texts: Basil cutting didn't survive after planting in pot

texts:
I got two cuttings from healthy basil plant and put those cuttings in glass bottle. After  week(2 days before) i planted those two cuttings in new pot i used mixture of potting soil and sand. But it didnt survive.

please note that cuttings in pot only had 6-10 roots. I dont know if those were enough.

New Cuttings (01/10/2018)

This time i used cuttings with developed roots, and used Potting soil and one other cutting as used Peat moss + perlite as soil medium. Again both cuttings died. Both cuttings were inside home


texts: My marigolds wilted due to frost. Can I revive them?

texts: I live Edmonton, Alberta,Canada. I bought marigolds recently and planted them outside in the lawn, in weekend when the temperature was 20-23 degrees Celsius. Suddenly during the week the temperatures dropped to 0 and -1 celcius and it snowed. I tried to protect the plants by covering it with mulch. The plants at first seemed okay but slightly bent so tied them to a stick for support. Today they completely wilted. Is there anything I can do to save them? Thank you so much for your help


texts: My long stemmed rose is growing new leaves

texts: I had a long stemmed rose in a bouquet of flowers. The head had died so I went to discard the stem, only to notice new leaves were shooting out of it in 3 different places. I left the stem in the vase of water and came here to find out what to do next.


texts: Feeding Tomatoes via an irrigation system

texts:
OK, so I have set up my greenhouse with growbags and an irrigation system, and am having good results with growing several varieties of tomatoes and chilies. I'd prefer to automate the feeding of my plants though, so am considering adding a Venturi injector onto the main feed lines so that I can add feed directly via the drippers.
I'd like to know:

Is mixing Tomorite with every watering a reasonable idea or beyond stupid?
If it is reasonable, how should I adjust the amount of feed? The bottle says 4.5 liters + 20ml of feed per bag, twice a week, but for continuous feeding, I'm assuming I'd need to set the feed amount to some ratio that's much more dilute.
Has anyone done this and had success or problems?

ADDENDUM
I received a reply from the manufacturer:

Thank you for your email regarding Levington Tomorite.
As yet we have not tested this product with automatic irrigation systems so cannot offer any advice. Continuous feeding can lead to a build up of "salts" in the compost which can harm plants if not flushed through with clean water on a regular basis.

So to be on the safe side, rather than add a weak solution to the drip feeder, I'm going to opt to leave them unfed during my time away.


texts: Putting mushroom manure on top of clay lawn

texts: I want to add 3 inches of mushroom manure to the top of a small lawn with cardboard as a mulch underneath and a layer of leaves from the fall. There are other soils available that say that they are composted manure and sand but I wonder if they are actually city compost (which I don't want) and I'm not sure about horse/chicken manure. The mushroom manure has no sand but I'm wondering if it will be suitable. I don't have the energy to dig into the clay. We have quite a bit of rain where I live but not going to walk on it much.


texts:
I spontaneously adopted this succulent from a shop.
I've never grown a plant before.
I learned what I could from videos and people and the internet.
My request is for information, help me understand the things it will need.
I have tried:

to find out what plant it is
looking up different terratiums
looking up what grit, sand and soil are
asking people at the shop
asking people around me

What I think I know:

this is a succulent
it requires an 'open terrarium'
it requires air
it requires light
it requires a larger 'pot'
the pot should allow air flow
the pot should not retain water

What I know I don't know:

can it can get all the water it will need from good air circulation?
would help for me to give it water? what kind of water? mist?
what kind of substrate the plant needs.
if it needs grit.
if it needs a substrate.
if it can get all of its nutrients from the air and light.

P.s.
I will do what I can to give this succulent what it needs. If it wilts, perhaps it needs something. If it looks unhealthy, perhaps it needs something.
Please help me understand What it needs, I will do the rest.


texts: What kind of weed is this and how should I kill it in St. Augustine

texts:
I tried to take a closeup and a far away view. It looks a lot like the St Augustine but it's clearly not when looking at the root system.

Thanks in advance!

Edit: I think it might be crab grass. Can this be confirmed? Also looking for best way to control it.

It seems to be growing in a rough patch of the yard where the St. Augustine can't take hold.


texts: How to get regrowth on a magnolia stump?

texts:
the leaves of my Magnolia champaca shed and only tree stump is left... How do I get it to regrow?

It's been about 4-5 months since it shed its leaves i thought its winter hence but cant see any new growth to it till now... I check need the roots its not decayed (not turned black)... I added aquarium water, neem powder - still nothing... Any advise to get it going is welcome.


texts: What are the ideal soil conditions for planting giant sequoia saplings?

texts:
I've already germinated giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) seeds for 6 weeks.

What's the ideal soil conditions for planting the saplings?


texts: Reviving a lawn, needing some specifics on grass and ID

texts:
Good evening Landscapers. I hope you are all well. I've looked around the web and am excited to be here; I wish it was under better conditions. I'm a renter who has, to be frank, neglected his lawn, and now I want to fix it. Last year before the summer, the valve on our sprinkler system went out, and I took too much time to get it fixed. Half assed hose attempts to nurture a large yard were in vain, and it caused a gorgeous, green lawn to turn into this.

https://imgur.com/a/bY8F1

At first i thought it was a weeded mess; I called a few people out, had plenty cancel, and just got fed up of it all and have tried to save the lawn myself. First, I thought, just to spread fescue seeds after reading that raking/dethaching a lawn and sowing Scotts easy seed (with the fertilizer/compost mixed all in one thingy) would work. That spawned some of the top lawn you see in a few of my pictures.

I have tried to ID the grass, but those stalks in some pics, I can't tell what type of seed they are, nor which type of grass the dark green, flourishing patches are.

I was told to ID the grass, rethatch, and aerate the lawn, before spreading seeds and watching the magic happen. Get it tall, and then mow it. Thing is, I have anxiety, and am terrified of seeding the wrong stuff and creating a mutant lawn. To make it worse, code enforcement wants to see some work done, but I'm leaving out of the country for two weeks in March when they want to see progress, so it's really got me and my anxiety (and the wife) on edge.

I'm in Riverside County, CA. The weather is high 50-60s and lows of 27-35 degrees F. I am a total noob, and have no idea what the soil condition is. It's well drained (I'm on a slope) and the lawn is on the East side of the house. Budget is about $200ish.

For the pictures I labeled them 1-8 in [brackets] to make responding to an individual one easier. The grass I'm trying to ID is in 4,7,and 8. Trying to see what the seed things on those stalks are, and if my plan of action would be one to start with. Thank you


texts: I would like to know the meaning of design concept  , the type of design concept, and ways on which design concept are applicable .


texts: What type of plant is this and is it a houseplant?

texts: I came across this plant, while searching for another plant. I have no clue as to what kind of plant this is. Also, wondering if it's a houseplant as well.


texts:
I have two small blueberry bushes that I planted last summer.

During winter I've had a hare/rabbit that has chewed them up. Only the 2-3 innermost biggest core branches of each plant remains and these have been cut to 3/4 of their original size.

On these remaining branches part of the bark on the top of half has been stripped off by the animal.

The plants have lost about 1/2 of their original mass.

It's still winter right now. Should I expect these plants to be able to recover this year or maybe next year and eventually produce some fruits?

Or should I just uproot them come spring and buy new ones?


texts: How can I keep gravel from moving out of my driveway during winter?

texts: I have a gravel driveway going horizontally across a hill, and have trouble keeping the gravel in the driveway, especially during snow. This is because every time I shovel out the driveway, stones get picked up by the shovel and thrown into the grass. Of course, this takes a long time to pick up. Big rainstorms also wash out gravel. It is crushed limestone in the 1/2-1" diameter range. I can't pave it because I haven't got the money, and there are some nice trees over it which would be bothered by pavement. How do I keep gravel where it belongs?


texts:
Any ideas whats going on and how to fix it?
The plant has been fine for over years and recently developed brown spots on the stems and edges of the fronds are brown some have dark spots /yellow in the center

Thanks


texts: What to do for the young avocado plant with brown spots on its leaves?

texts:
I've read the answers to two similar questions but as the answers were opposing, i couldn't be sure what action to take. Here is what I have:
Here (Figure 1) is my Avocado plant, which i had potted with no leaves (it had rooted in water), 1.5 month ago.

Brown spots started to occur on the oldest leaves and now they are spreading through the younger ones. Here are some photos of the brown leaves.

Now I will give information about the other conditions of the plant.
The soil I use seems me a little strange but the seller had told me that she also planted an avocado with this soil. It looks a little reddish, and it is a light media. You can see the soil below.

It has some white, salt like things in it, probably the minerals.

Here is the information on the soil package.

It is in a clay pot (but dyed), with a single hole at the bottom. I had also put some stones at the bottom for drainage.

I water the plant rarely, when the soil dries like 3-5 cm, or, when the leaves bends slightly.
It stands near a north-east facing window.
I couldn't decide if the cause is too much fertilized or poor fertilized soil.
Waiting for your suggestions, thank you :)
Edit: 15.03.2019,
It's getting worse. Vermicompost and changing to a normal soil didn't work. I had also taken the plant to the south-east window for more sunlight.


texts: What kind of magnolias are in front of the White House?

texts:
It looks to me that there are two magnolias in front of the White House.

What kind of magnolias are they?

The picture is actually a detail taken from Donald Trump's twitter account today's background image.


texts: Is it ok to cut off the older leaves of an avocado plant?

texts:
I  have an avocado plant which I grew from seed, and it already has a lot of leaves. The thing is, my pot isn't that big, so I was wondering whether it will be alright to cut off the older leaves in the bottom?

The older leaves are turning yellow and brown in the edges a week ago, and I added nitrogen fertilizer (not sure that this will work).

Picture:


texts: Why has the stem of my chili plant split?

texts:
I have a couple of newish chili plants growing in pots on my windowsill, they're about 15cm or so tall and seemed to be doing well enough so far. However, this morning I've noticed that the stem at the base of one of these plants has split open from just above the soil to about 2cm up the plant.

Here are shot of the whole plant with the split highlighted:

And a close up image of the split (click for full size image):

Why has this happened?
Can the plant survive and be healthy?
If so, there anything I need to do to 'help' the plant?


texts: I have a chinese elm bonsai plant. I used to keep in indoors for the winters, but this year we have moved and I don’t think we’ll have enough sunlight during the winter inside the house, so I decided to leave the plant outside for the winter. The plant was outside from the spring. Now the autumn is in full swing and all the trees here are almost without leaves, but my elm doesn’t seem to shed its leaves at all. This troubles me, as the temperatures will drop soon and the tree can’t stay outside with the leaves still on. What should I do? Should I take it inside?


texts: Why are my Ponderosa lemon tree leaves yellowing from the veins outward?

texts:
My Ponderosa lemon tree is 3-4 years old, but I've only had it for 6-7 months. It has flowered and is now producing 4 lemons but two leaves fell off with this yellowing from the veins in the center outward toward the circular edges.

It is in a 5-6 gallon wooden barrel container, has been fertilized twice since the beginning of March with Jobes fruit & tree, Citrus tone organic, Dr. Earths all purpose. Can you tell me what is going on?  It has also started to lean a little bit but I'm thinking that's just the way it's growing?

About watering, I water both my pomegranate and lemon tree once a week. The temperature here in New York has been very bi-polar! It has gone from 45 degrees to 80 within days. We've had a lot of rain storms, and water levels are way above average at record levels since 1829.


texts: Will a four ft tall American Beauty Bush continue growing if cut off at one ft,?

texts: Pine forest , East TX, The National Forest Service clear cut everything smaller than 8 " diameter to make a fire break 100 yards wide adjacent to homes. NFS did this 4 years ago and 75 % of the new understory growth is American Beauty Bush up to 5 ' tall. The NFS is now repeating the clearing , they cut everything at about one foot height. I am wondering how fast the Bush will recover.


texts:
Last season my climbing rose had a very strong fungal infection, black-spot or something similar. It affected most of the leafs. This spring I have noticed black rings on most of the canes (see pictures). The canes with the rings have none to almost none new growth. Only one cane looks free of these spots and seems to have new growth.

My questions are:

Does it look to you like these canes are affected by a fungal infection or are those marks cold damage or something else?
Should I trim down all those canes with marks?


texts: Should I be concerned that my pepper plants all "face" the window?

texts:
I have peppers plants growing on my sunniest window sills, they're not massively sunny at the moment as the weathers been a bit weak recently. But the plants' leaves are quite heavily twisted towards the windows.

Should I be worried that the plants are quite one-sided?

If so, how would I fix this... just by rotating them?


texts:
Found these growing in our flower bed of the home we recently purchased. I didn't really like how they looked, so I started ripping them out. Afterwards, I noticed some in other strategic places and thought maybe I had made a mistake.

Learned earlier today that the stuff in the background is thistle. I'm interested in the stuff with the reddish stem.

This is a picture of the root of one that I dug up.

The stuff growing in another portion of the yard is starting to develop bud at the end. I'm not sure what will come out of it though.


texts: I planted these small arborvitaes 2 years ago and the deer got right to them. I’ve recently started protecting them with a fence, but the deer chewed them up during the winter time. I’m wondering if these will grow back or if it’s too late for that. Thanks!


texts: Adjustable spray jet tips keep getting clogged

texts:
I installed a drip system for my garden using mostly 180 degree and 90 degree adjustable spray jets on spikes (got them from Home Depot).

I keep running into a problem where the tips get clogged. I'm guessing there's some insect crawling into them for the dampness. I've unscrewed the tip and turned the water on to make sure nothing in the line was clogged it and everything appeared fine - I've even replaced the tip with a new one and it worked fine again... until it gets clogged again of course.

Does anyone know of a way to clean the tips out?


texts: Identify brown stalked weed with seed pods

texts:
I'm trying to let my lawn grow out a bit more naturally in parts this year to understand what takes a foothold here. There is one plant that has sprung up and gone to seed in very short order this spring; however, I'm still having trouble identifying it.

The plant has lobed, connected leaves all coming from the central base, while the seed pods rise up and branch off brown stalks. They are definitely long thin seed pods - they spring open and release small yellow seeds when they are brown and ready to open. The leaves and plant seem to be turning a pinkish/brownish/beige color as it goes to seed.

Any help would be appreciated! It is definitely going to seed, so I expect to see more of this and want to decide if I should pull up the lot of them or not.


texts: Is June too late to start growing vegetables in a northern/cold climate?

texts: I've gotten into gardening recently and I have a lot of herbs and small plants on my balcony. I have a cabin about a 30 minute drive away with a decent amount of land. I was thinking about building some raised beds there and growing some vegetables. The only real issue is that I live in Sweden's Zone VI. Snow usually comes in late November/early December, and it usually melts in April/May. Bearing that in mind, am I too late to start growing vegetables this year? Should I wait until next year and get a head start on it then? It feels a bit depressing to wait, but at the same time, spending money and time pointlessly would feel bad too.


texts: What can I do for an Acer garnet's leaves looking dull and dry

texts:
Hi I'm a bit worried about my Acer garnet. I bought it in March and it was planted in a new garden along with another Acer palmatum. The Covid virus stopped all work on the new garden so although it was watered little else was done . Now the weather is hot I'm concerned that it's not happy. It's in the sun until about 4 pm when the shade takes over. We have irrigation for the grass that comes on twice a day. The leaves have become so dull and dry. There has been a little wind but the trees are in a sheltered area between a house and a wall. I've read that the roots have to be kept cool but there is grass around the stem of the trees, is it suitable to put some gravel around to keep the roots cooler. I really don't want to move the tree.  It's not had any fertile or anything else apart from some treatment for aphids. Please help I don't want to lose it.

Thank you will do now I'm thinking I won't lose this tree although at the moment she still looks forlorn. The new shoots are very encouraging.


texts: What kind of sunflower is the best for making a flute?

texts:
Probably like many other gardeners, I like and plant many kinds od sunflowers - I've got many dry sunflower stalks from the previous year, and I would like to do something useful and creative with them.

I've heard that Indians used to make flutes out of sunflower stalks (and maybe still do). One can hear sunflower flute sound on this youtube video.

What kind of sunflower is the best for this purpose?


texts: I live in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, and would like to know when to plant my parsnip. I use this site and wanted your answer and opinion on the site's answer. https://www.growmigo.com/


texts: Black spots with white ring around them on Zinnia leaves

texts:
We have grown Zinnias in our garden since 3-4 years, In South India . The initial batches were very healthy and robust ,with stunning flowers.
but since the last 1 year or so I have noticed that the zinnias seem to have stunted growth and start flowering small flowers before even reaching a height 1 feet even though we provide enough manure.
And these spots appear only after the plants have grown for 1 month or so. Saplings are perfectly spotless. Never seen any grasshopper or other insects chewing on the leaves. But there are tiny red ants swarming on the unopened buds, I suspect they eat the buds. Tried Gammaxene and copious amounts of turmeric powder to drive them away.

There are these black spots with white rings around them ,on the leaves and flowers.

Black spots on the stem.
What are these spots? Are they some fungus? Are there any methods to get rid of them?
Eco friendly methods are appreciated.


texts: How do you build an 8' high retaining wall out of mafia blocks?

texts:
This may not  belong here as it relates more to hardscaping, but let's see what you think:

A job we are working on requires a retaining wall of approximately 8'. "We" plan to build it out of mafia block (see below). A slope will intersect the face of wall perpendicularly, and cover it diagonally from  one corner to the other (other diagram).

The plan is to create a substantial footing out of 3/4" crushed stone, and to have a 3' wide drainage space behind the wall - also filled with 3/4" crushed stone.

Soil is very sandy and well draining.

Is this crazy?
What should we be concerned about?
Is this something that should get an engineer's stamp? (We're in NY)


texts: How and for how long can home-grown onions be stored?

texts:
How should I prepare home-grown white or yellow onions for long-term storage?

This answer says the ideal conditions for storing onion sets for re-planting and storing mature onions is the same, but it doesn't mention some important details I have questions about.

Should I cut the tops off so they look like they do in the store, or leave them on?
Should I remove any of the papery outside layers, for example if they are damaged or covered in dirt I can't easily remove?
I live in a hot climate so there are no cool locations below room temperature except the refrigerator or freezer. Is a fridge well ventilated enough and does it have low enough humidity for long-term storage? Can I store onions in the freezer?
Do they need to be somehow cured or prepared after harvesting but before storing?
Is there anything better than a mesh bag? For example, I've read that some people wrap them in foil.

Given ideal storage, how long can I expect my onions to last, and is there a way to tell if they're about to go bad so I can use or dehydrate them?


texts: What is this Eastern African plant with alternate cordate leaves?

texts: I would like to know what kind of plant this is. I grew it from seed I brought from a trip to Eastern Africa and all I remember is that I extracted the seed from some kind of fruit... Any ideas?


texts:
I tried to identify this cactus in order to know how much water it needs.

The closest I got with the identification is this, but I'm still not sure, the color is different:
http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/EUPHORBIA/Euphorbia_mammillaris/Euphorbia_mammillaris_variegata/Euphorbia_mammillaris_variegata.htm

Also, if anyone has this type of cactus I would like to know some information about soil, watering and light.


texts: Coreopsis seems to have suddenly died in the last month

texts:
Pictures of plant -> https://imgur.com/a/Rx4vmgl

I have had a coreopsis (presto) in a sunny spot in my front garden for about a year, it was in good health up to a few weeks ago. It had seemed to survive Winter quite well, but now I’m not sure what has happened to it. It has not been particularly cold lately, it was definitely much colder during Winter.

It looks like it’s collapsed from the inside or something crushed it as there was a few partially broken branches/stems, I have removed any completely dead segments and this is the remaining plant. The leaves seem OK but none of them plant seems to be upright and supporting itself, am worried that it's slowly dying but there hasn't been much progress in it either dying or coming back to life.

I’ve been watering it regularly along with the rest of the plants around it, everything else is fine. Not sure if I should cut it back or leave it and hope for the best

Thanks for any advice,


texts: Balcony composting - suggestions for trapped rainwater

texts:
I have an apartment with a balcony - the flooring of the balcony is a lot of wood boards.

My compost bin is a big plastic recycling bin which I have perforated with an awl and rubber hammer on the bottom and sides.

What this means is that when it rains (anything beyond a sprinkle), I have a real hard time turning the compost enough to encourage that water out of the bin.

If I have newspaper around I shred and toss some in to soak up a bit of the water.

My question is if there's any better material I could use to try and absorb the water a bit more. A few days of sun will eventually dry it out, but generally the water really gets trapped between the compost and wood boards, no matter how perforated the bottom is.

edit: I do have a cover and have used as suggested Ed here. This appears to work well barring heavy rain. I have also place bricks under the corners of the bin, which has drained a little water and provided some more aeration.

All the same, I would like to keep the question open a bit longer as I'm still interested in the question of some organic material which may be able to absorb some of this moisture.

Many thanks for your help as the bin is already operating better.


texts: What tool is most suitable for this task?

texts:
I have planted this lilly pilly in my background and it has grown rather tall. It is about 1.5~2m tall now. It is not obviously in the picture but it is located at a corner.

I want to trim it down and preferably just a bit taller than the fence. However this hedge trimmer I have (Bosch AHS 48 Li) is not really up to the job. It couldn't reach the sides facing the fence and the top, even though I have used a ladder.

My questions are:

1) What kind of power tool is best suitable to trim hedge of this size? Hopefully it is battery powered.

2) The lilly pilly is currently flowering. Is it a good time to trim it?

3) How regularly I should trim it? I have not been diligent during the winter time and I feel that it have grown rather unkempt.


texts: What is this plant growing behind daylilies?

texts: Can anyone identify this bulb plant?  Upstate NY


texts: Is my daughter's avocado plant revivable?

texts:
My daughter was growing an avocado tree from a plant, and it was doing well. Unfortunately she got distracted while preparing for her school's testing period and forgot to take care of it properly for over two weeks. I'm not sure if the plant is able to be saved at this point, so I thought I'd ask all of you "green thumbs!"
It would be great if if it could be saved. It was pretty unique because it grew two stems instead of one! thought it was pretty neat. We've put it near sunlight in my office and watered it. The dried up leaves fell off. The top of one of the stems is darkened too.
Not sure if anything can be done at this point, but any suggestions or advice would be very welcome.


texts: Should I prune suckers from Bhut Jolokia?

texts:
I have a 15-20 cm Bhut Jolokia planted together with a slightly smaller Bhut Jolokia in a pot and they're both growing a lot a suckers (see pictures). In contrast, I also have some Malegueta plants that didn't grow any suckers before branching out in a Y or three branches.

Should I prune some or all the suckers? The plant is very crowded at the bottom, but most resources online advise against pruning peppers, at least at this stage.


texts: Rose shrub suddenly dying 1 month after transplantion

texts:
I live in South India .We bought this yellow rose 4 years ago, which blooms and slowly turns white in color after few days.[Since I don't know which variety it is]
Earlier,we planted the shrub beside and Allamanda blanchetti tree,the Allamanda overtook the rose in growth and overshadowed it.So we decided to shift the rose for its better growth.
We looked up tutorials online on how to transplant grown rose shrubs and followed their instructions.
The transplantation went well and around 1 week tiny leaves started to appear. It was raining heavily around that time ,and after 3 more weeks leaves were well grown,then I put a bit of wood ash and some cow dung around the plant.[the soils in our region are not very fertile]
All was going well for next 1 week or so,and the rain continued intermittently.Then I noticed that some of the older thick branches[which we had not pruned during transplanting were turning black and leaves on it started to turn brown ad die]
This spread to other branches and we didn't add anything to the plant during this time[raining in torrents]

Now the plant has just one branch left with few leaves and a tiny green shoot.
Note that there wasn't any rose plant earlier in the spot we transplanted it.
What is the reason for the branches to turn black and die?
Are there any ways to revive the plant back to health?


texts: What "gotchas" should I avoid when building a raised garden?

texts:
I am planning on constructing a 2-tier outdoor raised vegetable garden.  I'd like to avoid any "gotchas".  I live in the US Pacific Northwest, so three non-summer seasons a year are moist.  My plan is:

Utilize/extend existing plans, i.e. leverage Sketchup raised garden plans
Use wood (i.e., railroad ties) anchored by rebar
Allow for drainage (per this raised flower bed question)
Bottom layer filled with rubble/gravel
Top layer dirt

My question: Are there any obvious "gotchas" with this plan?


texts:
My Gladioli are coming up, but they are bent at about a 90 degree. They're in full sun with grass compost dirt. I planted them just a little bit under the surface.

Why are they doing this?


texts: Red blob on kesar mango tree (grown from seed in UK)

texts:
Last June (10 months ago) I planted a Kesar Mango seed. After we cut of two leaves to stunt its growth, two branches grew (FYI).

Now, a very small red blob has appeared on top of it (see picture). A spiders web was on it, and brushed off (there for ~7 days). Is this blob a disease, or else what is it? Please could someone identify it.

Thanks.


texts:
Is this fungus or what? Appears to be root of something.

Here is the potted plant:


texts: I bought this Tree/Plant from nursery but dont know the name in English. It has sweet fragrance to it.


texts: Loss of 750 night crawler worms in a raised garden

texts: I have a wooden raise garden, 4 foot by 8 foot by 24 inches in depth, containing 20 inches of rich soil. The bottom of the raised garden is a foot off the gound. Last spring I introduced into the garden 750 night crawlers I purchased from Uncle Jim's worm farm. I grew tomatoes, squash, onions, radishes and pickles. We left some of the dead leaves on the surface, as well as poked some of them into the soil for the worms to feed on. There are very small holes for drainage in the bottom of the box. I also had a 30% shad netting over the garden to keep the birds out. By the end of fall, all of the worms had disappeared, and I have absolutely no idea why. I have asked the people at Uncle Jim's worm farm the question, as well as other sources and have yet to come up with an answer. I know night crawlers come to the top to feed at night, but like undisturbed soil to burrow in, and the bottom eight to ten inches of soil was not disturbed. Does anyone have any idea what may have happened to the worms?


texts: What is this potential lawn replacement plant?

texts:
I found this plant invading an unirrigated school yard lawn in Everett, Washington (USDA zone 8a):

This plant is very effectively competing with the grass and might make a good lawn replacement. The foliage is feathery similar to many plants in the Asteraceae family.  It spreads on rooting stolons as seen below.

Does anyone know what it is? Since it has been regularly mowed, I do not know its mature height or anything about its flower. My best guess at the moment is some sort of yarrow (Achillea).

The plant is on my way to and from work. So if you need me to verify any identifying features, I can do that.

Additional Observations:

The foliage of this plant is not especially aromatic. If I smash up a bunch of leaves and stuff them in my nose (and close my eyes and think of Kentucky), they smell slightly grassy.


texts: My Dracaena reflexa (Song of India) is dying. Help!

texts:
Help!

I got this dracaena over a month ago and it was doing well up until this week. This plant stays in an office with just fluorescent lights and is watered once a week. Last week it started getting some new growth up top, but I started to notice some of the leaves were browning. It was mainly the bottom ones so I thought nothing of it.

However this week, more and more leaves started falling off daily and today the center part (with the new growth) just fell off! What am I doing wrong? How can I save my plant?


texts: Pot size recommendation for this Jade plant

texts:
Should I get a small, medium, or large for this Jade plant?

The plant looks big, but I am not sure what size of pot to get for this plant.


texts:
I bought this cherrytree (hedelfinger) for cheap. Therefore you get what you pay for I guess.
I want to prune it in a good shape(open vase/goblet as I read thats the best choice. However it currently has crossing limbs and also is 'flat'.

My question: which limbs should I cut and to where? Should I cut them all the way or look for outward pointing buds an cut above those? Or should I give up on the goblet shape and keep it as is and plant it as espalier kind of tree?


texts: My anthurium's leaves are turning yellow and brown

texts:
I recently got this anthurium from Safeway. I put it away in my room from a south facing window. And then repotted it into a bigger pot with regular potting mix. The plants leaves started to get brown tips. So I put into another room which gets less light. But the leaves are still getting brown and new leaves dying.

Should I water it throughly only when it gets dry. The soil did not feel dry till about a week. Should I wait till it gets dry or water every other day.
I did try to spray a little water on it every once in a while.
I read that anthurium prefer overcrowded roots but I repotted into a bigger pot, should I repot into a smaller pot.
More images on google drive:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3wEFDNIV6IFNHZfU3YxRThFbmM


texts: How can I clean yard equipment that has come into contact with poison ivy?

texts:
Yes. I took my weedeater through a patch of poison ivy.
Yes. I am regretting it in a big way right now.
A week later I re-infected my hand with it off the weedeater when changing the spool (Damnit!)

So what is a good way to clean off equipment that has the taint of poison ivy on it? I was thinking of just running a power washer over it, but I'm not sure that would be all that effective. Is there something I can soak the business end of it in to de-activate the oils from the poison ivy (urushiol)?


texts:
This Kalanchoe has been losing leaves for a while now, the existing ones seem thin and white spots have appeared. I have repotted it recently and it has shown signs of improvement, but it still does not look well.

Any help is appreciated, thanks.


texts:
I've recently run into an issue with my irrigation system where one of the zones is "stuck". When I have the control panel set to "system off" this zone pops up and seems to run endlessly. I have to shut off water to the system to make it stop running.

I notice that if I start with water off to the system, start the desired program, and turn the water on, then all zones runs as expected (however, after the final programmed zone is complete the rogue zone pops back up). If the rogue zone is already running and I start a program, the rogue zone stays up, so 2 zones are running at once, the rogue zone and programmed zone.

I had a repair company come through last week and they indicated they think the control panel is bad. However, it'll now be 2 weeks before they can come back out and the peculiar behavior has me second guessing. Anybody run into something similar before?


texts:
About three months ago I purchased some Buddleia globosa seeds and planted these in pots comprising fertiliser, but so far there is no obvious sign that any have actually appeared.

I say "obvious" because in the meantime loads of small round leaved weeds (clover, I think) have been popping up, almost from the first day. To start with, I carefully nipped these out so they would not crowd out the Buddleia if and when these finally deigned to appear.

But suspecting I may have been inadvertently weeding the Buddleia themselves, I decided to stop this weeding and let the Buddleia take their chances.

In a couple of the pots I have seen small pointy-leaved saplings which look different to the rest of the pesky weeds, and their leaves are more what I would expect a Buddleia (with its long leaves) to resemble.

So in summary, I wondered if anyone could point me to an image of a newly germinated Buddleia globosa plant.

While we're on the subject, does anyone know what kind of soil suits them best? I suspect the fertiliser I used may have been too rich or the wrong Ph, because the seed packets said they should sprout within about 30 days.

Thanks in anticipation.


texts: Peach Tree, bark darkening and peeling/cracking

texts:
I have two peach trees in close proximity to each other. One is healthy and shows no signs on distress, however the other one...

Leaves did not fully come in.
Has areas of darkened bark that ooze small amounts of sap.
Recently developed cracking/splitting/holes in the bark.

I tried to cut the branches off that did not grow leaves as an attempt to stymie any disease it may have. However, it does not seem to be getting any better. I have not physcially seen and insects or other pests around the tree.

What could be ailing my peach tree? It's peaches are really yummy and I want to eat them again this summer!!!

Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA


texts:
I grew my avocado plant from seed this spring. It’s been doing amazing, water it every 5 days or so and sits directly in the sun. I live in Canada and now our winter is hitting my avocado pretty hard. I use the planta app which is telling me I should only water every 2 weeks in my climate. The leaves are starting to turn brown, curl up and are very dry. The top layer of my soil is also quite dry however, everytime I add a little water it seems to only make it worse. Is this a sunlight/ heat problem or over/under watering? I keep it on my window ledge during the day (has the most sun exposure) and then move it aside at night so it isn’t as cold.
I’ve attached photos for reference, any help would be great

As you can see the leaves are curling and burnt. Has turned this way within the last 3 weeks- month.


texts: How long before poisons like Round-up become inert?

texts:
If I spray some grass with a poison like Round-up or Kills All, how long before that spray is not dangerous to plants?

So for example, if after spraying, I walk through the sprayed area and then onto my lawn, how long until I am not going to be leaving "foot prints of death"?


texts: What animal is digging at my pepper plants and what can I do to prevent it?

texts:
Some animal has been digging at the ground around my pepper plants.  The rest of my garden is fine, including my tomatoes.  This is a regularly occurring problem, every two days or so.

What animal could be responsible for this?  I've seen a skunk, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, birds, toads and a cat all roaming around my yard, so I'm not sure what I'm trying to defend against.

Are there any suggestions for keeping them protected?


texts: Are certified seed potatoes needed every year?

texts:
OK, I know from personal experience the dangers of using sprouted store bought potatoes in a garden.  I had and entire shared garden plot ruined for both potatoes and tomatoes because the other planter introduced blights that affected both through contaminated spuds.  Four years later I still could not keep down the damage and I have no desire to deal with it again, so in my new location I had a successful harvest with certified starters.

My question though, not especially wanting to pay that much each year, if there was no sign of issues is it reasonable to try to save some of the produce from this year to plant in the spring, or is this really too high of a risk and should a grower stick to certified stock each year?  I do not want to use spray controls, so if it develops blight issues I will simply quit growing, but as the market product seems to get poorer quality every year I would prefer to grow my own.


texts: My lemon tree has not grown for the last few years and has remained stick thin. Can you help me revitalise it?

texts: Unfortunately this lemon tree hasn't grown for the last 3 years when it was planted. Its situated on the north side of the house and should have plenty of sun although it's winter now in Melbourne. There are these strange lumps on the stalks which could be affecting its health. Any help would be greatly appreciated!


texts: Why would a Leyland cypress needles brown after 1 month transplant?

texts:
I transplanted a ~7 foot tall leyland cypress two months ago (in May, I'm located in Maryland) and the needles began to brown after about 1 month. Browning started mostly near the bottom but now has moved up the tree. I've seen some sap too.

The new location is partial shade, it was mostly sun before transplanting. The tree was also planted a little deeper than before for fear of tipping over before the roots were re-established.

I thought maybe the browning was shock. But now I'm not sure. I also planted a newly purchased ~3 ft cypress near it and it is doing well.

Could the tree have been planted too deep? Any other suggestions?


texts: How should a long neglected grape-vine be pruned?

texts:
Our recently purchased home has a lot of old fruit and vegetable plantings that were mostly left alone for the past few years. Among these is a set of three grape vines on a group of metal trellises. We've cleared out the weeds that were growing around the vines, as well as some competing climbing plants that had gotten up onto the trellis and intertwined themselves with the grape pretty badly and took over a big portion of the trellis.

So right now the grape trellises are pretty clean and the vines appear to be healthy, although they're very unevenly distributed over the structure. What should we do now to encourage future growth and get the vines to spread out? Are there any companion plants or other fertilization techniques we should look into. We'd like to avoid chemical fertilizers if possible.


texts:
I am new to gardening and I would like to know what ingredients and measurements do you use in your potting mix for three different types of plants:

Plants that require plenty of water.
Plants that require good water draining.
Plants that need rocky soil.

With respect to plants that require plenty of water, is it a good idea to include peat moss or coconut coir? Moreover, is soil a good water absorbent?


texts: If I plant pansies among bushes in my landscaping, will they come back the next spring? I live in Central PA.


texts: What disease is causing raised blisters on the leaves of my plant?

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Plant :Alstonia
Appearance:Blisters (gall) on both sides,cutting galls leaves white fluid.
After some time holes apppears in the blisters.so it seems some insect laid eggs.
What kind of disease is this? It seems to be some kind of blisters on the leaves of a decorative plant.
I'm guessing some insect laid eggs in it for eggs nourishment.

Would you please identify them and tell me how to treat them?


texts:
I got a Ficus Ginseng fresh from the store a couple of weeks ago.
This is placed a bit further away from the window, getting moderate sunlight, especially now in autumn and winter. My impression is that I do not water the plant too much, the soil is mildly moist but not wet or soaked, the bottom of the pot does not hold water, I do not drown the plant in water.
Note in the images of the truck that there seems to be moisture crawling up the trunk, there is a clear line where the moisture stops and also the bottom of the trunk feels more moist to touch than the top. Is this due to too much water? What is going on there?
Perhaps once every 2 weeks I spray the entire plant with tab water from an aerosol/spraying can being super careful, this so that water can be consumed over the leaves. I stop once little droplets are on top and under the leaves, like gentle rain.
However I noticed that the plant is now loosing leaves, some fresh and fully green and apparently healthy, others with brown sprinkled dots, others already fully brown. Here are some photos of what is happening with the plant. I smelled the soil but it does not smell like mushroom or rotten, rather just fresh, like outside in the forest.
I do have a Sanlight Q4W and am considering placing the plant under it with a lot of space from the light of course, this to be able to supply the plant with better light, on all spectrums.
There are still new light green leaves coming from the top of the plant what I am happy about, though my concern is that fully darker green and healthy leaves are apparently being shaken off by the plant. When I move the pot or give it just a gentle nudge the leaves are falling off.


texts: Why do the leafs of peppermint plant look ill?

texts: In the image below that I just took of my peppermint plant you can see that the leafs have this silver-grayish spots that don't look healthy. What am I doing wrong? Is it too much sun maybe?


texts: Am I wasting my time pulling dallisgrass seed pods before mowing?

texts:
My fescue lawn that is largely dormant right now because of the heat, but dallisgrass is thriving and driving me crazy.  I started pulling out by hand the tall seed pod stalks before mowing my yard, hoping to somewhat limit its ability to spread.  Here's an image of what I'm pulling up:

(Note: I originally identified this as crab grass, but upon adding this photo, I realized that I'm mostly dealing with dallisgrass, not crab grass.  I do have a small section of lawn that has some crab grass in it, but that plant is spread closer to the ground and has a Y-shaped seed stalk).

I understand its seeds primarily germinate in the spring time during cooler temperatures, so I wonder if I am just wasting my time by pulling out the seed pods?  Am I just being overly cautious, and doing this is no more effective than applying a pre-emergent treatment next spring?  Thank you!


texts: Dark stains on my english ivy. What am I doing wrong?

texts:
I have the following problem:
Some leaves of my English Ivy became a little bit lifeless and droopy. On some leaves dark stains have appeared (I've marked them with red circles on the photo). Is my plant dying? Could you explain me what is the probable reason?
Thank you in advance for your help.


texts: Strawberry plants (15 days old) were doing well, but seems to have degraded. Photos. Help

texts:
I planted some strawberry plants about 15 days ago, and they started to develop well, but recently they seem to have started to curl up and shrivel.

They've had mostly sun (some get 5 hours a day some get 8 hours a day), for 12 of the 15 days. I've watered 3 times with feed and they have been rained on once.

I attach a photo, they appear to have flopped over and have the leaves curled up, where previously they were standing tall and less curling? The first image is day 11, the second is today, day 15.

I wonder if there's anything obvious I'm doing wrong?


texts: I am new to the Pacific Northwest and still trying to figure out the vegetation. I have this shrub in my yard that looks like a stumpy pine tree. Can anyone identify?


texts:
I already killed a cactus because of mold/ humidity. And a Yucca by lack of sun light.
And I'm looking for a new plant..
The plant will be siting, right next to a window touching the wall. Windows is 40° N-E.
It need to be medium size in order to get the sun. 0.80m > x > 1.60m
The humidity in the room can be quite high as it's a kitchen without ventilation.
Ideally, It will not make my cat explode, doesn't need to be safe or edigible, just not dangerous.
Localisation :  48.40,-4.53, the rainny coast of Britany


texts: What might be eating small holes in my bell pepper?

texts:
There appears to be something eating very small holes into my pepper fruits.  At first I suspected an insect, but upon cutting the pepper open there were no signs of investation. One of the holes even didn't even completely break through (though maybe the pepper was healing over an old hole).

I'm thinking it might be birds but it seems odd they would drill a hole then stop. What animal might be doing this and is there anything I can do to mitigate it?

Pics of the damaged areas and insides for reference:


texts: Is there an easier way to aerate my compost besides turning it?

texts:
I want to be a good composter, but turning my pile is backbreaking work.

I was looking through a gardening magazine today and I saw a contraption that was basically a three foot long pole that had 6" arms that fold in along the side when pushing in, and then expanding out when you pulled it out.  The idea is that you just plunge it in and pull it out a bunch of times and blammo - aeration.

From Double Winged Compost Aerator

Do these types of things actually work, or do I just need to stop being lazy if I want to aerate my pile?


texts:
Can someone tell me what species of tree this is?
I found it growing in a garden in Southern Sweden. It had long, thin twigs hanging from the branches, at the end of which were attached seed pods.
The tree grew like a creeper, clinging and curling itself around nearby objects.

More detailed pictures can be provided at request if necessary for identification.


texts: Why are my jalapeño peppers wilting suddenly just at the very tips of the fruit?

texts: Why are my jalapeño peppers suddenly  wilting at the tips of the fruit?


texts: What is this variety of African violet, which has a tubular white with purple flower?

texts: I would like to identify this African violet variety.  It has a tubular flower, and is striped white and purple.


texts: This site provides a valuable service of plant identification, but I'm wondering, where can I learn this for myself? Is there a plant "dictionary" I can check out from the library? One that will allow me to describe the plant in a certain way to get an answer? Or do I just need to start memorizing plant descriptions from books?


texts: How long should I wait to mow my lawn a second time when I try to avoid cutting more than 30% of the blade in one cutting?

texts:
One key principle in maintaining healthy turf is mowing regularly enough that you never cut more than 30% of the blade length in any single cutting. In peak growing season it can be difficult to keep up with the growth. So say I find the grass to be 6", and want to get it to 3" (which is another tenet of healthy turf). Since I don't want to chop off more than 30%, I'll cut 1.5" in the first cut, then another 1.5" in a second cut at some later time.

How long do I have to wait after the first cut before making the second cut?

Can I do the second cut immediately? Later the same day? The next day? When?

I understand that if I wait too long the grass will grow more and require more cutting - but let's ignore that for the moment.


texts:
I can't tell the difference between plants and weeds. I want to weed my garden before I plant anything.

click for their original sizes


texts:
My wife & I recently purchased a house who's owner was a bit frail & had let the backyard go for a while.  It's a mix of some grass, empty patches & lots of clover.

We'd like it to be a simple green lawn.  Pulling it all out & putting down new sod seems like overkill.  Are there other ways we could go about it?

If it makes any difference, we're in southern California.


texts: Building a DIY greenhouse  - where to start?

texts:
I'd like to build an inexpensive, removable greenhouse over the back deck. The deck is approximately 20' x 8'. I'd like to build it for easy disassembly and storage in the summer.

I've never seen anyone attempt to cover their deck with a removable greenhouse. Are there some issues I should consider in planning a project such as this.

I'm looking for suggestions for the covering. Does it matter if the covering is clear or would it work better if it was green tinted or semitransparent? I'm also considering using Tuftex clear corrugated plastic roof panels. Is a viable option?

Any recommended resources pertaining to this would be greatly appreciated.

Additional info:
Although, topically overcast and rainy we currently have about 9 hours of daylight.
I live in "USDA Hardiness Zone 8a-8b" where the average low is 20°F through 10°F.
Snow is unlikely and minimal at 0-3 inches in a year. High temperatures for the winter and spring would be in the low 40°F through 70°F.

As for orientation of the deck, the long axis runs east-west.

Here in the Pacific North Wet (as I call it, instead 'West') an abundance of rain seems to harm some of the plants, especially the tomatoes. Just the act of covering the tomatoes in the fall season seems to greatly extend their lifespan. In fact, I've got six tomato plants covered on the deck that are still producing and tomorrow starts the first of December. It is getting cold enough though that I have to pick the tomatoes green or yellow and let them ripen inside. I'm guessing that if I were to cover them in a greenhouse, it would produce an even better outcome.

Purpose for building a greenhouse over the deck:
- Cover six large plants of tomatoes.
- Keep the herbs through the cold, wet winter seasons.
  (Example: rosemary, thyme, basil, mint, lemon balm, lavender, green onions, etc.)
- Growth of a late fall produce
  (Example: lettuce, spinach, etc.)
- Shelter flowers
- Grow starts in the early spring
- Ability go out on the deck without getting cold & wet.


texts:
I have this mammillaria hahniana:

I'm considering repotting to another container, which is more beautiful, more stable, wider and shallower. You don't see it but there is a drainage hole. Here it is:

My mammillaria is probably going to flower, as it grew some buds:

Considering the time of the year (spring is coming) and the size of the plant compared to its pot, would you repot it now? I'd like it to produce pups but I'm afraid the current pot is too small for that. Also, when I look under the pot, I can see roots going through the drainage holes.
Do you think this bonsai container would be appropriate?
Could the repotting prevent the cactus from flowering? Should I wait for the flowers to be gone?


texts:
I’m seeing holes like this on 4 separate Hibiscus plants. None on the other plants around them. Holes also on the buds. Any idea what’s causing it and how to stop it?

Thanks


texts: Odd brown spots/patches on my Pilea. will someone ID for me please?

texts: My chinese money plant has these weird little spots. Some leaves just have the brown rash looking patch, but the one has a dark solid spot that seems to have almost made a hole. this is the second time i've seem spots/patches like this. the stems are also pretty limp, which is abnormal for this guy. There are no visible bugs. I've been a bit neglectful this month, and he was underwatered. I would appreciate any help


texts: Why are my Boston fern and Spider plants losing leaves?

texts: My nephew is looking after these plants but recently they started losing leaves. He sprays them every day. Is it too much humidity? Any help would be most welcome.


texts: Improving heat retention and light availability of coldframes

texts:
I am currently planning on building some grow-houses/cold frames. Actually mostly raised beds 18" (45cm) high, with the ability to fit panels over it in winter turning them into cold frames.

The rear wall will be north facing and against the neighbours 6 foot fence. This means that the sunlight will never come from this direction.

I will be using twinwall polycarbonate for the window panels. I have thought that the rear panel may be permanent and use a thicker, and therefore more insulating panel for this. The rear panel being around 30% of the surface and I can reduce heat loss through this section without effecting the light reaching plants.

Would it be better to leave the rear panel clear, make it white to aid light reflecting on to plants or make it black to aid heat capture?

I am in East Lothian, Scotland. During summer it will receive 11 hours of direct sunlight, during Autumn around 4 hours. In Winter there will likely be no direct sunlight but it will be light for 8 hours.

My intention is to extend the growing season, maximising crop production as well as protecting from frost.

Update

I mentioned raised beds which could have panels over the top, I was referring to some thing like this, to work with the square foot/meter garden. An alternative mentioned by @bamboo which I had not thought of would be 2 panels leaning on each other to make a cloche type arrangement.


texts: What kind of a plant is this (with large, glossy "finger-like" leaves)?

texts: This is the best picture I can find.  I had one of these at my old apartment and want to get another.  It grew pretty large - from maybe one foot in diameter to a few feet high and 4 feet in diameter - in less than a year.  It did well both outside in the summer, and inside in colder weather.  The leaves look like glossy "fingers."


texts: How should I straighten my bent baby Euclyptus Tree?

texts:
I purchased a small Rainbow Euclyptus tree off Ebay about 1.5 months ago. It arrived healthy and looks to be doing well.  Though I'm concerned as it has a really crooked part of the trunk just at the base.  Knowing how huge this tree will become...should I be concerned? How should I go about straightening it?  I'm thinking either:

Put in some stakes and rope to slowly unbend the trunk.
Or Simply dig a deeper hole and bury that bent portion underground.


texts: I have a pile of trimmings from a couple of Wisteria vines.  I believe one of the vines was a Japanese Wisteria (floribunda) and one was a Chinese Wisteria (sinensis).  I've read that these are toxic when ingested, and the sap can cause irritation and sun sensitivity in some cases.  However, I can't find any information on the smoke produced from burning them.  I would be burning them in a bonfire outside, not in a woodstove or fireplace.  Are Wisterias safe to burn in this manner or should I find another method to dispose of them?


texts: I read that having an open (directly to earth) floor may cause problems in a greenhouse. So I was thinking of using a foil/barrier plastic to keep the humidity out. On top of that I was thinking of putting a layer of lime plaster or loam/clay plaster to regulate the humidity and give a walkable surface. Or a combination of the above with straw and cement. The plants will be in pots. Anyone suggestions?


texts: This vine grows on the ground in our front yard, creeping out from under the hedgerow. We've always just mowed it. But, I am curious as to what it is. Apparently planted by previous owners. I almost ID'd it as a Hoya but not sure the stick like stem qualifies. The stem reminds me of honeysuckle without the fuzz. Seems it might make a wonderful topiary wrap.


texts: Ficus Elastica having weird surface on leaf

texts: My plant is healthy and no yellowing leaf. Keep growing new leaf but the younger leaf below the new growth is looking weird. Surface is unusual from the rest. Only one leaf looking strange and the rest are shiny and good.


texts: What is the value of magnolias for birds?

texts:
I am building a bird-friendly garden.

It is going to contain serviceberries, mountain ashes, hawthorns and dogwoods, as these plants are known to attract birds.

I love magnolias, however, I've read some opinions that they do not have enough value for birds, so, from my point of view, if that is the case, they will be a waste of space in my bird-friendly garden.

On the other hand, some sites claim that certain birds love magnolia fruit.

What is actually the degree of bird attraction in case of magnolias?


texts: What are these weeds and how can I get rid of them?

texts:
I am in Scotland and my garden was landscaped just over a year ago. At that time the soil and plants in my flower beds were brought in for the first time, before that there was just grass everywhere.

In the first summer, things were fine. Now this year the plants are doing well but several areas of flower beds in different parts of the garden are completely overrun by some kind of weed.

I weeded it by hand about a month ago, taking care to get everything out including the roots, however it has immediately came back again as bad as ever.

Here are some pictures, appreciate any advice!


texts: There is what I think is bacterial canker on my young, multi-species fruiting plum tree. I bought it from a big box store a year ago and planted it, and I noticed this a few weeks ago. Assuming I'm right, and that this is in fact bacterial canker, my question is: I've seen advice to wait until winter to lop it off, but why should I do so? Why shouldn't I just lop it off now, before it has a chance to spread and get worse?


texts: Can I accelerate the ripening of strawberries?

texts:
It's Xmas Eve and the only strawberries in the shops were not quite ripe.  I've got guests tomorrow at lunch and I've got to ripen these overnight!

Strawberries are classically considered non-climacteric fruits so are not supposed to ripen once removed from the plant.  But clearly the white parts of the berries do get redder after picking (1).  And apparently ethylene is released by the fruit, and is involved in signalling pathways (2) so the situation is not as clear as was once thought.

So, am I wasting my time placing a banana and some kiwi fruit next to my nearly ripe strawberries, and covering them with paper to trap any ethylene, to see if I can at least hasten some parts of the ripening process overnight?

That's a Berry Good Question – Strawberry Ripening after Harvest?
Ethylene is involved in strawberry fruit ripening in an organ-specific manner.


texts:
I'm new to gardening, this is the second time for me trying to make a vegetable garden. Last year I bought a plant of chili and it grew very big. Some branches became very long at the bottom and with the weight of the chilies they almost touched the ground. I don't want to make the same mistake this year so I was trying to understand how to prune them. I googled "how to prune chili plants" (and I read for example https://homeguides.sfgate.com/trim-chili-pepper-bush-29973.html), but I can't apply those techniques to every single type of chili I guess, especially when I don't even know what the plant should look like (a bush, a little tree..). I took a picture for every chili I have, can you please help me identify identify the branches I should remove? I just numbered the branches without numbering the leaves to make the pictures look cleaner. Should some leaves be cut as well?
Hot daisy? I can't find it under this name, it's this exact chili here though

Long Cayenne

Jalapeno

Jamaican scotch bonnet:

Aji amarillo

Thank you!


texts: What is causing dry, dark green spots on the leaves of my new basil plant?

texts:
I just bought a basil plant this past week at the supermarket to have some fresh basil for cooking. It had some dark green spots on it, which at first I assumed were just dry/dying leaves.  I'm not so sure now though - I've been watering it according to the instructions it came with ("water from the bottom daily or as needed"), but it doesn't seem to be clearing up.

Is this one of the terrible diseases/fungi I've read about online, or just something that will take more time?

Click photo for full size

Click photo for full size


texts: Using buckets as placeholders for future trees?

texts:
I am currently landscaping my yard. I plan on completing everything with the exception of planting a few small, narrow trees around the perimeter. I will be doing that next year.

While everything is a mess now, I am considering digging the holes for the future trees, putting ~5 gal buckets in the holes and then backfilling. My thought is that this will make it easier to come back next year, pull out the buckets, make any necessary small adjustments to the size of the hole and plant the trees without having to make a big mess.

Is this an OK idea? Are there any problems with it? The only problem I can think of is that the subsoil is heavy clay which could really stick to the bucket, so getting the bucket out come next year could prove to be a challenge.


texts: What is the best way to compost a large pile of leaves with minimal effort?

texts:
Where we live you have to bag your leaves. We have about ¼ acre and lots of trees, so it's really impractical to bag all of those leaves. I was thinking of simply making a big pile and trying to compost them, but I'm looking for some tips.

I don't really have a way to chop them up, so if I leave them whole, what is the best way to compost? Should I cover the pile? If so what's the best type of cover? Is it worth adding something to the pile to get it started?


texts: House plant diagnosis (Tradescantia Spathacea?)

texts:
Being new to plant care, I'm wondering if someone can help diagnose what's occurring with my (I think) Tradescantia Spathacea. When the plant was purchased, it had exclusively wide green and purple leaves. Since then, the plant has been re-potted (in larger vessel), and two things have occurred:

1.) The original leaves are proceeding to brown from the tips. This continues in spite of trimming and trying different quantities/frequencies of watering. The plant is kept away from direct sunlight and is not particularly close to a window, but gets some indirect sunlight on occasion.

2.) New stems/leaves are sprouting like mad--which appear to be much thinner and longer than the original leaves, which has changed the shape and appearance of the plant significantly.

Here are some pictures:

Thank you for any recommendations you might have!


texts: Is there an accurate way to test a mixture of multiple soils?

texts:
Last night I started putting together a mixture of soil for blueberry plants. This mixture includes:

  top-soil

  garden soil

  organic mushroom compost

  sphagnum moss

(I also have pine bark mulch to help keep the acidity of the soil)

I have some soil acidifier that I can add. So I want to test the mixture to have an idea of how much I would need to add.

So what I'm wondering, is if I test this soil mixture, how accurate would the results be? I can't imagine that I would be able to get an equal parts of each soil when I test it. Is the only answer to test the mixture several times and average the results out?


texts:
I have a couple basil plants growing in pots. Normally I'm told that I should water it from the top and let it drain fully through the holes on the bottom of the pot. Can I bottom water these plants instead (submerge the pots in a couple inches of water) rather than doing it the normal way?

Two of the pots have roots sticking through the drainage holes, but one pot contains recently propagated basil plants whose roots haven't reached the drainage holes. Will bottom watering still work in this case?

Lastly, when bottom watering an average size pot for indoor growing, about how long should it take?


texts: Should I be using pre-emergent or post-emergent herbicide?

texts: The air temperature is in the mid 60s, and already the weeds started to germinate. Is this a good time to spray a pre-emergent herbicide or is it too late? Should I apply a post-emergent herbicide instead? Can I apply both together? I want to make sure the application is done properly.


texts:
Hi this Daphne odora is growing in a pot in well draining soil in a fairly well protected position, it's spring time. but it's leaves are silvering here are a couple of photo's:
Does anyone have any ideas as to what may be the problem?

Thankyou!


texts: Need help in Identifying this succulent and taking care of it

texts:
I was gifted this succulent plant about 10 days back.
Need help in identifying the exact species of the plant.
I live in Bangalore, India. If it helps.
I searched online and found it to look similar to Sunburst (aeonium davidbramwellii).
But the color and pattern of the leaves do not match.

Have watered it twice since, lightly, keeping the soil little moist after watering.
I could see couple of brown leaves on the bottom part, is this normal or is the watering not being done properly?


texts: What is this plant with large broad serrated leaves?

texts:
This came growing out of a seed pack of Lavandula hidcote blue which it obviously isn't. Now I'm kinda puzzled as to what on earth I'm carefully nurturing.

I reside in Singapore, so temperatures are high all year around in the 20s to 30s as is the humidity here. This plant is seriously killing it at the whole growing-big-thing.


texts: Will my basil plant regrow without leaves?

texts:
I received a potted basil plant a bit over a year ago as thanks for some computer work. Not knowing how exactly to grow it, I kind of let it overgrow, including not nipping it in the bud at first. It started getting sickly and spindly, and its roots had basically filled the pot. So I took a cutting and replanted it in the pot, planting the rest out in my front yard to see how it would do.

The outside plant withered and died (we had some weather fluctuations), but the inside one was sprouting pretty nicely and then, recently, my wife decided to make a dish and removed all of the leaves. The remaining stem has stayed green, but there's been no sign of regrowth of leaves in the week or so after.

Is it likely to recover? Or should I just start over from scratch?

Later edit: I ended up tossing the remaining stem, but I kept most of the soil for a transplanted tomato plant from work. Much to my surprise, a circle of basil sprouts have popped up. I am guessing that, at some point, a flower fell and reseeded, and these sprouted once the main plant was no longer giving them the "hold" signals.


texts: How should I overwinter Kaffir Lime indoors?

texts:
This spring I bought a small kaffir lime plant (too small to call it a tree yet) for future use of the leaves in the kitchen.

It spent a happy summer in his pot outside, but now winter is approaching and it needs to be moved indoors.

We have literally decades of experience with a common lemon tree, but that specimen is so large, old and hardened off, it lives outside unless night temperature threatens to drop below -4°C (25°F). I don't trust the kaffir baby to be this resilient yet, so it has to come inside soon.

I will provide the brightest, yet coolest spot available, possibly supply additional lighting, water carefully and generally keep an eye on it in case it brought any pests inside that escaped close examination. It will be moved outside whenever weather permits - especially during frost-free periods.

Question:
Are there any special requirements for a Kaffir Lime that are different from a regular lime? What would be a reasonable temperature threshold, given the fact that it is only about a foot high and still in a smallish pot? I know that mature lemon trees in Italy occasionally get snowed upon and so did ours without any ill effects.

To give you an idea about size:


texts: Dracaena marginata "Magenta" black spots

texts: Anybody knows what these black spots are? And how I can get rid of them?


texts: We just bought a rams horn willow from a local farmers market. We have been told that they can grow up to 25 plus feet. We were also told by keeping it in a pot it will stay small and ornamental, which we prefer. Id it's about 8 feet tall now in a half whiskey barrel . How do we proceed to help it bush out more. What and when to prune and how often would be helpful. Thanks


texts: Control of Hyacinthoides hispanica (Spanish bluebell) in an established landscape

texts:
We have several well established beds that are infested with Hyacinthoides hispanica (Spanish bluebell).  For a variety of reasons I am unable to dig them out or use "petrochemicals" like RoundUp so I'm looking for alternative spot treatments.

I was thinking about using horticultural vinegar as a spot treatment, but am unsure what the best way to apply it is. My first thought was to cut the flower off the stem and fill the stem with vinegar.  But then I got to wondering if it needed to translocated to be effective.

I'm also open to other methods if someone has found an effective treatment.


texts: What is the best sunflower for seed production in Pennsylvania zone 6b?

texts: I have been growing mammoth grey stripe sunflowers for a while, but I want to know if there is a better producer for my climate. The area I would plant them in is a heavy, clay base soil. The average yearly rainfall for this area is forty inches. Is there a better producer that will grow under these conditions?


texts: How to prune a young cherry tree that was left alone since being planted

texts:
I recently moved into a house with lots of horticultural learning opportunities :)
This is a semi-dwarf cherry and the cultivar is Montmorency tart cherry. It was planted at least two years ago and (as far as I can tell) has never been pruned.  The picture shows two different angles. For scale, the lowest branches are about knee level:

My goal is to have it eventually develop into a healthy, fruit-bearing, backyard-type tree.  I don't need to get a harvest any time soon.
How should I proceed to get this tree into shape?  I've done a lot of reading, but haven't actually done any tree pruning.  Also, when should I do this initial pruning?


texts: Vine-like weed growth with lilac flowers and small reddish fruit

texts:
While removing weeds, I noticed this strange vine-like growth. It has some distinct features (all visible in the picture below):

Tall, vine-like growth
Small greenish fruit that turn red
Lilac flowers

Is this a weed that I should whack, or is this some sort of "useful" plant?

(View in a new tab/window to see the full size version.)


texts:
I am in California where we have a drought. Both my front and back yard seem to be holding with watering twice a week but both have odd yellow dead areas while the rest is green.

The contrast with the green areas is striking. The green areas have tall grass but the dead areas look like someone tossed gas & lit it. Its yellow & barren in parts.

I checked the sprinklers & the entire area is covered when they come on early in the morning. Today I walked around poking the soil to determine whether it was hard & found it to be soft & moist still.

I have recently moved into this house so I only know the drought though the grass was evenly green when I first moved in.

What else should I be looking for to account for the dead spots? I cant toss new seeds since I cannot water it often enough yet.

What are good resources to revive the lawns?


texts: How to avoid asymmetry in back muscles splitting logs?

texts:
I'm generally in great health but have a persistent niggle in my lateral muscle on one side. Nothing serious it's just easy to pull it.

I've started doing a lot of log splitting with an axe but this favours one side and I'd rather avoid that. Is there an axe technique which is symmetrical, or a way to avoid one shoulder getting ready more muscled than the other?


texts: treating potato plant disease with ridomil

texts:
Potatoes in our garden got attacked by a disease. Take a look:

Presumably, this is late blight. The recommended practice is to spray potatoes with ridomil fungicide. I am very skeptical about using it. Do you think this is the way to go? Are there alternatives? Potatoes were planted 50 days ago. I live is south central Europe.

PS: I've put freshly mowed grass in between some rows as a cover. Is this the reason for diseases eruption?

Also, the garden is tight packed with plants and the lettuce is just a few meters away from the potatoes which makes me want to use fungicide even less.


texts: Can I approximate bonsai potting soil with regular commercial ingredients?

texts: I have a bonsai ficus that may need repotting; however, I do not have any specialized bonsai soil, and in the pandemic environment I'm not sure I could get hold of any. (I know the nearest nursery is closed due to the virus.) Can I approximate an acceptable potting mix with stuff from the local home center? I know that basic potting soil won't do, but could I mix together a few things and come up with something reasonable?


texts: I am putting in a new garden and thinking about putting our compost pile in one corner.  Will this attract harmful bugs to any degree that may interfere with the health of the plants growing nearby?  Are there any other drawbacks to siting the compost heap in a vegetable garden that I should consider?


texts:
I have this tree in my front yard, and I'm trying to determine exactly what it is so that I know how to care for it in the future (I've lived in my home in Nashville, Tennessee for less than a year):

The above photo was taken a couple of days ago, so it's obviously showing its fall colors.  Here's a close-up of the bark, which has a peeling appearance to it (leading me to think this is a type of birch) and an orange or salmon color to it:

Edit: Here's a closer look at the bark:

Lastly, here's a close-up of some of its leaves, which average about an inch long, so that you can see what they look.  You'll notice that the branches have a lot of petal-like things attached to them that they are shedding now too:

I'm finding the fallen leaves particularly a nuisance, as they're so small that they're sticking to the ground, and I'm not having luck mulching them with my mower.


texts: My mother just came back from a family trip and would like to purchase a plant like this one. Their owner didn't seem to know what this plant what, any help is most appreciated!


texts: How do I make a waterbed environment from a 5 gallon bucket?

texts: I'm wanting to grow some water plants like Watercress, and Ashitaba, but have nowhere to grow it at. How can I convert a 5 gallon bucket to grow a plant in each?


texts:
We've had this plant ~6 months in the UK, it usually lives in the bay window so gets lots of sun. However, the edges of the leaves started to go brown, despite twice-weekly watering and reading online, it might be because it's getting too much sunlight.

We moved it away from the window for a few weeks, and it's still seems to be slowly dying. As you can see from the photos the edges of the leaves are browning, and the underside is off-color. We must be doing something wrong, any suggestions?

Edit: we've also been misting it with water daily to try and increase the humidity


texts: What is this houseplant with glossy oval leaves, and how should I care for it?

texts:
My mother has had this houseplant for about a decade and we don't know what it is. The dark, glossy leaves are oval with pointed tips. They're growing off small branches attached to the narrow main trunk.

What care should we give it so it can grow back healthy?

Click on pictures for closer view.


texts: I'm buying a Christmas tree to grow in a pot year round and thinking about how I'll keep it healthy in the long run. The tree needs to be pruned to keep a height of 5 feet ( 150cm ) and I'm thinking of buying a fast growing fir. Would putting the tree in an airpot inside a decorative box work long term to promote a healthy root system?


texts: Succulent's older and outer rim leaves are yellowing/dying

texts:
Sorry I forgot the name of this succulent. Previously 1 leaf used to yellow and wither away but this time I noticed 5 leaves are yellowing, and all are older leaves. Last time i water this succulent was 2 weeks ago

top
and a side view

By the way it also has one pup growing


texts: Are my orange tree's yellowing leaves a sign of underwatering?

texts:
I have a mature orange tree in my back yard and I've noticed that the lower leaves at the extremity of have started to to yellow over the last couple of months.

Is this a sign of overwatering? Underwatering? A lack of necessary nutrients? Something else?


texts: I live in the Netherlands, where the climate is very unstable. Whilst I love my coffee and love doing a lot of stuff myself, the urge to grow my own coffee had risen. I was wondering if the Dutch climate makes for good coffee / coffee plants.


texts:
Since three years I am growing chili's inside my apartment. And every year I have huge problems with fungus gnats (Hope thats the right translation). I replace everything at the start of a season: -> new chili plants and new soil. The only thing that stays the same is the fertilizer I use (a bio tomato fertilizer).

So I started to wonder: Is it possible that the fertilizer I use is the source of my pests problem ?


texts: What is this plant I was told to be a sort of Mentha?

texts:
The leaves are from the south of Russia (somewhere around Anapa, Krasnodar Krai) and I was told this was a sort of Mentha. I doubt that, given the leaves are so large. It does have a smell, but, again, I wouldn’t say it is similar to mint.

I also was told that the locals call it Лесная мята (Forest mint), but it’s clearly not Mentha laxiflora.


texts:
You see onion seeds for sale but the literature, TV and advice from fellow gardeners always talks about onion sets and it feels as if sets is all anyone ever bothers with.

So who are the seeds for? Are they especially hard to grow from seed?

Why is it that competent gardeners who wouldn't dream of buying anything else (salads, cabbages, beans etc) "already started", when they can easily grown their own from scratch, but when it comes to onions they do buy the "already started" sets?


texts: What is this tiny black insect found on my cacti?

texts:
I need help identifying an insect, it is very small, not much bigger than the head of a pin, it is black. It kind of resembles a slug because it has the true small antennas.

It was originally on a Golden barrel and a Mammillaria mystax cactus. Now it is on my Panda plant. I had originally thought I had removed the infestation, as it comes to find out I had not. I have removed it now. I've now gotten a picture of what I believe is an adult insect. Again anyone know what kind of insect this is?


texts: How should I properly prepare a raised bed vegetable garden?

texts:
When building a raised bed for a vegetable garden, what do I need to do to properly prepare the soil? It is going to be mixed with different types of vegetables and herbs that I will rotate out all year long.

Should I buy the more expensive garden soil? Or use essentially use top soil and add the necessary fertilizers?


texts:
I once owned a Polish clematis which changed name approx 10-12 years ago & since moving to Scarborough would like to obtain again. Unfortunately I only know it by it's old name which I can only spell phonetically -
                               Maximawenya?

It's a very vigorous, white plant, late flowering. Hope you can help?


texts: Shrub with scented white flowers and waxy leaves?

texts:
I am wondering what kind of plant this is. It has (relatively) thick leaves and occasionally small white flowers.

One of my dogs sometimes likes to sniff it. She'll balance on three feet (two and a half - she's missing part of one) and moves her leg like she's scratching herself while sniffing.

Would it be bad to have in the back yard so the dogs could smell it regularly?


texts: What type of palm tree is this, including its scientific name?

texts: I'm not sure what type of palm tree this is. This is taken in Arizona. I think it is a canary island date palm.


texts:
I recently bought a property where I'll need around 340 feet of privacy trees. I'm planting around 35-40 Thuja Green Giants on the property line.

However, I'd like to get these trees in the ground soon - or during the fall.

We will not have a structure/water turned on to the house for some months.

What the chances that these trees will establish if I plant them during the fall? I'd like to get them established and growing upwards by the time we occupy the property.

About half the properties I see that try to grow privacy lines end up with mostly-dead trees. What is the main cause of this?

Further, is it possible to avoid this die-off without irrigation available, or is the best option (most likely) to wait until I have irrigation hooked up to insure establishment?

I'd appreciate any thoughts.

Edit The location is East Tennessee. The die-off is not uniform to the area. Those with established (well-draining) soil and homes seem to show the most success. Death seems to occur when Evergreens sit underwater, or have no access to regular water.


texts: I make compost in my backyard.  I also buy fertilizers for vegetable and fruit plants from the big box stores.  My question is really when to use compost vs. fertilizer?  Can I eliminate the use of fertilizers if I have enough compost or do I have to continue to use the combination. If the latter, when do I use each of these?  Interested in practical suggestions based on what other's are doing.


texts: Do plumeria with inflo need fertilizer to actually bloom?

texts:
My plumeria appears to have an inflo! It grew from a cutting that I planted about a year ago. It’s got quite a few large leaves and I planted it in fox farms organic soil. I’m wondering if I need to give it fertilizer. If I don’t, will the inflo have trouble blooming? It gets lots of direct sunlight every day.

If I do need to fertilize it, what’s the best fertilizer to use? I’m scared to use Miracle Gro as I’ve had horrible experiences using it in the past, but maybe I just wasn’t using it correctly.

Any help much appreciated! Don’t want my first inflo to go to waste!!


texts: Is it normal for a pineapple to grow more crowns direcly from the fruit?

texts:
I've read about shoots/slips/ratoons/suckers (I can't keep track of what is what, and I think 2 of those refer to the same thing). I know one of them grows from the stem, below where the pineapple fruit grows.
But I haven't come across mentions of more crowns coming from the fruit itself
And bonus question: How do you remove the extra crowns growing between the leaves? I don't want to trim the leaves so I can't get a grip close enough to the base and I end up pulling out mostly leaves, and the poor base of the crown is left with almost no leaves, still attached.
Should I just trim the leaves in that area to get better access?


texts: Need some help keeping my navel orange healthy. The first image shows the (semi-dwarf) navel orange shortly after I planted it in September 2012 (around 8 to 9 months ago from writing this post). The following image is from June 2013 (a couple of days ago). As you can see it originally had a healthy dark leaf but the leaf is now looking a lot paler and I'm not sure if that's a sign of some sort of deficiency. The tree is in Phoenix, AZ so gets plenty of sun (and heat) but is well watered to compensate.


texts: What should I add to the soil to make my hydrangeas blue?

texts: I am about to plant some new hydrangeas. What should I use to amend the soil with to make the hydrangeas blue?


texts: Bermuda grass (I think?) is a muddy mess in the winter time

texts:
I live in Knoxville, TN. My back lawn sees a lot of action year-round with two medium-sized dogs. I think much of it is Bermuda grass, since it runs close to the ground, is very thick and soft in summer, and goes completely dormant (dead-looking) in the winter. If I have the wrong grass, please let me know.

Here are some current pictures of a patch in different lights:

Secondly, when the dormant season hits, my dogs are pretty rough on this grass. Since the soil is loose they dig at it, and even the spots that are just high traffic get very muddy. When it rains, I pretty much have to bathe them every time they go outside to save my carpet.

My question is, can I somehow "toughen up" these areas of the lawn with supplemented grass breeds, or should I just herbicide the whole thing and roll out new grass? Obviously I'd rather take the cheaper route of just dropping some new seed, but I've heard Bermuda is like a weed that will choke out most everything else.

Thanks in advance for the input!

Disclaimer - I'm pretty much as far from an expert in this field as you can get. :)


texts: we are planning to build a patio at our backyard against the back wall. The backyard is wet for the most of the year. Most of the videos I saw recommend to dig to a depth of 6 to 8 inches, and fill in with base and so on. But will the patio base be acting like a water pool that traps the water seeps through the paver stone? Thanks for any advises.


texts: I recently bought this plant and really like it, but I don’t know what it is called. I want to make sure I am able to take good care of it.


texts:
I have two arborvitae trees that are near the front entrance to our house. Many years ago they were planted way to close and now they need to be removed.

We have decided to simple plant perennials there instead, like a big batch of black eyed susans or something similar.  Our goal is lower and more color.   my question is can I just cut the arborvitae at ground level and let nature takes its course with the roots?  Or do I need to remove the root ball?

Over time I would assume the roots would decompose was hoping patience and nature could replace an aching back and blisters.


texts: What is this plant with tendrils that exhibits guttation?

texts:
I thought that it was a busy lizzie until i saw the tendril... my other busy lizzie doesn't have that.

Thanks a lot!


texts: Shall I cut off the suckers when my apple tree is in bloom?

texts:
I was away for 4 weeks and my apple tree became totally full of blooms!! I had not cut its suckers this year, and the last 2 years they may not have been cut properly.

This is a beautiful Golden Delicious apple tree that is over 20 years old; we moved in here 5 years ago and I normally do not water it. Should I? It has been quite generous in giving us loads of apples except last years when I think we cut the runners late too! What should I do next year?

Shall I leave the suckers alone? The whole tree is full of them, but it is also full of blossoms? How can I help keep it happy?


texts:
I got this ping/butterwort as a present. (If you're wondering why it has no flower, I accidentally knocked off its stem/flower.)
The instructions for caring for a ping vary depending on which variety it is, so I'm hoping someone can identify what variety of ping this is.
If you have any advice about how to care for this plant, that would be welcome also!


texts: Why do people say not to overwater basil, when it grows better in standing water?

texts: I have a basil plant that is approximately doubling in size every day while in standing water, and was wondering why people say not to overwater basil?


texts: What is my normal selection for a 4 season food cover crop?

texts: I'm learning a lot about cover crops as soil conservation, and was wondering what would be the best choices for my garden, in a Minnesota, zone 4a climate? It should produce good amounts of mass to plant on top of in the garden.


texts: I have several sunbelievable sunflower bushes and they are annuals, I want to know how to take cuttings from them


texts: Would a Crinkle Crankle (Serpentine) Wall be strong enough to sit on?

texts:
We are designing a courtyard with a knee wall that would be run between lawn and brick patio. The idea is to define the space and to provide a comfortable place to sit.

This is an old house on an odd lot, and there are virtually no right angles in sight. So I thought we might embrace the irregularities and use a crinkle crankle wall (serpentine wall) to dispel any notion of square. My concern is that it might not be strong enough to handle a bunch of people sitting on it.

I've seen the ones at UVa but they were all too high for sitting on as far as I recall.

So, can these walls bear the weight of a few humans?


texts: What is this plant with small red flowers and palmate leaves with 11 leaflets?

texts: This plant was given to me earlier this year and was said to be an herb - nutmeg I think they said.  I don't think it is a nutmeg.   I have looked all over the web to no avail - no clue what it is. 11 palmate leaflets on each cluster, even the smallest ones.   It has grown quite a bit since June here in Southwest FL and just put out the little red flower on top.


texts:
I'm unsure what variety of plant this is.

It's currently about 30cm tall and the most identifiable feature on it are the small hairy coconut like seeds where the shoots sprout from.


texts:
I've had this rubber tree for about five years and it looked great during its first year.

However I moved around a lot and I moved the Pheadrus around even more (yesterday I learned what a stress it is for these guys). At some point it started to lose leafs and then from under the ground grew what seemed like his children. Three years ago I remember there being three separate stems. Now it's seven.

Most of the older stems are now pretty bare, as some of the new ones. Only one or two have some good leafs. I'm thinking of cutting six of the seven right where they stick out of the soil. Can I do that?

Now, there are other issues. The upper leafs have whitish stains on the upper surface. Most of the leafs are yellowish on the bottom sides of them. Some of the leafs have dry patches on the edges. I'm not sure if there's fungi or something like that...

Can someone please give me some tips on how to bring this plant back to good life? Ideally it would have one long stem with nice big leaves and no branches. I don't mind if it takes another five years to help Pheadrus grow into its best version of itself :)


texts: What ground cover would be best for my old stone driveway?

texts:
I have a steep driveway that isn't very practical for parking in, but looks pretty nice.  It is "paved" with bricks and large marble slabs, with dirt in between the stones.  Although this looks pretty nice and rustic in the winter/spring, but it gets out of control with weeds come summer.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good, low ground cover that will grow well in this environment?  It would be great to have something to block the weeds and provide some year-round color between the stones.


texts: Can  jalapeños be grown from pickled jalapeño seeds?

texts:
I bought a bottle of pickled jalapeno today, and I see there are seeds inside them.

It is hard for my local area to acquire jalapeno seeds, so I am wondering if it is possible to grow jalapenos from these seeds in the pickled jalapenos.

The juice is made with water, salt and acidity regulator.


texts: What is this weed and how can I eliminate it?

texts: I live in Nova Scotia, and I have been fighting with this weed for at least 7 years.  It is in my flower garden.  I have gone so far as to try to follow each of the white roots though the soil and remove them and still it comes back. It seems the more you break the roots, the more plants it grows.  I have tried Round-Up and other such killers and none have worked but its roots are through my Hostas and this makes it hard to get it all.  This year I was down with an operation and it got ahead of me and I need help.  I would love to get rid of it once and for all.  Thanks for any help you can offer.


texts: How do you keep Newley sprouted lemon trees warm

texts: The lemon trees are about 4 inches tall, have been in ground for about 4 months, and are doing very well but there is going to be frost soon and don’t know how to keep them warm during winter since they are so small.


texts: I noticed small holes in my kale and was concerned. When I looked under the leaf I saw this green worm (easy to spot). On more inspection I identified another 15 worms on this kale plant and another few on a different kale plant (same type). I have a number of questions. What is this worm? How did it get there all of a sudden?  How do they multiply?  How do I get rid of them organically?  Will it attack other types of kale plants I have in the same raised bed?  Will it attack yellow squash plants in the same raised bed?


texts:
We have some lime trees that generally give a good amount of fruit, most of it coming off the tree in good shape.

About 10℅ of the fruit has discolored areas usually on the bottom of the fruit ("bottom" here being relative to the orientation it hangs in). It's not just color either - there is a ridge around the area, as if the peel was thinner there.

Are these still safe to eat?

What causes it?!

Here's a pictures of a couple of limes with the issue:

Here's one cut in two:

The flesh near the discoloration is softer and perhaps a bit browner in color.


texts: What's causing the bark on my maple sapling to split?

texts:
I planted a Maple sapling in my front yard in November 2011, and it hasn't shown very much growth since. It gets leaves during the spring, but they seem to fall off earlier than all the other trees in the area, and I haven't seen any substantial branch growth. This week I noticed the bark near the base has a vertical split. The tree that was planted in the same place up until April 2011 also had similar symptoms, until it was damaged beyond repair by a tornado. I had a backhoe dig out the old root ball, so there shouldn't be any remnants of the old tree.

Is it possible that there's a soil-borne disease affecting the new sapling? If so, is there anything I can do to remedy its condition?