day, because I know it's better for trees to sway and build trunk and root strength. Also, I have a little apple tree that needed it. However, it got very windy that day and I noticed the tree was bending a lot. Now I notice when I go over there, that while it isn't leaning on it, the tree will be touching different sides of the cage like the wind blew it from one side to the other.

What I want to know is whether or not I should restake it, giving it the ability to sway, but not lean more than 6-8" either way. That should let the trunk build strength, but not bend to the ground if it gets snow or heavy ice on it. Thanks for the help. I just don't want to loose another one after babying it for two summers. Thanks.

Here are some pictures of it, you can see the amount of lean I'm concerned about. It was straight up with the stake:


texts: Need tips on how to take care of my slightly browned basil plant

texts: My basil plant hasn't been doing well this winter and most of the stems have dried up so I snipped them off and now I recently cut my basil plant down completely because the remaining stems had been getting a bit brown and I put a plastic bag over it so it can be like a mini greenhouse but I am wondering if it will grow back?


texts: dark red colored jam like gum substance is seeping out from a  very small (stem) patch of english ivy. what is that, and what I need to do?


texts: What is the quickest germinating leguminous cover crop?

texts:
I would like to find a good leguminous cover crop that sprouts quickly, and grows fast, especially the roots. What are the best ones for this purpose (and the pros/cons of those you mention)? Disease/pest resistance is a major plus, but not strictly required. We've got a lot of aphids, whiteflies and stuff at the moment.

Also, I'm curious if some leguminous crops attract more of the good bacteria than others. Feel free to comment on that as an aside.

I'm new to cover crops. I've only tried pinto beans so far (they were the legumes I had on hand). They must have been old, because only a few of them sprouted, though. They took a long time to germinate, and they attracted aphids and white flies like crazy, as well as something that's been eating large portions of them.

I was thinking lentils would sprout a lot faster (they sprout well as sprouts you eat, anyway). Is clover a lot better than lentils, maybe?


texts: Found some grubs in my sunflower pot, fight them or let them stay?

texts:
Simple one. I removed my sunflowers from the pot today as they were showing a rust leaf problem and not doing great. They did flower and got pretty tall but then just went sick and I tried the nutrition etc. I am in the Sydney region Australia.

So when removing them from the pot I found some of the grubs in the pictures below, sorry a little out of focus but they are about 0.75cm long and getting a shot on a cell phone with macro mode is like finding a honest politician.

There were several of them in the pot. Now I know not all insects and other critters are nasty to my plants but should I ready the flame throwers or just ignore them?

From my research this afternoon they appear to be curl grubs according to this page

Since I am concerned that they have spread to other pots(Veggies, herbs etc) what type of pesticide could I use to rid myself of them while keeping the safe for consumption?


texts: How should I trim back a neighbor's Japanese red maple bush?

texts:
My neighbor's Japanese red maple bush (tree) is hanging over my yard line and I'm planning on putting a fence up soon. I have to trim it back and here in Pennsylvania it is my legal right to do so, but I don't want to kill or harm the tree. I have to put the fence up soon because I have two large dogs and I don't want them following my kids out the front door and wandering off.

What is the best way to do this? Do I paint where I cut it back or let it go?


texts:
I have a young tree (~4Y old), located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I do not know what type of tree it is, and would really like help identifying it. I seem to recall, but am not 100% on this, that the garden centre where I bought it said it was native to this region (I had asked them for something that would be hardy and not require too much special care).

Photos of the tree's flowers are below.

A related question I had asked shows photos of the trunk and leaves.


texts:
I planted few tulip bulbs in December last year. The plants grew nicely. But the buds didn't develop properly. Few buds did emerge and seemed to bloom. But one of the buds suddenly turned soft and is yellowing.
I live in a tropical zone in India where winter temperatures have reached 24° C today. I gave the bulbs their cold period in the fridge for 12 weeks.
I've been watering them regularly as it is very dry now and the plants get morning sun only.
Any feedback or suggestions are welcome.


texts: How do I water a desk plant at my office without making a mess?

texts:
I have decided to get a few plants for my office desk. However, one thing still eludes me.

Plant pots usually have a drainage hole to allow excess water to escape. If I keep the plant on my desk, how do I water it without making a mess?

I thought of putting another container (like a saucer) under the pot with gravel or pebbles to raise it up. But then, excess water would just remain in the saucer and maybe cause fungal growth. There is very little moving air in the office so I doubt whether it will all evaporate.

Will I need to regularly move my plant to drain/clean the outer container? That may be impractical given our "open" office plan and messy desks.

Am I missing something? Is there a better way that I haven't thought of?


texts:
I've just found these seeds in my terrace.

I have no idea what tree they came from. Could you help me? I'd love to plant them.

(Clue: I have a japanese maple in the terrace, but I think it's still too small to give seeds (it's not even 1 metre tall yet) and I think I would also have noticed.)


texts: Why does my dragon tree have white spots and brown leaves?

texts: My Dracaena has started to develop some brown leaf tips and white spots all over the plant, I transplanted the tree into a bigger pot about a week ago and ever since it’s been developing those spots. The tree has indirect sunlight and I water it once a week, but not with tap water. I don’t know the soil pH because I don’t have a tester since I’m new to gardening. I’ve moved it into a different room about a day ago to see if the room that it was in was somehow affecting it but no changes. The temperature stays at a constant 73-75 degrees inside my house. Please help me figure out what’s wrong.


texts: Should I be concerned about the wind and my spinach seedlings?

texts:
I have a small planter box with spinach seedlings. I can see the wind really knocks them around. Sometimes they are lopsided to one side, almost lying on the dirt. When this happens, I firm up the soil around them to stick them up a bit more.

I wanted to attach them to a planter box off the deck railing to save some space (as shown in picture), but it seems like the wind would be even worse up there.

Is there a way to protect them from the wind, or should I not be concerned about this? And is putting them on the deck railing a bad idea?


texts: Grow several citronella geranium plants from one plant?

texts:
I just bought a small potted citronella geranium plant at Home Depot, something like this:

Is it possible to use this one plant to grow several pots of citronella geranium plants?


texts: How can I get rid of greenfly on strawberries? I've used Rose Clear successfully on my roses but I don't really want to spray chemicals on something I want to eat.


texts: What plant is this and how can I grow a cutting?

texts:
Hello. Does anyone know what plant this is and how I can grow a cutting?

It's tall, breast height if I remember correctly, with massive leaves 20-30 cm in diameter.


texts: Why Ficus benjamina Leaves are Curled/Half Closed

texts:
few months ago i took cuttings from Ficus mother plant and put them in water after 1 month new root came out and then i  put the cuttings in the pot with peat moss and perlite mixture. After another month i put the plant outside , But for some reason leaves are semi-closed . It is getting i think 6 hours of direct sunlight. Plant looks healthy.

I live in Saudi Arabia. Just like summer is hot, winter is also very very chilly. Could this be the reason that leaves are semi-closed

You will notice that some leaves are damaged that happened when i moved plant outside in direct sunlight.


texts:
Today I investigated threads hanging from the ceiling in my bathroom, each ca. 5cm long. They started appearing in the weeks after a recent water damage in an apartment above. At first I thought they are part of the installation, but upon close inspection they look like parts of plants. I took pictures of one, with the bottom end showing something like blossoms, dead:

(click for a larger version)

Small specimen, ca. 1cm long, hanging from the ceiling, and “sprouts”:

The apartment is in Gran Canaria, in front of the sea. The bathroom is on the inside, and it basically has no natural light.


texts: why my 4 weeks old indoor coriander and garlic chives falling apart?

texts: I have started growing coriander and garlic chives on port inside house. Till four weeks after planting ,every thing grows well. but now I found all branches look very week and cannot stand firmly and falling apart. I would highly appreciate for any suggestion. I am giving water every 2 to 3 days, provided I check the soil if its dry once a day.


texts: UK equivalent of US University Soil "Extension" Offices

texts:
I recently found out that there is a (state?-)tax-funded community resource in the US associated with Land-Grant State Universities called "Extension Offices". They offer soil testing kits, personalised advice and even officers who can help you develop your soil/garden.

(All this from a video here. Specifically @~0:40 and again @~1:48.)

Are there any similar resources in the UK that I should know about / make use of?


texts: What's happening to the mung bean plant?

texts:
I was trying to plant mung bean in a pod. The germination process is simple and quick, but after moving the plant to grow in soil, then something strange happened.
At the beginning after moving to soil, the plants grow quickly and healthily, but at some point the leaves turn strange and develop some small patch on the leaves. Later there's a lot of tiny insects on the leaves walking around. I didn't pay much attention, but soon the leaves start to get brown patch like this photo.

Maybe limit by the photo quality you cannot see, but there's also many thin lines near the surface of the stem. I've asked my friend (who have been home gardening for a while) and he suggested that might be some bacterial infection and recommended cutting the leaves off. I've done what he told me, but those cutting seems to corrupt quickly afterward.

Then the leaves keep turning brown and not so long the whole plant turns brown, no matter what I do. So we decided to give it a try again and start germinate some new seed. But things seems to happen again. Some white patches start to appear but this time no tiny insects army for now.

It's a bit confusing as I've tried to google a bit but can't figure out what's going on. I admit I'm a novice and may make some silly mistake but I just don't want to leave the plant to die by itself again. Does someone know what is going on with the plant and is there something I can do?


texts: How much soil do I need on top of my hugelkultur beds?

texts:
I'm building a bunch of hugelkultur beds from the blowdowns, branches, trimmings, and sticks we have scattered around the property. This weekend I built a 20' long, 5' wide, 2-3' high pile of (mostly old / half rotted) wood of various sizes (0.5" - 8" dia). It's a mix of species: pine, hemlock, maple, beech, birch (possibly small amounts of others). Other beds will be roughly the same dimensions and wood mix. This bed is not (and none of the others will be) trenched -- digging in this location is too much work because of rocky soil and/or ledge outcroppings. This bed is on a slope -- perhaps 5-8% -- some of the others will be steeper and a couple will be nearly flat. It's built across the slope, but not perfectly on contour so that water can flow (slowly) around it and downhill beds can get some water.

A selection of these plants will end up in these beds.

I plan to cover the beds with composted horse manure and soil. (Probably more the latter than the former, since horse manure is easier to come by than soil.)

The compost is mostly horse manure with wood-based bedding. The soil is loamy/silty with gravel mixed in. I won't have time/resources to screen the quantity of soil required, so all but the largest rocks will end up in the beds.

How deep does the soil/compost layer need to be?
Is there a mix/ratio of soil to compost that I should aim for?
Is it better to layer soil and compost or to blend them? (If layering, in which order?)


texts: Identification of white flower with four petals

texts: Just wondering what this is. Found it in an old pot out back and not sure if I should toss or save. TIA


texts: How do I landscape a sloping and flood-susceptible yard?

texts:
My wife and I just moved into a house in Arkansas a few months ago and have noticed a few drainage issues with the back yard, it has roughly a 5 to 10 degree slope (east to west) and is fenced in. The soil is fairly hard and seems clay like at the surface. There is also a lack of grass at the moment.

The rain water will pool against the fence on the low side (West) of the yard and takes quite a while to soak into the soil in numerous places. The slope also causes loose silt and dirt to migrate towards the west side of the yard (down sloped side) during heavy rains.

I would like to fix this issue. The first thought is to till the land, fill in the low spots with some top soil, level the land slightly, and plant seed. I'm thinking that will help absorb the water faster.  I would like to stray from such ideas as dry wells and re grading the land as I think they would be too costly.

My problems arises from the underground sprinkling system in the yard and some stray wires I found running underneath the cement slab patio to some point in the yard (I presume it is a wire for the underground sprinkler system).  I have not followed the wires yet but they are only a few inches below the ground (if that) and are rather small in diameter.

I have read the sprinkler system should be around a foot underground, should I be concerned with that if hand till the lawn with one of those cultivating tools from Lowe's? Possibly using a rototiller? Is there a company or anything out there that can give me an idea where the sprinkler system runs (short of marking the heads and guessing/trial and error) and where these stray wires go to (something like a digger hotline, Arkansas one call only does utility type lines)?

Lastly, how do I prevent the rain from washing the new seed and soil towards the down hill side of the yard?


texts: Why aren't my young Bonsai Plant seedlings growing well?

texts: My bonsai plant is not growing well. I used a Mini Bonsai Kit. With 6 seeds, I was able to sprout only 2 plants and one is almost wilting. The other one was growing well for a week but it also seems to be dying soon. Have people used this kit? I have followed the exact instructions given in the book that came along with it. What could have gone wrong? What are the special bonsai pots? How big should they be?


texts: Tomato stems mysteriously cut above the fruit

texts:
I have good healthy plants with no signs of (obvious) trouble. Fruits are forming, but some fruits on some plants, and there quite a few of them, are mysteriously cut.
I don't see similar damage anywhere else on the plant(s).

(see exact place marked with white line on the picture).

Is it some pest? Bird? Disease? Lack of nutrients?
I'm first time gardener, so pardon my ignorance please.


texts: Is it too late to add sulfur to my vegetable garden soil?

texts:
My soil test from my local county extension office says:

  Your pH is 7.4 ... You should incorporate sulfur to a depth of 6" at a rate of ½ lb per 100 sq. feet at least 6 weeks before planting in the spring.

I'm about 2-3 weeks from the historical last freeze in my area (Wichita, KS, Zone 6A), and I'd rather not wait "at least 6 weeks" from now before transplanting anything.

So is it too late to add sulfur now?  Or should I take any special precautions when applying it now?


texts:
I was given this small Aloe several years ago. It basically never really grew until a few months ago. I find that it needs A LOT of water (I always thought they don't need so much).
I do not put it in the sunlight, or it seems to get burned (leaves get brown until it gets water, I managed to save it a few times haha).
May 2020 (underwatered):

And today ; 7 months later:

I'm wondering what variety it is because that's the first Aloe I see that only grows in one "plan" (all the leaves stack on the same direction, sorry English is not my first language).
That would allow me to seek better care options for it.


texts: Square foot garden companion planting - in occupied squares or not?

texts:
This is our 5th year using about 160 square feet of garden space. We have never really played with companion planting though. We have several zucchini (16 squares, 4x4), squash (2x2), tomatoes (2x2), peppers (~2x2), etc.

When you are companion planting in a square foot garden, are you able to plant the companion crop in the squares that are occupied by the larger plant - could I plant a bunch of radishes and nasturtiums in the 16 square feet taken up by the 4x4 of the zucchini? Can I plant carrots in the 4 squares taken up by a tomato plant with the tomato in the center?

This would seem to be correct way since beans were grown at the base of corn and use the stalks as a pole...

Any feedback would be helpful. Thanks!


texts: Whats the next step to improving my schefflera?

texts:
I have a large schefflera at my work place. I have been given the honor of caring for all the office plants. That's after the last guy half killed some of them. I already lost one and he jokingly said he was going to have to write me up over it.

They were all plants that I'd never dealt with before and this one has been around since the company started down here 20 or 30 years ago, from what I've been told. I'm loath to be the one to kill it, but I think something needs to be done.

Firstly, I think the soil is holding too much water. I don't know it's make-up, but it will still be wet just below the surface after a week. I've been letting it dry out down 2-3 inches over 2-3 weeks. By dry out, I mean not bone dry, but dry enough. I give it a good amount of water when I water it, but I don't try to drown it. I'm thinking it might do better if I repoted it in a lighter mixture, like non-water retaining soil mixed with some orchid bark and perlite for drainage. I don't know when if ever it's been repoted and I haven't fertilized it in the few months I've been caring for it.

One issue it has is that a lot of the leaves curl slightly. By this, I mean like if you laid a piece of computer paper over your arm and it curls downward. It's not wrinkled or anything, the sides of the leaves just droop down. It has put out a few new "branches" for lack of a better term and they aren't curled at all. The old leaves has something whitish on them that I assumed was dust. It might have been, but with the effort it took to get off with a damp paper towel, I suspect that at some point, someone sprayed leaf shine on it.

I haven't seen a noticeable change since cleaning the leaves. Today is my watering day. My question is what should I do to ensure the tree's survival. It seems to be fairly healthy. It's putting out new shoots up top. It's bare up most of the trunk, but it is putting out new growth near the bottom. It's in a low light situation, but is situated between two tall skinny windows. I don't want to repot it if it's weak, but I'm not sure it'll get stronger if I don't. I suspect some of the roots may be rotting because the potting soil is holding so much water. What should I do with it? Thanks.

I'll post some pictures if I can this afternoon when I water it. It's located in the presidents office, so I can't just start walking in and shooting pictures. I don't have the option of moving it either. We don't have any spot that has any better lighting than that anyway. Thanks.

Bamboo, as you can see, it doesn't have a tray where the excess water can run out, but I do have the other plants, which do, tuned to where barely any water runs out the bottom. I use those judgments when watering this one. It's another reason I want to repot.


texts: What do I do with cover crops before planting vegetables in a raised bed?

texts: I have a raised bed that I use to plant vegetables. Over the winter, I have planted fava beans as cover crop to get some nitrogen in the soil.  What should I do with the fava plants before I plant the vegetables?  Should I cut the top and leave the roots in the soil so they can provide nitrogen or should I uproot the entire plant?  What should I do with the part I take out (whether that be the top only or complete plant)?  Do I put it in the compost bin or mix the top with the soil in my raised bed?


texts:
About 24 hours ago I repotted my Opuntia (Specie ID is Subulata but pictures look a bit different than my plant). The plant is now slouching in a way akin to how it slouches when I neglect watering it for a period of 1-2 months, but it has been roughly 20 days since the last time I watered it.

The repotting process went as follows: I extracted the plant from the pot and emptied it of the original soil. Using my fingers and a brush, I delicately broke the very solid blob of soil under the plant, which I suspected made it hard for it to get water, exposing as much of the root system as I could.

I mixed 2 parts cactus soil and one part perlite for the new potting mix. I filled the pot, made a hole in the new soil and inserted the succulent in it.

Two other succulents (all cacti) are potted in the same pot. After repotting, I moved the plants back to their spot near a south facing window. Today was a fairly sunny day.

Roughly 24 hours after being repotted, I found the plant slouching. I generally interpret this as lack of water, and it does recover after receiving some, but I'm worried this might be a consequence of the repotting itself.

I'm also not sure if I should water these plants now, as potentially damaged roots could rot if watered too soon.

What could be the cause of the slouching?

Pictures of the plant as seen today:

Here's how the plant looks normally (this photo is roughly 2 months old):

Bonus question: why does my opuntia look so much different than other Subulata specimens? Is it the wrong ID or is my plant suffering from stunted growth? (It hasn't grown at all for the last few months)


texts:
We live on corner lot. Row of deciduous firs were planted too far apart or are at maximum height now leaving street level exposed at side of house and front of house.

House faces South.

No height limit on green walls. 6’ limit on man made walls.

What can I grow here to fill in gaps? Would fake ivy plastic wall be easier to maintain and fastest solution?


texts: I have 2 cedar trees that have roots approx 3" in diameter that are located close to the top of the basement (concrete foundation) of my house. The diameter of the trees are about 24" at the base and are growing approx 10' from my house.  I would like to cut the root closest to the house to keep it away from the foundation. Thoughts, please?


texts: How important is water type to carnivorous plants, really?

texts:
How important is it to not use tap water for carnivorous plants? e.g. is it a guideline or a hard rule?

I have seen several answers on here saying not to, but I have had a venus fly trap for 3-4 years so far and have only used tap water and it seems happy and healthy with lots of traps, it produces a flower stalk every year with boring flowers on it and eats lots of flies. I have another three carnivorous plants that I don't know the names of that I have only had 2 years, but they also seem healthy. This seems to contradict the advice.

Also, none of the plant labels or instructions that came with them mention this tap water issue, and this company seems to be the only one supplying any of the garden shops with carnivorous plants (although that is not a guarantee that they know what they are doing).

Should I expect them to keel over sometime soon, or is the fact they have survived this long evidence of the tap water being ok (not all tap water is the same after all, maybe ours is less bad??)


texts:
Please help me with identification of this green-brown mass in my garden. It looks rather like slimy, part-rotted fruit, but I have noticed it under roses in both spring and autumn.

Is it a weed or what? Do I need to worry about it (it seems to be choking the primulas I have in the same bed)? Can it go in the compost bin?

The location is England.

.


texts:
I live in Pittsburgh (i.e., Zone 6) and I started a compost bin in the 2nd week in October. (I know, I should have started earlier...)

It has a lot of kitchen scraps, maybe 60-70%, but I've also been composting leaves, dead plants from the fall cleanup, and recently, spent paper tissues from our recent colds to get some more "carbons" in the pile. It's still probably really nitrogen-rich.

I add some warm water with each addition, probably 2-3 times per week, and have been stirring it with a shovel about once a week. About a week or two after starting, I added some "compost starter" from a local garden store to make sure it had enough good bacteria, and until this week it seemed to be making good progress and pretty warm.

But now, we're getting into winter weather, with lows (and highs) below freezing. What are some good ways to keep it going "hot" during the winter, or should I even worry? Ideally, I'd like to have this finished in April to May-ish, so I can amend the garden beds in the spring.


texts: This basil plant has strange spots (almost shiny?) and I can't figure them out

texts:
I've been growing this basil plant for a couple of months.  I started it from seed in a rockwool cube.  Here's its environment:

It's under full spectrum lighting for ~15 hours per day, and I recently switched from a 35W fluorescent to a 24W LED, both are designed for horticultural lighting.  No sunlight unfortunately.
It's been growing in a well aerated deep water cultivation fed by Botanicare Pure Blend Pro (the Grow 3-2-4 formula) at about 5ml per liter of water, as the bottle suggests.
The nutrient solution has been completely replaced once, and that was a few weeks ago.
It's in an apartment that varies between 22C and 26C, and the nutrient solution reservoir seems to stay between 23C and 24C.
Relative humidity varies between 20% in the late afternoon and 80% in the morning.
The system's pH is currently just above 5 (tough to get accurate readings with tester drops), which is where I adjusted it to after changing the nutrient solution, so it's steady.

Here's the plant next to its cilantro neighbor:

It's growing well, the leaves are fragrant and full, and I notice new growth every day.  Happy days.

But I've noticed some light spots on the leaves that don't look healthy to me:

The first picture shows small light spots, and the second picture shows small dead spots that are actually a bit reflective/shiny.  The affected leaves otherwise appear healthy, with good color and not even slightly wilted.  Many leaves on the plant are affected, and the issue isn't localized in any one area of the plant.

I've looked very, very closely at affected leaves, unaffected leaves, the stem, the growing substrate, the surrounding area - there are no visible insects crawling or flying or worming around.  I had a good look through some related threads (here, here, and several others that weren't related enough to link to), and decided to actually dissect a couple of leaves to look for leaf miners.  But I saw nothing of the sort.  Even with a magnifying glass,  I saw no sign of anything alive.  Nothing that looked like "trails" of eaten leaf.  No bumps in the leaf or veins where they might be hanging out.  No dark spots or anything that looked like frass.

What else could be causing those spots?  Does anything listed in the plant's environment look out of wack?


texts: What are the benefits of putting grass in my garden, what precautions should be taken

texts: Reworded (updated) sorry for not being clear, anyway... I have been taking dried up grass clippings from the lawn and have been using it in my garden. I have been putting it around my tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, etc. It helps with keeping the weeds from coming up because there is no sun getting to the weeds underneath. I have been told that the grass clippings can also be very good for the plants because it gives nutrients and stuff of the sort as it decomposes. But being grass I am not certain that it is true, grass being a good fertilizer? Also was told that it makes the soil softer. Like adding sand. That I most certain think is not true but that is why I am asking. (again sorry for not being clear)


texts: What is this tall stalked plant with fern-like leaves?

texts:
Can someone tell me what this is? I've got a TON of this on a new property I just moved to.

Located in Dayton, Ohio, USA


texts: My cactus is growing very thin. I was left unattended for a month without sun and water. What should i do to bring it back to the way it was?


texts: What are the essential differences in growing plants in soil vs pots?

texts: As per the title, what are the essential differences between growing plants in pots vs growing in the soil?  The pots I'm talking about are not connected to the soil at their bases.


texts: Are there any annuals I can sow this late in the year (end of June)?

texts:
Are there any flowering annuals I can still sow in the second half of June? I've just transplanted out some marigolds that I threw into seed compost in the Spring and basically neglected in a corner of the greenhouse ever since. They were getting a bit sad in their seed tray. But after two days out in a comfy bed they're looking brilliant.

I had forgotten how easy they are to grow.

Are there any flowers/bedding plants I can sow at this stage and repeat this trick for some late summer colour in a few weeks time?

I am in the south of the UK.


texts: How do I make Emerald Green Arborvitae grow as fast as biologically possible?

texts: I'm buying a bunch of these babies below to create a privacy screen in my backyard. I'm getting young ones and want them to grow as fast as I can make them grow. Is there anything I can do to make them grow extraordinarily fast?


texts:
I have small papaya plant in my balcony. I had two plants in my balcony. One of which was the smaller one died after lots of white insects on that. Now I can see some insects on other plant as well. Please suggest how to remove it.
I am located in west part of India.And whether is around 35 degree with bright sun.


texts:
Am I propagating an actual Mint plant or is it a Pennyroyal plant?
it's from a grocery store.

close-up and size of a leaf
one vine


texts:
I'm looking for a common name for Beaumontia Wall/Beaumontia grandiflora Wall.
Top Tropicals lists:

Beaumontia grandiflora, Echites grandiflora
Family: Apocynaceae
Easter Lily Vine, Heralds Trumpet, Nepal Trumpet Flower

I'm not totally sure that Easter Lily Vine, Heralds Trumpet, Nepal Trumpet Flower
actually do equate to Beaumontia Wall/Beaumontia grandiflora Wall though.
Is there a common name for Beaumontia Wall/Beaumontia grandiflora Wall?


texts: Do I need to leave space at the base of a plant so that air can get into the soil?

texts:
I have heard this mentioned many times that at the base of a tree or plant you need to leave the surface uncovered so that air can get into the soil. How true is this?

The idea is that if you are laying down decorative pebbles or a thick ground cover you need to leave a reasonable space around the base of the tree.

I was looking at the picture below in this question and thought about telling the person, but I'm not sure that what I understand is fact or just something many people assume is true.


texts: What is this plant with narrow stems and purple flowers found in Germany?

texts:
I found this plant in the pre-Alps in Bavaria/Germany:

It was located between 900 and 1200m above sea level on a forest meadow in the beginning of July. It was a hot day (>25°C) but not sunny at that time on the meadow. Despite some efforts I can't seem to identify it. My best guess is that is is some sort of Centaurium, maybe Centaurium erythraea? Can you help?


texts:
This plant is flowering now in winter season, I don't know whether it will bloom in the summers. This is the flower.
This is its bud.
This is the plant itself.
Local vendor said it is Aster, but I don't think so after Googling. What can it be?


texts: Is there any reason not to mix warm and cool season native grasses?

texts: I'm looking to plant a no-maintenance prairie in my desert southwest yard (Northern New Mexico, zone 7B, sand and heavy clay soil, 7 inches of annual rainfall). Two years ago I planted a bunch of Blue Grama and it does well with no irrigation. One year ago I planted Streambank Wheatgrass elsewhere and that does well too, also with no irrigation. Streambank wheatgrass retains a bit more color in the winter, so I'd like to add it to my grass mix when I plant more to fill even more of my large and very sad-looking dirt yard. So my question is: can I plant these two grasses together? Blue Grama is a warm season grass and Streambank Wheatgrass is a cool season grass. Is there any problem with such an arrangement? Will they grow together? Will one dominate and crowd out the other, wasting the money spent on the loser? Will it look stupid in the winter with big weird clumps of green Streambank Wheatgrass amidst the dormant yellow-gray Blue Grama?


texts: Should I Prune Determinate Tomato Plants?

texts: If determinate tomato plants are leggy, should they be pruned or not? Is it ever too late to pulled and planted deeper?


texts:
This thing just popped up appeared near my bush roses.

It looks like, well...

Credit card size shown for reference -- so it's probably 10cm long tall and 1.5 cm wide at the shaft base.

Geography = Eastern US


texts:
These are some mint plants (Mentha arvensis) that have been grown from grocery store edible mint stems planted in a 60~40 ratio of cocopeat-perlite-compost and garden soil. The new leaves around the meristems seem to be too yellow though. This is planted in a 30 cm diameter rimmed pot. Is this natural or sign of something else? These were planted almost 20~40 days ago or so, and all these leaves are new. Old ones had died and been plucked off. This gets full sun here in Delhi for 6~8 hours. I have been watering it with drinking water since 15 days or so.
Another thing, is it okay to plant newer nursery brought mint plants like this or should I start with smaller pots?


texts:
My plant was growing well in summer but suddenly it started losing leaves and now as you can see in the picture has no leaves anymore. I changed the soil, changed the watering pattern but none helped

Now I don’t know if it’s dead or can I somehow revive it?


texts: Does a long crack in my beech tree's bark mean that it's as good as dead?

texts: This is a picture of the base of beech tree in my backyard in the Philadelphia area. I'm getting conflicting opinions as to the implications of the crack you see in the center of the tree. What is your opinion?


texts: What type of plant is this ? Green plant

texts: Hey, I have this green plant I don't know what is. Does anyone recognize it ?


texts: Should I prune my Autumn-fruiting raspberries?

texts: I have autumn fruiting raspberries (Autumn Bliss) which I planted in late spring. The original fruit canes have just made a very small crop, but the old canes are yellowing and beginning to wither, while new shoots have come up. I have read that autumn raspberries should be pruned in late winter. Should I cut back the old canes, or just leave them alone?


texts: What is this wildflower with clusters of very small pink buds which open to white flowers?

texts:
We have a lot of these wildflowers in our yard, which grow to be about three feet tall. The stems bush out a little along the main stalk. At the end of the stems are clusters, about 4 inches long, of very small pink buds hanging over. I started seeing them in early summer.

After about eight weeks the clusters began turning white and opening into very small white flowers with yellow centers. The flowers were only open for about a week, and are now seedpods, which have not fallen off. If I open one, I find hard seeds. They have no discernible scent at any stage.  When budding, the leaves are dark green, with an area of darker green not far from the stem, and as the flowers go by they become yellow.

I'd like to know what they are for a few reasons:

Are they allergenic? My husband is allergic to goldenrod, (solidago) and some other wildflowers, and he's uncomfortable now that it's pollen season. If these contribute to that, I'll remove them. If not, I'll leave them alone to finish their life-cycle.
Are they important to the eco-system, specifically bees and ants? Only a few small bees are hanging around, which makes sense because there's very little pollen, and also because we have a lot of things nearby with bigger flowers and easier access. I know some wild things help ants and are useful for preserving the eco-system, so I don't want to pull them unless they're harmful to anything.
They're pretty, and I'd like to know what to call them!

We're in Massachusetts, USDA zone 6 (meaning our lowest winter temperatures are about −5 °F, −20.6 °C.)

Edit:
Even though it's now been identified as a Polygonum, I changed some pictures to show more detail. If that helps narrow down the variety, that's great, but if not, I certainly don't need it. They all look pretty much the same to me, and I appreciate the help I've received.


texts: Identify this tree growing at Stellenbosch University

texts: This woody shrub or tree is growing under the assegaais by the Neelsie at the University of Stellenbosh in South Africa. What species is it?


texts: String embedded in overgrown lawn - how to remove?

texts:
A tenant/previous owner of my property dumped a commercial quantity of old plants which had been tied to overhead beams with a non biodegradable string.   The area is very messy with high grass and weeds.    When mowing over the edge of this area with a ride-on lawnmower, the mower caught the strings which tangled around the blades and caused them to stop spinning.

After many hours I managed to fix the mower, but I'm still left with the problem of how to get control of the area (which I want to turn back to turf).   I can still see string deeply embedded in the ground even in the cut area (indeed its such a vast net, that I am unable to pull much of it out by hand).

Any ideas how I can get this area under control?


texts:
I will really appreciate any help.
I grow a durian tree in my livingroom and so far it's been doing great. Since september, it started sheding leaves one by one (only one at a time always goes kind of "rusty" and then falls off long before actually appearing dead, it only changes color a little bit), and also young branches first sheded leaves and now are drying out from the top. I repeatedly searched for any kind of parasite (webs, residues, etc) but couldn't find any. Also, I thought it might not be getting enough light, so I bought some additional.

I include pictures of dried out branches, the whole tree and its stand and also the soil - there are some white spots, maybe it has something to do with it too..


texts:
I am very confused as to the naming of this plant. I learned it as Dracaena reflexa (common name 'Song of India') but apparently it has been renamed as Pleomele reflexa. When trying to find out which name is correct I read that the name was changed from Pleomele to Dracaena.

Does anybody know which is the previous name and which is the current name?


texts: What causes algae growth in sealed terrariums and how much of a problem is it?

texts:
I've had a bottle terrarium since May last year, and it has seemed quite healthy for most of that time. The plants have at least grown very well. It has a substantial layer of sand and gravel topped with charcoal to hold water, and it has neither appeared overly wet nor too dry, so I have not added water since we constructed it in May.

In the last week a layer of green stuff, algae I assume, has spread around the top of the glass. There are a few places with big spots up to 1.5mm across, while there's a layer of what looks like mixed condensation and algae covering the rest of the glass. There's also some thicker algae directly above the soil (not really visible in the below photo).

A Reddit discussion suggests that sunlight leads to algae growth, which would make sense for ours as we recently moved it because of Christmas decorations into a location which would get a small amount of direct sunlight in the mornings. This page says that it can just be cleaned with a paper towel and maybe a little vinegar.

Does sunlight sound like a likely cause, and if so, after cleaning the glass well, will moving the terrarium to a location which won't get sunlight prevent it from growing again?


texts: What kind of tree is this, and what can I replace it with?

texts:
What kind of tree is this?

We have three of these trees that we are planning on removing. Due to their placement away from the sun. They have actually bent themselves (45 degrees) to a position to catch the sun, rendering them out of place and visually unappealing in terms of landscaping.

We hate removing/cutting trees down, but after a lengthy discussion, we agree it's time to replace them after 30 years.

The issue now is, WHAT to replace them with. The spot these trees are in, is a spot rarely seen by the sun due to the position of our home. Leaving the spots empty is also undesirable.

Any recommendations would be welcomed.


texts: Can I Spread 24-25-4 Fertilizer Before Laying Sod?

texts:
I will be laying sod in the next week and want to put down fertilizer before. Everything I've read calls for a low-high-high fertilizer mix, but the only "starter" fertilizer at my local big box is 24-25-4.

The lab is further confusing in that it talks up how great it is for spreading before seeding, and that is is also great for sod (but not if it is great before/after laying).

Would such a starter mix more likely hurt the sod laying process?


texts: I notice a broken line in my yard and when I dug the line up I have a white tee connector. Looking online it looks like a Poly Pipe Kwikseal Saddle Tee. The nut is missing, which I assume has caused the leak. I am wondering what the best fix would be. Should I replace it with the same tee or is there another way? Thanks!


texts: Hi I’m trying to ascertain whether I’ll be doing any  damage to my property by cutting a cherry tree down. The tree is approximately 5 meters from the house. I’m not sure of the soil type other than the area is known for its sand, postcode Lu72TY UK


texts:
I have a 50 days old chili plant in the balcony. Yesterday I noticed some white formations on it.

I am not sure if my plant is infected by some pest.

What do you think this is? And how can I deal with this and save the plant.

Thanks


texts: Chinese Elm bonsai turning yellow after repotting

texts:
I have a Chinese Elm bonsai. The tree was doing fine, sprouting many new twigs in the last month or two. After the growth slowed down I decided to repot the tree, because the original soil was too slow to dry out and also because the roots were starting to fill the pot.

I used something called Terramol as the substrate, it’s supposed to be something like Akadama. I didn’t mix it with anything. (The supplier says it can be used as is.)
I had to trim some of the roots so that the plant would fit neatly in the pot. I was very careful doing it, only trimming a small part of the roots.
I think my watering routine should be fine – I always water after the top part of the substrate gets sort of dry, and I keep pouring until the water comes out through the drain holes.

But after a week the tree looks tired and wilted, some of the leaves are turning yellow. Is this expected after repotting, or have I done something wrong? If I screwed up, what’s the best way to help the tree?

This is how the tree looks now, after repotting once more into a mix of Terramol (two parts) with grit (one part) and potting soil (one part):

And this is a detail of the pot & substrate mixture:

Update: After a month or so after repotting the yellowing stopped and the plant started to look happy again. This is how the tree looks today:


texts: Entire apple seedling was eaten, but miraculously came back as two. Now what?

texts: At the beginning of the pandemic, house bound, I decided I wanted to try germinating apple seeds from fruits I had consumed. After a dormancy, one of the seeds actually sprouted and I was obsessed with caring for it. It got about 6 or 7 inches tall, was transplanted into a bigger pot, and moved outside where it continued to grow. One morning going out to my car, I saw that some creature had chewed through the base of the tree and just discarded it on the ground beside. Panicked, I put my sweet little friend in water, hoping to save it, but it was no use. I was so upset I couldn’t even move or empty the pot it had been in. As a matter of fact, I probably left it for a month. But then, the craziest thing happened: the root must have been very established, and the darn thing re-sprouted!! Not one, but TWO trees from that root. I call it my ‘Lazarus’ tree. But now what? Do I leave the twins conjoined? Should I prune one whole half of this little tree? I have it inside under a grow-light at the moment to protect from outside critters and the impending frost. I live in USDA hardiness zone 6b. Do I leave it under light or put it in my basement for dormancy?


texts: Rat proofing compost bin but allowing worms in

texts:
I've found a rat this morning in my compost bin :-(. It burrowed into in.

It's a small compost bin with solid plastic sides, a lid with an open bottom. In retrospect it was a potential rat haven. It was next to a fence and I was storing paper behind it (a.k.a a lovely rat home). I've moved it about 2 feet away from the fence and got rid of the paper. Is there anything else I can do? I want to keep the bottom at least partially on the ground to let the worms in. I was thinking of digging a hole about 30 cm down and putting the bin into that. Will rats dig down that deep?

Anyway - all answers gratefully received


texts: Tiny black spots on blue morning glory plant

texts:
Does anyone know what these tiny black spots on the leaves of my morning glory plants are?

It seems that the spots are only on the top of the leaf, not under. I also saw a couple on a petiole. I was able to wash the specks off with soapy water. I can also remove the specks with a toothpick, but otherwise they're hard to remove (they don't brush off).
After I washed the specks off, I saw some silvery, maybe translucent, patches on the leaves.

I just saw a small, roundish black bug fly off of a leaf today, but this was my first time seeing any bug. After checking carefully under each leaf, I did not find any more bugs. However, I noticed a few small holes in some leaves.

It's an indoor potted plant and I mostly use an indoor plant light. I cut off the leaves with specks, in case it's a fungus. Then I sprayed each leaf with a mixture of eucalyptus oil and water - no idea if it will work, but that's all I have right now. If anyone knows what the specks are or has suggestions to share, I'd really appreciate it!


texts: What is this houseplant with glossy, elongated and variegated leaves?

texts: The previous owner left it when she moved out, and I'd love to be able to take care of it.


texts:
I bought this tangelo tree on the cheap from a nursery because it looks a bit sick... I live in Melbourne Australia so we now only have a couple more months of summer left before autumn.  I'm wondering if it would be best to put it into a bit bigger pot or bag? now or just give it a feed and try to look after it while the fruit ripens? or should I thin out some of the fruit to not stress the tree out so much?

The tree is currently in a 25cm pot and is about a meter tall - going by the size of the trunk it's a few years old at least?

Thanks!

Here is the root ball also!


texts: Back in the spring we cut down a fruitless mulberry and hired someone to come grind the stump.  When they were leaving they informed me that they poured a chemical into the hole where the remaining roots were to keep it finish killing the tree and keep it from trying to come back.  They said the chemical would dissipate in a few weeks and wouldn't cause us any problems.  We waited a little over a month and then worked a bunch of compost into the soil where the tree was and planted flowers.  We've planted two rounds of marigolds now, but everything we plant where the tree used to be dies within a week or two.  I wish I knew what they poured down there.  What should I do about this?


texts: How far apart do raspberries and blackberries need to be planted?

texts: Most horticultural guides I've read recommend not planting blackberries and raspberries near each other because they will spread diseases between each other. How far apart do they need to be to prevent contamination? Is the opposite side of the yard (e.g. 30 feet) enough? Or do I need to try to figure out a way to incorporate one of them into my front yard landscaping?


texts: My dracaena reflexa suddenly lost all its leaves and turned yellow

texts:
I bought a dracaena reflexa a couple of weeks ago, in a rather good state.
In less than a week it turned from seemingly perfectly healthy to practically dead and I would like some advice. Both in case this plant can be saved and because I plan on buying another since I really like this plant.

When I purchased the plant, I moved it to a new pot with new soil. I should note two things here, first of all the pot didn't have a draining hole. It does now but at that time I didn't have a drill. Secondly, the soil was the compact dried type that you add water to decompress. I initially used tap water but have switched to bottled water for watering.

Since I live in Scotland, the weather isn't ideal but the plant is inside, close to a window with some indirect sunlight at least.

The plant was perfectly fine for 2-3 weeks, and suddenly it started dropping good green leaves without warning. Then the leaves turned yellow at their starting point and started drooping.

The latest move I made was to remove the plant for the pot, discard all the soil, wash the roots and plant it again in the pot with fresh soil, using much less water to prevent the possible root rot.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!


texts:
What is this terrible-looking hairy plant with maybe nice flowers?

Its height is 25cm/1ft, this is the only specimen in my yard, it could be non-invasive, but it looks no beautiful to me, so I will most likely treat it as a weed.

Sorry for blurry pictures.

New photos:


texts: Sansevieria leaves wrinkling and browning

texts:
First time with sansevieria in the home. Got them primarily because of the low water needs and put them in rooms that aren't frequently accessed.

How should I water them? What I've read online suggest anything from every 2-3 days to once a month. Have one in a dimly lit basement room with slightly higher humidity and warmer than the rest of the home and it seems to be doing fine. Another was in a brighter, drier room which isn't doing too well. A couple of the leaves have what look like dry tips, and one or too that have wrinkled, darkened and feel dry and thin. One of them has also become limp.

I've barely watered them. The soil they're in is very fast draining. As soon as I pour water over the top it starts to drain out the bottom. It looks like some bark, perlite and maybe a little peatmoss but it's mostly large particles. The next day after watering the top bark looks dry. Keeping a moisture meter in it and by the next day after watering the needle goes down to dry.

How do I keep these plants healthy and will the damaged leaves recover at all or do they need to be pruned?


texts: How do I shape a Cryptomeria bonsai into the chokkan style?

texts:
How do you prune/pinch/wire a Cryptomeria japonica to shape it into the formal upright "chokkan" style, like this or this? Whenever I've tried this with other evergreen species, I've never been able to get the foliage to separate into those distinctive "clumps".

Edit: Added picture. It's actually a "Birodo" dwarf variety that I bought at a local nursery. It's only about 6" tall and not much to look at. I have it in a small planter with a couple of other dwarf species (a maple and holly) that will be wintering together. Come spring, I'll relocate it to its own planter and let it get bigger before I start any work on it.


texts: Should I leave an indoor areca palm in dense, thick soil, or change it to regular potting soil?

texts:
I am repotting my houseplants. When I took an areca palm out of the pot, I noticed that its roots are planted in what looks like loam. I can't identify it well, but it is very different from the normal houseplant earth I use. It is greyish-yellow, grainy and dense. It doesn't crumble at all, it smears.

I inherited the plant years ago from a neighbour who moved, and I have no idea whether it has been planted in this soil on purpose, or whether somebody without a clue has planted it in any old soil years ago. Is this good for the plant? Should I leave the roots in it and just put some new earth around as usual, or should I try to remove most of it and plant it in soft earth?


texts: Measuring Photosynthetically Active Radiation with inexpensive sensors

texts: I am looking to read the Photosynthetically Active Radiation in my grow area and I was curious if there is a way to do this without a PAR sensor?  Is there a way I can calculate PAR from other sensors like a photosensor or something along those lines?  Any advice on how to calculate PAR using something like an Arduino and some inexpensive sensors would be amazing!


texts: mower died last fall; considering electric; do I just need a gas mower with a starter?

texts:
I think my trusty old Briggs finally died last fall. Was considering switching to electric, but re-considered after reading a thread here about it, about batteries not lasting long. It's really the starter that's been a pain. I've been doing the maintenance every spring, new oil, new filter, new plug, sharpen the blades. Don't mind that so much. It's just gotten harder and harder to start. Don't even really need self-propelled, since I'm in flat Indiana, pretty fit. and it only takes me about 45 mins to do the lawn (I don't know how big it is). I've been trying to filter for a gas, push, mulching, non-propelled, with an electric starter on home depot and lowes, and haven't found any.
Got any suggestions? Should I still be considering an electric one?


texts:
So I had a bougainvillea that was over a walkway for decades. I had an HVAC condenser installed next to it and it was fine, then it got used a lot one year and the tree just died. Termites came in and ate the corpse.

I really want to plant in the same place. Here to see what people think about my theory of why the other one died, and also what sized plant I should purchase to put there. I am usually not wanting to get larger plants as the roots are probably impacted, possibly dooming the plant.

The circles show where the 2 prior plants were then they formed an arch over the walkway. The fence has been replaced. It was completely eaten through by termites. The house is redwood so there was no damage there. Doubt the termites killed the bougainvillea but maybe? They are gone.

So any thoughts on optimal replacement strategy is my question.


texts: Can a new rose flower grow from inside a dead flower?

texts: Last January I had a dying rose. It only produced 2 new flowers. Now I currently have 2 bushes side by side with 11 dying flowers which are growing new buds out of them. One flower has a minimum of 9 new buds growing out of it. I've never seen this before. Is this common? The location is in Huntington Beach CA, close to the ocean, and nothing but yearly pruning is done.


texts: When will my tomatoes be ready to harvest?

texts:
I am planning to serve homemade tomato soup for a large dinner party on Sept 24, 2011 (42 days from this posting).

This dinner is really important to me; so important, that I decided to plant my own tomato garden (those gas treated supermarket tomatoes just don't compare to the real thing, ya know?). This will be my very first gardening experience, so I'm looking for any useful information at this point.

So, to continue the story, this weekend I found a source for 4 large Big Boy tomato plants. The season is almost over and the people at the nursery looked at me like I was crazy as I walked off the lot with $130 worth of tomato plants, soil, pots, and feed.

Here are some picks of one of the plants:

The plants stand about 3 feet tall and look reasonably healthy. They're planted in 14in ceramic pots (around 4 gal).

Now here's the real question: Based on these images, will my tomatoes be ready in time for my all-important dinner party? Is there anything besides a healthy dose of sunlight, regular watering/feeding that I can do to speed things along.

Update:

Here's a pic of the tomatoes a day before the dinner party. The plants are still going strong (thanks to you all, no doubt) and I foresee many more tomatoes in the next few weeks.


texts:
A couple of weeks ago my basil plant on the window started to have some leaves withering and going black.

Initially, I thought that it was due to over-watering it and lowered the watering volume, but that didn't solve the problem.

Why could they have been turning white and withering like this? Especially only on some branches, but not all?


texts: Lawn Mower Won't Start After Safety Switch Engaged

texts: Briggs & Stratton lawn mower was working fine, but it won't turnover now(batt fully charged). It has a safety feature, or kill-switch, that doesn't allow the mower to go in reverse while the blades are engaged. When I was backing up, the mower deck dropped down and engaged the blades, and the mower shut down abruptly. Now the mower won't turn over at all. Any troubleshooting tips?


texts: I've got this weed that started in the far corner of my lawn, and is making its way into the middle of the yard. It's the heart-shaped plant in the picture below. I'm in the Boston area. I appreciate any help you can give me.


texts: What is this small tree found growing from a wall?

texts:
I've found this plant growing in a crack in the wall. I then put it in a pot and is growing fast.
Can anyone help me identify it, I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

This is how it looks now (2016-2-10):


texts: We are having difficulty sourcing sumacs (Rhus copallinum)  larger than 6-7' locally, so we are considering digging some from an old field. We can find 8-10' plants in the ground fairly readily. Are there any special requirements for digging, balling, or transplanting them?


texts:
I planted this persimmon tree on March 2019. We are in Texas. The tree was growing very well in the first month, I begun to notice there is something wrong with leaves. The leaves are falling. Three weeks ago, I started to spray diluted neem oil (one tablespoon neem oil in half gallon water). The leaves still did not look healthy.

Th

This picture was taken on March 29th, 20 days after I planted the football. The tree was happy and healthy

The following picture showed the disease on the tee leaves.

![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8vC9k.jpg


texts: What grows/flowers like trumpet vine, but isn't?

texts:
Found a 40 ft plus heavy thick vine growing in mid-California that climbs like a trumpet vine,  has 4 inch flowers shaped almost the same as trumpet vine flowers, with the outer inch reddish pink but with a 3 inch yellow neck inside and out, and with glossy opposing single leaves instead of 3-4 ft compound leaves.
What is it?

I first thought it might be a Mandevilla, then maybe a  Crossvine, but the flowers of both aren't right.  The flowers of this vine are too long, 4 inches, to be a Mandevilla or Crossvine, it has no seedpod, and the 5 petal tips aren't pointed but are rounded, with a v in the middle of each petal tip, like the top of a drawn heart. See photo.


texts:
I saw this flower at the botanic gardens yesterday. What is it?

It's late summer here. It seems to have no leaves, so I guess it grows from a bulb or something similar. The total height was perhaps 15-20cm. The petals felt kinda firm and rubbery, like the leaves of a succulent.


texts: How do you make the nutrient solution for a hydroponic system from solid compound NPK fertilizer?

texts:
All I can buy in my country is traditional solid NPK fertilizer as shown in this picture:

How can I prepare a nutrient solution for growing lettuce with this. (I also have Calcium Nitrate and Magnesium Sulphate if needed)


texts: Why are the leaves of my potted aloe vera plant turning yellow and getting tiny dark spots?

texts:
I have noticed that some of the tips are yellowing and curving downward. Also, these very same leaves are becoming flatter and have a lot of tiny dark spots.

Is the issue over or underwatering? The plant gets plenty of sun.
Thank you.


texts: How to get more tomatoes in single tree?

texts:
I am from India.    I  have few tomato trees since two years. but I didn't get more tomatoes in that tree. actually I am getting maximum 8-10 tomatoes.

I found some best tomato tree in website. it may give more than 40-60 tomatoes.

Here is a image of that tree.

Here is another one:

my question is, how to get more tomatoes from single tree like above image.?


texts: What is the best way to train a star jasmine up a wall?

texts: Also, what size wires would be used in terms of thickness and how far apart should they be spaced?


texts: Proper pruning for Globe Catalpa to encourage upward growth and health

texts:
I bought a house that came with Globe Catalpa trees. The prior owner insisted I should cut of all the branches every year after it had gone dormant. That seemed like an absurd and stressing thing to do to a tree, but I followed their advice and it did grow healthy and the same size as the year before.

Is this really a recommended pruning plan for this type of tree? Is it sane to cut all the branches off of a small tree?
Is there a way I could prune it instead that would be healthier for the tree and encourage upward growth? For example pruning only the lower branches?

I would love to allow the tree to grow as large as it wants, and grow out a larger canopy. But to do that I need the bottom of the canopy to be 2-4 feet higher. Right now if I were to not prune it at all within 1-2 years it will fully obstruct a walking path for anyone over 4 feet tall.


texts: Is this the right way to plant mint cuttings?

texts: The tip leaves are touching the potting mix. Will this cause rot? Should I remove the tips? I had removed the tips the last time I grew these grocery store cuttings. The potting mix is fresh and soilless.


texts: We have an 1895 home that we have now lived in for 2 spring/summer seasons.  The first season, the apple tree bore about 4 fruit.  This season, literally hundreds of apples!  Delicious ones, too.  We did remove a lot of the brush and about 8 trees in the yard.  It's possible that is't getting more sun and water, but this is dramatic!  Also, wondering about the variety.  Small, very little to no core, and juicy...is this what they call a 'baking' apple?  thanks!


texts:
I grow a few large Aloe vera plants which I'm interested in harvesting regularly during the summer months.

What percentage of the foliage should be removed at each harvest for highest production?
How much regrowth should I wait for between harvesting?


texts: Gardening in windy areas. Is investing in climbers a mistake?

texts: I have this really ugly looking wall that 8ft tall and runs 18ft long facing south. I really wanna cover it up but im not sure what would be the right option for me. The area gets 12 hours of sun but more importantly, strong winds. I had planted a few plants a year before, all of which are now tilted towards the east because of the strong winds blowing from the west. I was gonna go with a climber but now im not so sure. Perhaps a shrub or a hedge might be the smarter choice here, idk. What would grow best under such conditions?


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I have a houseplant, which has a label which says 'Iresine' (I'm not sure what species, as Google images finds various different versions including some that look like bushes, and Wikipedia says it's a genus rather than a specific type).

It's several years old, and it's rather spindly and tends to lean to the point of tipping over without support.  I want to help it, but I'm not knowledgeable on these matters.   I did attempt to prune it at one point (a year or more ago, I think; I cannot really remember).

A couple of photos:

The plant itself is approximately 40cm in height.

Aside from its leaning issues, I'm also concerned about how to improve its health and longevity.  I've no idea how long it can potentially live for.

In terms of my options, I'm guessing I could moving it to a larger pot, and/or support it with a stick/pole of some kind?  I've also tried rotating it on the window sill it rests upon (so that it will try to grow towards the sun in opposition to the direction it leans in)  Is there anything else I can do to help it?

Someone has suggested to me to take a cutting and start over, dumping the old plant, but it has, I confess, sentimental value to me so I am loath to do this unless there's no hope for it at all.


texts: Magnolia grandiflora: How is flowering affected in case of propagation by layering?

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I've got a 10 year old Magnolia grandiflora that flowered last year for the first time.

If I manage to propagate it by layering, would the new plant have flowers the first year after separating from the mother plant? Or would I have to wait certain number of years again? In such case, would I have to wait another 10 years, or perhaps 2-3 years?

Is ability to flower affected by the age of the plant's "branch material" only, or perhaps also by size of roots, age of roots, etc.?


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During summer my compost bin dries out considerably and slows down. We have hot dry summers.

What should I do to keep the compost moist? Should I add water or will this rinse nutrients away?