texts: Philodendrons: keeping algae at bay but keeping the plant healthy

texts:
I've grown philodendrons in water for years in all sorts of light conditions and never had an algae problem until taking a cutting to work a few months ago, where the whole glass container rapidly starts to turn a neon green color not long after being freshly cleaned out.

Is there something I can use to continue growing a healthy plant in water but preventing algae growth?

Thanks!


texts: I'm trying to grow my persimmon tree, but my country has a very cold weather in winter and a few months with above freezing daytime temperature in summer (USDA hardiness zone from 2 to 4), so I am growing this seedling indoors. What can I do to keep it alive?


texts: Could somebody help to identify this shrub?

texts: I saw this shrub in the gardens of a stately home and loved it.  Could anyone help me identify it?  Thanks!


texts: Thick roots need to be removed and/or chopped

texts: I’m trying to clear a house lot that had a thick area of vines, smilax, and briars. The job is to large for me to do by hand. Are there any machines the could do the Job? I dont think a garden tiller will be enough. It is about 8’ Out from a fence that cannot be moved.


texts: What is the crust growing on my ficus pot?

texts: This plant was very and thriving. Over the last few weeks it began to drop it's leaves and form a crust on the pot & some of it's bark.  How do I fix the problem?


texts: mealybugs, spider mites, on ALL of my plants!

texts:
So I am currently dealing with essentially a houseplant massacre:

boston fern is infested with (I believe) mealybugs
bonsai cape mallow is infested with (confirmed) mealybugs
bonsai south african ficus is infested with (I believe) spider mites
succulents are infested with (confirmed) spider mites
spider plant is infested with (I believe) mealybugs
cat palm is infested with (confirmed) spider mites
chinese basil is infested with (I believe) spider mites
string of bananas is infested with spider mites, as well as its cuttings

What is the best way to get rid of all of these? I just realized today that the infestation is as bad as it is.
What I've done so far:

I noticed the cat palm first. I think this may have been where the spider mites came from. I gave that a good wash and shower last week.

Two days ago I gave the cat palm another shower, this time with dish soap/water mixture (it has been quarantined away from other plants since I noticed the spider mites)
Today after inspecting other plants, I noticed the string of bananas was in really bad shape. I washed that down with dish soap water. I've done the same with all of the other plants, of course disinfecting the areas where they were with lysol as well as the sink/surrounding area after treating them.

My question is: what is the best way to save my plants?

I don't care if the treatment is food or pet safe (I don't have pets, these plants are purely for decoration besides the chinese basil)
I will do ANYTHING. I will fog my whole apartment multiple times, I don't care!
Given the global quarantine, I want to pick the most effective (not necessarily the safest for me) treatment, since shipment times will take a while. I am definitely going to invest in neem oil for the showers/washes, which I will continue.

Related to showers/spraying: how often should I shower the plants? And how do I avoid overwatering when doing so, especially with the succulents?
FINAL QUESTION: I just ordered some baskets to set the plastic pots that hold my plants in. Will these potentially exacerbate the problem of both pests (since there's lots of nooks and crannies?) How can I prevent them from becoming a breeding/hiding ground?

Thank you so much for any help or input.
For reference: I live in the northeast (PA) in a highrise with south-facing windows. I get direct sunlight through them ~6 hours a day.


texts: Is it too late to pinch back my avocado plant?

texts:
I'm growing an avocado plant from the pit (started with the toothpicks and glass method). Unfortunately I was out of town when it hit its growth spurt and therefore was not there to pinch back the first set of leaves when it was 6 to 12 inches tall.

All of a sudden it's close to 3ft tall and I'm not sure what to do. I intend the plant to stay potted, so shorter and bushier would be preferred. Is it too late to pinch (or clip) back my avocado plant?


texts:
This has been going on for a while (about a year), one of my cacti has turned purple. I've just replanted it after its pot fell and broke (no, it did not spend the year on the ground). What is the cause of this and what should I do about it?

I put the cacti out on the open balcony in the summer and put them on the windowsill for the rest of the year, so the usual temperature they are exposed to is 20-35C (as low as 10C during the night). I water them twice a month during the summer and once a month otherwise with tap water, about 100 ml per plant. The height of the cactus is about 6.5 cm. The cactus in question spends most of its time very close to my other cacti (~10 cm), and some of them don't look too hot, pictures below.

Cactus in question about to be replanted, click to open full image

Section of the offspring, the flesh is green with a white center and has no smell, click to open full image

Neighbouring plants showing possibly related symptoms (The other side of the one on the left is perfectly green), click to open full image


texts: I've heard a major misconception about potatoes wanting full sun, but they're so short, and suspect that they grew wild in the understory of forests. Is this true, or should they be grown in full sun due to how we abused them over the history of its cultivation?


texts:
I have six tomato plants pair of 2 in 3 pots. All of my tomato plants are having purple leaves due to which the plant is not growing well. I have also added vermicompost. Then ,Why is it so ?
Is it due to the cold weather or it is because I have planted 2 plants in a single pot ?
Plz help me with a solution?


texts: Is bottom heat important for successful germination of flower seeds?

texts:
While doing research for my answer to
this question, I learned that bottom heat, the recommended source being a propagation mat, is essential for successful germination of tree and shrub seeds.

Is bottom heat equally important when germinating flower seeds, or does my usual method of placing the seed trays under grow lights in a 70-degree room produce the same result?


texts: Unidentified bright-green long-leaf plant? TX

texts: This was outside just noticed it growing. Long waxy leaves, bright green, and seems to come from a very solid base. It's growing really close to a tree in a cluster of 4.


texts:
I am thinking of mixing forest soil with water and water plants with that.

I was hoping that nutrients from soil would get released into the water, so in effect, fertilize the soil.

I am not aware in what chemicals P, K, Ca, Mg is "stored" in forest soil. My guess is that it is oxides and that it should dissolve rapidly.

So, overall, is it beneficial to the plant to water them with water in which forest soil was dispersed? Have anyone tried that? How long did you stir the solution of soil and water?

Plant in question are tomatoes, peppers.


texts: resources to identify tomato plants by leaves

texts:
I've got a few tomato plant teenagers with unknown variety due to bad organisation when we were planting their seeds :)

Are you aware of any resource available to identify tomato variety by their leaves or looks in general? Google seems to be clueless.

There is a high probability that this is a balkonzauber cherry tomato, but this plant grows fast and is already 30cm tall.


texts: what are these little plant stuff growing in the pot of my house tree?

texts: what are these little plants growing in the soil of my house plant?


texts: How do I encourage my Florence fennel to produce fat bulbs?

texts:
I have some Florence fennel in my garden that tends to grow very fast in height and to make flowers, but the base stays relatively thin.

What should I do to encourage the growth of a "fat" bulb in order to have a better harvest? Does it help to cut it from time to time?


texts: How to limit static electricity on my new seed sieve?

texts:
I just made the mistake of purchasing a plastic seed sieve.  I've only used it a couple of times, and already regret not purchasing a larger metal one - but they were so much more expensive. I've decided to give it a go and call it a learning experience.

My biggest problem is that there's a lot of static electricity that builds up on the plastic and the both the seeds and chaff stick to it.  Any tricks to preventing this from happening?


texts: Solar powered electric help for winter roof garden?

texts:
Winter is coming.

It's getting cooler here in the Bronx and I've been planting kohlrabi, peas and other winter veggies. But my garden is in pots and I fear the roots will freeze. But then I had and idea... what if I took some of the solar panels that I salvaged and have not yet found a use for and made some kind of "winter plant helper" ? I could collect light all day then artificially extend the sunlight with a few extra hours of UV light. Or I could put in a thermostat and heat pads ...

but maybe it makes more sense to try to find some bales of hay (impossible in the city without a car, but I'll try) or build a cold frame.

Is there any logic to my idea for winter electronics for plants? Is it worth a shot?


texts: Hydroponic Basil: massive root growth, but little leaf growth

texts:
I am trying to grow some basil using the Kratky method under some cfl lighting. The root growth is massive and is almost filling my 1L jar. But the plant it self is not growing that much. 1 month in and I still have not been able to harvest even once.

What could the reason be for this? I am feeding using GH flora series, and it sits under a total of 150W cfl lighting (3700k / 6500k mixture).


texts: What fruit tree grows well in an area with variable sunlight in San Jose, CA?

texts:
I live in San Jose, CA and have a 6 feet wide by 40 feet long strip of land running from SE to NW. At the SE end it is flanked by an established oak tree which would delay the morning sun to the first 15 feet of the strip until 11am during summer (SE strip end is 15 feet away from the tree periphery).
The NW end of the strip is near the house which starts to cast its shadow progressively by 2pm during summer. (house is about 15 feet away from end of strip).
The degree and timing of the shadows cast varies with the seasons though.

What I'm concerned with is what type of fruit trees would do best in this situation:

insufficient morning sun to the trees planted nearest to the SE end
lots of heat from late morning till mid afternoon to the same ones and for the trees near the NW end of the strip
lots of shade from 4pm onwards.

So far, I have decided to plant a row of semi-dwarf fruit tree of the same type, set 8 feet apart from each other. From the choices below, what fruit tree is best suited?

Choices: nectarines, peaches, plums(European),or apples.


texts: Tomato leaves and stems browning after fruits appear

texts: one of my tomatoes plants started growing some fruits and a few days later some of the stems and leaves started browning and the leaves seemed more curly. would love some advice on that!


texts:
I've got this Ficus Benjamina for about 3 months now, I think the tree is maybe 5,6 years old. At the begining (in the winter) it was doing ok, but now I have noticed that the leaves are turning yellow and falling off randomly, not from the bottom, and very fast. The tree is losing 5-10 leaves a day and I have no control over it. The yellow leaves that you see at the photos turned yellow today and will be on the ground tomorrow. I also noticed that the other, healthy leaves are a bit curly, I don't know if they were always like that or if its a new thing. Some basic info:

1. the plant is in my kitchen, which is bright after 12 pm. No direct sunlight, but also not at the window

2. I water it everytime I notice that the soil is dry (3-5cm, not the top), which was about once in a week

3. The room temperature is around 25C

Also, the weird thing is that these pictures were made today, and I've watered the plant yesterday - it looks like the soil is dry again. I water it everytime until the water starts getting out of the pot holes, then I remove the water from the plate, so the plant never sits at the water.

Maybe this is a normal thing for this plant, but if it's not, any advice will be helpful, thank you


texts: Screened topsoil vs 50/50 compost soil vs peat loam for new sod

texts:
I dug out all the dead grasses from my backyard after the patio was installed. It leaves about 700 sq ft for new sod. Because of the slope of my backyard I also would like to raise the lawn by a couple inch (approx. 4 - 5 inch) to make it more even for the lawn. There are couple different type of soil to choose from: screened topsoil, 50/50 compost/soil mix, or peat loam. Some sod farm companies recommend 50/50 compost/soil mix, some state that a regular screened topsoil is good enough, or either go for peat loam. It seems that 50/50 compost mix has a lot of benefits (e.g. reduce erosion. breaks up clay soils and so on) but it costs more than screened topsoil. Which one should I use to build this soil foundation before the new sod put on?

Thanks


texts: Pollinating dragon fruit in broad daylight

texts:
Most tutorials on pollinating dragon fruit say that the flower will open past midnight. They suggest to go out with a flashlight and use a paintbrush to pollinate it.

If I don’t want to screw up my sleep schedule, can I do this in broad daylight? I currently see a flower but it is not open. I can just use my hand to manually open it. Will doing this harm the flower or just plainly fail at generating a fruit?


texts: Red, white and blue varieties for a medium pot in full sun

texts:
Well, it's just past Memorial Day and we're working up to the 4th of July (in the USA, at least) ... I am looking for recommendations on a set of three complementary varieties in Red, White and Blue to plant in a medium-sized round pot (about 15" wide).  The site gets full sun in the morning, and stays hot all day during the summer with reflected light/heat from the buildings across the street.  I've no real preference, just that I don't want a huge shrub.

I'm hoping for something like this (not necessarily these exact flowers, though):

I found this site that offers the following suggestions, but it is not clear to me how to pick a species that will thrive in my environment and with my gardening skill level:

  Red Geranium Combination

  Red geraniums are a great centerpiece for a fourth of July potted
  container because geraniums are a floral choice that keeps giving and
  giving. Geraniums, when deadheaded, can continue to bloom and bloom
  all summer long. Pair this flower with white alyssum with will drape
  over the side of your pot and also flower all summer, and purple or
  red salvia plants which add their own pop of color without dominating
  the combination.

  Red Celosia

  For a unique and interesting red flower, try Red Celosia, which
  slightly resembles the seeded head of bushy ornamental grass.  These
  plumes should be planted at the center or towards the back of the
  container because they can grow from two to three feet in height under
  the right conditions. Pair these with blue lobelia, which produces
  masses of tiny flowers that drape when planted near the edges of the
  pot and Silver Dusters, which are shorter than celosia and have a
  great white color.

  Red Petunias

  Red Petunias come in several different varieties, and each is a great
  base for your patriotic potted combination. If you opt for tall,
  traditional petunias, they should be the centerpiece. Wave petunias
  are long growers and will drape themselves over the side and down the
  length of pots. Pair red petunias with white snapdragons, which push
  up tall spikes and flowers along the stem and blue bachelor’s buttons.


texts: Is this evergreen with yellow branches sick?

texts:
There is an evergreen in front of my apartment. In just a few days, many of its branches have turned yellow. Last week it still looked fine. Is this expected, or is the tree sick? Is there anything I can do to help it?

I have no experience with trees at all. This tree is not technically my responsibility as it belongs to the apartment block. But I am quite worried about it and I would like to do everything I can to prevent it from dying.


texts: why is my lucky bamboo stalk turning yellow

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Why has our lucky bamboo turned yellow?

I have just bought new large lucky bamboo stems, spiralled ones. Two out of 3 are fine, however the third stem began turning yellow very quickly. I have cut off the yellow part hoping this would stop the yellowing but it has continued. The spiral part at the top and the leaves are fine so far. I keep my bamboo in a large vase with water and cleanse it every day with sandalwood incense.

Please let me know what i can do to prevent/stop this happening again.


texts: Why are seeds of summer chrysanthemum different between suppliers?

texts: I bought some seed of Chrysanthemum carinatum from two different producers, as seen on photos. How come they are different? The left hand side is 1gr, the right hand one 0.5gr. The price was about the same. Which one is better?


texts: This plant was huge when I first bought it but it had a severe infestation of millipedes and since then has been struggling. I'm also don't think the plant was getting enough light and probably too much water. The soil is not compact and I've already lifted out a section and repotted, which seems to be doing really well on the window sill. Should I repot the remaining stems? As soon as they reach a certain height they always die!


texts: What is this cauliflower-like vegetable?

texts:
My husband recently purchased this without a tag at our local nursey. We think it's some kind of cabbage plant perhaps a variant of cauliflower. Anyone know what this is?
http://postimg.org/image/nmsipq6ip/


texts: Do pine beetles kill healthy pitch pines, or is it safe to plant seedlings to replace trees killed by them?

texts:
We need to remove a number of trees that have been killed by some kind of pine beetle - presumably black turpentine beetle - on eastern Long Island. These trees had suffered injury from salt spray during superstorm Sandy.

There are wetland permitting issues involved, and so we need to revegetate to keep everyone happy. Our original thought was to plant some oaks suitable for the site as we feared the beetles in the area would kill any pitch pines we planted. However we were told that we should replant "in-kind," and that the new, healthy seedlings would not be bothered by the beetles.

Any input would be welcome.


texts: Leafy plant with many small pink flowers

texts:
Can anyone ID the plant pictured in this album? It was seen earlier today (16th July) in southwest England, growing next to a road, and looks like it was coming under a fence from someone's garden. In case it's relevant, the pictures were taken at about 11 am.

Image source


texts: What is the proper way to prune a pear tree?

texts:
I have a pear tree which I planted about ten years ago. It has done relatively well. It produces fruit on a yearly basis (I don't know if I'd call them exactly edible, but it does produce). The tree at this time has started to reach skyward, which I understand is bad for producing fruit. My questions are:

How should you go about pruning the pear tree so as not to cause permanent damage?
What time of year should I prune it?
Are there any drawbacks from pruning?


texts: What's the best way to care for a venus fly trap?

texts: I just recently acquired a small venus fly trap. I want to keep it indoors. What's the best way to take care of it, to make sure it lives a healthy life?


texts: Identify this plant with a pink flower spike?


texts: Vine-like plant that eventually melds with others of its kind?

texts:
Is there any crawling plant that, when it's crawling among others of its species, will actually grow into one another and eventually share veins?

Unrelated: this is for a project to provide a living shade canopy over a suburban street.


texts: How do I get rid of milllipedes in the garden?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How do I deal with millipedes eating my vegetable seedlings?

How do I get rid of millipedes they have taken over and are under anything left lying on the ground? I am pretty sure they are responsible for a lot of damage in the garden.


texts: Is inosculating trees for shape practical for the home garden?

texts: I've recently discovered a very cool method of tree training in which saplings are trained to a rigid form, and fused (inosculated) at certain points, to become a desired shape. If I follow the basic methods I found on Wikipedia, will I have good results? Do the trees require additional care? Is this a good idea to try out, or will it be a waste of time? See pics below for ideas I might consider trying.


texts: Multiple Cast Iron Plant rhizomes (Aspidistra Elatior) in same pot?

texts:
I've recently just purchased some Cast Iron plants (aspidistra elatior) from an online vendor. They were shipped bare-root and I've just planted them. I intended to have two plants to go in my apartment's living room.

What I failed to realize, being somewhat new to house plants and having a brown thumb, is that while the plants shipped as two separate root balls with leaves, each root ball was actually a combination of plants. So, I think that I may have planted two or three plants (two or three root systems) in each pot. (Apparently, Cast Iron plants propagate using rhizomes; it looks as though a few of these were placed in the same package.)

I only need two plants, and I've only just completed the potting task (and I gave the plants a little water, so the soil is now wet). I wanted the plants to look full, but I don't want them to suffer. Question - will the plants survive as they are, or should I remove the plants, separate them, and repot all of them separately?

Thanks!

Edit: I've added a picture of one of the plants, here (Google Drive link): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MuAyP8pupgAzyI7GVwfpMFzup58AG6bS/view?usp=sharing. (Note that when the plants arrived, some of the leaves were scorched and it looks like they were a bit bug-eaten as well. I think I got the last of the available cuttings, probably near the bottom of the main plant.)


texts: Ants and white fluff on my citrus tree leaves

texts:
I've noticed this weird thing on the underside of some of my citrus tree's leaves. It looks like a number of ants stuck in a bunch of white fluff.

This is only on some of the leaves, and it's mostly at the bottom. The tree itself looks to be perfectly fine otherwise and is growing.

The tree itself is around 3 years old (and has been here for less than a year), and the climate is dry Mediterranean (hardiness zone 11?) although it has been wetter than usual these last few days.

So, what am I looking at exactly? And should I remove the effected leaves or do something else?

Update:

Using a damp cloth I wiped clean some of the leaves to see what's underneath the fluff. In certain cases I've observed small white winged insects, in others small hemispherical brown things, but the leaves look otherwise unaffected.


texts: How can I keep my flamingo plants small for a terrarium?

texts:
I have some flamingo plants, Anthurium sp., growing in my 60x100x60 cm rainforest terrarium.
My problem is about this big one here

It's about 60cm in height, and I want it to keep it a bit smaller and growing more, but smaller leaves (both the green leaves and the spadices).

The plant is growing on a mixture of orchid and plain clay granules. Lightning is a very natural (and powerful) sun spectrum, and the plant is fully exposed to the lights. The permanent daylight schedule is 13/11 (on/off), which I've chosen mainly for my pets (madagascar daylight geckos) living there. The actual lighting setup is a 50W HID lamp (directly above this plant), and a 150W HQI lamp, that produces most of the required sunlight spectrum.
Also watering is almost completely automated, I've got a rainfall (misting) simulator, that runs 5 times a day (the atmospheric humidity is pretty high ~75-80%).
I have other, smaller flamingo plants growing in this terrarium, and they are more appropriate within my conceptions. Though the plant I'm talking of, already was big from the beginning (~35cm).

My question is:
What can I do (how to cut down) to give this plant a more smaller (ca. 40cm height), and more bushy shape?

To elaborate on my concerns:
I'm afraid of just clipping all of the big leaf and spadix sprouts, could I actually kill the plant?

Any hints appreciated!


texts:
I noticed that some raspberries are very tasty and sour but others taste sweet (which I don't like), and it is hard for me to know which it is by looking at them. Their size seem to correlate with this so I try to get small raspberries, but this does not always work.
I heard that the ones that taste sweet are usually a refined species, and that wild raspberries taste better.
I wonder if there is some raspberry kind that is known to be sour. Maybe I can try to remember their name and look in that case.


texts: Is July  too late to replant tomatoes in North Georgia, USA?

texts:
I started my garden this year with 8 tomato plants. Between disease, over watering and a misadventure with a plastic softball I have lost about half of them. My wife wants enough tomatoes to can some salsa and probably some spaghetti sauce and I don't want to disappoint her.

Is it too late to grab some more tomato seedlings and try to add some more? Is there a late summer/fall variety I should look for that will produce a good number of yummy tomatoes? Our falls are fairly warm and we don't get much frost until October or sometimes even November.


texts:
I tried to smuggle a kaffir lime tree in from Malaysia in December, sadly it died instantly when I potted it.

My partner bought 3 limes in France and brought them in but there was no seed in them.

So I have written to a friend in Malaysia asking her to send me some seeds. She is positive that people grow it from seeds in her native Kelantan.

Who has any experience growing them from seeds? My climate zone is 12a, average temperature is between 20 and 30 ºC NEVER above 34º C, very stable, humidity is very high with about 1850mm annual rainfall and a strong wind all year round. All big citrus trees grow fine here as long as they don't get attacked by the leafcutters and parrots (fruit only).


texts:
This photo was taken in the Conway National Park in Queensland, Australia.
Would anyone know what this is?


texts: What are these white things on the conifers in my garden?

texts:
I found these white pea-sized things on some trees in my garden. The garden is in Lower Saxony, Germany. I already looked through similar questions here but none of them looked quite like this.

From what I read so far it must be some kind of insect in its winter state. But can anyone say what kind of insect?


texts:
I took over my allotment in May last year and was lucky enough that it contains a 15 yr old grape vine in a Greenhouse. Last year I left it to do its own thing and just pruned it a bit and thinned out the grapes I got a loverly crop of grapes from it. In the Autumn then after reading various advice I trimmed it back, tidied it (it had been left to its own devices for about 2-3 years) and scraped the surface of the bark back.

I am now intending to re soil it as I don't know the last time the soil in the greenhouse was replaced.

My question, when I re soil should I also mix fertiliser in with the fresh soil directly around the roots, Or should I just mulch and fertilse the top of the soil to prevent risking damaging the roots? what is the best kind of fertiliser to use?


texts: How to grow potatoes vertically in stacked beds?

texts:
Growing potatoes for the first time, and I'm afraid I've received so much contradictory information for various peoples and sources that I may have "frankensteined" (stitched) together a growing solution that isn't going to yield much.
My wife wanted to grow potatoes in "vertical" (stacked) beds. So I built a bunch of 2ft x 2ft boxes (no floors or ceilings, just sides) out of red cedar 2x6s.
I took some potatoes from the back of the pantry that were growing "eyes" (chitting?) on them and cut them into chunks where each chunk had a really big/solid eye on it.
I placed the first 2x6 box on the ground and filled it with organic potting soil (6, about 6" worth of soil). I then buried 4 of these "homemade seed potatoes" near the 4 corners of the box in about 2" of soil (so they have about 4" of soil beneath them and 2" above them).
Then I placed the 2nd 2x6 box on top of the first one and filled it with more organic potting soil. So by the time I was done, the seed potatoes had about 4" of soil beneath them and ~8" of soil above them (2" from the remainder of the first box and 6" from the 2nd).
That was about 2 weeks ago. Today I looked at the box and, sure enough, we have potato plants/branches growing up out of the soil (so, out of the top of the 2nd box):

So I'm unsure of how to proceed from here. Do I just wait until the plants are all taller then the 2nd box, and then add a 3rd box on top of it and cover them back up in soil? How do I keep adding layers of boxes and allowing the potato plants to keep growing up into higher and higher layers, producing potatoes the entire time?


texts:
I bought this baobab as a single branch last summer. I planted the branch in a pot and it grew many leaves and branches.

I'm in Europe, so I have to keep it indoors a few more weeks.

I left it a long time without watering: the merchant advised me to wait until the earth was dry before watering again. I did, but now it's the beginning of spring, and only a few leaves remain.

I don't want to repot it yet because I think the roots are only a few months old, so they must be very weak.

Any ideas on what's happening to it, and what I should do?


texts: How to keep elm shoots away from raised bed garden

texts:
I'm about to plant a keyhole garden. The ideal site is just a foot or two away from a bunch of Siberian elm tree shoots. The elm is pretty dead except for a number of shoots which I've cut down and covered with black plastic.

I'd like to know what I can do to keep elm shoots from appearing in the garden. Old carpeting has been recommended but I'm concerned about the chemicals in carpeting and having to deal with shredded up carpeting in the future. Would black plastic at the bottom of the bed help with elms? I suspect not.

What can I do other than to keep chopping up/digging up any shoots I encounter?


texts: Indoor Peace Lily soil suddenly covered in white spots

texts:
My 3 year old peace lily has been in this clear pot for almost a year and within the last few weeks these spots began appearing near the roots and now cover the soil on the top layer. The spots are in clusters and are greenish-white.

The peace lily blooms regularly and seems to be fine in terms of its leaves.

I took it outside for the first time since I repotted it a few weeks ago, around the time this started happening. I live in Brooklyn, could it be something in the air?

Can anyone identify what's causing this and how bad it may be?


texts: I don't know what kind of tree or bush this is! I pruned it all over and I was glad it survived but now i'd like to know what kind of tree or bush is this


texts: What plant is this? Large leaves and pink flowers.

texts: Can anyone identify the plant in the attached image. Thank you in advance.


texts: I have black spots all over the stems of my Areca palm. I did have fungus in the soil, but I changed the soil and now everything seems good there. Can this come from the fungus that I had?


texts: Can anyone identify this mystery plant growing in my vegetable garden?

texts:
I put a base of compost in my vegetable garden this year which included some number of seeds from vegetables I've eaten in the past. So far I have identified a tomato and squash plant, but this one is a mystery. When it first started growing it's first leaves looked very similar to a squash plant, but as it grew it turned into this:

Top View

Side View

The leaves have a sort of hairy texture. The stalk almost looks like bamboo, the way there are sections between the leaves.

So, does anyone know the species of this plant? and will it produce edible vegetation?


texts: I have a 12-year-old peace lily which I received at my husband‘s funeral. I am desperately trying to save it. It seemed to have taken a turn for the worse about four months ago. I babied it, repotted it with fresh potting soil, sprayed the roots with an insecticide,  everything I read to do. When I repotted it, I was shocked to see it literally had no roots so I assumed it was root rot.  I trimmed the  stubby roots and added a root stimulator to watering I used on it last week. It looks so bad now that I really think it’s on its way out. My thoughts now are that because of the  unusually long cold winter we’ve had, the temperature in the house may have made a difference. I have to keep it at 60° at night and during the day it’s usually 65 to 70° and I do have a humidifier on my furnace. My heart will break if I lose this plant. Is there anything else I can do for it?


texts:
Our fruiting quince tree has fireblight.  We've been trying to control it by pruning, but it's not working.  We're going to have to take out the tree.  I can't buy quince fruit, so I want a quince tree.  How long will we have to wait before we can plant another tree?

(My husband says never, that we lost another tree to fireblight in the past, and it never really goes away.  On the other hand, our apple trees don't appear to suffer from it.)


texts:
I originally cut some Opuntia pads I got from a seller into half and planted them in the centre of pots. Unfortunately, they seem to be growing on one side only and I fear they will get too heavy and tilt as time goes.

Please see image. Would it be better to cut at the base of the off-shoot and re-plant in the centre? I will wait till the two new pads on top grow to some extent, of course.

Or would it be better to just leave it as-is?


texts: I've seen discussions on this site about adding wood ash directly to the vegetable plot. But I was wondering if it would be better to add it to my compost bin instead?


texts: Is there a trick to get my Adenium Boehmianum to sprout new branches?  It has never grown any more branches than when I bought it more than 5 years ago.  I just repotted it in proper soil with lots of drainage holes in the pot.  I am in AZ and it has just started sprouting leaves.  It goes into the garage when temperature drops below 45 degrees.  I must admit I have not been good about fertilizing.


texts: Is it better to cut off drying branches sooner or later?

texts: Is it beneficial to leave the drying branches so that the plant can salvage the good juices inside them (I'm not entirely sure that this actually happens, it just seems that's how plants work because there's sap), or should they be removed as soon as it is certain that the branch is going to dry out?


texts: Is this "Tall Grass" dead? Should I clear it out to make room for new growth?

texts:
Not sure what this is called but for now I'm just calling it tall grass. I have a couple of things around my house. To me these grass stalks look dead from winter. Am I good clearing them off? I already cleared off one section will it regrow in the next month or so as spring hits hard?

Taking a look down at the bottom I see some fresh green coming up, but not much.

Thanks for the advice!


texts: Hyper soil carbon accumulator for backyards

texts:
I am curious, what people could do with a small piece of land like their home backyard (say originally it is a regular lawn smaller than 20m^2, in temperate continental climate (so pretty harsh)) to help fight climate change.

Intuitively, we might think fast-growing trees are the best carbon accumulator (e.g. hybrid poplar is a famous one). Wood is nonetheless very stable carbon but it may be an incomplete picture if we focus on the aboveground growth metrics only. As a matter of fact, most stable soil carbon as recent research has shown is root-derived (dead root as well as root exudates)[1][2][3]. Other things like mycorrhizae and dispersing litter also come into play which results in a larger radius of impact on soil carbon. Also, the backyard is preferably minimally managed with no synthetic products needed (which also come with its own carbon footprint).

I would be glad if someone can shed some light on this complicated matter. Answers with scientific evidence and an estimated amount of carbon sequestered (say per year) will be very appreciated :)

References:

[1]Sokol, Noah W., et al. "Evidence for the primacy of living root inputs, not root or shoot litter, in forming soil organic carbon." New Phytologist 221.1 (2019): 233-246.

[2]Lange, Markus, et al. "Plant diversity increases soil microbial activity and soil carbon storage." Nature communications 6 (2015): 6707.

[3]Treseder, Kathleen K., and Sandra R. Holden. "Fungal carbon sequestration." Science 339.6127 (2013): 1528-1529.


texts: Can anyone identify this cattleya alliance hybrid?

texts: I have lost all tag information for this cattleya alliance and need help identifying it.


texts: Can anyone tell me what kind of grass this is?  It's growing in my lawn in Central South Dakota in a partly shaded area.  I seeded the area with a sun/shade mix but the seed head does not look like the bluegrass/ryegrass/fescue that is supposed to be in the seed mix.  I believe it may be Downy Brome but I'm no expert.  Is this a type of grass I want growing in my yard?


texts: Ivy, that can be used for fence, which is healthy too

texts:
I can read that in general, the leave/berry of an Ivy (Hedera Helix) is poisonous if we would eat it.

But: The question is: can it be poisonous, if we are close to it?

Example: it is all over a fence, and humans are next/very close to it for 60 years.

Can it be, that it is poisonous over air too? Since it is already poisonous if we would eat it.

Just searching for an Ivy type in ~middle Europe, which can be used to let it grow all over the fence, without fearing that we will get sick.

Googling around for hours, days (not joking), I didn't found any useful document that describes, that can an ex.: Hedera Helix cause any harm via air or not.


texts: What is this bonsai plant with red-tinged leaves?

texts: Can anyone identify this plant? It was purchased in southern Oregon.


texts:
I bought this Schefflera three weeks ago.  I changed its pot from the plastic tub it came in to a ceramic one.  Last week, one branch died completely; all the leaves withered.  I thought I might be overwatering, so I cut back.  Now the other two branches have begun to have leaf issues similar to the dead one (the white spots are dust from the store where I bought it).

Should I continue to not water this guy, or should I look for some other cause?


texts: Advice Needed - Dying? Tree line (privacy desired)

texts:
Situation:
Homes Back Yard borders a rural road, say 1 car per minute.
There was a line of some kind of arborvitae planted there ~10 years prior. Tree health various from OK to long dead on the tree line, the two hollys seem ok. See photos below. Roughly 30 trees along the 160ft property line.
Tree height is great on many of these trees, 20+ feet. Most of the death is at the bottom of the trees. I would hate to rip everything out and replant 6-8 ft trees. (Location NY, no one has any mature trees, remaining fall out from Hurricane Sandy.)
Is there any hope for these trees, or any idea what has/is killing them?
If the tree has growth at the top but is dead cooked at the bottom is the tree alive?
A pool is going in the backyard within the coming year, so I am actually thinking of building a 6-8ft privacy fence in front of the tree line and leaving the trees. I Would then slowly cut out the dead trees and plant new trees (different species I suspect). Any thoughts on this? In that regard the backyard viewer would only see the fence and then the tree tops (still alive) as the fully dead trees are slowly removed and new trees are replanted.
Question:
What would you do?

Ultimate Goal: Total visibility blockage of road from backyard and 2nd floor of house. So 20+ft of blockage.
Patience: limited.

Thank you!


texts:
I have had moldy looking soil in my greenhouse for the last couple of years. It looks like fine dust on top of the soil. My greenhouse is well ventilated and I have used various fungicides with no results.
Anyone got any advice?
Thanks


texts: How is variegation returned to a Sansevieria laurentii?

texts:
I've read in several places that propagation from clippings, will result in the Sansevieria laurentii variety reverting to solid green leaves and shoots.
Most articles say that propagation by division, is the only way to maintain variegation, as well as the characteristic yellow edge, and that sometimes even low lighting can cause new shoots to be "revert" to a solid form.
So, how do growers get them to progress, or return, to the variegated variety?


texts:
I grow sunflower named (teddy bear)
It was so amazing but now its stop making a new flowers

What should i do to make it grow more flowers?
And what the good way to cut them?

I don't want dry the flowers or save seeds i just want enjoying see these flowers and have them in my garden


texts: Why are my Bell pepper leaves deformed with contoured edges?

texts:
I recently moved to a new apartment with a high balcony. It gets lots of sun, but also a lot of wind. Since I moved here about 1 month ago, my pepper plant leaves have started to become deformed (almost like an island undergoing erosion). I can't tell if it's because of pests, disease, or somehow the wind is causing it. None of the plants have flowered either, and I planted them from seed in mid-March (indoors, as we had a cold spring). What could be causing this issue?

Details:
I'm in southern Ontario, Canada and there are multiple plants growing from an outdoor planter which received new potting mix and some occasional fertilization. I've inspected the leaves but I haven't found any recent evidence of large pests.


texts: What is the difference between a Rain Bird SP40 sprinkler and Rain Bird 1800 series with the same nozzle?

texts:
Can someone please explain to me the difference between the Rain Bird SP40 sprinklers that already have a nozzle, and the 1800 series, which is spray only with the same nozzle type. Why would I use one over the other?

Thanks.


texts: Should I clean out my rain barrel before using the water on my vegetables?

texts:
I am concerned about the quality of the water in my rain barrel, but I am not sure if it is harmful or helpful to plants - especially in my vegetable garden.

It would be pretty simple to clean it out - which would remove the smell and appearance, but is there a potential for improved qualities of the water from all the bacteria and gunk?


texts: Leaves at the tip on new branches of my cherry-trees are wrinkled

texts:
On my cherry-trees I observed that the leaves of the tips of newly grown branches are wrinkled and inside there is something which simply said looks like black dirt. The leaves do not look damaged, only their form has suffered,

It seems that only tips are affected which are not higher than 1.5 to 2m from the ground.

Additionally I saw that several ants where walking on the branches.

Is this a pest? Could it be an ant-tribe which is farming? Do I need to do something?

Click to enlarge the images


texts:
Does anyone know what kind of tree this is? Should we keep it indoors, or is it better off outdoors. We're in the Ottawa, Canada area.

Thanks.


texts: Making boggy ground less boggy and planting trees

texts:
Does planting a tree in a boggy ground make that ground less boggy?

This is a kind of follow up to another question: How can I improve drainage in a rainy area lawn with little manual labour?


texts: What are these red-brown markings outlining the cells on the underside of this fiddle leaf fig?

texts:
While shopping at a large chain retail store, I found a fiddle leaf fig tree with a major price discount. I got excited. I’ve always wanted one. But I was nervous about the reddish-brown color around the cells (?) on the undersides of most of its leaves.

I decided to take a couple photos, put it back, and ask this community of experts!

Why do these leaves’ undersides have this red-orange-brown color around its cells? (Assuming I have my leaf anatomy straight.)

What is it?

Is it a problem? If so, is there a remedy?

Thanks!


texts:
We are located in southern Ontario. I found these seeds in a row (flat sides against each other) in my garden. There is a lot together, so I'm guessing a large pod (its spring so maybe it has degraded and left the seeds behind). They are roundish, and quite flat. I put them on a piece of paper between the lines to see the size. I would say they are 6-7mm.

I am going to clean them up anyway, but want to see if they are worth planting somewhere or if they are invasive and really need to be removed...

Thanks


texts: What causes very small black solid spots on strawberry leaves?

texts:
I found these little black solid spots on the back on my strawberry leaves. They look like seeds but they are very soft.

What causes them, and should I do anything to treat them?


texts: Can I transplant young Rose of Sharon plants in July in Zone 6a?

texts:
I live in Massachusetts, growing zone 6a. Yesterday my husband was given  some young Rose of Sharon plants from a friend at work, grown from seed by someone else. I've always wanted some, and would like to know how best to  ensure successful growth.  There are six seedlings, ranging in height from 7" to 12", in a 9" by 9" plastic pot filled with dense wet soil, which looks to me like garden dirt.

Can I transplant them now? I've been told this is the worst time of year to do that. Our temperatures are between eighty and ninety degrees F during the day, sometimes hotter, down to the sixties at night, and it's quite humid.

How should I care for them while they're in the pot? As you can see, the stems are bending. Is staking a good idea, or would that disturb the roots? Should the pot be in the sun or shade, and what's the proper amount of water? If it's too soon for planting in the ground, do they need separate containers, or are they okay together?

Finally, how much distance will they need between them, or other plants, in their permanent spot? I have a section of day lilies, some of which I'm planning to remove to make a home for the Rose of Sharon.

Edit to provide requested information: The variety is Hibiscus syriacus. The parent plant is full and bushy, with single purple flowers. It's six years old and just over six feet tall.

click on pictures for full size


texts:
How dangerous is to plant Pinus pinea 3m (10ft) from the house?

The house has only one floor, so I gather the crown will not interfere with walls and roof.

The situation would be similar to the one pictured here:


texts: I'd like to know what the green ground plant is. It grows very densely and has some sort of flowers under the leaves. It grows in central Europe.


texts:
I planted a mango seed this spring. And it went good. But growth stagnated after a while and totally stopped. Then I noticed some bulgy excrescence on the top, with a very dark almost black color. I did nothing there, just left it on my balcony. Recently I noticed that its leafs started to get brown. Two already fell to the ground.

I took it into the living room, onto the window bank. I thought maybe it was too could outside. So now there are 3 new shoots. Two at the very bottom of the stem. And one a little bit under the first leafs.

I include two photos to show these. But how do I proceed? I definitely don't want separate stems growing, so should I cut those new ones? And what about the shoot at the top? should I keep it, cut the rest of the plant off?

By the way, you can still see the mango seed looking out of the soil.


texts: Vine-like, deep-rooted very aggressive weed - what is it and how do I get rid of it?

texts:
I've been trying to find out what weed this is (see photo), but I can't seem to find a definitive answer.

The weed mainly grows in the hedges of the garden, and appears to be choking it. It twists up the stems of the hedges like a vine. One hedge has already died completely because of this weed.

I've been cutting it off at the stem, but the weed is very deeply rooted and is very hard to get rid off. Does anyone know of any (ecological) ways of removing this weed permanently?


texts:
I planted mint in my garden a few years ago and it turned out to be a mistake. I should have grown it in a container.

I've been pulling out mint each year but can't get rid of it, so I dug up the wooden barrier surrounding the garden, and found mint vines had grown in all directions out into the back yard. I've spent a few hours on my knees digging in the grass trying to pull out all these underground vines.

Is there any easier way to get rid of mint?


texts: I don't see the slightest change in my ZZ plant after about 3 months of re-potting it

texts:
I've been looking after my Zamiifolia for like 3 months with adequate sunlight, soil and everything, but it refuses to get any taller, or even leaf out. The current leaves are healthy & shiny but I'm losing patience to see it grow like my other plants. It came to my attention though that the main stem is getting significantly thicker, but no other progress.
How much more do you think I should keep waiting?


texts: Can I graft a Navel or Valencia orange tree onto an established citrus tree?

texts:
I have a mystery citrus tree that bears sour and almost inedible small oranges. This tree is about 10 years old. I'd like to cut-off its branches and graft on branches from a Navel or Valencia orange tree. Is this possible?

If that is possible then is it also possible to graft two different types of tree onto the stem of one tree such that it bears two different types of fruit?


texts: Sunflower with multiple flowers, is this normal?

texts:
I’m not particularly green fingered, however I’ve planted some sunflowers seeds with my kids.
They’re both growing well however one of them has a single large flower at the top of the stem whereas the the other has a large flower at the top of the stem as well as lost of smaller flowers growing out from in between the leaves.
Both sunflowers can from seeds in the same packet so it seems a bit odd. Is this normal or have I got a mutant sunflower?


texts: What kind of Strelitziaceae are these plants?

texts: I found these in Campinas in Brazil.  I suspect they are Strelitziaceae.


texts: How should I stabilize a tree with a malformed root ball?

texts:
I recently purchased a tree from a local nursery. It was originally in a 15-20 gal pot.

The trunk of the tree was not centered in the pot. Instead its was an inch or two away from the edge. As a result, the root system has all grown to one side of the tree trunk. When the wind blows the tree I can see the root ball moving up and down on that rootless side.

My first and only remedy has been to stake the tree on that side to prevent movement. My hope is that this additional stability will allow it to grow roots on that weaker side. The stake is about 3 ft away and I used an old rubber hose where the twine wraps the tree.

What additional measures should I take to stabilize the tree and/or roots?


texts: My yearly display of morning glories haven't bloomed

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  How do I encourage morning glories to bloom?

I did see the other answers for morning glories not blooming but didnt find that it answered my question fully.
 Every year i plant either nasturtiums or morning glories in the large window planter in fron tof my house. They always require very little care and bloom profusely. This year I did everything the same, have not fertilized and sun exposure and soil is the same but no blooms.
 The only thing i can think of is that I used mostly seeds collected from last years plants. Is there a process I am unaware of as to storing the old seeds or?? the vines and leaves are otherwise healthy.
thanks!
let me know if i should just go back to nasturtiums next year.. I miss my flower blooms climbing all around the front window!


texts: What is this shrub with pink buds that open into green leaves?

texts: I just bought my house last summer and I have no idea what this bush in my yard is that has pink buds that open into green leaves. I live in Michigan where we've had a cold spring so it's just now starting to leaf out.


texts: Banana transplant not looking too good...help? water? light?

texts: I just ordered two tiny little plants and I transplanted them about a week ago. They are still alive, but I see that there are shriveled and sickly leaves, and the leaf edges are brown. I'm nervous that I am either overwatering or underwatering, or I am doing something wrong. If you have experience with musa basjoo bananas, does this look like something is going wrong? Has anyone seen this sort of thing before? They get indirect light right now, because they are indoors until it warms up in zone 7b. Please help.


texts: Do I need a special seed or type of tree for growing a bonsai tree?

texts: I want to grow a bonsai tree. Do I need a special type of seed or tree for me to be able to grow it as a bonsai tree?


texts:
When you buy dried/dehydrated, compacted bricks of sphagnum moss from gardening suppliers and stores, etc., is it supposed to be alive, and/or able to grow, upon rehydration? Or is it dead?

I bought some of this Brunnings brand, expanding sphagnum moss (not sure what species, possibly Sphagnum cristatum and/or Sphagnum subnitens), from the similarly named (but unrelated) Bunnings Warehouse. It is supposedly ★★★★★/AAA-grade New Zealand sphagnum:

I experimented with it in a bunch of different environments, including some living terrarium/vivarium type landscapes.

Basically, it looks like a sopping wet, dark brown/yellow, lifeless mess of decaying fern fronds and leaf litter, blending in the the soils and substrates, and eventually taking the shape of its container. I was expecting it to develop into a lush, living, upright, green blanket, or carpet of sorts; like this:

Sphagnum squarrosum


texts: I have a well-established area of Confederate Jasmine groundcover that is beginning to be overrun by Zoysia grass growing under the concrete curb border. Is there any way to kill the Zoysia without injuring the Jasmine. Hand weeding is almost impossible due to the density of the Jasmine.


texts:
I'm the new owner of a well established garden.  Unfortunately I don't really know what I'm doing...

Already I seem to have lots of problems (e.g. well established Rhododendron now near death), which I hope to post questions about individually.  But for now..

What advice would you give to a gardening newbie, to help get on top of the situation?

Perhaps you could tell me what I should be doing at a minimum to maintain the health of the garden, before I get properly up to speed?

Some of my problems:

I don't know what most of the plants are, and its proving very difficult to identify them
I'm finding it difficult to distinguish between weeds and garden plants.
Already some plants are looking very 'ill'

Thank you!


texts: Am I overseeding my lawn properly? Should I do something differently?

texts:
I am new to overseeding. I just spread the seed on the lawn, and am watering it. Is that okay? Should I do something differently?

And:


texts:
Some of the leafs on this plant (not sure the name!) are injured. I'm not sure if I should leave them be, cut off the damaged portion, or remove the stem from the base?

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance for the help!


texts: How to deal with vegetables after heavy rain/hail?

texts:
Tonight we had really bad weather (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - strong wind, extra heavy rain (and some hail). Rain and wind were so strong that even plants under shading net are now laying on the ground with leaves and stalks covered in mud.

Will plants recover themselves and is there anything I could do to help them to recover (except lifting and removing mud from leaves)?

Edit:
I have two raised beds with different types of plants (one contains herbs, few flowers, and vegetables as radishes, carrots, parsley, swiss chard, few chili peppers. Other contains cherry tomatoes, peppers (both with supporting stakes - they seem pretty OK), basil, calendula...) Other plants like garlic, zucchini and squash are planted into ground. Everything that was growing close to the ground ie without support is now stuck to the ground.


texts: my Cactus is all mushy and shrunken in at the bottom and I don’t know what’s wrong, or if I can fix it.


texts:
My tomatoes succumbed to blight, and I have now uprooted the mouldy remains of the plants and put them in my council green waste bin. There are currently rotten green tomatoes scattered on the ground where the wildlife is feasting on them.

I don't intend to plant tomatoes in the same spot next year.

Do I need to do anything to contain the blight spores now - or if I dig the patch over in preparation for a different crop next year, will things be OK?


texts: What is the difference between landscape fabric and ground cover?

texts:
I am looking to do some landscaping around our house, and plan to put down a 2-4 inch layer of rock around the foundation of the house, between 2 and 6 feet out, depending on the area. I've dug out the area a few inches down, and now I'm ready to put a weed barrier in. I have heard good things about Dewitt products, and when browsing their website, they sell both "Landscape Fabric" and "Ground Cover". What is the difference between these two? From what I can tell, the "ground cover" also has UV protection, which I don't need since it will be underneath rock. There will be plants intermittently placed throughout the rock, so I'll be making holes in the weed barrier for these to grow.

http://www.dewittcompany.com/products


texts: what is the right time for harvesting broccoli?

texts:
This is my first time growing broccolis.
My broccolis started to have very small bluish head and then they started to get more yellow without getting "big enough" (as compared to the broccolis I have bought so far). Should I wait for them to grow further or just harvest them as small as they are?

I am in Chile, so we are in late winter here, the days are getting warm and sunny.


texts: How can I discourage my chives from flowering?

texts: I have several chive plants in the garden. In the past, I've been able to use the chives before they started to bloom, but this year the plants are only 4inches tall and are already covered with buds. I grow them primarily as an herb, so the flowers are not a welcome sight. What can I do to discourage the plants from blooming so early in the future? I think a high nitrogen fertilizer might help, but are there other tricks I should know?


texts: Does Tagetes Filifolia transplant well into an indoor window box for the winter?

texts:
I have 4 Tagetes Filifolia plants from my community garden, and it smells pleasant enough to keep indoors for a Minnesota winter. Will it transplant well, since it's not likely going to flower before winter?

How do I transplant it? The same way as any other normal plant?


texts: How to rid my grape vines of Grapeleaf Skeletonizer

texts:
I have some Johnston seedless grape vines and I am starting to notice caterpillars that I believe are Grapeleaf Skeletonizer.   Can someone suggest an organic means of ridding them from my vines?  I have small children and just prefer to not use chemical pesticides.

Here is a photo of what they look like


texts:
This plant...

Has developed some small white growths on it:

What is this stuff? It looks pretty foul. I did look up mealy bugs on Google Images, but those photos look different.


texts:
Suddenly my plant start bending to one side
I think the stem is weak and from weak stem it is shedding off
Will my plant can thrive again if i cut the upper bending part
Or some other measure should i take


texts: How many inches of dirt depth required to grow grass?

texts: I want to grow a container of grass on my balcony for my dog. How many inches of depth of soil is typically required to grow healthy grass? Length and width of the container I’ll determine at a later date but wanted to know the depth requirement to get a solid foundation for grass to grow.


texts:
I recently planted grass seed in my backyard.  It has sprouted and is growing.  It's about 1 1/2 inches tall.  But, my dog got through the barrier, and ran crazy circles, creating clumps and divots in the soil where it had been nice and smooth.  Do I let the clumps resolve through watering and fill in any bald patches later, or can I walk on the new grass now to smooth out the divots and add more seed?

I started this grass project to keep me occupied during our shelter in place, which is why I didn't just do sod.

Any tips would be appreciated.


texts: How far apart should I plant Japanese box for a low hedge?

texts:
I was wondering what the distance is when planting Japanese box hedge. I plan to space them every 20cm as the height of the hedge will be approx 30cm when trimmed.

Is 20cm the correct spacing?


texts: What critter creates piles like these shown in the picture below?

texts:
I noticed a few piles of soil near plants in the garden. Not sure which critter is doing it.

So far I have not seen any damage to the plants. But I'm wondering if this critter will cause any root damage. How to guard my plants against critters like these?


texts: Get rid of weeds from my raised garden bed - without pesticides

texts:
I bought a house that came with a rather large (8' x 50') raised (well, raised only 4") garden bed. It is infested with weeds. Last summer I planted some vegetables in it but spent most of the time pulling out weeds. I dumped a bunch of woodchips over the soil to try to help with managing the weeds, and only spread the parts where I was planting my veggies and then covered up around them when they grew taller. It worked somewhat, but I have much more success keeping my used car tire planters, that have fresh soil, weed free.

Assuming that I am not interested in eating chemicals, what is the best way to move forward? My wife wants me to get rid of the tires since they are an eye sore. Should I remove all the existing soil and get new soil? Or should I get more woodchips? Are there any tricks of the trade here? I'm ok starting with a fresh slate and replanting anew.

Thanks


texts: Is there any way to help my pear tree recover. Pears grow about two inches then dried up. Northern Indiana


texts: Is this green headed beetle with brown and black wings a pest?

texts:
Can anyone identify this beetle? It has a green head and thorax, and its wings are tan or brown with a blotchy black stripe between them. Underside is also an iridescent green. It's about an inch long. It's fairly active and was trying to fly through the window glass of the outdoor structure where I work. Initially was seeking the escape/light more than the leftover bit of orange I put in the bottom of the glass over top it right now, but settling down a bit now that it's found some water to drink.

We do a lot of gardening, berry bushes, fruit trees etc. and are in a region with a lot of commercial orchards as well so I like to identify unknown insects like this before I "encourage" them.

What is this insect? Are there any pest/invasiveness concerns with it in Eastern Washington state?


texts: Will a punctured stem harm my pepper plant?

texts:
The stem of one of my potted plants was slightly chewed on by a cat. Nothing that would seriously damage the structural integrity of the plant, but it did puncture the surface with a few small tooth marks. Will the plant heal on its own? Should I be worried that damage to the surface of the stem would provide entry vectors for disease or parasites? And if so, is there anything I can do to ameliorate this risk?

EDIT: the cat is safe and healthy. The plant is a small chili pepper plant, which are indeed slightly toxic to cats, but I kept a close watch on the cat and he was (and continues to be) in excellent health. Don't think he got enough of it in his mouth to harm him. The plant is also fine, as far as I can tell, though I hesitate to close this question because a more general answer about what degree of surface puncturing is dangerous to potted plants might be helpful to some future person.


texts: These were on a tomato leaf in my garden. The closest match I found on Google Images was ladybug eggs, which looked similar but did not have the white rings at the top. Is this just another species of ladybug or another insect altogether?


texts:
I'm starting with the assumption that roses can grow from seed, as that's how most plants reproduce.

I'm wanting to grow roses with rosehips, which handily contain seeds. I can try cuttings as well of course, but thought it would be interesting to grow them from seed since that's what people tend not to do.

I collected a whole lot of rose hips from various roses (and after having stored them over winter) got the seeds out, put them in seed raising mix, etc, like with my other types of seeds, and I don't think any of them grew. It is possible I have two seedlings from one of the rosehips, but I'm not 100% sure they're not a deceptive weed, partly because it took around two months for them to sprout, which is a long time (and I was tricked by a lot of promising-looking seedlings that turned out to be weeds).

So - what kind of conditions are needed for growing roses from seed, and what is a likely germination time? And do rose seedling look sufficiently similar to big roses to be able to identify them as such?


texts: Why won't my new Venus fly trap trap anything?

texts:
I just bought a Venus fly trap a few days ago. My new Venus fly trap won't close ANY of its little traps. I put an ant into it and none of the traps closed.

Is this natural?


texts:
A tree trust planted 2 trees for me along my fence-line.

One hasn't budded at all this spring, the other tree has a few small leaves on one of the lowest branches.  I have a lot of aggressive-growing, mature vines along that area - I'm thinking maybe they were depriving the trees of water and/or nutrients.

I have the same issue with 2 Douglas Fir trees I planted about 3 years ago.  Other than the fact that they've barely grown in the 3 years, this spring 2 of the 3 have lost all their needles.  I live in Minnesota, and since the trees are so short, they were completely submersed in snow for awhile.  In retrospect, I should have dug them out, but I'm a bit dense apparently.

I'm trying to figure out if I should wait it out and see if they recover, try an emergency transplant, or start shopping for headstones.


texts: What is this white growth on my euphorbia stenoclada (spiky succulent)?

texts:
I picked up this plant from a plant shop in Phoenix. This white scaly stuff seems to be spreading. I had a second plant just like this that had much more growth on it and it eventually died. I'm really hoping to save it.

Any idea how to treat this or what it is?


texts: Can I grow wild white or other types of clover in an outdoor container?

texts:
In the spring, a number of wildflowers, such as dandelions, buttercups, and some lovely purple things, pop up in our yard. I'm in Massachusetts, United States, so that means April and May. Others appear later and stay through the summer.

Each year we're blessed with up to three generations of bunnies out there. Although they eat a wide variety of things, they seem to prefer something that looks like white clover. I think one reason is because it lasts longer than the rest. For instance, it's mid-July right now, and most other things have already gone by, but that clover is everywhere.

We try to leave it for a while, and when my husband mows the lawn, he avoids some spots so as not to interfere with the needs of the rabbits. However, there does come a time when he really needs to mow the whole lawn, and all of the clover tops are lost. Also, at some point they do go by, and all the bunnies are not yet fully grown.

Is there a way to grow that, or a similar type of clover, outside in a shallow container? It has to be no taller than 3" or so in order for the littlest bunnies to reach, but can go up to 6" or more for the older ones.  Picking the clover itself is not an option, because once it's been pulled out of the ground they don't go near it.

For all those who think that bunnies are annoying and clover's a weed, I'll start by saying we love both, and this is a genuine request!

Click to see the pictures bigger!


texts:
I have a mature maple tree in my yard. Every year it drops seeds which start growing in the most inconvenient of places, like my gutters. Next season I would like to actively cultivate these seeds and plant some new maple trees where I want them.

What will I need to plan for to make this project successful?

Is growing trees from seeds as simple as growing anything else from seeds?


texts: Understanding tree rings and estimating the age of this tree

texts:
Our neighborhood is filled with oaks, and I have at least 6 or 7 on my relatively small property (~0.3 acres).  I've always wondered how old they are, and if they pre-date the house or not (this house is just under 20 years old).

My neighbor recently cut down one of her oak trees due to disease (I don't know the details).  It was similar in size to mine - some of mine are smaller and some of mine are bigger, so I figure its age is a rough average for the age of my trees.  I checked the recently cut cross-section near the base of the tree, and while I can clearly see some rings on the inside, they are only distinct for about the inner third of the tree.  I've successfully "aged" other trees like this, so I'm not sure what is going on here (the lack of discernible rings doesn't seem like it is caused by the chainsaw).  In case it helps I'm in North/Central Florida.

Upon further inspection: The original and very indistinct photo of the tree was from when it was freshly cut down a week ago.  I just took another picture today and the outer rings stand out substantially more, although now I'm more confused.  Some sections in the middle are still very indistinct, but the outer rings appear substantially larger than the inner rings.  Is this normal?  I could understand differences in age/climate making tree growth more favorable, but it appears to be a factor of 2 or 3 difference, which makes me wonder if these outer rings are something other than annual growth rings.  Presuming that the large outer rings are normal annual growth rings, then I think I can find at least 30 distinct rings.  There are areas where there are obviously rings but I can't see them, so I'm guessing it is about 40 years old.

Any guesses as to how old this tree is?  Am I "interpreting" it properly?
 I've also embedded the pictures below, but doing so required shrinking them.  The above links will take you to the original, higher resolution images.


texts:
When I moved into my current house, there were two fairly large "spiky" bushes. They grow fairly quick and I have to prune it quite a few times a year. I ended up buying an electric hedge trimmer to help speed things up, but I still end up spending more time on it than I'd like. Plus, they are so tall that I need to carry a ladder out to prune the tops.

I notice that other people have bushes in their yards that they cut down very short in the winter. I've never done this so I'm looking for some advice to make sure I don't kill the bushes or make them hideous looking.

Here's some pictures:

1) Is this the type of plant that can be cut short without killing it?

2) Is there a certain time of year that is best for cutting?

3) Is there a limit on how low I can cut?


texts: Liquid Amber/Sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) tree stress and rotting

texts:
My folks have/had a well established Liquid Amber tree which fell on their fence during a recent high wind event.

I understand that the local council has fairly recently been laying fiber cable and doing some other reticulation work in close vicinity to the tree.

How likely is it that this root damage would have caused by this work.

Also, looking at the pictures below, is anyone able to hazard a guess as to how long the tree may have been rotting for, and how apparent this would have been prior to the tree falling down, had there been periodic inspections of the tree.

Also, how common is this kind of problem with these types of trees ?


texts: How do I keep mosquitos out of my fountain?

texts:
I found lots of mosquito larvae in my fountain. How can I get rid of them?

A local store has the doughnut thingies but they are expensive. I'd prefer a homemade solution if possible.

I tried vegetable oil. It worked but looks ugly.

Any other suggestions?


texts:
I've just moved house and in our back garden is a fairly large palm tree (pictures), the problem is that I'm not sure what it is and therefore don't know how to look after it and make sure it makes it through winter in the south-eastern UK.

All the research I've done so far seems to suggest it's a banana palm but I'm not sure what type. Info on several possible species say they will be fine over winter, but a few also say that it will need to be protected from frost, so I'd like to make sure I'm doing the right thing.


texts:
I have a climbing rose next to this and I popped a bunch of seeds around the area. Is this some weed (blackberry) or rose?
It doesn’t look too happy, does it? Maybe lack of water?


texts: Does anyone know the reason potatoes should not be added to the compost pile?

texts:
There is a list of at least 13 things that do not go into the compost pile.  Most I know and understand.  I just found a list that included potatoes.

Potatoes do what to a pile of compost?  Feces, meats, dairy are obviously a no no but potatoes?

The only problem I can see is that a chunk of potato with an eye will grow.  Is that the only reason?


texts: What special steps should I take to prepare my garden for fall planting?

texts:
I am starting to think and plan out my fall/winter garden. I am looking at trying to plant some crops that will be overwintered and some crops that I can harvest before spring. What special steps should I take to prepare my beds for fall and winter crops that are different than what I do for spring crops? This year I pretty much just tilled up my soil and did not worry about soil amendment or anything. Can I do this for fall and winter crops as well or do I need to take more care with these plants?

I'm not totally certain what I am going to plant yet and I know some of this will depend on that, but I know I will try onions and garlic, and probably some carrots, radishes and maybe some leafy greens (maybe spinach and lettuce).


texts:
They are everywhere. Their leaf underbelly is glabrous; the indentations or lobes still not there... Alternate leaves. The seedlings are ubiquitous in the suburbs, and unfortunately the grown-up trees as well.

Just want to make sure this is what it is.


texts: Dyed circulars and cardboard, for weed barriers under mulch

texts:
[Box bottom listing dyes]

I have always saved and used layered newspapers (without the dyed circulars) as a weed barrier, under the mulch in my gardens. When I am done, the papers are not visible.

Now, I'm tackling a large area and ran out of the regular newsprint (even with friends/neighbors saving it for me).
I'm considering using the sales circulars, magazines and dyed cardboard as weed barriers. We aren't growing edibles in this specific area, but it does flood.
I've tried to research this, but all of the sites seem to strongly disagree about the pros and cons.

(i.e. Pro- They hold up longer than the regular newsprint, which can be helpful in some cases. Con- The dyes leach into the soil.)

So...Should I go ahead and use them in my own yard, or should I just put them in the recycling bin to go to the landfill and leach their dyes into the soil there? Everyone seems to be up in arms about these dyes! How bad can these dyes really be?


texts: How to level an uneven lawn (due to moles)

texts:
I'm working against 5 years+ of no upkeep. The moles had been left unchecked and ruined the lawn. There are lots of high and low spots (a few inch difference in the worst spots) spread out over the whole lawn. I finally got rid of the pre-existing moles and now want to develop a plan to restore some sanity to the lawn.

I've read the other questions, but none resulted from moles and they all seem to be more isolated and significant leveling issues.


texts: Will red maple tree survive after being eaten by deer?

texts: Deer ate the leaves off a recently planted red maple tree. Is the tree permanently damaged or will the tree continue to grow? What should I do?


texts: What's the next action I should take with this rootbound plant?

texts:
After some help with what I should do with this plant, I've neglected to check its roots of for some time. I believe it to be a species of asparagus grass, though if someone wants to correct that belief feel free.

As you can see from the images, I may have left the roots alone for too long (in fact I had to literally cut the old plant pot away from the bottom of it, because they'd grown through and formed a circle underneath it The plant itself seems to be fine (in-fact flowered for the first time in the 6-ish years I've had it, though they were very small, and dropped off at the slightest touch).

Is the answer to the question "How do I prune the roots of a rootbound plant?" still appropriate with such a root-locked plant? What's the next size up pot to put it in? It was in a 6' (I think, the next up is a 7' at any rate) pot.


texts: What wild water plant is this? Is there a domesticated versions?

texts:
I saw this plant in a swamp in central Maine, USA.  I think it is a type of wild hyacinth.  Are there domesticated versions? Anyone know how to grow one in a large planter pond?

The spear shaped leaves belong to the plant.


texts: What's wrong with my aloe? It isn't in direct sunlight and I water it once a week, checking if the soil is dry and crumbly.


texts: Is it possible to get rid of 50 acres of weed (thistles)?

texts:
I'm eyeing a 50-acre property to plant fruit trees and vegetables.  There is a rather ideal property that is overgrown with thistles feet tall.  We are talking about 50 acres of this stuff.  Before I buy, I want to know if there is any way to get rid of this weed once and for all...

Here is a picture:


texts:
Is this mountain laurel or rhododendron?  Seems no one is sure. Grows in USDA hardiness zone 7b. Lower shrub limbs laying on ground typically take root and extend growth area. Plants easily make it to 6 ft (2m) height if not pruned. Blooms in April/May each spring in our area. Plants are located in partially shaded area under trees and require little to no care other than pruning from time to time.

Why am I asking now? Thinking about giving some to my son and he has very rocky infertile ground. From what I have read that sounds great for mountain laurel and not so much for rhododendron.


texts: Does using a fleece cloche hinder plants from getting enough sunlight?

texts: I got some fleece cloth to protect my plants from frost / low temperatures, but it's semi opaque so blocks most sunlight. Is it OK to leave it on through the day (while it's still cold), or do I need to remove it during the day to give the plants enough sunlight?


texts: Baby apple tree under attack by...aphids? What to do?

texts:
I have a little backyard nursery which includes a few young grafted apple trees. Today I saw a bunch of ants gathering around the top of one of the baby apple trees, and green nodes seeming to pop out of the stem. At first I thought these might be ant eggs. I shooed the ants away but the little green things were harder to get off. Upon closer inspection, I think the green things are some sort of aphid but am not sure, but they're not ant eggs at all. Photos at end of post.

What course of action should I take to protect the apple tree (and other trees if applicable)?

When I thought they were ant eggs I considered pruning off the affected area, but hesitated since it's one of two main terminal shoots. Knowing it's not eggs, but rather creatures I can pluck off, pruning seems less appropriate. I've used a neem oil / water solution before with success against pests indoors, so I'm considering that option too. Lastly, I wonder if having so many trees close together matters? I've seen other nurseries put potted trees in groups by species so I figured it's fine, and I have a nice amount of diversity on the lawn and of potted trees on the pallets so I'd hope that'd help prevent any bad pest problems.

Some context and photos:

The apple trees are potted using fresh (from a bag) potting soil with wood chips on top. I keep them, and other potted young trees, on wood pallets in a small yard that gets partial sun or shade depending on location.

Affected shoot:

Unaffected shoot:

Affected tree:

A better shot of the affected shoot:

A partially smooshed green aphid? with little black legs:


texts: Can "Attic Insulation" vermiculite be used in the garden?

texts:
I'm looking for sources for vermiculite to try out a bit of square foot gardening this season.  I found one at menards but it says it's for attic insulation.  It also says there's no formaldehyde (which I guess is a little bit of a low bar for organic gardening) but is there any reason to think that I can't use this for making the "Mel's Mix"?

Seems like I need a lot of vermiculite to do it and this is one of my only local options.


texts:
My lawn is turning brown. I am new to the world of lawns, having lived most of my life in cities, and do not know how to diagnose this problem. A few observations:

The brown is patchy, not uniform (see photo).
We've had adequate rain (I think) and moderate temperatures for summer (rarely over 90℉ / 30℃.
No one would have spilled chemicals in the yard -- we haven't had any serious work done on the house, or anything like that.

What could be going on?


texts: So the Miracle Gro All purpose fertilizer says to use a gallon for every ten square feet and gives me the dilution rate.  I get that.  However, a gallon of water isn't enough to fully water ten square feet of soil.  Do I a) keep mixing up new gallons to finish watering, or do I b) top it off with just plain water?  A seems like it would add too much fertilizer and B seems like it would overly dilute it.


texts: How do I naturally or organically add iron supplements for my plants

texts: From another question it looks like my avocado plants are deficient in iron. I'd like to explore and try natural/organic ways of supplementing iron. (I know organic is carbon and carbon compounds) So any ideas that involve supplementing iron through food/vegetable scraps or such would be awesome.


texts:
My house has a stone wall on one side of the property line. Over the years, the stones have definitely shifted.

How do I properly re-stack the rocks? I'd like to know how to maintain the wall so that rocks don't come loose.  It can be dangerous because some of them are pretty heavy and have rolled down hill.


texts: Advanced care of an indoor avocado plant

texts:
I have a 6-month-old indoor avocado plant that is growing nicely. I have cut it back a few times and it is now about 1 meter (3 feet) high:

How often and how much should I prune my avocado plant? Can I just remove the leaves from the stem's tip, or should I cut off a chunk of the stem itself?
What should the size of the pot be?
I had to move the plant from beside the window. Now I'm looking for a new location where it will continue to flourish. Is fluorescent lighting OK or does an avocado plant need sunlight?
Any other tips from someone who has successfully grown an indoor avocado plant over a span of a few years?


texts:
I am growing green tomatillo (a mexican variety of tomato) but one of my plants is looking very sad and I need help to understand what could be the problem.

About the problem:
Two days ago I noticed one of them developed a few light spots on two leaves on the top. Yesterday more light spots appeared, but the plant looked good. Today there are approx. the same number of spots, but one of the leaves has started curling its edges a little, and the other leaves are just hanging, they are not rigid anymore. I don't know what could be the problem. I have 10 plants in individual pots close together, and this is the only one that is having this issue.

About my setup: I'm an absolute newbie to gardening, so my setup is pretty rudimentary. I don't know anything about nutrients, ph, etc... My plants are 4 weeks old, I transplanted them from a propagator to individual pots at age 2 weeks, and I keep them in a conservatory. Temperature, humidity, etc. are not regulated. Temperature dropped below 10°C a few days ago, so that might be a factor (although the other plants are unaffected).

What I have discarded: I have checked for insects and eggs around and under the leaves, and there is nothing to be found. Also none of the neighbor plants are affected. I read it could be related to water "burning" the leaves, however I didn't water the plants yesterday, and yet more spots appeared. The compost I used I bought it from the store, as in a sealed bag, so I guess the soil is sterile.

I'm attaching a picture of how it looked today. Notice the leaves on the foreground and the background are affected, but not the one in the middle, nor the small ones down the stem.

Is this something I should worry about? Any help is greatly appreciated!
Thanks!


texts:
I bought this small spruce for Christmas (the label said it will grow up to 1m tall), it's a Picea Glauca 'conica'.

I recently replanted it in a bigger container, because it looked quite constrained, and had many yellow needles.

While transplanting it, I noticed very wet root conditions, so I tried to keep it quite dry the rest of the soil and pruned the lower branches to improve aeration. I used Peat Moss, horticultural sand, some compost and little vermiculite.

Well, apparently it isn't liking it, or it suffered the stress.

Also, it can be important info, it has been unusually hot in the last two weeks. Now it's going back to normal UK weather. Any ideas?


texts: I want to plant capsicum in a pot.  Is it possible?  If yes is a pot of 5 litres enough?  Also how much  does the plant grow?  Please help.


texts: What are these white powdery patches on these lilac leafs?

texts:
A lilac bush was destined for removal and I separated as many cohesive root and shoot bunches as I could. I planted some immediately and potted others, almost all of which are doing well. I notice one in particular has a white powdery substance on the surface of most of its leafs, which appears to have spread over the course of a few days but then more or less stopped changing its extent. Wiping it off with my fingers, it comes off pretty easily. I separated it from the other trees and took some photos:

In the last image to the left of my thumb you can see some of the powder I rubbed off with my thumb. It didn't have a noticeable smell.

Any idea what the substance is and how I should respond to it for the plant's health?


texts:
I bought potting soil well over a year ago, and left it open (inside the plastic bag) in my rooftop. I live in the Caribbean so it would receive strong direct sun every day.

The soil was relatively dry and had clumps. It’s been there so long that weed, growing inside the plant, made a hole in the plastic bag.

Is this soil still usable?


texts: How long before fruit tree grafts begin bearing fruit?

texts: If I graft a scion from one apple tree onto another mature tree, how long will it take for the graft to begin bearing fruit?


texts: For how long succulent mix should stay moist?

texts:
What will be the acceptable duration of sogginess and moistness for the succulent mix to be soggy and then moist?

I thought succulent mix should become dry after a few hours. My succulent mix (succulent mix + Pumice) is still soggy after 6 hours of planting and not sure how long it wil lstay like that. The pots are quite wide but shallow and has a drainage holes. I watered them thoroughly after planting and the water ran out quickly.

White pot: The height is 2.5" (soil filled till 2.25") and diameter of 7".

Blue pot: The height is 3.5" (soil filled till 2.75") and diameter of 7".

Pics of soil (all pics taken after 6-7 hours after thoroughly watering):


texts: Moisture sensors in connection with drip irrigation

texts:
Living in dry California, we are about to redo our front yard with native plants only, each of which is getting a drip, for about a dozen plants per irrigation channel.

I'm trying to to figure out a good way to determine whether the plants will get enough water, while attempting to not water any more than necessary (this being California in a drought)

Naively, I'd say "let's give every plant a moisture sensor, bury the wires with the drip irrigation tubing, and have the controller figure out how long to run each channel based on the needs of the driest plant".

Has anybody ever done such a thing, without breaking the bank? If not, how would you go about doing it?

Thanks!

Update: The gardeners are redoing our front yard as I type this, but I haven't found a good approach for measuring moisture. For now, I'll have them bury sprinkler wire along each of the drip tubes; if and how it will be connected I don't know yet.

If I find the time, I'll create some moisture sensors similar to this and hook them up with some version of the 1-wire protocol, which requires very little cabling, so my sprinkler wire should be sufficient. A Raspberry Pi or such would collect the data in my garage, and publish it via WiFi. This would join my Rasberry Pi-based pool timer which has been in production use for >2.5 years now.

If you read this, even a long time from now, and are working on something similar, please get in touch. I'd love to collaborate!


texts: Can the castor oil plant (Ricinus communis) build up toxicity in my soils?

texts:
I am doing some experimentation with Ricinus communis, which I know contains the toxin Ricin. Through my own experience and research I am not concerned with interacting with the plant or touching it. Do I need to worry about a build-up of toxicity in my soil?

I have tried to research the topic, but my knowledge of chemistry isn't enough to be able to understand the information I am getting back. This chemical formulation should just decompose back into available non-toxic organic matter, right?


texts: Lawn top dressing - how much and how long does the grass need to get through?

texts:
I have a very low spot near a pathway I just built and a pile of soil that resulted from the excavation of the soil. I want to put the soil over the grass that is there, but I would like to know the answers to following questions:

Is it a good idea?
How long it will take the grass to get through, especially now that is very warm?
How much soil to put over?
Should I do this over just mowed grass or over longer grown grass?

In general, I have some lower spots which are not bald to say so (no grass) but where I would add soil just to make the spot level.

Update: picture showing the area, left side of that path


texts: Are there any methods of fixing transplant shock?

texts:
It's been 2 weeks since I transplanted my chilli seedlings:

Why have my chilli seedlings stopped growing?

They don't seem to have gotten over their transplant shock yet.

Googling seems to mostly mention methods of avoiding transplant shock. With the exception of watering your plant with a sugar solution[1] and providing extra nutrients.

Are there any other methods to speed up recovery?

[1] 1 tablespoon of sugar to 1 cup of water.

Update:

My chilli plants appear to be starting to do better now. I am not sure if doing nothing would have achieved the same result, but light fertilisation certainly did not have an adverse effect.


texts: How should I move a plant indoors without bringing in bugs?

texts:
I live in a mild climate area and occasionally move indoor plants outside or vice versa.

One succulent I brought into my office seems to have a colony of some kind of tiny flies in it. I've been waiting a few weeks hoping they will die out, but they're still climbing all over it. Oh well.

Another potted plant I intend to bring inside has numerous spiders living and hunting in it. In the garden this is fine but I don't want them in the office.

What steps can I take to get harmless but bothersome insects and spiders off a plant before it comes indoors? Will an application of neem oil work?


texts: Soil seems to be constantly moist even with days without watering

texts:
I had this old pot filled with barely used soil and left it unused for years. Now I'm using this soil for other plants but it seems to be constantly moist which isn't good for species of plants that require cycles of dryness and moisture or good drainage such as basil.
The pots I use are able to drain well and for other pots that have fresh soil I see that they dry out usually when not watered which is good compared to the soil that does not.
I live in a hot and sunny desert country so I'm surprised that this soil is able to hold on to moisture so well and stay wet for many days regardless of what container or plant it stays with.


texts:
I bought this 3 weeks ago in the final closure sale of a nearby garden center.
As the business is now gone I can't go back to ask for details.

All I know about this plant is that supposedly it likes full sun to half-shade.
It has grown about 10 cm (4") in height in the 3 weeks that I have it. It started at 45 cm high (18").
The leaves all seem to be 8-lobed and the largest (shown in the picture) is about 20 cm (8") across.
The main stem doesn't seem all that sturdy and may be prone to breaking in some wind. The bamboo cane, that holds it upright, came with the plant.
The red tufts on top and the yellow flower-like growth beneath that only developed in the last 2 weeks. When I bought the plant it only had some reddish-brown "buds" (for lack of a better word) at the top of the main stem so these tufts and flower like growth came as a complete surprise.
It looked a bit boring and I only picked it up to have enough plants for the "20 plants for 15 Euro" deal.
But it looks quite funky now and I really like it.
Can someone identify this plant for me?


texts: Why do some of my nectarines have missing skin and deeply damaged interior sections?

texts:
I have an approximately 4 ft tall baby nectarine tree. Some, but not all, of the fruits, have large areas of missing skin, and deeply damaged dark interior sections.

I live in zone 9b in Northern California.

What could be the problem?


texts:
We've had a minor fruit fly infestation for a couple of weeks now, and we've been setting out traps and paper and being more careful about keeping food under wraps. But they've persisted... A couple of days ago, looking for high-traffic areas, I finally found that they were extremely numerous around our indoor aglaonema!
Naturally we've set traps there, but I wonder if we can also kill the food source. It seems like it puts out some kind of long fat pods, which research suggests might turn into flowers except this gets very little light, so who knows if they ever will. The pods seem to secrete a sticky, probably sugary sap, which I guess is what's attracting the fruit flies.
Should I just nip these off? Will I harm the plant and/or my chances of ever getting flowers?


texts: What kind of dust can I use in my vermicompost?

texts:
I'm using african nightcrawler worm and I've been thinking whether all kinds of dust can be put in vermicompost. For example:

Household dust
Dust when I cleaned my laptop, computer or electric fan.
Dust from outside of my house (Includes sand, dust from house construction)
Etc.


texts: What to do with a slender, tall Basil plant? (how to make it "bushy"?)

texts:
Am a complete gardening novice, any level of information welcomed!

Have been trying to grow Basil - it is now very tall and skinny and woody - I think from initial neglect. See picture:

Question: how to make it shorter, and bushier, and self-standing. (it has become so tall that I have had to add a vertical support to stop it falling over.)

It is also starting to flower, unsure of the significance of that, should I remove them?

Thankyou


texts: Name of this Plant and Care recommendations

texts: I bought this Plant three days ago from Plant Nursery, but unfortunately they didnt mention the name of this plant. So i brought it home and cleaned the pot and just places under growing light.


texts: Can I trim my canary palm trunk or is it a lost cause?

texts:
Below is a canary palm in my front yard:

I had a tree trimming service some out and trim away the branches. They didn't do anything to the trunk though - I asked them to come back out, and the guy said that the trunk couldn't be trimmed because it's gotten into such a bad condition, which seemed plausible I guess. The trunk is very "sheddy", as in, I can put on gloves and grab a handful of the trunk and it just tears away. He said he could put his hand about a foot into the shedding, and if we tried to trim it, there'd be nothing but softness on the inside (and I guess not safe?).
I was probably expecting something more like this - clean and trimmed to the core:

So my question is this: Is my canary trunk a lost cause? Or was he giving me the run around? He also said to trim the green bush on the trunk, I'd have to call a landscaper not a tree trimming service. Does this all sound right?