texts: Does commercial (bagged) soil eventually expire/die?

texts:
I have several piles of commercial, bagged top soil and potting mix that have been lying in my garage for at least 10 years. I'm doing some renovations and can really use some extra soil for some new garden beds and filling some pots.

Is there such a thing as this soil being past its prime?

It's a typical garage in Central Florida: hot and humid all summer, typically dark, not too cold in the winter.

I'm wondering if I'm working with suboptimal materials trying to make use of this stuff in my garden.


texts: Is this Prince's Feather or Love Lies Bleeding?

texts:
Last year, I planted from seed a mix of red flowering annuals. I did not notice any of those annuals selfseeding, except one. That one reprodeced itself all over the yard, several hundred times. The plant in question is, I gather, a red-purplish flowered amaranth. To my delight, it attracts butterflies. It is also edible, although I dont plan to eat it. At least it is not poisonous.. Is there a way to figure out the exact species, so that I know more about it.?

A view from above:


texts: Discolored blackberries, any solutions to fix this?

texts: There is a blackberry bush in my garden, UK, its fruit is ripening at the moment, but many of them are discolored. I read that sunscald could be one cause, it does get direct sun for a lot of the day, and unfortunately I cannot move it as its too large. I have also wondered if it could be insects, but so far the only insects I have seen on the blackberries are one or two spiders, and what seems to be ants, who apparently only feed on already damaged blackberries. I have seen that the ants bulbous part on their body looks see through or partially see through on some them, but they do look just like ants. I have taken photos of the discoloration as well as the ants/insects. Is there any way to save the blackberries that haven't ripened yet? Some of the bunches of blackberries look almost 100% black like they should be, but many are like in the photo. thank you


texts: Marguerite daisy leaves are turning yellow and drying

texts:
Identification:

Most likely a "Marguerite daisy" or some member of the "Argyranthemum frutescens" family.

Symptoms:

Leaves are turning yellow and then completely dry

Conditions:

Located in Central Europe, Budapest
Weather is around 30-32 degrees Celsius these days
It is on the sunny side of the building (9 am to 6 pm), but a roof casts some shadow and direct sunlight is a few centimeters away from the plant, but it is still very bright all day. Gets direct sunlight for a few hours a day, when the roof doesn't block, in the afternoon.
Watered every morning and every night 3-5 dl of water. Usually its tray has some spare water.
Dry leaves are cut off
No nutrition is applied, only water

What practices shall I change, remove or introduce to the daily routine to make it feel better and alive?  Thank you very much.


texts: Can wild columbine and myrtle (Vinca minor) be planted together?

texts: I have both columbine and myrtle (Vinca minor) which I bought for the side of my property along the drip line (lead-contaminated soil so no edibles there). Can I plant them together or will the myrtle choke out the columbine (or vice versa)? Any guidelines for planting? (a few small bushes are already growing there and plenty of day lilies available for transplanting).


texts:
I live in the north of England (where it's fairly wet) and have a section of lawn near a fence that is quite mossy and boggy.

I cannot put any drainage pipe in, because the only place to run the water would be into the next door neighbour's driveway ... the run-off water already heads that way but to put in deliberate pipes would not be a good idea.

It has been suggested that I plant a line of shrubs or bushes along the fence line to help dry out the soil.

I have talked to the local gardening stores (who were not very informative) and searched on Google (but I don't know the right search terms).

What I am looking for is a plant that grows no more than 6ft high, preferably 3-4ft and likes water. The current suggestion is a large number of different colored heather (which so far is looking possible).

Update: The site is along a fence line. Width is anything up to 18in or so. It gets the sun from early morning till late afternoon. Not sure about the soil acidity at the moment. It can be built up if needed. I would classify the soil as very soft and damp for most of the year.

Update #2: Width could be wider if I can get a better looking border. The reason the lawn is wet is that any rain (and we tend to get a reasonable amount) falls on the patch of grass outside my fence (public land) which then flows down onto my lawn and then off to the neighbour's. My lawn is flatter and hence the water pools there. The sewers and fresh water supply pipes are far enough away from the wet patches and should be fine, I have recently had the plans from the council detailing where they are. The area does begin to dry out if we have several hot days in a row, so I think that if we actually get a summer it might dry out completely.


texts: Are Pink Brandywine and Sudduth strain tomatoes the same?

texts: The label on my packet of Pink Brandywine tomato seeds has no mention of being Sudduth strain.  Are they the same thing or should I get seeds specifically labeled as Sudduth strain to get the real thing?


texts: Is it possible to design a garden that is free from insects and pests?

texts: I live in the tropics and love plants, esp. those that have air-purifying qualities and those that are edible. However, I have a fear of insects. My home right now has been free of ants, mosquitoes, cockroaches, rats because I have no plants at all, both inside and outside. But I’m building a new home and with larger land size, I hope to have a garden. With so many advances in science, are there truly effective ways to avoid insects, worms and rats? (I do know some can be beneficial to a garden)


texts: Acidifying water for acid-loving seedlings: Calculating the best bang-for-the-buck

texts:
I have water that is at a pH of 8.0. I want to acidify the water to a pH of 4.0 (for the purpose of watering acid-loving seedlings).

I have two products that I can use to acidify the water:

Lemon Juice:

$12.47 * 13% tax = $14.09 per container
The volume of the container is 3.8 L
It takes 15 ml to acidify 1 L of water to 4.0 pH

Citric Acid:

$22.99 * 13% tax = $25.98 per bag
The weight of the bag is 2.27 kg. Note: according to my measurements, the dry granules equal a volume of 2.3 L (I did not add water to form a solution for this measurement).
It takes 1.25 ml of dry granules to acidify 1 L of water to 4.0 pH

Which product is more cost effective at acidifying water?


texts: Can I use the gathered sticks from my yard for "to-be-compressed landfill landscaping"?

texts:
What is the harm of mixing common natural materials (wood, vines, roots, rocks) in with soil for
landscaping?
On first thought, it seems compressible objects like wood will compress (and decompose) to maybe
half of their volume in the long run, and low-density objects might wiggle their way up to the
surface.  Is there some other bigger effect (e.g., grass on the top will not keep sufficient water)?
To be more specific, I need to refill some dips which have formed on a hill due to erosion (for
which water drainage has just now been improved, so assume that this erosion problem is now gone).
The natural solution is to fill the dips with soil and plant grass on the top.  But, I have lots
of yard waste which I could use like a landfill, so I was thinking to mix the soil with tree
branches/leaves (maybe even a ground-up tree stump) and compress it by repeatedly walking over
it and watering it.  That mixture might be 30 inches deep and, after all of my compression steps,
I will add a top 6-inch layer of pure soil (and plant grass seed in the end).  So, can I then
just plan for a compression of roughly 10 inches over the next decade with no other side effects?
My hope is that I just need enough soil in the mixture to fill in all of the air gaps.
It even seems like I could use an extreme mixture with almost no soil (causing maybe 40%
air in the mixture) and then simply design for more compression - Are there really no
other side effects in this extreme airy case?
In other words, why go buy a ton of soil when I already have a ton of yard waste?


texts: How to make concrete blocks secure in raised bed garden

texts:
I bought some concrete blocks and laid them out like this. The aim is to build a keyhole garden.

Now I'm concerned that some could fall over. I've got a very curious German Shepherd who could hurt herself if she knocked one of these blocks over. How can I reinforce the blocks? Would filling the holes with sand or gravel be good enough? What about rebar and sand/gravel? I'd rather not use something permanent like cement.
Yes, I will need to build a fence to keep the dog out but I want to reinforce the structure anyway.
I suppose I could remove the top layer of blocks. Would the structure then be stable enough?
I did see this question but it doesn't quite address my situation.
Cement Blocks for Raised Bed?


texts:
What has been people's experience with microclover/grass mix lawns? In theory they sound incredible, but I'm afraid that the clover will be so hearty that it will take over the entire lawn.

Here's an example: http://protimelawnseed.com/collections/sports/products/rough-ready-eco-turf

I have a large dog, three young kids, and a 4,000 sq ft backyard. I want something that can deal with the punishment, keeps the weeds away, and is easily maintained. It doesn't have to look as nice as the front yard.


texts: What is this pest attacking and killing a douglas fir?

texts:
My parents had two 40 year-old douglas firs in their garden in Berlin-area in Germany. One has died in a process of 3 years and has now been removed.

It all started with some resin bleedings in 6 meters high 3 years ago. Then the needles got brown. This year the tree did not recover at all.

While removing the tree we found an insect and we are wondering whether they are the cause and what can be done to prevent the other tree from dying the same way (it has just started to bleed as well).

Unfortunately we did not take a picture and so we can only a drawing to help identification. The insect measures 15mm long and 2mm large. It was all black and connected to its head it had a kind of shovel. Which might have been used to dig into the tree and making the wholes which lead to the bleeding.

"schwarz" means black, whether it had 6 or more legs we are not sure anymore. Two of them had been kept in a box for about 4 week without dying.

EDIT: I got the information that the tree stopped growing already 5 years ago (no new top growth has been observed since, whereas the neighbor tree continued normally (up to now).

No black sap has been observed coming out of the wounds. Only clear resin.

Here's a picture of the sad moment (click for a full-size version), right is the still active tree now showing the same symptoms apart from the growing stop.


texts:
Click photo for full size

These plants are growing all around my new house. I am wondering if this burr infested plant is anything that is worth keeping or if it is just a weed that sticks itself to everything (including my cat)

What is the best way to go about removing this nuisance (all 20/30 of them) if it is a weed?

(The location is in eastern Iowa.)


texts:
We wintered a potted cherry tree outdoors, but brought it in during the month of March.
It leafed beautifully, but we were gone for 2 weeks and I fear it didn't receive enough light. As a result, it has lost it leaves.
Is there any hope for this tree?


texts: Why is my pecan tree only producing tiny fruits?

texts:
For a couple of years, my pecan tree has been yielding tiny nuts (3 cm/1 inch in length), and only a few of them.

I live in a Mediterranean climate, and the last few summers were somewhat harsher than the usual. Can this be the cause? Can it be nutrient deficiency?
The tree seems mostly healthy, and has been bearing fruits for a couple of decades.


texts:
I am a new homeowner in Dallas. and I am mowing my lawn for the first time. I have bermuda grass in my lawn.

In between, especially in the area of bare spots, I see cluster of grass blades, connected to one root system.

I am having hard time understanding if it is a weed or some other grass type. Looking online, looks like it could be crabgrass or bluegrass. Can anyone here see the picture attached an help me know what it is


texts:
I have a sickly apple tree and am not sure what I should do to try and revive it. I've attached a few pictures below.

We live in Arizona, so it gets a lot of direct sunshine and there is a tap right next to it, which makes watering very easy.

Experienced gardeners, I need your help:

Can you tell what's wrong with it?
Can it be rescued? If yes,
What would you do next?
How frequently would you water it?
Would you fertilize it?

Thanks in advance!


texts:
I'm looking into setting up an aquaponics system, which requires me to acquire a large tub (on the order of 250L, relatively flat) to use as a grow bed for the veggies. Does anyone know where I could look to find a source of such tubs? Perhaps disused from some other purpose? All those I've seen commercially seem exorbitantly expensive for what they offer.

In addition, I've read something about "food grade" materials (usually regarding plastic) for this use. If the containers are not designed for growing good, how can I determine whether the material is suitable?


texts: Please help me Identify this weed and what herbicide can I use to get rid of it in St. Augustine Grass

texts:
I would like to identify and kill the weed shown in the image below and pointed out by the red arrows. It has very thing leaves compared to the St. Augustine grass and has these puffy type seed sprouts.

What is this weed? What is the best way to kill it in St. Augustine grass?

Thanks! Any help is much appreciated as this weed is starting to really take over. I am worried it is starting to choke out the grass :(


texts: What should I do with yarrow once it has stopped blooming?

texts: Do you deadhead yarrow? If you do, do you just tear of the tops, or do you cut them all the way down the stem? Or do you simply save seeds somehow?


texts: What problems will result from overgrowth of cable eye bolts in silver maple and tulip trees?

texts: Will allowing a cable eye bolt to become overgrown damage the trees or must the cables be replaced?


texts: What would be eating my lettuce plants, and leaving some other vegetables alone?

texts: I planted 6 lettuce plants and this morning 3 of them are completely nipped. Do you know if they will grow back as only a little bit of the leaves are left. Also how do I protect the rest? I also have cabbage and cauliflower in the same bed and they left most of them alone.


texts:
Looking at this answer made we wonder again about why we don't compost dog and cat faeces. Any guide to composting will always caution against including dog (and cat) excrement (examples here and here).

Is it simply that pet faeces are dangerous to human health? Or do pet faeces not actually have much composting value in their own right?


texts:
Received this cactus and couldn't find it online what cactus this is. Care tips would be nice.

Location: New Delhi
Pot size is 4"


texts:
What gems/plant is this?

I picked up this branch in a forest past winter. The white gems(?) are still intanct after three month, without water provisioning. Location: northern Italy.

Here is another pic of the inside, with scale. I have no image of the plant


texts: How can we improve the soil to plant a garden where a shed once stood?

texts:
I just recently tore down a shed that had been in my backyard for the last 20-30 years. I would like to use that spot to build my garden (vegetables, herbs, etc). The problem is that a combination of animals have been using it as their home. We discovered skunk and opossum scat and nests, and it smells awful.

Any recommendations on how to prep the soil for a garden to be planted next year?


texts: I have a couple of goats I like to let run around my yard, problem is I have a few flowering plants out there too. The goats seem to target these heavily, I was wondering if there was some way to keep them from eating specific plants/groups of plants? They get all the free choice hay they want at their pen, so I know they're not starving.


texts: What is causing the yellowing on my English Ivy's leaves?

texts:
Same unfortunate newbie from this thread

I have some ivy plants that two weeks after transplant are yellowing of the leaves and starting to look rather sad.  These were purchased as full size plants that were being grown indoors in the nursery, so not much change in light was transitioned to my home.

I'm wondering if perhaps I might be overwatering them?  Would a stint outside help?  Is this something I should worry about?


texts: Why didn't my maple leaves change color in the fall after transplanting?

texts:
I just bought and planted an October Glory maple sapling with a trunk about 1.5" in diameter. I did everything the nursery worker told me to while transplanting it:

I dug a hole twice as wide as the plastic tub it came in.
I removed it from the plastic tub and sliced the edges of the attached roots/soil with a box cutter every 90°.
I used a mix of 50% soil from digging out the hole, 30% good topsoil, and 20% mulch to fill in around the roots.
Before planting, I tilled a circle of about 10' in diameter around where I planted the tree.
I mulched the tilled area, and made sure not to pile up mulch around the trunk of the tree.
I've been watering the surrounding area well once a week for two weeks now.

The tree had plenty of green leaves and looked very healthy when I planted it. However, the leaves turned brown, shriveled up and fell off this week. They didn't turn the bright red that they're supposed to. Other trees in the area are just barely starting to lose leaves - most of them are still in the process of changing color. Should I be worried that my tree is dying, or am I just paranoid?


texts: How do I determine what the soil conditions are where I live?

texts:
I am starting to get into gardening since I have a bit of garden space for the first time. When I do research online, I often see recommendations for plant soil quality like "rich, porous, somewhat moist soil" for Hydrangeas. I imagine that soil quality varies by region and climate.

How do I determine what soil I have, so that I can optimally choose what plants will grow best in my area?

I live in Swellendam, South Africa, however I am interested in a more general guide rather than details specific to where I live.


texts: Can any no root plant set alive by putting its bottom part inside a banana and wait for few days to see if roots comes out? Or it can happen to only specific plants and not all plants? if have a plant that has hard broad stems and no roots as i picked it from a big tree (now wanted to use as my indoor plant), can this plant be grown roots that way?


texts: Our lucky bamboo has turned yellow in a very short time, after we've had it for almost 2 years. We've trimmed all yellow leaves, and changed the pebble to clean the green algae - what else can be done? Why did this happen and what can we do to save it?


texts: I am on day 3 of hardening my cucumber seedling. They were initially out today when it was overcast and then is suddenly turned sunny and I went to check on them after about 45 mins of on and off sun and realized that some of them had leaves that were turning white and drying up (browner folding on the edges), same with one of my eggplants. My squash, tomatoes, herbs and everything else look okay. There was plenty of water in the pots (I had watered them before they went outside). Will those ones survive and what caused them to do this?


texts: How to spring reseed cool season grass + pre-emergent herbicide

texts:
I did a bit of lawn repair last Fall in our front area, which was a reasonable success. I am thinking of doing the same to other parts of the lawn. I know that Fall is the best time for this kind of lawn repair in western Massachusetts, but the big patches of brown area (that used to be occupied by crabgrass) made me very much interested in trying something this Spring.
The timing seems tricky. If we put down the seeds now, then by the time they can be mowed two or three times, I am afraid that crabgrass will also sprout. If we apply Scotts fertilizer with pre-emergent herbicide now, then when will we be able to seed the new grass? How do people repair lawn in the Spring?
We probably should not have used the dethatcher, which managed to pull a lot of dead crabgrass out and left big patches of exposed soil.


texts: Sundew leaves are becoming brown - should I move it to a larger pot?

texts:
Three months ago, we bought this sundew in a small pot. As told by the seller, we watered it with purified water poured below the pot. Now, its leaves are becoming brown:

I thought that maybe I should move it to a larger pot. But, I was told that it needs sterile soil, and all I found in the gardening stores was the usual soil (that comes with some fertilizers).

What should I do? Is it a good idea to move the sundew to a somewhat larger pot with a standard gardening soil?

EDIT: I understand that standard gardening soil is not good for a sundew. I did not find clean soil in gardening stores. Where can I find clean soil? Can I e.g. collect sand from the seashore?


texts:
Here are a few pictures of some trees in my yard. I am trying to determine what type they are. I'm fairly certain they are some type of poplar tree. But I am not sure of the specific type. This is in New Hampshire and it is fairly close to some seasonal wet lands.

click any picture for full size


texts: Could I grow a Sochi tea plant (Camellia sinensis) in zone 6b?

texts: I saw a Sochi tea plant in a catalog that was hardy in zones 7-10. Since I am in zone 6b, I was wondering if I could successfully grow these without wrapping in tar paper or anything like that. I am down in a valley, so there wouldn't be much wind. The space I would have for it would be right next to a south-west facing untreated pine siding wall. If it would help, I could put on a shredded wood mulch. Would this be a good idea, or a waste of money?


texts: New fungus or mold on my basil plant soil

texts:
My husband and I are new to gardening. We bought a basil plant a month or so again, and we've been cutting it and starting new plants. Today woke up to this weird mold or fungus. I can't seem to find pictures of it anywhere online, and I also can't seem to upload pics of my own. But it's pale orange/white. It kind of looks like Ritz cracker crumbs. It's in 3 separate localized areas on the soil at the base of my basil stems. We don't over water, just give it a good soaking every few days when the soil feels dry, but yesterday we had quite a rainstorm. My phone said it'd be light rain so I left the plants outside -- I had calendula growing in pots without drain holes, which flooded and I had to do "emergency gardening" and replant them. Is this just from too much water from one day? It's in well draining soil, and in a pot with a large hole with rocks at the bottom.
Help! Do I leave it and it'll go away once the soil becomes really dry? Or do I need to scrape it off and/or an inch or two of soil out? I sure wish I could post pics!


texts: I recently bought a house in a rainforest and the garden is almost completely covered in morning glory. It pulls off relatively easily but I'm conscious that I'm not getting the roots and it will only grow back. Is there any way I can get rid of it without fire bombing the whole area?


texts: What is a good method for planting Ball and Burlap trees?

texts:
This is when the tree is dug (usually using a tree spade), and the root ball is wrapped in burlap for short term storage. It can be in a wire basket, usually if the ball is large. The burlap is typically tied tightly around the root flare using twine.

How should these be planted, for the lowest amount of transplant shock, and a strong start?


texts: Please identify and give suggestions on how to get rid of it

texts:
I live in West Texas. The white fluffy plant is taking over mostly in Bermuda areas. But it is starting to move into st. Augustine areas. We have BIG, decorative plants that have the same type of white fluffy blooms. I'm thinking these could be offshoots of those
Please identify this and give any help on how to control it.

Thanks for ANY help you can give!


texts: What's wrong with my house plant? (Chamaedorea)

texts:
I should start with the fact that I know next to nothing about plants and plant care, but I'm keen to learn and keep my plants alive!

I have two indoor palm type plants, one has been doing absolutely fine and is twice the size as when I bought it, the other though has just been slowly dieing over the time I've had it, which is probably about a year.

Here's a pic of when I got it:

And here's a sorry looking pic of it now:

I don't really know what's wrong or how to save it?

The care instructions said it doesn't like direct sunlight, so I keep it further in the room away from the window. I water it when the soil gets dry. It was a bit waterlogged at one point and I fixed that but not sure if that's what caused this. There was a lot of dead leaves so I removed them hence why its now much smaller. I've just noticed its a bit dry so will give it some water.

Hoping I can save what's left and bring it back to its former glory?

Edit: managed to find the store I bought it from to get the id, it's a "Chamaedorea" The Little Botanical


texts: Unhappy Brighamia Insignis, how do I help it?

texts:
I recently bought a Brighamia insignis, also known as a Hawaiian palm or cabbage on a stick and I’m worried it’s going to die given it’s rapidly deteriorating condition. If anyone is able to help I would be so grateful!

The plant took 4 days to be shipped and initially looked healthy. However, the next day several leaves had turned yellow and dropped. I read online I should remove these, so I did. The next day, more leaves drooped and turned yellow.

It’s currently in a spot which gets bright, indirect light and I haven’t watered it yet as the pot still has moisture about 75% of the way down and the plant is meant to be quite drought tolerant.

I’m guessing the plant is in shock from being in the dark and moving to a new location, but I’m worried it will die.I want to know if I should stick to my guns and wait for it to improve or if I’m doing something seriously wrong with the care for this plant and I should change something up? As mentioned above, any help would be welcomed!


texts: Is there anything I need to worry about when growing the mulberry tree?

texts: I tried to get some sea berries for the yard, but my parents made me send them back due to the suckering/invasive nature. Do I need to worry about anything with the mulberry tree similar to what I had to worry about the sea berry bush?


texts: What is this plant that resembles a tomato with dark veins and stem base?

texts:
I was given a portion of a flat that has starts that resemble tomato plants, except that they have dark veins on their leaves and the base of their stems is the same dark color.

What could they be?


texts: Potted Salix has only produced leaves at the end of the stems so far this year

texts:
I was given a potted salix last year and it grew well. So far this year, only the ends of the stems have leaves (probably about 25% of the length of the stems). There are nubs along the stems where I would expect the rest of the growth to appear, but no sign of anything further.
I topped up with compost a couple of weeks ago. Am I being impatient, or do I need to do something else to encourage more growth. The leaves that have appeared look healthy and green.
Thanks


texts: I've had an amaryllis bulb in a pot for about 5 years now and the bulb hasn't been doing much for, I reckon, over 6 months. When should I consider getting rid of it? Could it have run its course?


texts: Tilled under buckwheat, how long to wait before replanting?

texts:
I planted a small plot to buckwheat as a green manure / cover crop this spring. Today I chopped it down, put the cuttings in the compost, and tilled the stubble under.

I'd like to make another planting of buckwheat (it's only 40d to flower), but I'm wondering if I should wait before I replant or would it be ok to spread some seed tomorrow?


texts: How can I control Viburnum Beetle on my Snowball tree?

texts:
I have a mature Snowball tree (Viburnum opulus) that is stripped of its leaves and severely weakened several times a year by the viburnum beetle. The Royal Horticultural Society recommend several pesticides but, unfortunately, they are all in spray form, and my tree is too tall for me to spray. Can anyone suggest a suitable systemic pesticide that I could apply to the soil around the base of the tree? Many thanks.

Update: Apart from a sprinkling of skeletonized leaves, the tree has escaped the ravages of the dreaded beetle so far (just when I was about to go to war!); I put this down to the prolonged winter freeze-up which must have wiped most of them out - Fingers crossed!


texts:
I planted three bulbs in a small vase, around 20 cm diameter, without a drainage hole. I planted them in November, outside under a roof, facing East, and watered them when the soil was dry. I'm in Amsterdam and the weather was cold, but not as cold as it usually is. Blooming was on time in the fields.

Since the season was particularly rainy this didn't happen often (even though the vase was under a roof). I got the tulip plants to grow up to 15 cm, with three green sprouts that seemed to be in perfect health, as the blooming period approached. Then, in just 10 days, some yellowing appeared on the borders and the tips, and it spread to the whole plants. This is the final, sad result that puts my efforts to grow something in the dust. Poor things.

What did I do wrong? It is the first time I tried to grow something. Also, do you think these bulbs can still be reused next year?


texts: Is the fruit from this plum blossom tree edible?

texts: I live in Melbourne, Australia. I just recently bought a new house and in the backyard of this house there are 3 plum blossom trees (at least that's what I was told they were by the estate agent). The tree had bright pink flowers when it was flowering in spring and now it is bearing fruit and they certainly look like plums. The fruit started out being light green on the outside and a lot of them are turning dark red which I am assuming is the colour they turn when they ripen. I am attaching a few photos of the tree, leaves and the fruit. Could someone please help me identify the type of plum blossom tree it is and also more importantly, is the fruit edible?


texts: How should I sow bulk seed on sun-baked concrete-like bare desert ground?

texts:
I feel like every time I sow seed, the germination rate is really poor.

I live in an extremely challenging climate, with 7" of annual rain, dry and windy springs, scorching desert summers, freezing winters, and concrete-like bare earth that I'm desperately trying to cover in something. Here are the methods I've tried over the past three years:

Throw seeds on bare earth (0% germination, seeds wasted)
Throw seeds on bare earth, then cover with 1/2" of mulch (mulch blows away; 0% germination, seeds wasted)
Throw seeds on bare earth, then cover with 1" of mulch (maybe 1% germination; most shoots can't penetrate the kind of heavy wood mulch that won't blow away in high wind)
Throw seeds on top of purchased compost or topsoil (maybe 5% germination)
Throw seeds on bare earth, then cover to maybe 1/8" with purchased compost or topsoil (seems like maybe 20% germination)
Throw seeds on bare earth, then cover with a lot of topsoil (maybe 20% germination, and costs a lot of money in compost or topsoil)
Mix seeds into purchased compost or topsoil and spread that around (seems like > 25% germination, but extremely labor-intensive and expensive)

As for what I'm seeding, it's all climate-appropriate tough native plants or introduced drought-hardy plants. Examples include Western Wheatgrass, Siberian Wheatgrass, Blue Grama Grass, Curly Mesquite grass, Purslane, and American Vetch. Some of these are not cheap, so the low germination rate is disappointing. When I do manage to get them to grow, they perform as expected and need no irrigation once established.

I'm seeding in the spring or fall, and where I can, I water daily to keep the top inch or two moist while I'm trying to germinate them. Still, the results aren't great, especially in my very large backyard where I can't feasibly water. Is there some trick I'm missing?

Edit: my goal is not to grow a lawn or anything silly like that, but to return the land to its native state: a scrubby high desert rangeland that looks more or less like this:


texts:
This vine is growing up around a sycamore tree in my yard. Mainly I am concerned that it is something that is toxic. Just want to make sure it isn't likely something that will make me break out in a rash before pulling it. I'm a little gun shy since my recent bout of poison ivy.

Maybe it is just the fact that the leaves themselves look like they have some kind of rash on them. =)

Oh. I probably should mention that the vines are central Texas. Might help on to ID them.


texts: Caring for Edelweiss (suddenly started withering)

texts:
I recently bought a pot of Edelweiss in central Switzerland, in a village at an elevation of ~600m. The plant was looking healthy enough and was one of about a dozen pots ligned up outside the shop in the heat and dust and sun. They didn't look like they were taken particularly good care of, nor like they needed it.

I brought the plant back to Zürich, where I live (on the Sonnenberg, at about 540m above sea level). The plant looked undisturbed after the drive home.

Day1: The evening I got back I watered it the tiniest bit, and put it in front of the window so it would get a lot of sun. The next day was hot (~32°C) and sunny, and I went out, and when I came back it was absolutley shriveled.
Night1: I got scared and figured low turgor means too little water, and thus watered it a lot (and afterwards read online that you should not water it too much...) still, overnight the plant recovered quite a bit. Afterwards I added some chalk to the earth - having read online that Edelweiss likes chalk.
Day2: The next day I decided that maybe it needed more fresh air so I put it outside in a sunny spot. It was hot (~30°C) and sunny again, and again when I came back the plant was all shriveled.
Night2: I decided to see if it recoveres at night if I do not water it, which it did (albeit somewhat less than the first time over).
Day3: I decided maybe too much sun isn't good for it after all (though all I read seemed to suggest the opposite) so I tried to put it in a sunny, but somewhat less exposed spot which gets shade in the evening. Fortunately (or so I thought) today was also a bit cooler (25°C) and cloudier. Aaaaand when I came back the plant was more shriveled than ever, and a few leaves started turning yellow and brittle.

I'm at a loss, the only obvious conclusions atm seem that Edelweiss is either a nocturnal plant :D or that it was befallen by some misterious malady unrelated to the way I keep it :-/

Come on, this is a plant that grows somewhere on some cliffs where it gets scorching sun during the day, really cold during the night, and the occasional torrent of rain, plus, this particular one lived on some street for a while (and God knows where before that). How could my subalpine front yard have killed it? Do you have any suggestions what I could do?

Pictures:


texts:
I have this plant in my living room, but I don't know what kind of plant it is. I have had this one for 3 years, and it's the first time it has bloomed.
Could you help me identify it and give me some advice on how to encourage it bloom more.
I haven't changed anything in the way I take care of it. I've been keeping it in the same place and watering it with tap water.


texts:
I'm very new to gardening and just bought an anthuruim from a nursery.

However, when I looked closely at the leaves, I found that it has some white spots.

I'm really worried if I bought an infected plant. I tried washing the leaves with little water and my fingers, but it didn't help. With no idea and no tools at my disposal, what are my best options now?

Also some of the other leaves have brown spots and turned yellowish. The nursery guy told me it's common and they will eventually fall off like any other plant. But again, is that what is supposed to happen with anthuruims?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.


texts: What's happening to these repotted plants?

texts:
I started these from seed indoors under a grow light. About two weeks ago I potted a few that were doing well, and now it looks like they're getting sick. The first image is arugula / rocket, and its leaves are getting gray and dry at the tips, almost like they're mineralized. They crumble to the touch. The sage in the second picture looks like it's starting the same thing.

My suspicion right now is the soil. It's about a year old, and I checked here beforehand and people said it should be fine and come back to life once rehydrated. Maybe something nasty set up shop and now it's attacking the plants?

My only secondary hypothesis is that the lawn rocks I put on top might have leached something into the soil after the first watering.

I'd like to know what's going on before the rest of my seedlings need potting.

edit: these plants are now outdoors on a table, with direct sun for about 8 hours per day. The soil was kept in its original bag, but it was outdoors in the shade.


texts: Does limiting plant size decrease life-span?

texts: So, I'm looking into growing plants indoors(specifically, trees such as Meyer Lemons and possibly apples). It's my understanding that a plant's size can be limited by keeping it in a small pot, and trimming it's roots if it becomes root-locked. Assuming this is all correct, would this decrease the plant's life-span? If so, would it mature faster as well?


texts: One of my plants apparently collapsed under its own weight, and the stem is clearly broken, where the plant stem meets the soil (a bit under it apparently). I think that if I move it and twist it for 30 seconds or so, I may be able to detach the whole plant. The plant looks healthy though. Do I have some chances of recovering it or should I just make pesto ?


texts: What tomatoes should I sucker, and which ones shouldn't I?

texts: I'm familiar with tomatoes having two types, determinant, and indeterminant. Which ones are which, and how should I treat them differently?


texts: Plant sitting two orchids and need advice

texts:
I'm charged with keeping these two orchids alive this summer. Neither look really great right now. The first is a phalaenopsis that was a Christmas gift with beautiful blooms in December.

The second is several years old, and has a tag that says Lc. Maxima's Aflect 'Arbec'

Both look kind of leathery and the second one has some yellowing of two leaves.

They are indoors, in good indirect light.

What is the best way to water and how often? What else can I do to at least maintain them?

(I don't have a good track record with orchids.)


texts: How much water to use for very large indoor pot?

texts:
A while ago I rescued a couple of large cast iron plants (Aspidistra) from a dumpster. The largest pot is 38cm in internal diameter, about 30cm deep. Even that pot is probably a bit small for the plant - there are stems very close to the edge almost all the way around.
I'm struggling to know how much water to use, and even how to apply it.
Typically, with my smaller pots, I water until it runs out the drainage holes, presumably getting most of the soil moist. But I'm not sure how to do that for a plant this big - I'm guessing that would be several litres of water, which feels a bit ridiculous.
Similarly, the "add water when the top inch of soil is dry" doesn't seem like a great metric for such a big plant.
How do I approach watering here?


texts: It is moving into my perennial garden from the woods and I would like to know if I should try to get rid of it or will in grow and allow my perennials to survive. Can I get rid of it? It is moving very quickly into the garden.


texts:
I have a Chamomile lawn that in its 2nd year is beginning to look the business.

Was wondering if there is a recommended 'feed' for it.

Also wondering how much care i should take regarding winter and frost danger?
(is it hardy enough to survive?)


texts:
I had ordered blue rose seeds online. I got 5 seeds. I chose 3 seeds and sowed them in a small pot with soil and have been watering them for last 2 weeks. I have kept the pot indoors, covered with a white dish.

Am I being impatient and should A wait a little longer?
Did I get a bad deal from the online seller?
Have I done something wrong while trying to germinate the seed?

I have kept other two seeds in plastic bag which I will try plant again if these three have gone horribly wrong.

Weather: 15 deg cel to 35 deg cel currently.

Location: Pune India


texts: Which kinds of herbs can be grown in flower pots?

texts:
I don't have a terrace garden, so I was wondering which kind of herbs
can be grown in "flower pots"?

My balcony gets abundant sunlight in summers and zero sunlight in winters.

The herbs I wish to plant are:

Fenugreek
Coriander
Green chilies


texts: What is this houseplant with narrow, pointed, waxy leaves?

texts: I got this plant, but I have no idea of its name. Which plant is it?


texts: What is the name of this "zombie plant"?

texts:
When I moved into my flat a couple of years ago, there were a couple of truly pathetic-looking plants. I went to the local (in Scotland) diy home & garden store, and bought a bag of potting soil called "Black Magic". I thought at the time it was quite expensive for "dirt", but for reasons I cannot recall, I bought it anyway.

The most pitiful of the two plants I inherited looked to be some sort of a succulent. It was so dry I could find no evidence of a root system, and I assumed it was dead. There was a small clump of dry, crusty "brown matter" where the root system should have been. But the pot was small, and as I had only one other plant in "intensive care", I elected to try some of my just-purchased "Black Magic".

I began to notice changes within just a few days. I didn't think to take any "before" pictures of this pathetic little plant, but about 2 months after the "Black Magic", this is what I had:

What is the name of this plant? Is anyone aware of the ingredients in this "Black Magic" potting soil - how did it manage this?


texts: I have just bought myself a Aleo vera plant for my room and i was wondering, could i collect rain water and use it to feed my Aleo vera? Or should i just feed it tap water? Im very worried about it.


texts: What are these potted trees with leafy branches beginning a few feet up a narrow trunk?

texts:
I saw these trees on Google Street view, and I really want to know what they are. They are located outside the back entrance to the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, California.

I may be able to physically visit if more detailed pictures help in identifying the trees.


texts: Ragweed that has lost its' bloom and now has a cott0n type substance

texts: Why does ragweed develop a cotton type of substance before it had a yellow flowers. It did have worms which I took care of with water.


texts:
I want to keep the tree kind of short. I want it to look like a mushroom on top, then in the summer just trim the bottom.

Is this possible?


texts: How do I remove weeds and prevent them growing between the bricks in a paved area?

texts:
I have noticed that there are weeds growing between the bricks in a paved area in my garden, as shown in the attached picture.

How do I remove them? Is there anything I can do so that I can avoid them growing in the first place?


texts: I planted tomato plants about three weeks ago - most of them have been doing really well, but this one is having some problems (pics attached). The watering system waters daily. I weeded the area + applied fertilizer- is it a nutrient deficiency or disease?


texts: Taming the jungle, power heads vs old fashioned "weed eater"

texts:
I have a back yard I need to tame.  Lots of Kudzu and small brush (< 1/2" diameter).  Growing up we always used the old fashioned string trimmers. However going to shop now I see very, very few "string trimmers" and lots of "power heads" which you have to buy attachments for.  Which is better to purchase for clearing?

(Poison is not an option, I'm strictly concerned with manual removal).


texts: I found this caterpillar and was wondering if anyone could identify it. Is it poisonous/dangerous? Would it be good or bad for a garden soil? This was found in Australia. Here is a photo.


texts: What is this tan-coloured cup-shaped mushroom found in northwestern UK?

texts:
I found this tan-coloured cup-shaped mushroom growing in my back garden on the concrete behind the bin. I'm in the northwestern UK and it's been very wet here recently.

What is this mushroom? Is it dangerous?


texts:
I have an indoor jalapeno, cayenne and birds eye chillies which I planted from seed and moved indoors at the end of summer. They have become infested with tiny bugs which live on the bottoms of the leaves mostly (see pic):

This happened before, and after I sprayed the plants with soapy water they seemed to disappear only to reappear a month later! Any advice on what they are and how to get rid of them would be greatly appreciated!

Also the jalapeno plant has been developing brown/purple patches (see pic):

I have been using Chilli Focus Plant since last week, and prior to that was using a tomato plant feed that apparently matched chilli requirements quite well.


texts:
Our lot is very sandy and has many ant colonies.  We have skinks living near the house that eat the ants.  I would like to:
A) keep ants out of the house
B) not harm the skinks

My plan is to dust the perimiter of the house with diatomaceous earth.

Will the diatomaceous earth harm the skinks in any way?

My concern is if the skinks either eat an ant with D.E. on it or otherwise ingest or inhale the powder.


texts: Can I touch the leaves of my pinguicula?

texts: Is it safe for both me and the plant if I touch the leaves of my pinguicula plants? Are there any precautions I should take or things I should avoid doing?


texts:
Plant is a few months old but I recently repotted it to a bigger pot. There is new leaf growth but some of the older leaves are browning at the tips. Plant has lots of indirect sunlight, I water it every week or so, and occasionally spray its leaves with water.

Is this normal or am I doing something wrong? There are more healthy leaves than browning ones, but I'd like to catch any issues before they get worse.


texts: How to know my apple is ripe enough to collect it

texts:
I have planted an apple tree (Red devil) this year , and it have some fruits (10-15). When i check the internet it says its Harvest period is first half of sep. When i tried one which was almost red color , doesn't seemed ripen enough.But some day i can see few fell down on ground (Not sure how) which is having slugs..
    My main worry is how to find my the best time to collect it from tree itself.


texts: Is drainage needed for a new lawn on compacted clay?

texts:
I am in the process of creating a lawn at the back of my house. The previous owner had paved and stoned the area. The size is about 30ft by 40ft, it is raised from the level of the house by about 2ft, with steps leading up (see pic 1). It was 50/50 split of stone and paved.

I have removed the membrane and most of the stones from the stone area. I have lifted up all the patio flags and now there is about 4" of hardcore that was supporting the flags. I can also see from the level of my neighbour's garden area that the previous owner has dug down about 6-7ft to create this space (see pic 2).

What this means is there is no top soil. As the area has been dug out to 6-7ft the base is compacted clay. A few stones from the stone area are sitting on top of the clay and all hardcore remains from the flag area.

What is the next step after clearing this area? I was thinking I could just level out the stones and hardcore over the clay evenly. Get top soil for about 6" coverage and then sow seed. Is this enough or do I need to do anything extra regarding the clay? Do I need to consider some type of drainage?  After some rainfall I can see a few areas of water that have not cleared after a day.  These aren't large areas, just a few puddles.

Pic 1

Pic 2

Any responses appreciated from novice gardener


texts:
I recently had trouble with the throttle on a two-stroke engine. It ran fine once I fixed that, but I didn't have time to till right then, so I turned the thing off.

It rained the other day, so I put a tarp over the tiller. It may have gotten a bit damp.

Then, after the rain, I tried to start it again. No luck. The engine turns over with the pull-cord and the spark plug sparks. It makes a slightly different sound when I close the choke. And I can definitely smell gas when I try it with the choke open, so it's getting fuel. The air filter is a little dirty but no worse than it was the other day when I started it successfully on the first or second pull.

Any ideas? It's definitely got the right kind of gas/oil mixture, though I do have to use 10% ethanol (only option).


texts: My brother posted this picture from his yard asking the title question.  Does anyone know what the fruit is?


texts: What are these mushrooms growing in the mulch around my orange tree

texts:
I have 2 or 3 types of mushrooms growing in the mulch around my orange tree near Houston, Texas (UDSA Zone 9a). What are they? The the last picture is actually 3 clustered, I haven't pulled it up yet because the bugs on it.

1:

2:

3:


texts: What is this flowering tree/shrub with red flowers?

texts: Does anyone know what the name of this plant is? It was about 6 feet tall but I thought it died so I cut it down and it has since regrown out of the stump that was left. It has very wide leaves on it.  I’m located in Jacksonville Florida.


texts:
I found this mold growing on two of my garlic cloves today. I have planted the garlic in a pot indoors at least two weeks ago with two others. I water it only when I think the soil feels dry, the ventilation is not ideal, and the cloves seemed perfectly healthy before planting. The plants still feel firm and strong. I did some research and I think it's blue mold but I'm not sure  as it seems to be missing some symptoms. Any idea what it is or what steps I should take to remove it and save the garlic?

Thank you in advance.


texts:
I'm interested in knowing how to save the seeds of the common strawberry, Fragaria × ananassa.

At which point in the ripening of the fruit are strawberry seeds ready to be harvested, and how are they removed and cleaned? Do they need cold-stratification? How long do they store under good conditions? I assume berries picked green (such as many found in the grocery store) will have under-developed seeds, and poor germination. I have access to high quality, local fruit.


texts: What is this vine with clusters of black berries, found in Southern Illinois?

texts:
I've been working on controlling the edge of my backyard, since it borders a wooded area, and there's a bunch of invasive vines growing everywhere. While I was chopping back some of the underbrush, I noticed that on one of the bushes there was a vine that has berries on it.

I thought it was a shrub at first, but when I looked at it again, I noticed that it was actually a vine running around the shrub. The vine has pairs of rounded leaves running along each side of if, with clusters of small black berries running along it at about 4-inch intervals.

I live in Southern Illinois, Zone 6.

Here are some pictures (Click for full-size):

I don't know if this view helps at all. It's kind of in the mix of a bunch of vines.


texts: Building a concrete divider for a lawn/garden bed

texts:
I have a garden bed in between my fence and my lawn, seperated by a row of two bricks in an "L" arrangement.

I'd like to replace the bricks with a concrete divider similar the picture in this post - a curved concrete 'rail' with a 'step'.

The shape of my garden bed is very similar.
Is this a DIY task I'd be able to achieve by myself?


texts:
Our neighbor has the tree in the picture, and he offered to let me cut a section of it so that I can regrow it in my yard.

Where should I cut? Or does it have seeds that I can replant?


texts: How do you transition a guava from a yard in Florida to a pot in Boston?

texts:
My father, who lives in Florida, recently gave me a guava that was growing in his back yard.  He potted it with soil from the ground and tossed in into the back of my van to bring home to Boston.  This little stick with leaves looks pretty sad.  The leaves have wilted and dried in spite of having been watered; even the tip is dry and brittle.  The internet tells me that guavas can grow happily in containers but I'm afraid this one hasn't transitioned well from yard to pot.

Questions include: Has it past from this life? Is there no hope? What can I expect if it's not dead? How long should I wait to see if anything comes back? What can I do to encourage the little guy to pull through? In general what should I do? I have no guava experience.


texts:
Are these basils? If so, what kinds? (When there is more than one kind of plant in a picture, I'm asking about the one in the center.)
Thank you.


texts:
Can you please help.  I have two Wellingtonia (I think that is right) in my garden.  One is around 195ft and the other slightly smaller.  There is a wooded area around 10 metres away and I believe they are trying to offer this up for development.  Would this cause my tree roots damage.

Regards

Hilary


texts: how do I modify the square foot gardening method for a community garden with mushrooms also?

texts:
I'm building out my community garden concept this year, and was wondering how I can use square food gardening to grow mushrooms in the walking paths, and vegetables on the sides with none of the same plant roots touching unless they're on the same plant while incorporating the layering technique (like a forest).

I plan to hugel mound where the plants grow to and in the paths put about 2 inches of manure, then 3-4 inches of wood chips, then some 2-3 inches of hay, then about 1 inch of wood chips above that. with a holy watering pipe on one end on the lower layer of wood chips to aid in water distribution (think of the  Geoff Lawton Jordan project with rotational weekly produce aisle).


texts: My small roses have suddenly shown some problems. I recently transplanted them in a bigger pot, because they looked quite cramped in the old one. It's been very hot this days, so I am wondering if it's a problem of sun, watering or potting mix.


texts: How to revive plant whose base is mostly dead, but with one thriving section?

texts:
I have a couple of plants (one Asplenium oblongifolium, one Calathea Louisae Freddy) which were once medium sized plants, but through neglect, most of their stems died. As a result, there is a big base with the stumps of many old dead stems, and just a couple of (very healthy and actively growing) stems. The Asplenium has been stuck in this state for a year or two now, with three fronds - occasionally a new one grews, but then sometimes one of the old ones dies.

I'd like to get the whole plant growing healthily again. What should I do? Do I cut off the dead bits so it has room to grw?


texts: How do I treat a rose tree that appears to be in shock but still has rose hips and has plenty of root suckers?

texts: I have two Sunny Knock-out rose trees that were transitioned from pots to sunny landscape areas in the front of my home. The trees appear to be in shock. If not for the Sucker roots extending above the ground I would have thought they were dead. Should I cut the sucker roots and the rose hips off or should I just leave the trees alone for now? The rose hips remain from last fall.


texts:
It's an annual, growing to about 10-20 cm. It does not seem to flower, unless some of the pale green growths are petals and not leaves; but it does spread.
It is easily killed with a hoe, unless it's too close to another plant. I can't eradicate it as new plants keep appearing.
The location is England.
I have looked at lots of pictures of weeds, but found nothing like it.


texts:
What I have here is a plant which is being affected by something which is making certain spots of its leaves appear to be unhealthy.

Does anyone have any idea what's going on? Is this something that needs corrective action?


texts:
I have what I think is an Acer palmatum that has been in a large planter for 2 years now but this year 2 of its branches have turned brown from green and shed all their leaves.

The planter is 64" x 24" and 24" deep at its shallowest point. It sits on top of an old broken concrete patio and is deeper beneath the Acer. It's well sheltered. It gets sun most of the day but will be mainly dappled due to the surrounding foliage. There are 5 other plants of the Alpine variety. The Acer's leaves are variegated green and cream with pink tips.

I am in the UK South London.


texts: What are all these spots on my succulent?

texts:
This disease whatever it is has infected all of my succulents and now they are starting to die from the bottom up (lower leaves begin to shrivel).
Any idea how to stop it?


texts: What should I do with a leaf that was almost torn in half?

texts:
I'm growing pepper plants on my window sills, and yesterday had a minor incident.

While reaching over one of the plants in the bathroom, to close the window above it, my foot slipped and I caught myself by grabbing the window frame, while doing so I crushed a leaf between my arm and the frame, and tore it almost all the way down the middle, lengthways.

Should I remove this leaf it? Leave it alone? Something else?

Here's a picture of the damaged leaf:


texts: Will pimento plant grow in direct sun in outdoor?

texts:
I have a pimento plant that I bought at a grocery store. I'm thinking of transplanting to a bigger pot and moving it to my outdoor terrace.

We live in the Caribbean. We currently have about 85° weather and it will get hotter and sunnier during summer. The plant will get shade when the sun rises and sets, but it will get direct sun the rest of the day (except at night).

Can pimento plants live in this type of environment?

Thanks.


texts: Small white growth on indoor plant pot and in soil

texts: After I potted my indoor Fiddle Leaf Fig tree - a few days later I noticed a strange white growth or webbing of some sort alone the bottom of the pot where the water would drain. I’ve been trying to look up different pest infestations but nothing really matches what I am seeing in my plant pot. Is also in the soil between the soil and the pot. Is this mold? Fungus? Eggs? Not sure what to do. enter image description here


texts: Pepper plant sprouted with upward growing roots, why?

texts:
Okay first off, neither I nor anybody else uprooted the pepper plants. Yesterday, I saw a brown end on two of them which made me think that maybe they sprouted without leaves, since I had a tomato plant sprout without leaves once and the top of its stem was brown until it got a set of leaves. This morning though, I looked again at the pepper plants and I saw roots growing upwards! I have no idea why that would happen. I mean, I knew that plants can move to a certain extent, but uprooting themselves seems like an impossible feat. I was understandably worried, because I have heard that if the roots of a plant are growing upwards, the roots are going to get dried up, too much light exposure and the plant will die.

The stem is still bent down into the soil, but I know that within a day or two, the stem will push up and out of the soil. I checked the pepper plants again this afternoon and now I'm starting to see roots pushing into the soil. But there is still a significant portion of the roots that is up in the light. I have heard of people doing plant surgery to fix this upward growing roots problem, but I don't know how to do plant surgery and I don't want to risk it with my pepper plants.

So, why would a plant sprout with upward growing roots and are the 2 pepper plants that sprouted with their roots growing upwards going to be okay? I'm growing them indoors in a controlled environment until they are mature enough to safely transplant into the ground.


texts: A good trailing plant to hid a used, but ugly table

texts:
I have a table in my garden with a couple of shelves in it.  It's pretty unattractive and the stuff on the shelves doesn't look too good either.

Is there a good plant that that would cover this up?


texts:
I’m fairly new to gardening but purchased some cactus’ last year. I noticed one started to develop a white spot on the side of it. I isolated this cactus into its own pot. Any idea’s what it is or what can be done to possibly cure it?

Other info:

I live in Texas.
The cactus is typically outside unless it is too cold or it is going to rain.
I water it once a month, unless it rains enough.

Thanks in advance!

~ Colin


texts: How can I stake tomato limbs after they have been growing on the ground and heavy? I have most of the plant in a cage but some escaped and when I try to put it in the cage, it breaks. I am a new gardener!


texts: How to maximize the fruit yield in a small garden

texts:
I have a small backyard - around 100 square meters. I want to use a part of it to plant some fruit trees. What fruit trees should I pick in order to get the maximal amount of edible fruits per year?

The following information may be relevant: the garden is in a hilly region, about 800 meters above sea level. The temperatures in the winter (in celsius) are about 5-15, with about three extreme nights where the temperature at night is below 0. The temperatures in the summer are about 20-30. The humidity is about 70% and there is a fair amount of rain, but I am going to have a computerized watering system.

EDIT: here is a plan of the garden. The garden is green and the house is blue. The numbers are in centimeters. The black discs are sewer covers.


texts: Do all Katsura trees (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) have seeds/pods?

texts:
I'm trying to figure out if male Katsura trees (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) are "cleaner" in terms of the seeds/pods they shed in the yard versus the females.

Do all Katsura trees have seeds/pods? Or is it just the females that have seeds/pods?


texts: What are these sticky droplets and pests on my persimmon trees?

texts:
Some of my persimmon leaves have tiny sticky droplets at the back of some of their leaves. It is late spring here in Japan and leaves are green. Droplets show up on small leaves with pinkish colors but some larger green leaves have droplets as well, likewise on back side of their leaves. Some sources say these are called honeydews and is the proof that plants are infected, and they are; last year I had a massive pests outbreak and my baby persimmon trees (1 to 2 year-old) were nearly annihilated. I have seen only several of those pests this year (they are only up to one millimeter in length and hard to get rid of) but they will soon multiply unless I do something. So my questions are,

What are these droplets?
Are there any links to pests (is 'honeydew=infection' theory correct)?


texts: I recently transplanted some tulips bought at wilko, in a mixture of irish moss peat, compost and a little vermiculite. The last week has been unexpectedly hot, but I tried to water them regularly and noticed a very fast drainage, actually. This is their condition now. Is this due to their exposition in the full hot sun? Or to lack of water? Or the mix I used? Thanks!


texts: Dealing with a large tree swamped by ivy

texts:
On the boundary of our property are trees approaching 100 feet high. Some are badly infested with ivy to the extent the canopy is almost solid and the trunk and branches are twice their true size, blocking out a lot of light.

The ivy is as thick as my arm at ground level. Clearing it from the tree is not practical but would cutting it at the ground have any effect? Is there anything I could put on the cut ends that would get sucked up and poison the plant higher up?


texts:
While watering my rose plant this morning, I noticed it was covered in tiny brown bugs:

They're on most of the leaves of the plant. What are they? Is there anything I can do? The plant is currently kept inside - should I move the plant outside to avoid an infestation?


texts: How effective is a phosphonate treatment for phytophthora dieback?

texts: I found on the Internet that the fungal disease phytophthora dieback can be treated with phosphonates. I am asking how effective this treatment is. If it's not very effective, is there any other effective treatment?


texts:
Located in North Carolina. Mostly a fescue lawn. well established, some new sod from last fall, some new grass seed from this spring. Let, I have weeds. Some areas of my lawn are fighting a good blanket of what looks a variant of spurweed.

I hear Trimec works well. will Trimec affect/kill/damage my existing grass, new grass, or germinating grass? (fescue)

Thanks.


texts: Can I transplant a shade-growing lilac into a sunny spot?

texts:
All of the lilac bushes I've ever grown have been in the sun. I assumed that was important for their survival.

When cleaning up the yard yesterday in preparation for spring planting, I found a lilac in an area that gets very little, if any, sun, especially on a regular basis. It's under large branches from a pine tree, and has some shade-loving plants and ground cover around the base.

The bush is healthy, and beginning to show buds, so obviously it's thriving. We don't need or want it in that spot though, as we can't see and enjoy it. Can I transplant it to a sunny area near our others, or does it need to be in the shade? Is it an anomaly, or are there shade-growing lilac varieties of which I was unaware?


texts: Is it Possible to Correct Slump in Stone Retaining Wall?

texts:
My stone retaining wall has slumped over time:

It may be a little hard to detect in pics, but it has sunk about two to three inches in middle :--(

I don't want to tear down and rebuild, nor can I raise area from below, e.g. via mud-jacking.  Is there a standard or an accepted way to build up/fill in the slumped area so the slope from left to right is again uniform and straight?  Aesthetics are only marginally important...


texts: Why are my germinating mimosa pudicas dying?

texts:
I planted five Mimosa Pudica seeds in soil pellet. Three started growing, but two of them died after two weeks. Why, and how could I prevent this?
I soaked the seeds in 30-35°C warm water before planting, kept them in a 18-25°C warm room after with plenty of sunlight, and kept the pellet wet. I watered it from the downside, about 5mm of the downside of the pellet stood in water all the time. Recently I found some tiny (6-8mm wide) white mildew colonies growing on the top of the pellet 1-3 cm away from the plants.
I must admit I'm a totally noob plantkeeper. If you need additional details I haven't think of, please ask.)

Picture:


texts: What kind of light is needed for moss and ferns?

texts:
I'm planning to set up a nano-vivarium to grow moss and ferns indoor like shown in the picture below.

My question is what kind of light is best or which lamps should I use? I don't have any experience with indoor-growing moss yet.


texts:
What is wrong with my pepper plants? Some of them are showing deformations on young leaves. See this picture:
Some of them are showing small holes or cracks, usually with brown edges. Some have irregular shapes, not the typical pepper leaf shape.
I can not find any signs of pests, except that I had a very minor case of aphids (less than 20 insects per plant) in the past two weeks. They are 99% gone now. Is this damage caused by them?

I'm watering once every 1-3 days depending on temperature. The plants are in pots outside on my south/west facing balcony. I'm using 3g/liter of FloraSelf Tomato Fertilizer:

(N)     6 %
(P2O5)  5 %
(K2O)   9 %
(B)     0,01 %
(Cu)    0,002 %
(Fe)    0,02 %
(Mn)    0,01 %
(Mo)    0,001 %
(Zn)    0,002 %

I just pulled one plant out of its pot and this is what the roots look like:

Any Ideas?


texts: Plants to grow over and cover up an ugly wall?

texts:
On my property there is an ugly wall/fence, made of concrete, with vertical pieces of concrete and gaps between, like a picket fence. but far, far less attractive.

I want to plant some plants at the base of a fence that will cover it. I'm looking for fairly invasive plants that will grow enthusiastically all over the fence, and cover it with an evergreen green covering, ideally with flowers at some point.

The fence is old and serves no practical purpose, so it is not a problem to completely cover it. I do not however want anything that needs maintenance - nothing that needs cutting back every year, is hard to establish, etc - only that needs trimming back if it gets really out of control in size.

The soil at the base of the fence is small, about a foot front to back, with hard surfaces behind and in front, so I suspect the moisture levels are not enormous, though not too bad as the soil is deep.

I'm considering a simple ivy, combined with some evergreen clematis armandii, but is there a better option? The site is in London in the UK, so plenty of rain.


texts: Are snails on spider plant a problem and how to get rid of them.

texts:
Today morning I noticed a pair of snails on my spider plant. They were very tiny (Almost unnoticeable). I don't want to kill them however need to know if they could cause any harm to the plant. If yes please suggest a way to get rid of them. Today I just caught them on a piece of paper and threw away.

P.S: I have some other young plants in my balcony (hibiscus, chilli, fenugreek). Do let me know if not killing them could be a danger to these plants in future.


texts:
As a very inexperienced gardener, what is the best way to de-weed a lawn?
Having recently moved into a new house, the garden is generally in a very good condition- the previous owners were obviously keen gardeners, and have taken very good care of it. However, there are a few weeds starting to grow on the lawn- I guess when you know you're going to be moving out, there's less incentive to keep at it...
The garden in my previous house had obviously been neglected for years before I moved in, so although I did quite a lot of work on it during the time I was there, that was mainly getting rid of the brambles, nettles and other weeds that had been growing wild for years- there was no lawn, just a soil bed, a couple of bushes/ shrubs, and whatever else had taken root. So I generally just dug out all of the weeds and strimmed the overgrowth to try and get on top of it.
But given that the garden in my new place is in very good condition, how can I best 'stay on top of it', to keep it in this good condition, and not let it get overrun with weeds, etc?
I did spray the weeds I saw that were starting to grow up through the lawn with some 'Roundup path weedkiller' a couple of days ago- which was just what I'd bought to try and get on top of the garden in my previous house.
In retrospect- perhaps this was the wrong thing to use on a lawn... although it has killed the weeds, it has also left dead patches of grass in the areas around where the weeds were growing.
So how can I best re-establish the lawn in the now dead patches where I have killed the weeds? Should I dig up the dead weeds, sprinkle new grass seed on those patches, or something else?
I did pop to a garden shop near me and pick up some Growmore, which is apparently general purpose fertiliser for all around the garden- should I just sprinkle that on these patches?


texts: What plant is this and how can I keep it alive?

texts: I am hoping to get some help with my succulent. I recently bought a little pot full of a few different types of succulents. It was already looking a little bleak, but one of the succulents seems to be getting a lot worse. They started out looking like little green sticks, but now the tops are starting to turn brown and the leaves are shriveling and falling off. The leaves are very fragile now, and they can easily fall off if I gently brush it. I am not sure what type of succulent it is.  My friend told me it might be Crassula Tetragona. I have also not had many succulents, so I am not sure if it looks like this because it needs more water or if it is something else. I have been watering it by soaking the soil and letting it dry, but I have watered it a couple times before it was dry because I was afraid that it was dying because it needed more water. I just checked the soil and it is still wet, so I am not sure what else I should do. Thank you so much for your help!! My dying succulent


texts: Will differently coloured rolls of turf become the same colour over time?

texts: I recently bought some turf rolls and on finding out I didn't have enough, had to panic lay some further rolls from a different vendor. These extra rolls are a deeper green than the originals laid, so will these blend in colour eventually or will there be a differentiation?


texts: Where can I grow magenta spreen lambsquarters?

texts: I just heard about the edible weed called magenta spreen lambsquarters, and was wondering where I can grow it for medicinal purposes.


texts: Making emulsion out of slaughterhouse waste

texts:
I have previously made fish emulsion to fertilize a small greywater garden; pretty much sealing fish waste (entrails, bones, skin) into oxygen-free plastic containers and leaving it for 6 months to a year, and using the diluted 'tea' as a fertilizer. I've just moved to a new island where fish waste is not that readily available, but there is a small slaughterhouse which primarily slaughters goats. Presumably the same process would still work using goat offal? Are there any other factors I need to consider?

Edit: I should specify that this won't be for foods which will be eaten.


texts: How should I prune a half-dead bush of rosemary?

texts:
I have inherited a garden in a hot and arid climate with a half-dead bush of rosemary.

As you can see in the photo below, a part of the plant is dead, but another is doing okay.

How should I deal with the plant to ensure the live part makes it? Should I simply cut away the dead parts? How should I deal with the roots?


texts: Is tilling or turning the soil frequently beneficial to plant growth?

texts: Tilling the soil with a small bolo is part of the conventional gardening practice in my locality, and I have been told repeatedly that I should till the soil regularly around the base of plants to encourage growth. This advice is contrary to what I have read in A Natural Farming System for Sustainable Agriculture in the Tropics where minimal tillage is listed as a fundamental principle. Based on your experience or readings, which practice is more beneficial to plant growth? Thanks in advance!


texts: Redwood planter - Should I treat it and how?

texts:
I just built a nice planter in my garden,

and would like to plant some flowers and edible vegetables (i.e. corn, tomatoes and more). Should I treat the wood and how?

Let me add a few details:

It's made of heart redwood
I live in San Gabriel, CA. Not very rainy or cold all year through.

I've been talking to different people and finding info on the internet but none seem to converge to a standard and recognized practice.

Some say that redwood does not rot and the only reason to treat it is to prevent it from freezing and cracking once it absorbs water.
Others say that you should treat it otherwise it will rot and stain.
Another option I was suggested was to use a plastic liner, especially if I want to plant edibles I shouldn't treat it and the plastic liner will prevent it from rot and stain. (But I feel that putting a liner inside would defeat purpose...)

Can anybody please help me figure out which, between all these options (or others if you have any), is the most reasonable thing to do? Considering I would like it to last at least 2/3 yrs and have vegetables growing in it.

Thanks for your assistance!


texts: What are plants that are good to grow in pots?

texts:
I live in India and want to have the balcony of my apartment look more colorful, fresh and blossoming. Can anyone suggest which plants are suitable to grow in pots, and how to care for them to encourage healthy growth?

Kindly suggest plants that emits oxygen as I live in the middle of a city and pollution is high.


texts: What should I be doing one month out to prepare garden beds for spring?

texts:
Woo-hoo! Starting to get excited... it will soon be spring again and looking ready to growing some good food.

Our spring begins in September which is about 5 weeks away so I am interested in finding out what I should be doing to my vegetable beds to prepare for planting in spring?

We have quite mild winters and I am in Zone 4. I can pretty much clear out the beds completely if necessary as I only have a minimal amount of carrots / radishes occupying beds and some beans which will need to be left, but won't be in the way.

Do I need to do anything to aerate the soil?
What type (organic only) and how much fertiliser should I be adding?
Should I start occasionally watering the beds? As the beds are getting dried out as we have relatively low rainfall.


texts: Do Landscape Designer/Architects require a license or permits in Canada?

texts:
I reside in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and wish to start out on minor landscaping projects, and continue to work my way up.

Do I need formal certification that is required by law to operate? I realize that there are courses available, but is a license required to operate? For softscaping, do I need permits? Do I need permits for hardscaping? As long as I do not touch any buildings, remove walls etc. do I need a permit to dig and modify outside land?


texts: Houseplant with clustered red berries at the bottom part of the plant?

texts:
I bought a plant but the seller does not know the scientific name of the plant. He says that it is a money tree, but can't seem to find a money tree that fits the description on the Internet.

It has clusters of orange-red berries around the bottom part of the plant and elongated dark green leaves.

Whole Plant Picture:

Fruits or Berries:

Leaves:


texts: I was reading an article on another website about seedling apple trees. It stated that a seedling apple could bear fruit as soon as 3 to 4 years, but that it might take another few years before the fruit is edible. I thought that once a seedling bore, the fruit on it was a true representation of any future fruit it would bear. Does anyone have any information about this?


texts: Can we take out the whole root of Aloe Vera and replant it during transplant?

texts:
I bought a Aloe Vera in a shop a year ago and I just use the pot that came with it, so obviously I don't know what is in the soil and their components.

Yesterday I felt that I should transplant the aloe because the plastic pot is broken and the soil should be aerated. So I took out the aloe and quickly found that the soil are mostly clay, stone and soil. The clay are so dry that they look like stone. This kind of soil is bad and I want to completely change the soil, however, the aloe has its roots holding on the soil.

Can we remove all of the soil from the root? If I remove the soil, the root cannot hold on the new soil immediately because the contact of the root with the new soil is no better than the case that the root hold on the soil by itself like a web.

Do you have experience of such transplant and come with no harm to the plant? If the root cannot hold on the soil, the plant will topple.


texts: When to cut tip layered raspberry & blackberry

texts:
I have some Raspberry and Blackberry plants I'm propagating by tip layering into new containers so I can give them to friends. The tips have been potted for at least 2 months, and now that a few baby leaves have poked their way up through the soil, I'm wondering if that means they have enough of a root system to stand strong on their own or if they still need to be attached to the mother plant for a little while longer? I don't want them sapping away energy from the mother plant if they can survive on their own...

When I do cut them, should I leave a decent length of the cane attached, or cut it at the soil line? Will it grow back out from the cut point as if it were a new cane of the daughter plant?


texts: We got a new puppy and she would chew everything is there something I can do to save my babies. !


texts: What are the easiest and fastest growing eatable plant you can grow in garden

texts:
The criteria I am looking for are :

very cheap plant/seed
grow very fast
give fruits very fast (if the plant gives fruits)
can replant from the plant itself (I don't want to buy seeds/plant ever again after my first planting)

Preferably but not required

be a superfood
can be planted in March, May or April

examples are :

garlic
ginger
mint
parsley

Specs :
weather : Mediterranean (south France)

I have done some research on the subject but want answers from experience

Finally, my question is different from this one


texts: What causes a slimy feel on Goji berry stems below a label?

texts: I was inspecting my freshly planted Goji Berry plants, and was wondering what would cause a slimy feel? It's between the plastic milk carton label, and the wood chips sitting at the base of the plant.


texts: Encourage Lavender Lady Passion flower vines to branch?

texts: We recently planted a Passiflora Lavender Lady vine in the ground and it's growing quickly up a trellis against a fence; but is there a way to encourage it to create more branches to fill out to become more full looking?


texts: How can I grow ivy (or a bush or other plant) in my fireplace that is low-maintenance and bug-repellant?

texts:
I've never gardened, but I do love design.  I'm moving into a new place that has an unusable fireplace, and I think it'd look amazing if it had a green, leafy plant filling the interior of it.  Since I've never gardened, I think one that is robust and requires little light and minimal maintenance, especially when it comes to bugs, is best.  Bonus points if it's a plant that is good for air quality as well.  Any ideas?  How should I go about it?

Preliminary research suggests philodendron or grape ivy: are these good ideas?  How long will they take to grow to fill a fireplace?  (I imagine the philodendron would grow up from the base, while I'd have to build a pot for the grape ivy and then it would hang down).


texts: I need to find out what type of vine this is because it is growing on a fence that my cats have access to from the inside. I don't want to be growing anything that is poisonous to cats. There are two types of leaves on the same plant it seems and it grows so fast you can almost see it. I live in northeast Tennessee. I planted some wildflowers but I feel like this is a weed.


texts: Black beetle identification, crawling on potato plant

texts: I need help identifying a beetle I found in my garden.  I've never seen them before, but suddenly today there were many of them crawling around my russet potato plants.  They were quite active and walking all over the place.  What are they, and do they pose any threat to my potatoes or other plants?


texts: What could have dug holes in my corn garden?

texts:
I planted some corn seed a few weeks ago and they began to germinate lately.
Then this evening, I found almost all of them got dug out!

The germinated seed are mostly left near the holes, but some of them are gone and there's no visible worm damage on the seed.

Maybe it's the birds, but the holes are about 3 by 3 inches and 1 to 2 inches deep.

What dug them up also knew exactly where they are. I planted them 16 inches apart and almost all of them got dug up at exactly where the seeds are.
And I live in the rainy part of the US Pacific Northwest.


texts: Tender fuchsias not coming back to life after overwintering

texts:
I have a collection of fuchsias, which are marketed as non-hardy so I have overwintered them dormant by removing all the greenery, pruning them hard and keeping them in the shed. I am in the UK and the winter has been quite mild but with a few months of fairly hard frosts. I brought them out around the beginning of March and one had died, several others are growing back nicely with varying vigour, but two have yet to make any progress. I can see that there is green in the stems near the base of the plant and they have started to swell and slough off the old bark, so they are definitely alive, but there is no trace of a shoot on them. One of the planters is small enough to fit in my cold frame, so I've put it in there to give it a little extra warmth. So far, no good. There was actually a light, late frost a couple of days ago but the growing green plants don't seem to have been troubled.

Is there anything I can do to encourage them to sprout again? Are fuchsias particularly keyed to daytime temperatures, length of daylight, or something like that which will come around of its own accord?


texts: Which soil types are the best and worst thermal insulators?

texts:
A lot of plants are supposed to do better with warmer roots. So, it stands to reason that they would do better with soil with poor insulation qualities during the growing season, and that they might have difficulty with soils that insulate well (and stay cooler underneath). Perhaps good insulators might be better during the winter, to help keep the roots warmer during the coldest periods. Perhaps good insulators would be somewhat of an advantage in areas with cool nights (to keep the soil warmer at night), although they might keep the soil cooler in the day. I'm thinking roots might venture deeper in soils with poor insulation (during the warm season, anyway).

Anyway, I'm wondering: Which soil types make the best and worst thermal insulators?

My personal guess is that clay would make the best insulator, and a more porous soil (although I'm not sure which) might be a worse one, but I don't know. I know our clay loam soil feels pretty cool if you dig in it, especially if you go very deep.

I'm not sure that any sources exist on the topic of soil insulation, but if we knew the answer, I think the knowledge could help gardeners and farmers a lot. Maybe I just didn't find them.

This could be particularly important for peppers and watermelon, although I'm sure most sources will
already tell you that they don't prefer clay. I imagine they don't normally prefer insulators generally. Also, it might be useful for areas where plants die because of the heat; perhaps cooler roots would help those.


texts: Why there is shiny substance around the border of my pepper plant leaves?

texts:
I planted some Serrano pepper plants few days ago. The plants were growing fine until I saw a transparent substance coated around the borders of few leaves. I tried to scratch some with my nails but it didn't came off.
I found some larvae under the shiny substance also. The affected areas also started to curl
I don't know how to get rid of those. Any help would be great.


texts: What plant should I choose to plant in a window?

texts:
I am from the tropics, to be specific, Mumbai. One of my windows (4ft X 4ft ie. 1.33m X 1.33m approximately) has an iron grill (about 6in --- 15cm --- square) and gets a lot of sun.

I want to plant a plant (or several plants) that will:

Be hardy --- survive a few days of no watering
Cover the whole window providing a shade (It need not be one plant, it can be multiple plants even in separate containers)
May be, generate some produce (fruits/ leaves/ flowers, etc.)
Be aesthetically pleasing

I want the total weight (container(s), soil, etc) to be as less as possible. So, it will have to be plants with shallow roots (less than 7in or so?)

Please suggest appropriate plant(s).


texts: How much water is lost in watering your lawn during the day?

texts: I've always heard not to water your lawn during the day and that the fine water droplets will evaporate before it is absorbed by the lawn (either in the air or while sitting above ground).  But how bad is it?  Is there a direct correlation to the temperature outside?


texts: I bought this bonsai tree recently and I'm wondering what species it is. As you can see from the picture it has white flowers. Thanks in advance.(https://i.stack.imgur.com/CNc15.jpg)


texts:
Is spent cat litter an appropriate source of nitrogen for compost?

The cat litter used is made of recycled paper pellets so is rich in carbon.
It doesn't contain the cat faeces because that is fished out once or twice daily with a net to make the litter last longer, so should not contain any significant source of pathogens.
It has quite a ripe ammonia smell to it (hinting it's rich in nitrogen, thanks to cat urine) by the time it's replaced in the litter tray, making me wonder if it could be added to the compost to hasten the breakdown.

If not good for compost, could it be useful anywhere else in the garden?


texts: What is wrong with my Philodendrons' stems and roots?

texts:
The stems of my Philodendron 'Brasil' are getting brown and soft. Is it some kind of disease? I'm growing them hydroponically.

Click photo for full size


texts: Please help. My plants look like this today.  Yesterday it's healthy


texts: What are the pros and cons of bagged mulch versus city mulch?

texts:
For the last several years, I've been getting mulch from the city (for free!). It's been great for the soil and super cheap (obviously). But, it seems to fade really quickly in the hot Oklahoma sun. This year, I was considering buying bagged mulch because I assumed that it would retain its color longer. So, a couple of questions:

Will bagged mulch retain its color longer?
Will bagged mulch offer the soil benefits that the city compost facility's' mulch offers?
Are there any disadvantages (or advantages) of one over the other?


texts:
I will post also as a general question.
Recently I received a bonsai tree. Can you help me identify what type is it? After few days I received it it seems weaker and with lots of yellow leaves. I need to find out the problem so for that is crucial to know the type of the bonsai I have.
On the pot I have a tag which gives me a general description of indoor bonsai like water regularly and keep out from direct sunlight but that's it.

I will add also a close-up of the leaves. Hope it helps to identify it.


texts: Is this shrub a rhododendron, and how can I help it to flourish?

texts:
My mom gave me this shrub/tree/bush a few years back.  She told me it was a rhododendron but had no other information.  I live on the border of Zone 4 and 5 in the Lake Michigan basin.  I planted it on the north east corner of my house in pretty much full maple tree shade.  It hasn't done very well where it is but it has bloomed twice so far (as you can see in the pics).

Does anyone know the common/scientific name?
Does this plant require full sun?  How much should I water?  How much should I fertilize?
I've never covered it over the winter, should I and how should I?

I've attempted trying to tie it up over the winter but the branches are so scraggly that I was afraid I'd break/kill what little remains.  Any help with this plant would be awesome.


texts: I have a 6’ x 7’ room (1.8/2.1 m) that I want to heat and light to bring my outdoor potted plants in for winter. How much light do I need? Will a 150 watt r40 flood light do the trick? Hibiscus mainly.


texts: I'm the same writer as This. I've been checking my scallions the past few days and well... They don't seem well... The Scallions on the top and bottom of the picture appear to be wilting or dying, and the one on the left doesn't seem to have grown much if any greens... I'm really worried about them. any tips or suggestions?


texts: Can roasted coffee as soil burn soft leaves?

texts: Yesterday I well fed my cannabis sativa (Wikipedia) plants with fresh shredded extra roasted Starbucks coffee under the assumption they will grow better, but instead of that this morning I saw the left half of my plant was abused and deeply shrunken. Is this because of the nitrogen in the coffee?


texts: What type of soil do cacti prefer? (acidic or alkaline)

texts: I have done some research and found some sites suggesting alkaline soil while others say that alkaline soil will inhibit the growth of a cactus.


texts: What is wrong with this cherry tree .. how to revive it?

texts:
It has been so  from last  couple of months.
Place:kashmir


texts: Transplanting Alocasia Odora Elephant Ears

texts:
Alocasia Odora elephant ears can form giant log/snake-like stems (link kindly provided by Colin Beckingham, thanks M8), often fallen over due to gravity.

Does anyone have experience with Alocasia Odora and know if I can cut that stem close to the ground or even midway to transplant? Will it form new roots, or will the whole plant just die?

I ask because the Odoras I want to transplant are growing on a concrete covered hill, so I can't dig down to the root ball.


texts: Is it too late to top this cayenne chili plant?

texts:
I'm trying growing out chilies for the first time (well, first time from seed, last year I bought some and aphids obliterated them after one happy month), and I'm having some mixed success.
The cayenne pepper has been growing much faster than the hotter variants I've planted. The plant looks happy enough, but the stem is quite thin and for a while it needed some support. I've read that lanky growth is sometimes caused by too much fertilizer promoting leaf and vegetative growth too early, so I cut back on that. I can see a sturdier stem with cellulose forming, but as a window plant I would be afraid to take it outside for a few hours on a good day, as I am not sure it would withstand any sort of wind.
This is what the plant currently looks like (just repotted). It gets all wobbly when moving the pot:

It has been started exactly two months ago (28/02/2019), which, in hindsight, considering how much sun the UK-midlands get, might have been a bit too early, but I was very eager (or was I?).
I've been looking at what I can do to thicken the stem and make the plant stronger. I've since removed the supporting stick and the cloth binding it to it (I've seen on this site somebody comparing support to an arm cast - your arm feels weaker when you remove it).
The one technique I've found used, especially on young chilies, aimed at promoting stronger stems and bushier growth, was topping (example with pictures). All the examples I found showed great glorious success. However, all of them were done on somewhat younger plants than mine, suggesting to top just after the first fork appears. However, my cayenne already made a second fork by the time I found out about topping, and it's putting out flower buds (better seen on the close-up below).
My questions are as follows:

Is it too late to top my chili?

I am leaning towards "not too late" here, and while doing it, I'm also considering trying to clone what I cut off while topping, as suggested in this discussion. (I think it's one of those things which will hurt me more than it will hurt my chili).
As I literally just repotted it, I would first give it 2-3 days (or more if needed, but the previous times it recovered after a day) for the repotting to take, and then top it.

If I am still on time, where do I top it?

My options here are:

Top below the red arrow (second picture), or at the thinner red arrow to leave an extra node. This is the ideal height around which I would like it to "bush", and it is below the first fork. But it means cutting quite a lot of things off.
Top at the purple arrows (on the same picture). This would be topping below the second forks. But it is quite high up the plant, and I am not sure if it would get the stem sturdy enough to allow it to support that height.

If it is too late, do you have any other suggestions on how to make the stem sturdier?

PS: In my research I've come across this post on chili pruning and topping, but that one is talking about pruning/topping in the spring, on old plants which have overwintered
PPS: (Bonus question) If I do go ahead and top it, I will definitely try to clone the parts I cut off - there is nothing to lose at all since I would be cutting them off anyway. Since they have flower buds on them, should I remove the flower buds from the potential clones, to allow it to route more power to the leaves and developing roots?


texts: Help identifying giant spurge like plant from Kew Gardens, Uk

texts: Another plant from Kew Gardens in the Princess of Wales conservatory that I couldn't find a name tag for. It looks to me like a giant version of the wood spurge I have that grows wild in the garden but It could be something completely unrelated. It was near all the Bromeliads if that helps and it was at least 6ft tall.


texts: What kinf of plants can survive only in hydrogel beads?

texts:
I would like to have advices and informations about the feasibility of my little project.

I would like to create a table with plants in it.

I'm planning to carve a rectangle in my wood table in order to fix some kind of tray under. Then fill this tray with hydrogel beads and fix a LED strip all over the edges.

Then (here comes the point) I would like to have plants living in there !

But as the table still needs to be... A table ! I'll cover that hole with some glass / plexiglass...

So what could be your advice against that project ?

What kind of plants can grow only in hydrogel beads ? (Is there at least one ?)
And which of them grow horizontally or at least not that tall because the tray won't be very tall ... ?

Here is a scheme of what I have in mind (Would be good if the tray was much smaller ... ) :