texts: Can something else grow after We spray/pour herbicide to kill a plant?

texts:
So I am facing a dilemma regarding what do to with bushes behind my house. A little background here. The bushes that I am talking about are in HOA controlled area and they are Acacia bushes.
They are pretty old and do have a very thick trunk at this point.
My end goal here is to have these bushes removed and then plant some ground covering after they are removed.
I am presented with two options with my landscaper:

Remove them by cutting them and remove roots as well. This option is pretty costly since, according to them, it takes some good amount of effort to have the roots removed.

Option #2 is to just cut the bushes and then spray something(Roundup, diesel, or something else. I do not know what are they exactly going to spray) to kill the roots after cutting it down.

Now, Option #2 is a much cheaper option since they are not spending a lot of time trying to remove the roots. However, I am a little afraid to take this option for a couple of reasons
1.What if It is too effective:  Meaning what happens if because they did spray a herbicide in this area, nothing grows after the bush is gone. Remember, I need to gro ground cover in this area after the bushes are gone

What if it is not very effective: Meaning that what happens if they spray something and it seems that the bush is dead for the time being. We plant ground cover on it and then bush starts to regrow. This can be a real problem since as I mentioned before, this is HOA controlled property and if it regrows then HOA will hold me responsible for all the incurring costs. so I need to make sure that it is gone for sure before we plant the ground covering there.

Any ideas/suggestions?


texts: What is white hairy like substance growing on the bottom of an otherwise healthy hibiscus?

texts: The leaves are green, but a hairy-like substance is hanging about 2 inches on the underside of the hibiscus. Currently, it is affecting a small cluster of leaves (about 12 leaves). Otherwise the plant is healthy and blooming. The affected area is in shade and down low on the plant. Any ideas?


texts: Cayenne pepper plants has spotted leaves? What's the cause?

texts:
I've been growing Cayenne pepper plants for a while now on my windowsill. They seem pretty healthy, tall, green and they're starting to flower! But some plants leaves are starting to spot. It's like light speckling, it's not bumpy or anything. And some of the leaves have shrivelled a bit at the tip.

I use liquid plant food (like less than a teaspoon per 500 ml of water) on the plants. Is the spotting due to lack or over nutrients? overwatering?  underwatering? Sun bleaching? I don't think it's mites or bugs/ Please help! Thank you :)


texts: In store-bought fertilizer for camellias, what's the difference between NPK 10-10-10 and say 4-4-4?

texts:
I'm looking to buy fertilizer for my camellias. I read on a couple of websites to use 8-8-8 or 10-10-10, but when I search online many brands sell fertilizers for camellias that have different compositions, sometimes as low as 4-4-4.

What is the difference? I understand it's the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, what I am wondering is what will be the difference? Does a 10-10-10 fertilizer mean it has a higher concentration and hence I should use less?

Thanks


texts:
I recently purchased a ti (Cordyline minalis) plant last year over the summer and it was growing fine. Unfortunately it became infested with spider mites and quickly began to die.
I got rid of the mites, changed the soil from miracle grow indoor mix to miracle grow succulent mix and pruned the plant. I changed the soil because even before the mites when watered my plant wouldn't drain properly and would remain wet.
I also only placed enough soil to cover the roots. However my plant hasn't been able to recover, do you have any advice on what I should do to help my plant I'm willing to continue to try to save it. I included pictures of my plant before and now


texts: What kind of succulent is my plant here?

texts: I got this about one and a half years ago. It used to have about 6 wider leaves lower down, but they fell off one by one over the months, and now it's grown these three cute little branches of little fleshy leaves. What kind of succulent is this? Thanks!


texts:
I m facing a huge problem with my grass growing. In living in a country which has hot climate for almost 7 months per year and the grass does not grow up at all. The seeds are destroyed. Do you have any grass variety to propose?

Temperature: 95-105 for almost 6 months (end of April to September)
Location: Cyprus
Humidity: rarely, in normal levels
Rain: in winter but in normal level


texts:
I was thinking of getting some shepherd's hooks and was wondering if anyone has come up with any cheaper DIY solutions that might be interesting.

I found some flimsy plans that were mainly used as decoration temporarily. I'm planning on using mine throughout the season to hold hanging planters that can get heavy.

They're only about $7 for 48" ones but I was wondering if I could make my own cheaper, taller and stronger somehow.

Here's an example of what a commercial one with a hanging basket looks like. Found it online at http://portuguese.alibaba.com/product-gs/park-hanging-flower-basket-shepherd-hook-1917181848.html


texts: Are these insect eggs or some sort of fungus?

texts: It’s been a rainy week here in Los Angeles and I noticed these today. I’m not sure if they were there before the rain but I’m completely stumped on what they are.


texts: How do I bake weeds out of my landscaping?

texts:
I've got a rock area around the back of my house that is getting overrun by weeds.  The reason the weeds are able to grow there is because the weed barrier has shifted some so there are gaps between some of the sheets, there are holes in it, and some soil has settled on top of the barrier and underneath the rocks.  I'm thinking that I'd like to replace the weed barrier to ultimately keep this under control, but I'd like to kill off any weeds that are there first before moving the rock and laying the barrier.

I've tried using Round-Up, but the weeds will usually come back within a few weeks.  I've also tried to pull them to keep them under control, but that's getting tiring.  I was thinking, since nothing is supposed to be growing there anyways, what if I just bake them out?  How would I go about doing this and what supplies should I pick up for this?


texts: Is there a particular term for 'large bonsai'?

texts:
We are relatively new to the Pacific Northwest coast. One thing that seems to be somewhat common are Japanese type gardens. What a lot of these gardens have I would call--for lack of a better term--"large outdoor bonsai" trees.

Essentially, they appear to be heavily pruned and trained trees--like a bonsai--but growing outdoors in the soil and much larger in size (up to 6' or so it seems).

I'd like to know more about these--such as the best trees to consider, and techniques for shaping them, but I don't know what they are called--or even if they are considered different than traditional bonsai.


texts: What is growing on my Anacua tree trunk?

texts: A bunch of trees I had ordered finally arrived. None of them are in good shape though I was assured with water and fertilizer they will bounce back. One of the trees, an Ehretia Anaqua, has some odd, misshapen growth up and down the entire trunk.  What is this and is it something I need to worry about? I'd rather return the tree if it's diseased.


texts: Organic or Traditional lawn fertilizer: which is safer for areas with young children?

texts:
I have a new lawn that was started in late August in the Boston (MA) area. The installer says it's time to apply fall fertilizer. My new lawn looks pretty good: there was broad germination; there are some bald spots; and in the shade there's some thinner uptake. It's starting to yellow slightly. I'm currently watering twice a week for approximately 30 minutes.

I have young children who want to play on the lawn, so I want to be careful about exposing them to the fertilizer. I bought two fertilizers with the plan to use one of them, and I could use some help answering questions in order to pick one.

The two fertilizers are:

Scotts® Turf Builder® WinterGuard® Fall Lawn Food -- This has no pesticides and a fertilizer mix of 32-0-10
Scotts® Natural Lawn Food -- This has no pesticides, is "organic" (bone meal) and has a fertilizer mix of 11-2-2

Questions:

Is the traditional fertilizer safe for my children? The online documents say "Kid and pet friendly when applied as directed."
Is the organic one any safer? Online says "Kid and pet friendly."
The organic bag is 2x larger by volume even though it covers only 80% of what the traditional one covers. Why is that?
By percentage, the organic one (11 + 2 + 2 = 15) has less actual fertilizer than the traditional (32 + 0 + 10 = 42). Does that matter much?
Should I use a broad fertilizer for a new lawn (organic one in this case) or the fall mix (traditional one). It's a new lawn, so root growth is key, which is why I would think the organic one with its (admittedly small) phosphate contribution would be good.

Any advice about fall fertilizers for a new lawn and fertilizers with kids is much appreciated.


texts: What's this hole I just discovered in the leaf of this otherwise very healthy Cabbage?  I've got yellow insect cards nearby, and beneficial nematodes in the soil, which have collectively done wonders for little flies.  Is this a chance visit from an insect?  A sun or chemical burn?


texts:
I've quite a tall plant in the back garden that has a number of flowers like in the image below.

My neighbour seems to think this may be a weed.

Can somebody please help in identifying this?

I'm in the UK if that matters.

Thanks.


texts: Cedar trees too closely planted together

texts:
We have a thick area of cedars behind a house we are building.  When the builder cleared the area the inner cedars, now in front are brown about 2/3 of the way down.

My question is this: Will the brown regrow or green up?


texts: Tulips have small leaves and do not flower

texts:
In my garden I preserve some "wild" tulips. I say "wild" because they were planted many years ago by some ancestor of mine, I believe around late 1700-beginning of 1800. They are of a quite raw quality, not as beautiful as modern hybrids. They have long leaves, very thin, like if they were made of paper, red flowers with cuspid-like petals, and they flower very early, about 1 month before the other tulips.

Here's a picture of them: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/105948977

During time, they spread around all the garden. The point is that I notice that many of them are much smaller then usual and do NOT flower.

Is it a genetical issue (in what they have never been mixed)?
Or just a question of exposure to the sun, soil, of some other kind of environmental condition (bulbs are very very deep in the ground, maybe more then 1 m: think that in the same place, my granmother used to work the ground to plant tomatoes, but bulbs were deeper!)? Or perhaps they just belong to joung generations?

In any case, is there a way to make them flower?

I already checked many questions, such as Should I keep tulip bulbs that didn't flower this year, or replace them with new? , but they seem not to exactly address my problem.

Thanks!


texts: What are these dark brown spots on my tomato leaves?

texts: I have these dark brown spots on my tomato leaves that appeared over the weekend. I'm only seeing them on one branch. The rest of the plant looks fine. The nearest I can tell, it looks like spotted wilt. The leaves are starting to draw up and die. Should I cut this branch to avoid spreading? If not, what's the best way to get rid of it?


texts: What type of clippers is suggested for berry picking?

texts:
I was watching a youtube video on picking sea buckthorn, and was wondering what type of shears they were using.

Video about the tools I was wondering about:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXy3w27_Zz8

another video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8TIHsukiQI


texts: What's the best way to germinate blackberry seeds?

texts:
I ate some blackberries (last June) and kept some seeds. I tried two ways to germinate some.

First way, I used an empty white plastic jar where I put some water and seeds. I put the jar in a dark place (in my closet).
Second way, I used an empty transparent plastic cookies box, where I put some seeds between some wet paper towels. I put the box in my fridge.

During the last two months I checked every two weeks to look for some difference. The only difference I was able to see was the decay of the seeds in the box in the fridge.

I really would like to understand how I can germinate these seeds, so later on I can expect to see them growing and making fruits!

I don't know if it's pertinent or not, so I added the picture of the rest of the seeds.


texts:
I have been growing this guy for 6 years. He's gotten a little too top heavy and today has fallen over and the top piece (about 9") broke off. The break was very even.

I have no idea where to begin here please help. Can it be grafted? Is it doomed?


texts: What are the differences between these three "shapes" of the same variety of asparagus?

texts: I'm working with an inherited garden, and all of us working with the asparagus have been shocked to find how well it grows! One of the things that we've been curious about though, is that there seem to be three types of stems that pop up. The first looks a bit like a Christmas tree, the second looks like the asparagus that you would buy at the store where the top is tight and the little parts do not grow out, and third, like the second form, it looks like the asparagus from the store but some of the parts at the top have grown out a few inches depending on its maturity.


texts: How to save this succulent from drying up?

texts:
I have a succulent plant (not sure the exact plant name) placed indoor next to my window. It has been in this state below for the past few months.
The leaves have all dried up, including the flowers. I have been watering the flower weekly (if I recall correctly)
Flower has dried up

[
There is a small leaves trying to grow but it stops there for ages.

What happened to this plant? Is it still alive?
Should I remove the hardened dead leaves?
Should I increase the watering?
Should I change the plant soil?
Is there anything I can do to save the plant?
How to make the small plant grow faster?

Thank you.


texts: Which fast growing evergreen will provide the most privacy from the road?

texts:
There is a ravine behind our house (much of which is our property) with a busy road behind it. The ravine is home to many big leaf maples, alders, and shrubs, with a creek at the bottom. When the trees lose their leaves, the noise from the road carries into our backyard, and you can see cars driving by. The yard and ravine are east/south east facing.

This is in Delta, BC, Canada. Which evergreen(s) will grow quickly to a large size, and provide a thick canopy to block the view and noise from the road? Ideally it would also have an extensive root system to help prevent erosion on the slope. Note that this will not be a hedge, as they will need to be quite tall to fully obstruct the view from the road, and the topography does not allow for planting in a straight line.

The property is already home to a western redcedar and a beautiful old Atlas cedar, both of which appear healthy and mature.


texts: My lemons' leafs are drying. What should I do?

texts:
I'm trying to grow many bonsais (Lemon, Pine, Cypress, Chestnuts, Peach). I was doing fine and all of the bonsais are in the same place. However, recently my lemons started to show some kind of an illness. As in the photos above, their leafs are drying and they have never been anhydrous. I took very good care of them.
They are in pots outside of my window. The window is looking to north side and there is another apartment on the cross side. So they do not expose to burning sun more than one hour in summers. I live in Istanbul, Turkey.

Can you tell me, why this happens? And how to take care of it?


texts: How should I store my chili seeds for planting next year?

texts: Should I let the chili mature on the plant, cut it open and take the seeds, dry them and store in a cold, dark and dry place? Or is there more to it than that.


texts: Nyctanthes arbor-tristis tree branch breaking by itself

texts: Of late i started observing that several branches of the so called coral jasmine tree were broken and hanging. Certainly there was a spell of gusty winds blowing through. Is there any known disease that has affected these trees, or the tree branches are weaker by nature.


texts: I bought seeds for Calendula Officinalis Sunset Buff.

texts:
The plant of this calendula is now 6 feet tall and is showing long spikes of flowers which, at this time, are still dawdling to come out. I would love to know what this plant is as it is driving me nuts. I am a keen gardener but this plant has me humbugged.
Thank you for your kind help.


texts:
I purchased and planted this plant about 2 months ago from Walmart, where it was labeled as some kind of cucumber (can't remember the exact variety).  It has large, broad leaves like a cucumber plant, but there are no signs of any tendrils or fruit developing and so far it has grown like a bush rather than a vine.

It also has very large 2-3" diameter flowers, much bigger than the pickling cucumber varieties I've grown in the past (they are all closed in this picture).


texts: How close can I plant flowering cherry trees to a garden wall?

texts:
I have almost 100m of Victorian brick wall bordering my garden

I want to line the inside with flowering cherries so they overhang the drive, how close can I plant them without risking damage? Or are such trees unlikely to cause problems to this wall?

The type I have chosen is Prunus Pink Perfection

You'll note in this photo you can just see some trees on the left. I have large (diameter 6-8") holly trees a few feet away and even some yew/leylandii/laurel tree only 1-2 feet away. No signs of damage to the wall but I don't know how the roots vary by tree type.

I should add that I do not know how far down the wall extends but given it is 7-8 feet high, it must have some sort of foundation? Additionally, the road itself is hard-packed. So I'm wondering if this would act as a natural barrier - the roots would 'bounce' off?

I'd really love the trees right next to the wall so they hang over the drive - what can I do to protect the wall if this is required?


texts: Can anyone can tell me what this is? Tiny brown dots on tomato leaves and dark spots on some stems.


texts: Which tree should we remove to allow more light into the yard

texts: When I was a child we had a sun filled yard. We planted a number of trees for fun and over the years the trees have grown and crowded each other out. I'm looking for some advice on which one(s) to remove to make the yard more balanced and to grow some grass (currently we can't grow any grass and the soil has begun to erode). The pine tree in the middle (left) seems to be the heartiest, but also is blocking the most light because it is on the south side of the yard.


texts: water use for blue spruce outside natural environment?

texts: I live below the natural range of blue spruce in a hot grassland habitat.  How much water does a blue spruce need to thrive in this hot dry landscape?


texts: Can I make a sapling out of this part of the plant?

texts:
I have this bromeliad and on the low parts, close to the ground it is growing something unusual. It looks like it might be an offshoot, but I am not sure.

This is the plant:

and this is (possibly?) the offshoot:

So can I use it to make another plant? And if so, how do I get it off the plant without hurting it?


texts: I have a cactus here (9 cm tall), and I think it is Polaskia chichipe, however it might be P. chende as well. I don't know how to tell difference. It might as well not be Polaskia at all. Can someone tell the difference and help me ID this one? Thanks in advance.


texts: Flowers are growing on the inner branches only

texts: Some flowers appeared on the inner branches of a tree. What type of tree/flower is it? Should I trim on the outside? What else do I need to do to promote its growth? Will the flowers also grow on the outside?


texts: Is this plant a young black swallow-wort?

texts:
I live in Massachusetts, which is plagued each fall by the invasive black swallow-wort (variously Cynanchum louiseae, Cynanchum nigrum, or Vincetoxicum nigrum).  This year, I've been hoping to uproot the sprouts rather than waiting for their extremely prolific seed pods to mature.  I've seen plenty of what I think are swallow-wort sprouts (this is the right time of year), but their appearance is fairly different from their mature form and I want to make sure before I go uprooting a bunch of them.

On the left is the plant I think is a black swallow-wort.  On the right is a photo from a blog that the author identifies as a black swallow-wort.

Am I correct in thinking that the plant on the left is a young black swallow-wort?

  BLACK SWALLOW-WORT (Cynanchum louiseae) Herbaceous, perennial vine twines 3 – 8 feet high. Leaves opposite, 2 – 5 inches long, toothless, narrowly to broadly oval, pointed tips, dark green and shiny. Flowers tiny, dark purple with 5 pointed, downy, triangular petals that are as long as wide. Seedpods milkweed-like, slender and tapered, 1.5 – 3 inches long. Seed on silky filaments. Threatens woodlands, forests, grasslands and savannas.


texts: can a holly tree ruin the soil for shrubs

texts:
Can a holly tree ruin the soil?

The holly tree has been gone for about 10 years but was there for about 30 years. It stopped thriving when a nearby maple tree grew higher and cut out most of the sunlight for a large part of the day.

A robust 3' x 3' rhododendron planted in summer and showing new growth and blooms the following spring, died by the end of the summer.  A replacement rhododendron (same species and size) is now showing the same trend. It too showed new growth this spring and had nice blooms, but it is also now beginning to wither and die.

The spot gets sunlight for about four hours each day. In the early part of the day the house blocks the sunlight and in the bottom hours of the day a maple tree puts the spot in shade. The nursery told me they would do fine under those conditions.

EDIT: We're in southeastern Pennsylvania not far from the Delaware state line.

The rhododendrons were watered during the summer every three days. The bush is about 10 feet from the maple tree which has a trunk about 18" diameter.  The maple's roots spread out quite far and a large one passes within a foot of the root-ball of the rhododendron.


texts: How can I ensure my new garden border doesn't tip out like the current one is?

texts:
My front flower-bed is separated from my lawn by a row of edging stones about four inches tall half-buried in the soil. Unfortunately, between being hit by the lawn-mower a few times (oops!), being in a climate prone to frost-heaving and probably some settling action, much of the edge has fallen over into the lawn.

I'm looking to re-set the border, but I feel like if I just dig a new trench and re-bury the stones I'm likely to end up right back here in another year or three, even if I do stop bumping them with the lawnmower so much. Is there anything to be done to reduce the amount of frost-heave/settling problems so that I can fix this once and be done with it?


texts: it resends itself every year in Florida. Looks like a giant zinnia but leaves are all wrong for that. Very bushy, tall plant. Thanks


texts: Which of these palms would be easier to take care of in an indoor 9" pot?

texts:
I'm looking to buy a new palm to keep indoors in a 9-10 pot.

I've narrowed my selection down to two palms, I'm wondering which would be easier to take care of between the 2 plants:

Cateracterum Palm
Areca Palm


texts: How to save overwatered, deleaved bonsai?

texts:
Let me start off with I know what I did to damage it, and looking to find out if I can undo it.

Long story short, I was an idiot and left my very happy Fukien Tea in the rain. I came back to everything soaked, brown, and falling off. It's got like seven leaves left of its former glory and while they're fully green now, I worry about their future. Is there any way to reverse this or am I going to have to start over?
(This is tree before for reference)


texts: What's the best way to care for and prune young willow trees?

texts:
We have two young willow trees. I'm unsure of how to trim or look after them. They are approximately 4 years old. One is really tall, about 20 feet, and the other is quite short. I purchased both from the same place at the same time. As yet we have never cut/pruned them but the tall one is going mad when in full leaf.
Any help would be appreciated.


texts: I live in an area of the United State where it's never really safe to say that winter is over.  Just when you think it's spring, it can be blizzarding and below zero.  Anyway, should I wait until it's for sure spring to repot my Juniper bonsai? Will it show signs of life that it is out of dormancy?


texts: Is caring for this plant same as a typical aloe vera?


texts: I got some peperomia antoniana cuttings that I really really do not want to die and I am trying to propagate them. I placed the ends of them in soil and they were standing up fairly well earlier but now the stems are a bit limp. I know humidity is important so I put a bag over the small 2 inch starter pot after I misted them (watered the soil earlier today). A few of the leaves are wilting a tiny bit but it doesn't look terrible right now, I just don't want to get to the point of them dying. Am I doing this right? Is there anything I should/shouldn't do? I really want to keep these alive!!


texts: What or who is causing these small poop-like balls of soil below the pot?

texts:
What is this poop-like sand doing in my pot saucer/tray? I saw them today. I lifted the pot(Dracaena Reflexa [Song of India]) and couldn't find a bug or anything. So I thought maybe it's the sand falling from the pot holes, but they are too perfect and makes me wonder if it's really sand falling from the holes or a work of art. But if it is a work of art, then who is the artist?

Also, I crushed some and found them to be sand. The plant is kept in home.

Click to zoom:


texts: What are these shallow markings on my chili leaves?

texts:
I had some green aphids, and killed them with an acetamiprid based insecticide. Everything after that seemed fine until recently. Some whiteflies started showing and I treated those with a mixture of rubbing alcohol, liquid soap and water. After few days they seem to be gone for the most part. But now, some plants are showing different symptoms and I have no idea what's wrong with them. I get it, those eaten by the bloody flies have some issues, but what's happening to the others?

Here are some of them:

Some Cayenne plants seem to be fine. But some got this:

Here is a Jalapeño with some other problem:

To me, it looks like it's been eaten by something, but there were plants with more white flies on them and they practically have no damage. Also, some Royal Black chilies and one Jamaican Hot lost more or less of their leaves without having no other symptoms at all. I used some granulated NPK fertilizer (15:15:15) on a few plants and most of them didn't get any. This doesn't seem to matter, because there are some sick and some healthy in both groups (fertilized and not). I don't know, maybe I did bad with this solution against white flies, but I'm not so sure.. I mean, some of the plants are totally fine and some are very sick. Any ideas?

Update: 2015/06/07

Help people! This is starting to kill all my plants. There are no more white flies, they are just wilting. Here's my biggest Jalapeño, which was just fine until today.

What's this, how do I stop it?


texts: What is the difference between shredded mulch from free vs garden center sources?

texts:
Many municipalities use brush collection materials to create mulch, which they supply for free to their taxpaying citizens.

On some gardening sites, users have chimed in that these free mulch sources are not safe (safe for your desired landscaping or garden results, not a human danger) for home lawn and garden use, since the wood that winds up there are often from diseased sources that get mixed in with the rest of the mulch.

Is this a legitimate risk?  It seems very much like the kind of warning that might originate from a garden center store that sells much more expensive mulch.

If that is the danger of free brush-collection-sourced shredded mulch, where do commercial mulch sources get their materials, and what precautions are used to insure their comparative safety?

Some possibilities I thought of -

No difference at all.  They get their source material from pruned trees, removed trees and stuff that falls into yards from trees.  Maybe they even buy the brush collected by cities that don't shred and supply mulch.
They get all the limbs, branches and odd bits, either pre- or post-shredding from lumber mills, that trim from the main trunk of threes they are milling for lumber.
They grow the most pristine, perfect and healthy trees themselves, just to cut them down and shred them into "pure" mulch (/sarcasm)

If anyone actually knows, generally, how that works, I'd be interested. It's entirely possible my skepticism is influenced on my preference for "free."

EDIT - I made some assumptions in language and not everyone is probably familiar with "brush collection."  Here is a municipality's site on what qualifies and how it is done -

Madison, Wisconsin yard waste brush collection info


texts: I recently planted a set of bare root Virginia Bluebells, and some squirrels dug them out. If I were to plant another set, would laying hardware cloth over the roots prohibit growth?


texts: By cross-pollination of two gloxins we will get new hybrids?

texts: What colors will the hybrids result from these two combinations?


texts:
I got these baby pine plants from a friend, which I want to nurse for bonsai, however I don't know which species they are. The plants are from seeds, and my friend told me he got the seeds from a cone found near the coast in the dunes (West Netherlands).

I know 3 species of Pinus are originally found in the Netherlands, so I think it is one of these three (Pinus nigra, P. sylvestris, and P. pinaster). Does anyone know how to see the difference between the species with baby plants? Does anyone know which species these pines are?


texts: What potted outdoor plant most resembles astroturf in terms of required care

texts:
I am looking for the potted plant that has the highest survival rate when planted outside on a balcony, in a small trough pot in direct sunlight, supplied only with rainwater, without any regular human care.

Ideally it should also have

any color different from dried-up brown for a significant part of the spring/summer season and
either survive snow and temperatures slightly below zero during winter or automatically reseed itself in the spring.
be strong enough to not be pushed aside or supplanted by other weeds

In other words, what I am looking for is an organic plant that closely resembles astroturf or a plastic flower.

Which plant would work the best in this setting?

The climate would be European continental with temperatures between about -3°c and 23°c. The pots/troughs would be long but narrow: 15cm * 15cm * 1m or 6in * 6in * 40in (they are permanently mounted to the outer wall of the balcony)

My current survival-of-the-fittest experiment show clover to be a strong contender. However I do not know what sort of clover it is, just that it comes back each year and stays green for quite a long time.

Are there any other contenders? Is there a particular sort of clover that is specifically suited for this? Perhaps some form of cactus that can survive a few snow days? Some sort of sunlight-resistant moss? A nice-looking lichen?


texts: What's the valid term for a “base” for plants?

texts:
In case of some plants you can take their cuttings to multiply them. The cuttings are put in the ground directly, so you can have multiple seedlings based on one plant. You can have dozens of plants which are used for this process.

Boxwood or jasmine can both be a good example of such plant.

The term which describes such a group of plants in my language is "matecznik", which is a variation of the word mother.

What's the correct term for such a group of plants? I'm looking for the name of the group of the plants that other plants were grown from.


texts: How and When to prune a Montmorency Cherry Tree?

texts: I recently acquired a Montmorency Cherry tree that is a couple of years old.  I want to make sure it grows in a healthy, maintainable way, but my only experience of pruning fruit trees is with apples.   Should I treat this tree the same way as an apple, and prune at the same time, or should I approach this differently?


texts: How do I set up a roof top garden in a tropical climate?

texts:
I live in India. I have quite some space in the terrace. The roofing is of concrete slab with some weather-proofing done and red oxide tiles laid above. The climate is tropical ( Chennai ). I would like to know:

How to go about setting up a garden in the terrace ?
Is there any threat to the building structure in the form of water seepages, algae formation etc.
Are there any specific watering needs as the terrace can get quite hot during the day time.
Do I use just earthen pots or is it better to construct tray-like concrete structures ?
Any other precautions to be followed while setting up roof gardening?


texts:
I would really appreciate it if someone could help me.

I bought this Aloe Vera plant a few weeks ago and it has been growing new leaves ever since. So I'm wondering if I should repot it into a bigger pot or just seperate the new leaves into another pot.


texts: Why does my aloe have so much space between its leaves?

texts:
I received this aloe About a year ago. I recently moved it from the nursery pot to a slightly larger pot. While looking up the best way to do that I noticed mine seems to have more space between leaves than most. What am I doing wrong? You’ll also notice a few damaged leaves thanks to my children. Should I do anything about those?

It’s in succulent soil. I water it once every 2-3weeks. It’s in a room with several large skylights so I believe it’s getting good indirect light.


texts: zucchini plant issues- fruit not setting, blossom buds black tipped & small

texts: i have 4 large zucchini plants. 3 of them are growing beautifully so far this year, however im having issues with 1.  all the leaves are dark green, large, and look healthy- except for new growth leaves which are yellowed & deformed. the fruits are not setting, even with hand polination. the flower buds are all small, deformed, and show a blackish-dark brown hue around the edges. some flowers have almost no petals, but most flowers fail to grow at all as they have that same black tipped look- they just shrivel up and die before they get any larger than the size of a pinky fingernail. the one fruit that did grow earlier on, was 15" long, but uunfortunately grew in the shape of a large letter "c". it was fat and bulged at the ends and thin through the middle. i suspect the issue may be due to japanese grub beetles deep in the soil, likely eating the roots, however thats just a guess. any help is appreciated.


texts: Why is my pumpkin vine no longer growing?

texts:
So, I'm growing a Big Max pumpkin in a 4x8 bed. Everything was going just fine, one viable pumpkin started growing. Things were looking good.

All of the sudden, the vine itself just stopped growing, at all. Its been like that for several weeks now. I water almost daily (live south of Denver, Colorado. Its gotten dry). I've fertilized with Miracle Grow twice during this same timeframe. I do not really see any obvious disease or bugs. Its just not growing at all. Leaves that were small and had just unfolded prior to this period are exactly the same size, but still green. The plant itself looks fine to my (noob) eyes, just not growing. The pumpkin has either stopped getting bigger or is growing very slowly.

I'll include some pictures of the plant:

This is the tip of the main vine:

Taken today:

Thank you for any help!


texts: What to do to the dry grass that is not allowing new grass to grow?

texts: I live in cold climate and winter is very harsh, after the last winter there are several dead grass patches in the lawn and the lawn is a little fluffy when walking on it. One of the lawn guy suggested aerating, but even after 2 weeks of aerating there is no progress. The images of my lawn are here http://imgur.com/a/7xf15. Some one in hardware store suggested dethatching, but not sure if I'm going in the right direction. Some one suggested that it is a little late for thatching, not sure what they meant by that.


texts: What is this plant growing in the middle of my bush?

texts: I have this plant growing in the middle of my bush and I'm wondering what it is. The leaves kind of look like poison ivy but I'm not sure because there's the two leaves at the back of the stem.


texts:
I am not aware what the flower name is but they flower all around the year.
I am attaching a picture here, please help me identify the black crawling bug on the flowers and how can I control them.

They were not there a day before, I don't know how in a matter of day an entire colony has got created.I have washed them off today through a jet spray of water.
The plant is also infected with aphid population :(
The average day temperature here right now in about 25 degree centigrade.
The plant gets direct sunlight for about 4-5 hours.
Please help, everyday I end up finding a new kind of bug in one plant or another :(
Are potted plants more prone to pests?


texts:
Is there a device on the market (preferably battery or solar operated) which can be left in a garden from dawn to dusk, and afterwards, report on how many hours of direct sunlight it received?

I would like to see which of the sometimes building shaded areas on my property get enough sunshine for planting.


texts: How to know which Seeds require Pollination Partners ?

texts:
Being new to Gardening , I came across this concept of Pollination Partners , and that some seeds require a partner when the seed is planted.

Can someone tell me , why this is needed and what seeds require these ?


texts:
My avocado tree is about 4" tall now with big bright green leaves. It is still suspended in water. I've read that I should wait for my seedling to reach 6" in height, cut the leaves off, wait for them to grow back, and then plant it in soil. I don't see it gaining height any more, what should I do?

Should I go ahead and plant it in some potting soil?

Also, my tree looks like there are two trees coming from one pit. Is this normal?


texts: Can I selectively control the spread of Vinca with Roundup?

texts: I don't want to kill it, but I want to keep it from leaving my mulch bed and wandering into my lawn.  If I spray the edges of the mass, will it only kill a small amount, or will it kill the whole mass?


texts: What are these white spots on my parsely?

texts:
My parsely has white spots on its leaves. What are these spots? Is my plant sick? How can I treat it?
The plants around the parsely seem okay (rosemary, thyme, etc.), and I don't see (or can't find) any bugs.


texts:
I took over somebody's Haworthia plant a while ago, and kept watering it at the same frequency (once a week), but this is how it looks like after two months:

The symptoms are that turn yellow and then brown, and might even fall of, starting from the lower end of the branch. According to the previous owner, this behavior seems to indicate that it is too wet, but the soil is dry to very dry.
The plant is now exposed to (direct) sun for longer periods than in the old location - could it be a kind of sunburn?


texts: Recommendations for climbers that'll climb by a walnut tree

texts:
I've got a large walnut tree (Juglans regia), and I am happy with it, I just want to improve further that part of my garden to be more attractive to birds and butterflies.

My idea is to plant a climber that will climb up the walnut, and hopefully cover it (at least partially).

I searched the net, but could not find a similar case.

No need to mention that the climber must be juglone-tolerant.

Is this doable, or even possible at all?

My thoughts are now:

lonicera
hedera
wisteria

This list of juglone-tolerant plants mentions lonicera and wisteria, but not hedera. Another list mentions lonicera only (out of these three).

I will be doing some crown lifting pruning of that walnut next spring, so that more sunlight is available daily for the area at the bottom of the tree.

This is not my walnut tree, but my tree is very similar (age, size, habit...) to the pictured one:

What do you think?


texts:
Can celosia plants be planted outside in the soil in UK climate?
I have a small spiky celosia that I purchased from a gardening centre, where it was stored in a polytunnel. I understand that these plants prefer warm, humid temperatures. Is it impossible for them to grow in garden soil in the UK, or is there a way for this to be achieved?
I do have a plastic PVC greenhouse. Would this be more suitable?


texts: Little white / light brown pits all over my Jade plant’s leaves. Anyone know what might cause this? Is it normal and I’ve never noticed before? :)


texts: Do surroundings affect vegetable garden pests

texts:
I have a vegetable garden that is close to a fence which has a random creeper growing over it and two large bushes. I can't make major modifications to the existing garden due to being a renter, although I was able to add my vegetable beds. The garden does get a lot of shade in the morning and afternoon.

I have a lot of trouble with aphids, locust grasshoppers and caterpillars. Even though using some sprays, I still have trouble.

In a previous garden in the same suburb, but without the surrounding shrubbery and creeper I had virtually no problems with pests and never sprayed.

Is it likely that the surrounding shrubbery is causing my pest problems?


texts: I bought cactus soil mix the other day from Calloway's for some plants. I then decided to grow lemons. So I did the whole deal. 2 weeks later I have lemon sprouts. I was wondering if I could use cactus soil mix for baby lemon seeds that already have some 1 inch sized roots.


texts: Which inks which can safely be added to vermicompost bins?

texts: I've heard that the inks used on newsprint are generally soy-based and thus suitable for use in vermicomposting bedding.  Presumably the ink used to mark corrugated cardboard boxes is also safe, since this is another commonly recommended bedding substance.  The inks used on glossy newspaper inserts, on the other hand, are said to be metallic and thus hazardous.  What about other inks, for example permanent markers?


texts: What is this plant with small red fruits?

texts: And more to the point, are the fruits edible?


texts: Companion Planting Ivy/Something Creeping with Mounding Plants?

texts: Is it a good or bad (or indifferent) idea to mix mounding plants like mondo grass or liriope with something like Asian jasmine or blue star creeper in the same bed, such that the spreading plant fills in the spaces I want to leave between the mounding plants?  I.e. companion planting the two types of ground cover?


texts: Can toy/ dry clay be used as an alternative to grafting wax?

texts: Can toy/ dry clay (clay we use to give kids to play) be used as an alternative to grafting wax or can it be used as a grafting sealer?


texts: Brown bits/discoloration on Aloe Vera plant

texts: My Aloe Vera plant has some brown discoloration l, I've just re potted in a bigger pot. Is there anything else I can do to make it better? Some of the ends look a bit skinny and dry too!


texts:
I have a few colocasia tubers planted since 2 months in a cocopeat perlite vermiculite compost 2:1:1:2 potting mix. Its leaves dry up when they reach a medium size after having a crispy bit of edge after opening. Can you see what is going on?

Edit: Compost is also in the mix. Ratio updated.


texts:
In my yard I mainly have oak trees. I try to create leaf mold from them and was told that this can take longer than one year which seems to be the average duration for "other" leaves.

What do I need to pay attention to when creating leaf mold from exclusively oak leaves?


texts: Raised bed around tree. Do I need to protect the trunk?

texts: I wanted to put in some raised beds that are about 1' deep above ground, and that wrap circularly around a Northern Arizona cedar tree.  Do I need to plastic or a rock/cage around the tree trunk to protect it from the new wet environment?  The trees are about 1-3' in diameter.


texts: Making a yard that's settled more level?

texts:
My yard was installed when the prior owners built our house a dozen years ago. They did a decent job with the landscaping and yard. The problem is that some areas of the yard have settled and I'd like to "fill" those areas in without redoing too much of the yard.

The most obvious place where this has happened is where the water main comes into the house. If you look closely, you can see that the yard has a small "dip" in it the entire run from the house to the street where that pipe runs. The dip is small enough that it seems like a speed bump when pushing a lawn mower over it and never looks just right when mowed.

I'd like to fill in this dip or trench without needing to reseed the whole area, because the grass is fine on top; it's just not level.

Can I just add topsoil slowly so the existing grass will continue to grow? Or do I need to dig up the existing grass like sod and add new dirt underneath the existing root structure?

Is there anything else I can do?


texts: What are these crystal specs on/in my Earthgro potting soil?

texts:
I purchased "Earthgro potting soil" today and I noticed something odd.

When i was patting down the soil, I looked at my hands and saw what seemed to be like crystal specs. They look like small tiny snowflakes or tiny broken glass. I took a closer look at the soil and noticed these specs all over it.

Is this normal and what is it? Also why is the soil clumped up into small balls rather then ground up?


texts: What is this house plant with bright pink flowers and dark green leaves? How should I take care of it?

texts: I bought this plant from a home repair store 3 days back, but I don't know what it is. Now it seems that its decaying. What is this plant and what do I need to do to take care of it?


texts: Will coppicing a Siberian elm tree get rid of bacterial wetwood (slime flux)?

texts:
Will coppicing a Siberian elm tree cure it of bacterial wetwood or slime flux?

I know you can coppice Siberian elm trees and they will grow back (if what I've read about people trying to kill the trees is true). However, I'm wanting to know if the bacterial wetwood would appear on the new growth.

Our tree has a pretty massive infection, primarily higher up, but the disease goes down to a foot or two off the ground. If we cut at or just above ground level, I'm thinking that might cut off all the diseased parts.

It seems to have other diseases, too (leaf diseases and/or pests). I don't know if coppicing would help for any of them or not.


texts: What's this cactus with tongue like leaves?

texts:
Saw this cactus while I was walking along the road in Whangarei which has a subtropical climate.

It is growing over the fence into public air space so it would be legal for to take a cutting.

And I walked onto the property to speak with the owner but they weren't there but my phone was.


texts: I have some compost material from a group of homes, if I wanted to sell them to organic farmers, will steam treating them kill all the weed seeds inside it?


texts: What is this herbaceous plant that I grew from seeds?

texts:
Please help me identify this plant:

We just got some seeds and this grew. Unfortunately, these seeds might not even be local, so telling you that I'm in Austria won't be much help.


texts: How can I determine the variety of an apple tree that hasn't fruited?

texts:
Perhaps 10 years ago I planted several apple trees on my farm.  These may have been bought at the local blue or orange store and I've long since forgotten the varieties planted.  I didn't keep such good records back then.  One tree in particular has never produced fruit and has only flowered in the last year or so.  I've identified the others as likely Gala as they've produced fruit that resembles Gala.

Other than perhaps shipping off a sample of the tree to some Ag school for possible identification, is there any way that I can make an identification of this tree?


texts: Can I compost peanut butter (pros and cons)?

texts: I recently wondered if I could compost peanut butter. I would assume it is fine since it is an organic material. If you can compost it, what are the pros and cons to doing so? Is there anything else I should know about adding peanut butter to my compost?


texts: Why isn't my self-watering planter wick carrying water all the way up beyond the dirt line?

texts:
I am trying to make a self watering planter, with a reservoir at the bottom.  It has 4 polypropylene ropes (0.25 inch) which are supposed to wick water up toward the dirt.

The water is about 1 foot below the dirt, because I'm testing it to see if it'll carry water when the reservoir is low.  It's definitely carrying the water up through the air that far.

My problem is that it seems to wick up to the dirt, but once it hits the dirt, the water doesn't go much further up.  The area where it touches the dirt is vaguely wet, but that's about it.  The rope actually goes to the top of the dirt, but the water stops following it once it hits the dirt.  My hope was that the water would follow the rope and moisten the dirt as it goes up.

What can be causing this?  Is the dirt sucking up the water faster than the rope can bring it up?  Do people normally need to water from the top to jump start the capillary action?


texts: Why aren't my hydroponic plants growing well?

texts:
I started growing tomato and pepper plants in my indoor hydroponic system. The first two weeks after the transplantation all the plants were healthy, but after the second week, there hasn't been any growth.

I am:

watering every day in the morning
aerating with air pump 1/2hr before watering
using 4 T5 lights
using NPK 19:19:19, epsom salt as fertilizer in water, ppm: 1100, pH: 6.5

Please give me suggestions if I'm missing anything


texts: What's a good low-maintenance poolside lawn choice in Zone 8?

texts:
I need a lawn solution for around our backyard pool.  The previous owners had the area covered in flagstone, but I need more green in my life!

Info about the area:

We're in North Dallas, Zone 8.
Lots of dry hot summers; but there will be sprinklers.
Something that doesn't need a lot of mowing would be nice.
Since it will be around a pool, it'll need to stand up to heavy traffic.


texts:
I've had an issue ever since I moved into my new apartment. I have plants in different rooms, all by the window in south/south-west orientation. There are different plants (basil, carrots, parsley, chilis, etc...) which have had the same issue and I really wonder what it is. Is it bugs? Infections? Fungus disease? Too much sun? I have never seen it before. I can also see some thick liquid-looking reflecting on some leaves sometimes.
The basil on the first picture has been standing on the kitchen desk (maybe 1h direct sun a day).


texts:
I have these two "fir bushes" in my garden. I'm afraid I don't know exactly what type they are so here are two pictures:

As you can see, as they've grown much bigger over the years (they started out tiny), they've become a bit "ill", with orange foliage and large parts of the inner tree completely brown. How can I rejuvenate these firs so that they are green again?

Can I aggressively prune them back, eliminate all the brown, and expect them to grow back nicely green?


texts: Can anyone identify this plant found in a rooftop garden?

texts: I found this plant in a rooftop garden in Pittsburgh, PA. Any ideas as to what it is?


texts: What tree is this and why aren't its leaves staying green?

texts:
My brother has a tree on his balcony and he forgot what kind it is. Its leaves turned brown pretty quickly when it got there which I assume is caused by a too fast exposure to too much sunlight.

I would like to know what the problem here is. It's on the southside of the balcony and he usually waters it in the evening. The tree stayed like this the whole time it has been there, which is now a few months.


texts: Can I place plants in the ground in the original pots they came from the nursery in?

texts:
I am redoing the landscaping left by the previous owners of my house. When going to nurseries I find that everything comes planted in a pot. When thinking lazily about it, at one time I considered just putting the pots in the ground as is, but as I thought about it, it seems to make more sense.

The problem with my landscaping is that most of the bushes have overgrown their plantings. Keeping the plant in a pot would stunt their growth. Also keeping plants in their pots would make removing them easier in the future if I wanted to, say when we lose our love of grasses or box shrubs. The only down side I see is that I would have to dig a much larger hole to put a retainer in and make sure that it was well drained so the pot could be used.

What are the pros and cons of planting directly in the ground vs burying the pots when placing the plants?


texts: Is this a black raspberry or a blackberry?

texts:
My new house came with this berry plant which a landscaper identified as  raspberry.  The fruits are ripening black. The taste of ripe fruit is nice, if a bit sour, not quite raspberry nor blackberry.

Which is it? Should I prune the trailing branches?

Here's a wider shot


texts:
I have an Iochroma "Princess" plant that's developed sort-of mustard-yellow spots on its leaves (see photo).

Other than that, it seems to be doing very well (it's grown quite a bit since I planted it and, aside from the spots, seems healthy). I've looked really closely and there don't seem to be any tiny insects on the plant.


texts: How do I get my lawn back to how it should be?

texts:
My lawn seems to be going downhill year by year. Every year I regularly mow, scarify, feed and I feel look after it well, but it seems to be getting worse year by year.

The lawn is UK based, not covered and reasonably large, some of the gaps are from where I scarified but nothing grew back. I laid seed but nothing came.

Attached are photos of it but Im not sure if I should scarify, compost, or just continue to be defeated? Also, when I do something, when should I do it? Help!


texts:
I have a few of these pants - about a year and half old. But they (all of them - 6) are drying one side but looks better on the other side. Please help

Update 9/1: after adding some fish emulsion and removing some of the mulch near the trunk, they look much better now. Thank you all for your help/advice. My guess is that previously the issue was the soil lacked nutrition very badly.


texts:
I have basically no experience of gardening.

I have a collection of plants on (what I think is) a relatively sunny northwest-facing window sill. I have basil, mint, geraniums and a chilli plant.

They all seem relatively healthy, but ALL of them are much 'leggier' than I would like/hope/expect.

The mint plant is a supermarket "buy a living pot" effort. The leaves that are left that are from the original plant are nice and big, but all the new growth (which has come off perpendicular to the original stems) is growing as very long, very thin stems with very small leaves. More akin to runners, than stems.

The basil is similar.

I would expect the geraniums, to look like this:

image source

That is to say, a dense bushy sort of effort, leaves growing fairly directly off the existing woody stems, staying quite contained. Long stalks growing for flower heads.

Instead, I'm getting a gangly sort of thing, with all the leaves on long (10-15cm) individual stalks, and the core stem growing fairly rapidly outwards.

When I was given the chilli plant (over Christmas) it was a single thick woody trunk (5-7mm diam) that went up and then split into a crown. It was basically bare leaves, but is now growing well. But it's mostly growing long new stems from the base - it's now looks like a set of ~4 plants grown in the same pot?

Normally, I'd look up "how to care for < plant >", but given that I'm seeing the same sort of growth from all the plants, I'm wondering whether I'm doing something systematically wrong?

More info on the windowsill:

Facing almost dead northwest, in North London. It receives direct sun from about lunchtime through to sunset. I think my description of "sunny" is probably misleading: the window is large and not occluded at all, whereas the other windows in the flat open onto "inset balconies" and thus are fairly dark even when the sun is on that side of the flat. So I guess I think of that sill as being sunny by comparison?

(Click to enlarge)

Happy to provide further pictures if you can tell me what you need to see!


texts: Am I overwatering this unidentified (jade) plant?

texts:
I have this large unidentified plant which I keep indoors. (a present from my aunt) I don't water it too frequently, and it seems to be doing OK - it's much bigger than it was when I got it a few years ago. I've even cut off a few branches and successfully planted them, but I'm never sure whether I'm watering too much or not, and these experiments die as often as not. It seems like after watering, some leaves turn yellow and fall off, almost every time. But the soil is completely dry both before and after I water - I'm not watering enough to keep the soil moist.

Can anyone identify the plant and give me watering advice?

Click image for full size


texts: Geranium plant yellowing of leaves - watering vs. fertilizing

texts:
I have a geranium plant which has a yellowish coloration on a leaf.

Not only is it yellow but it seems to be caving at the tip, as if it is being eaten away.

Also, this bottom leaf is the only one that seems to be affected.

Second pic here: https://i.imgur.com/7LoQQuV.jpg

As you can see, other leaves look healthy and green.

This geranium receives a lot of indirect sunlight, and I give it a bottle-cap full of water once every 2 days. I have not provided any fertilizer.

I suspect that either I am giving it too much water, or I need to give it some fertilizer.

I have some blood and bone meal - will this be suitable?

I am also not watering the plant til the soil is dry to the touch - taking about 4 days.

Thanks.


texts: What is the right combination of neem oil and other substances to treat tiny black flies infestation in soil?

texts: What is the right combination of neem oil and other substances to treat tiny black flies (fungus gnats, I believe?) infestation in soil?


texts: Where have all the beneficial insects gone?

texts:
I noticed a few weeks ago I had plenty of beneficial insects keeping my pests at bay, and they all seem to have disappeared now, and I still have some pests, like potato loving slugs. Why is that?

All I do know is that some people have been using pesticides that kill bad insects which would be against community garden rules because it states that you're not allowed to harm the plants of someone else plants by the gardening method you use.


texts: What's the name of this leafy brassica looking plant?

texts: I somehow lost the label for this beauty growing in my garden and I have no idea what it is. Can anyone help me???


texts: How can I tell if frost damage has happened?

texts:
This is a follow up to Protect flowering fruit trees from frost

Background: We have several fruit trees in our back yard.  They are in full bloom at the moment.  It was supposed to be pretty cold last night. (I don't know what the actual low temperature was here overnight.)

We had enough tarps and Christmas lights to cover some trees, but not others.  So, other than waiting several months, is there a way to tell if the uncovered trees were damaged by the cold?


texts: Is it okay to grow root vegetables in soil enriched by manure?

texts:
I have a few raised beds where I grow vegetables every year (organically).  Vegetables I grow include root vegetables (carrots, beets), leafy (kale, lettuce), tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, etc.  Every year I enrich the soil by mixing in some steer manure and chicken feed that I get from my local big box store.  Then as the plant starts growing and bearing vegetables, I will add some organic fertilizer (Jobes).

I recently read on one of these posts that root vegetables don't take manure enriched soil very well (not sure what that means).  That prompted my question and more generically, does the method I am using sound reasonable for growing the types of vegetables I am growing?


texts:
Today I bought a tropical plant at a store, but I do not know the name of this plant.

The leaves are not hairy, the stem below has 2 single stalks that has new emerging leaves, but is not rounded like a ball.

Can you give me the name and some care guidance related to this plant?


texts:
I was planning to rent a core aerator this fall to aerate my 10,000 sq ft lawn in Massachusetts but I stumbled upon a liquid aerator/dethatcher. Does the liquid version actually work or is it sub par compared to the mechanical core aeration of pulling up plugs and making plug holes?

I stumbled upon the liquid option (LazyMan Soil Doctor) while looking into Midnight KBG that I want to overseed with. The specific liquid amendment claims to aerate, dethatch, and adds microbes and has fertilizer mixed in.


texts: What is this short grassy plant with narrow, furry looking flower plumes? Is it safe for a cat to eat?

texts:
I have a mystery plant in our front walkway and my cat is desperate to get to it.

I'd like to know what it is, but am most concerned about the safety issue, since she has managed to get to it twice already. I get her back quickly, but I would really like to know whether it is harmful.

I have picture of it below.


texts: Can I add paint to roundup, to see where I've been?

texts: Is it possible to mix roundup concentrate (360) with water based emulsion, 1:1, before I dilute? I ask because I'm looking to kill an entire garden's worth of scrub, weeds, brambles and low quality grass (on a building site) as part of the new landscaping, and I'm finding it hard to remember/see where I've been with the knapsack sprayer. There are also a couple of trees I'd like to keep so I plan to be careful around them and wash them down with clean water after, but it would be helpful to see if there is any overspray on the leaves. Wondering if normal water based emulsion is ok for use/won't denature the roundup


texts: I have this problem with my rue, that some of its leaves are yellow and weak. I tried watering less often and all the leaves became a little dry/crispy so I assumed it was not over watering. I live in a template area and right now there are about 24C (75F). The rue has roughly (I think) 5-6 hours of sun, maybe more. At first I thought that it was natural since it appeared more on the bottom leaves but now it's more proportionally spread. I'll appreciate any help, thank you.


texts: Are 'winter' varieties important when sowing beans & peas in late autumn/fall?

texts:
This list of jobs for November suggests sowing peas and broad beans. The comments section is more specific about varieties to go for, namely: Aquadulce for Broadbeans and Douce Provence for Peas.

How important is it to use the suggested varieties? Would using any old beans/peas result in nothing at all, or just produce slightly inferior results (or something in between)?

Should I expect germination and a small plant over winter, or do the seeds just sit there in the ground only for something to appear in Feb/Mar?

The comments also suggest they go straight into the ground, but presumably starting off in pots will also work?


texts: Wall mounting hose reels and wall cracks

texts: I am considering getting some hose reels mounted onto our brick veneer home. However have been advised by family that the bricks might fracture etc and that it is better to just leave it on a trolley. Has anyone ever had such trouble? Thank you.


texts: Browning / Curling leaf on a Brook cherry sapling

texts:
I have a Brook Cherry sapling planted from seed that has some browning/curling around one of its bottom-most leaves (leaf #1) and slight curling of its other bottom most leaf (leaf #2). The seed came from a Cherry Orchard outing where I proposed to my Fiance (she said yes :), so the seedling has very special significance for us and I'd really appreciate some advice about it.

I first noticed the tip of leaf #1 turning brown about a week ago. At the time, the tip of the leaf was quite close to the soil -- so close that I believe it may have been touching the soil at some point recently. When I noticed this, I removed some of the topsoil to give the bottom-most leaves more distance from the soil. About a week has passed since then, and the browning seems to be getting worse, progressing along the edges of the leaf. I've also noticed the the other bottom most leaf has started curling recently as well. I've included several pics below.

Some history:
The seed had stratified in our refrigerator, and about 30-40 days back, I noticed it had sprouted, so I potted the seedling using some Miracle Gro potting soil I still had in a bag, planting it about 1.5 inches deep. Full disclosure -- the potting soil was many years old, but was still unused from the bag, and hadn't been used to grow anything else.

As well as watering every few days, I had also been occasionally spraying the leaves of the sapling with a water bottle every day or two. I stopped that when I noticed the brown tip, concerned that maybe it was causing it. I always use distilled water for watering and spraying because our tap water is very very hard. Until yesterday, I also keep it under an LED grow light for 12 hours a day. I've since lowered the brightness of the light and moved the light source further from the sapling, just in case that was a problem.

Also: I live in Southern California and have been growing this indoors.

Any advice? Should I prune this leaf, and if so, where and how do I make the cut?
Or was using old soil my mistake, and if so should I repot in a different medium like peet moss? leaf #1 is a bit less than an inch from the soil now, should I remove even more topsoil to give it more space? Or something else? Thanks :)

Browning leaf (leaf #1), yesterday:

Browning leaf (leaf #1), today:

Curling leaf (leaf #2), today:

Here is a wider shot of the entire plant, today:

Here's the potting soil I used to plant it, probably about 30-40 days ago when it had just sprouted after stratifying in the fridge:


texts: What are the best conditions for basil to grow? I live in the UK and it never seems to last that long. Recently I've been putting the plants in the shade and drenching them in water, which seems to be working so far.


texts: What is this vine with large heart-shaped leaves found in western New York state?

texts:
This vine grows in many locations in the village of Newark, NY; oddly, I've never noticed it anywhere else (perhaps a specialty of a local nursery?)
It is a deciduous perennial with relatively-small white flowers.  The vines themselves do overwinter (in Zone 6A), so it spreads with an almost kudzu-like vigor.


texts: What are these black/brown patches on my corn plant

texts:
I recently purchased a large dracaena fragrans, collquially "corn plant." Its stalk is approximately 1 meter tall. I keep it indoors, in front of a north facing window (probably not ideal, but at the moment I don't have any other room for it), although there is a white fence right outside the window which reflects good light. It's winter, although I'm in zone 10, and my apartment is ~17C (64F) most of the time.

Recently, I have noticed some of the leaves have large brownish/black patches (see attached photos). The patches are thinner feeling than the rest of the leaf and lack the slightly waxy texture of mature leaves.

Of note, when I purchased it, one of the stems was dried and dead and infested with what seemed to be mealy bugs or something similar. I immediately removed it, and I have not seen any bugs, though I have attached a picture of that area, and you can see black specks, which I suspect are dead bugs, but I'm not sure.

I did a cursory image search and didn't find anything that looked too close to what I am seeing, and I was wondering if anyone here could shed some light on this.


texts: What is the most effective way to kill weeds that does not involve me digging or killing other plants?

texts: What is the most effective way to kill weeds that does not involve digging or killing other plants?


texts: What method should I use to have success propagating pothos?

texts:
I know this is supposed to be incredibly easy, but I have been trying to propagate various pothos varieties for years without success, and cannot figure out what I'm doing wrong.

I've tried with variegated, golden, silver and neon pothos. I've tried cutting and placing in a cup of water, planting the stem into soil and keeping it moist, and laying it on top of moist soil so the end isn't covered. I remove the bottom few leaves so there are a few inches of bare stem with root nodes. I make sure I replace the water so it doesn't get stagnant. If it's in soil, I make sure there's good drainage. I've tried rooting hormone.

No matter what I do, every single cutting rots. What on earth am I doing wrong?


texts: How long can a bell pepper plant thrive while maintained indoors?

texts:
I haven't found anything stating that the plant dies off after producing fruit and it is my understanding that if I keep the environmental conditions correct, continue manual pollination, and add fertilizer to the soil every few weeks/month that the pepper plant should continue to produce fruit on an ongoing basis.

Has anyone done this in practice? If it is possible, is it in fact good/okay? It most likely isn't a natural phenomenon but I wouldn't expect degradation of the fruit provided the plant still had good soil health.

Would it die off if I stopped pollinating it?

Is there a difference in this regard across the various types of pepper plants?

Edit: I may not have made this clear enough but the pepper plant I'm growing is indoors 24/7/365 in a regulated environment. ie overwintering doesn't apply at least in my situation.


texts: Is there a difference in harvesting beans for food or seed?

texts:
So other than peas and green beans, I haven't grown beans yet.

When you grow beans that are typically stores as dry beans (ex. Black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, pintos, etc.) is there any difference in harvest or post-harvest of the beans whether you plan to use them for food or for next year's seed?


texts: Can I use this fertilizer on my Jade Plants?

texts:
So I have never fed my jade plants in the 2 years that I have owned them and they aren't too happy. I found this universal water soluble fertilizer and was wondering if I could use it on my jade plants, would it do them any good?

It says that it can be used for vegetables as well as indoor flowers (not plants, FLOWERS) here's a picture of the label:


texts:
I've had my Adenium Boehmianum for almost, em!, maybe 4 years. I leave it in the most sunny place and water on this schedule:

summer - every week;
spring/autumn - every fortnight;
winter - once in a month.

It has leaves 3-4 months a year as it should, but I've never seen it bloom.

What I'm doing wrong? What is the right care scheme for Adenium Boehmianum?


texts: Someone gave this bulb to my daughter. What is it?


texts: How much seasonal, internal die-off of Arborvitae is natural and expected?

texts:
How much "natural" (i.e., without damaging factors) die-back from the inside of an (otherwise healthy) arborvitae hedge should be expected each year? Stated another way, would an arborvitae in ideal conditions experience any natural, seasonal die-back, or would it remain entirely green? If so, how much internal die-off is normal or even "healthy"?

I am aware of the original arborvitae die-off questions, including on internal die-back and about new plantings, but I believe this is a different topic.

I'm mainly interested in the general case ("could it be normal?"), but I'll describe the specifics. One of the borders of my lot has a well-established (15+ year old) Arborvitae hedge -- specifically Thuja occidentalis / Northern whitecedar. Seasonally, in the fall, some amount of internal foliage turns brown and dies off. The plants otherwise appear vigorous. The plans seem to recover each spring to a reasonable degree, but this year's growing conditions, and the die-off symptoms, have both been worse than normal.

If it matters, I believe it to be the probably the Emerald Green / Smaragd cultivar. This is in the Northeast US. They are in full sun. The die-off is all internal, and doesn't look like whole branches or spotty (as for pests), or whole areas (as salt damage), or systemic or from the tips (as roots, water, or nutrients). However, if die-off always implies damage, I'll look harder!

There is no shortage of empirical evidence that Arborvitae don't live up to the "vitae" ("life") part of their name, and I have (separately) seen many of these symptoms. There are plenty of resources on arborvitae, but I see only passing references to "normal" die-back -- one such article.


texts: Are there any ways to cut back sea buckthorn, other than brute force?

texts:
Today I was part of a volunteer team that cut back just over 800 square metres (roughly 8600 sq. ft.) of sea buckthorn encroaching onto a nature reserve, which basically came down to lopping and sawing, while avoiding getting covered in thorn scratches and berry juice, followed by burning.

Once that is complete, the roots need to be dug up. And it grows back at an astonishing rate.

My question is - are there any more effective ways to remove it?


texts: Can a healthy pecan tree grow from the root of one which was cut down?

texts: I had a pecan tree, which was more than 20 years old.  I cut it down because the trunk near the ground was partially rotted and the tree did not look healthy, though not dead.  Now a new tree (about 3 feet tall now) is growing out of the old root and it looks healthy.  I would love to keep it as long as it is going to be a healthy tree.  Is it worth saving it?


texts:
I have a leak in my sprinkler/irrigation box. Not sure where to start. Is this something I can easily fix? What steps would be necessary?

Here is a short video of the leak:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0eznxjozyt44ew7/2018-04-14%2015.24.36.mov?dl=0

Picture of the leak:


texts: How can I automatically fill a water reservoir when a low water mark is reached?

texts:
I have a reservior of water which feeds a vertical garden.

I want to install a type of switch/valve?? that fills the reservoir to a specific height if the water drops below a certain point (low water mark). The reasoning is if the reservoir runs dry the water pumps cooks out.

A float switch (like those used in a toilet) will not work (to my knowledge) as the water level drops and rises during the day (when the water pump comes on) but only reaches the low water mark every few weeks after some evaporation takes place. A float switch would fill the reservoir every time the water level drops, creating over flow.


texts: Identify plant with white flowers and prickly fruit

texts:
I have a certain plant in my garden, but I didn't plant it.
It has white flowers, and is bearing some kind of prickly fruits.

Can someone tell me which plant this might be?

Thanks a lot!

Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3


texts:
I have a beech tree that I believe is infected with Beech Bark Disease. I believe that the tree is still in relatively good shape and so I'm hoping that there is a way to manage the disease.

From the research that I've done, it seems like there are some solutions. A lot of the information that I've come across is trying to promote one product or another so basically I'd like some unbiased information and advice.

Album link

Thanks :)

*edit: I embedded the images directly and added some images of the "bleeding" spots which I assume are from Beech Bark Disease?


texts: Which techniques and tools should I use to build a raised vegetable garden from bricks?

texts:
I have about 2/3 of a pallet of bricks left over from building our house (I didn't build it!), and I'd love to use them to build a raised vegetable garden. I have never laid bricks before, but am keen to learn! I'd like to do it properly so that it's level, subsidence doesn't crack it, and it lasts for many years.

So, what do I need to do?

A little more background:

Without measuring the bricks at this point, I'd say they are the classic size used for building houses - if necessary, I can go and measure them.

When it comes to the height of the raised bed, I'd like it to be roughly knee height; this should be about 5-6 bricks high at a guess. I'm not sure at this point what sort of shape I might like for the bed, but an oval, circle or square are definite possibilities. It would have a diameter/length of roughly 2-3 metres. I do realise that I won't be able to easily reach to the centre at that size, but I'm happy with that - I'll probably just plant herbs there as companion plants.

Edit: The climate is mostly dry, sunny and reasonably mild (generally within -5 to 30 deg C) - we get probably 10-20 frosts each winter, but the ground itself doesn't freeze, and it doesn't snow as it's too near to the coast. When it rains, it really rains lots as we're surrounded by hills so drainage is important, however the soil is fairly free draining.

We don't want to get extra bricks, so will design based on what we have. The purpose is definitely partially decorative as the bricks will match the house.


texts: Why one of my Red Cherry Plum tree's stem turned yellow?

texts:
Last week I seen that my Red Cherry Plum's stems are all green colored,
but near these days I noticed some differences and changes. Like one of its right thin stem has turned yellow, in the past its green. Another is that I can see the brownish color that's on top of the stem, maybe coming down a little by little, it might keep turning more brown downwards or below.
Why do you think it turned that way for the stems, and the color changes?
I think this is a color change day after day.

  The Plant Last Week

  The Plant Near These Days


texts:
Can someone please give me some advices on how to care of this kind of orchid. I never had orchids before so I would like to know
a) if it needs a bigger pot
b) what type of soil is best for its needs
c) where should I keep it (does it prefer light or shade)


texts: How to grow a grafted avocado in bad soil?

texts:
I live in St.Croix  and want to plant into the ground a grafted avocado tree that is 2'ft  (60 cm) high. I live close to the ocean. I see lots of mango trees in the neighborhood, but few if any avocado trees.

How to I check to see if the soil is good for this type of tree?
What do I need to amend the soil if necessary?
Thank you


texts: What are these critters in my guava tree and do I need to get rid of them?

texts:
I have a couple of guava trees that are starting to flower and while noting the flowers today I saw a number of very small, black bugs hanging out on some of the leaves and stems. They look like baby flies.

I noticed there are a few leaves that have been nibbled on by insects, but overall the tree is very healthy. Are these little guys responsible? If so, what steps can I take to reduce if not eradicate them?


texts:
I've noticed that maybe two days after heavy rainfall that my small 500sqf back yard is still saturated with water to the point where I get mud on my shoes just walking back there. I have low cut grass and a bunch of weeds I'm trying to get rid of but I was wondering if this is normal or if there's anything I can do to fix it.

I've also noticed that water is pooling a few yards away behind my fence.


texts: Is this spider as dangerous as it looks?

texts: It is about a little more than an inch (3cm) from tip to tip.


texts:
My neon pothos leaves recently started showing green color from the edges. Why is this happening? Cut marks also keep appearing on the leaves
out of nowhere. Is it due to some fungus or pest?


texts:
Hi there,

I have 3 lemon tree seedlings that I’ve been growing since July 2017. Two of the seedlings are doing fine, but this one recently started to take a turn for the worse. The leaves have slowly been falling off and it hasn’t grown in at least 2 months. The stem is still green and I can see a tiny new green leaf growing at the very tip. I recently bought Jobe’s fertilizer to help give it a boost. Is there anything else I can do to help revive it?


texts: Irrigation timer with setable delay before start

texts:
I live in a climate that is sufficiently variable that it doesn't lend itself to programmed irrigation.  At present I use simple mechanical timers.  Put a sprinker in place, turn the timer on, and go do something else for 1-2 hours.

However this means I can't leave for more than 2 hours.

What I would like is a timer that has 2 controls:  One is a delay, one is the run time.
With such a system, and a timer for each hosebib (I have 9 hosebibs)

Go to area 3.  Turn on water manually, adjust sprinkler, turn off water, set delay of 4 hours, run time of 2 hours.
Go to area 2.  Turn on water manually, adjust sprinkler, turn off water, set delay of 2 hours, run time of 1.5 hours.
Go to area 1.  Turn on water manually, adjust sprinkler, set run time of 1:45

So far all of the timers I've found are either simple mechanical ones that allow you to set a time to turn off, or they are programmed timers that have to repeat start at a given time and run time.

Some have a manual 'start watering now' feature, but this does not have a delay.

Additional requirements:

The unit cannot require access to 110v.  It's 1200 feet from the nearest plugin.

For similar reasons using a PC based controller is not an option.

It seems to me that this would be a useful device for people who water their lawns at night.

Additional clarification:  (Added because of answer #1)
The application will require a  different use EVERY DAY. (sometimes twice a day.)
A timer that:
 * Repeats today at any time in the future is NOT wht I want.
 * Has a manual mode that only waters NOW is NOT what I want.
 * Requires more than 15 seconds to set for the day is NOT what I want.

I need:
 * Settable delay
 * Settable runtime.
 * Run.  It will run ONCE and never run again until I come and hit the run button.

Desireable
 * Remembers last used parameters, so, if today is similar to yesterday, I may only have to change one parameter.

I need the functionality of a 2 clock mechanical timer where I twist one dial to set delay and another dial to set run time.  The functionality can be emboddied in an electronic timer, but it has to be easy to set.

Does anyone know of a timer that allows to quickly set a delay and a run time, and it runs once and stops.


texts: How do I keep opossums away from my lawn?

texts:
Recently, I found some parts of the lawn and some areas quite near to the house itself were in a mess. I suspect that some animals like opossums may be the reason.

Are there any ways to keep them away from the lawn?


texts: Can anyone help to identify this plant? It is very fragrant when touched (strong sweet scent). Edges of leaves are smooth. Stems and undersides of leaves have downy soft white hair/fuzz. Leaves are very soft to touch (not stiff). Stems are round.


texts:
Environment:
I have been growing a mango plant indoors from the pit in a clay pot for roughly 2-3 months.
I live in Canada and it is currently Winter. I have a 6000K grow light which points directly at the plant. It is also sitting on a window ledge, but since it is winter, it doesn't get too much natural lighting from that. I also have a humidifier running on the room most of the time. My watering schedule is typically once I stick my finger in the pot and feel it dry (usually occurs a few times per week?). The water I use has been a mix of softened tap water + reverse osmosis water (about 2/3 tap water and 1/3 RO water).
Problem:
Some of the leaves are completely drooped down and a brownish color. The other leaves appear to be healthy.
Here is a picture so you can visualize the issue I am describing.

Question(s)
Is this bad? What do you think is going on and how can I fix it?


texts:
A friend has a fig tree which seems to be the target of a worm. As far as I can see the leaves and fruit do not have any bite marks or worms/insects inside them, but the fruit born was less this year, and they mentioned that they think a worm or worms have burrowed into the tree's roots somehow and is killing it.

I researched and found that 'nematodes' are a common problem and sounded like the root of the problem, though they are apparently microscopic, and it seems like they have seen the worms themselves, so now I'm not so sure. As far as I know I don't think it is the borer/carpenter worms as there is no sawdust that they leave behind. The roots seem to be damaged almost as if medium sized parts of the bark is damaged.

Anyone have any ideas or know what can be done to cure the tree?


texts: Where Can I Get Saintpaulia (African Violet) Food?

texts:
I've been advised to feed my African Violets (Saintpaulia) with two type of food;

NPK 20-20-20 for the leaves
NPK 15-30-15 for the flowers

The former comes in powder form, and 1/4 teaspoon of it should be dissolved in 1L of water. This is what is used to water the plant every time (whenever the pot is drained), and every three times feeding the plant with this one, the latter should be used in the same way to feed it.

However I've checked 3 or 4 DIY/Gardening stores and have asked the assistants for this formula, but they have no idea about the flower nor the formula. They just point me to the indoor plants' food which is normally the Baby Bio brand and is way different in the formula.

Any idea where I could get these two plant foods?


texts:
My tomatoes are developing purple spots at the bottom leaves. This is supposed to be a phosphorus deficiency. Tomatoes are growing in pots.

Small ones are in around 4 gallons (~14 L) and big ones are in 8 gallons (~28 L) pots.

I bought 100mL of 30% P2O5 and 20% K2O solution. So 30g of P2O5 and 20g of K2O It comes without instructions for tomatoes. How much should I add it to tomatoes? Or if you like chemistry, how concentrated solution should I prepare?

I am planning to water tomatoes with it. Should I spray it on the leaves too?

Update:

UPDATE:

Images taken 10h after adding 1g of p2o5 to 30kg of soil.

Images taken 58h after adding 1g of p2o5 to 30kg of soil.

Progression of slightly damaged leafs stopped completely or almost comletely, while the heavily damaged leaves still tend to get purpler. Just much slower. Like the plant isn't even trying to preserve them.


texts: Why are lots of bubbles coming out of a freshly cut lotus stem?

texts:
I cut some old lotus leafs, and there was one stem from which many bubbles got out. I started to worry when I realized that it had been minutes and minutes (I would say at least 10) since the bubbles were getting out of it at a pretty high outflow.

I was worried because I wondered from where does all this air came from, could it be from the roots (I heard that they are filled with air)? If this is the case, is it dangerous for the plant to have water on its roots?


texts: What's a slow growing, low maintenance water plant?

texts: I'm asking for a home experiment, in which I need a slow-growing(so I don't have to trim it) water plant with leaves above water.


texts: Peat Pellet Tomatoes: When to cut the weaklings?

texts:
I planted 2 seeds per Jiffy peat pellet, incidentally, every single pellet has had both seeds germinate. Right now, they are on average about 2 to 2.5 inches tall and only have their cotyledon leaves.

I'm wondering when I should cull the weak-looking sprouts to allow for the stronger ones to thrive?


texts: Can biochar be created effectively in a cast iron bath?

texts:
I'm interested in making some biochar for my garden.  I don't really want to pay an metal engineer to make an expensive Kon-Tiki Kiln, or even a much easier Pyramidal Kiln, and I don't have the energy to dig a 2 m diameter soil pit that are used traditionally in my hard clay.

Kon-Tiki Biochar Kiln in action

Kon-Tiki design showing the flame vortex on the right - the wood well beneath the vortex undergoes pyrolysis as the oxygen is consumed at the top.

Kon-Tiki Biochar

Pennsylvannia Pyramidal Kiln

Open Pit Biochar Kiln

I've seen a new design, the Warm Heart Kiln which is defined as above ground Flame Curtain units with a non-square, rectangular top aspect.

Warm heart kiln ( not my bath, not my property )

But that looks a little like a bigger version of an old cast iron bath.  And I have a spare one that I was going to use as a raised bed.

So, can I use a bath to make biochar?  This way I can dispose of biological waste from the garden and amend the soil for potentially 100s of years while storing carbon in the ground.


texts: Can I plant Asian Star Jasmine near house foundation?

texts:
I've seen some conflicting opinions on this.

From Gardens Alive:

  Good air circulation is key to both healthy home and horticulture. You should always leave a foot of open space around the foundation to prevent moisture build up that can lead to mold and damaging dampness (and to avoid giving insects like carpenter ants and termites direct access to your home). Distance is good for the health of the house—and the plants.

However, I've seen several pictures of Asian jasmine planted very close to buildings, and had to really dig to find that article.

Further, this house already has some other plants closer than the one foot distance that the article describes, so if that is indeed correct then perhaps I should remove them.  Those plants have been there for years.

Could it damage the foundation of the building if I plant Asian star jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum) near the foundation?


texts:
I was given this aloe pup as a gift some years ago and never got around to replanting it from its tiny pot. Since then it has never quite grown. Its 3 leaves are still green but it has stayed a tiny plant.

I was wondering what I could do to stimulate growth?

Some side info that might be useful.

When i first got it, I placed it in my south facing window but it burned terribly there so i moved it to the side, on my dresser where it got some sun and some shade. My apartment stays very warm and sunny thru the year.

When I first got it I also overwatered and almost killed the plant. Luckily i think i realized quickly enough what was happening and stopped watering it so frequently. Would this stunt its growth?

Is it sunlight? the soil? watering? the size of its pot?


texts:
A friend of mine gave me well-established lime and lemon trees. They're about four years old, two or three feet tall. She's moving and can't take them with her. The lemon tree is doing relatively well: it's lost two leaves in the last ten days.

But the lime tree isn't doing well at all. It's dropped more than half its leaves. They seem fine, nicely green and healthy, but then just drop off. It has the same light conditions (we both have windows facing the same direction), and I'm watering it on the same schedule as she was.

Could the stress from the move (about ten blocks, walking) be causing this? How can I help it recover? I'd really like to see it healthy again.


texts: Can I safely prune/limit height of tomato plant?

texts:
My cherry tomato plants are growing beyond any expectations - plants are almost 2 m tall and they will soon reach shading net above them. Plants are healthy with a lot of new flowers on top.

Is it safe to prune top of the plants and still have new growth?


texts: What is that giant, amazing bush in the bottom right of the photo, under the magnificent Wisteria?


texts: Is this a fruiting or ornamental (flowering) tree?

texts: Is this a fruit bearing tree or only ornamental?


texts: Is there a way to encourage needle re-growth in fir trees?

texts:
My wife bought a potted "Christmas Tree" last year in the week running up to Christmas. It wasn't in the best of shape when we got it and about a week after being inside the house, it shed the majority of its needles, leaving the bottom 1/3rd of the tree "naked".

Having moved it outside and letting it enjoy a lot of sun and rain, it's been putting out lots of new growth at the top of the plant and generally seeming a lot healthier. However, very little has happened in that bottom third. The very tips of the branches have produced some new growth, but there's no sign of regrowing needles anywhere on the tree.

Is there anything we can do to stimulate the tree to re-grow its lost needles and rejuvenate the sad parts?


texts:
Please help me identify this plant?
Can anyone help me identify this plant?


texts: Relocating an apple tree - when should this be done?

texts:
A long time ago (about ten years), I put some apple seeds in the ground, and now I have an apple tree. The only problem is that it is too close to the neighbour's house, and might do some damage to it with its roots. Moreover, it is too close to a pear tree. Here's a picture of how close the tree stands to the house.

On the left you see the apple tree, and on the right the pear tree. Now I wish to move this tree, relocate it to the other side of the garden, where it has more room, can get more light, and not be such a problem to the neighbour's house and the pear tree. The problem is that I have no idea when I should do this. Right now, the tree is blossoming.

What season should I wait for to relocate it? When would a few broken roots (as it is impossible to dig all of them out) do the least damage to the tree? And how should I do this? How much of the roots should I try to get out, and should I take some dirt from the old spot with it? Are there any problems that could arise?


texts:
In my backyard, there is a flowering shrub resembling privet.

It's about 7' high and 9'wide
It's growing in dappled shade in open "lawn"
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Small, white four petaled trumpet flowers in small grape-cluster-like racemes,
Ovate, opposite, glossy, leathery foliage
Smooth gray bark
Generally grows about 4"/year
Blooms anywhere between May 15 and June 15 (depending on the weather)
Semi evergreen (Loses 1/2 it's foliage on average, this winter almost all)
Makes a very small, blue berry that persists into winter
Deep burgundy/purple winter foliage
Fairly hairy new growth

My reasons for doubting that this is privet:

The leaves are much smaller than I've ever seen on privet
This shrub looks more like a focal planting and less like a hedge bush
The flowers are in a very small cluster
Privets are very fast-growing plants
Hairy new growth

I'd like to know what this is, so I can get more. See pics below. The picture with the hand is for scale. If you need another pic let me know.

Click any photo for full size


texts: How old does English ivy (Hedera helix var.) have to be in order to flower?

texts: I like the look of flowering ivy, but mine has never shown a sign of a flower. Is it one of those plants that takes a long time or am I not caring for it properly? Mine is five years old and climbed 25' up the wall.


texts: Caterpillars don't lay eggs so how is this happening?

texts:
I noted a very large number of cabbage white (the yellow and black ones) caterpillars on the side of my house recently - the house bounds a field currently growing cauliflower. The caterpillars look fat and healthy, I'm not sure why they crossed from the field over my garden to the house - maybe to find somewhere to pupate?

The weird thing is that many of these caterpillars appear to be attached to, or sitting on, sacks of small yellow things which look very much like eggs. This is rather confusing - these are not new-born caterpillars next to eggs, they've clearly been eating in the field and come to the house later. I don't think butterflies would lay their eggs on the house rather than the plants, and even if they did why would the caterpillars return to the same place?

It looks like these healthy caterpillars are creating the sacs of yellow 'eggs' but that does not fit at all with the life-cycle of butterflies as I know it.

Is there any chance caterpillars can lay eggs in some cases and I never knew this? Or must something else be happening?


texts:
The top of some of the branches* of my tree look like this :

The affected branches seems to be sprouting normally, but I'm a bit worried that the tree is sick. I've got another one where only one of the branches looks like this.
Is the tree sick ? If yes, should I do something ?
Thanks !
*boughes ? I'm unsure of the nunance. It's important branches straight from the trunk !


texts: Will Irrigation spikes speed up oak tree growth?

texts:
I live in a relatively new housing development and the builder was kind enough to plant three trees in my yard. They range from 9-15 ft tall but they are all rather wimpy, each having a trunk diameter of a few inches.

Not having an entire lifetime for these to grow to full size naturally, I'd like to help them along. I'm considering plumbing several of those tree irrigation spikes into my irrigation system and watering the trees weekly for a TBD duration of time. That said, If I won't see much growth improvement, I'm not terribly interested in the hassle -- The trees are health, just not very big. Would these type of setup help speed up the tree growth?


texts: Pruning "Dead" Indeterminate Tomato Plant

texts:
I have a pair of indeterminate tomato plants in the garden, which gave me quite an impressive harvest, but now the weather turned and the vast majority of the leaves have shrivelled up and died.

I was told however, instead of just ripping it up off the ground, I should trim off most of the branches and prune it in a particular manner (trimming off branches coming from the main, but leaving a small nib), such that it'll regrow anew next season instead of me having to start over.

I tried researching it, but could find nothing about it. Is it worth giving it a try? How exactly should I be pruning it?