texts: What should I do for unknown tree bark injury on a Chinese Pistache?

texts:
I just noticed a tree bark issue on my Chinese Pistache. Is this no harm damage or an infection I should worry about? Is there anything I should do for it?

There is plenty of mulch around the tree to prevent accidental lawn mower strikes. The damage is in the area where the tree bends with excessive swaying in the wind. It used to go near horizontal when a storm arrived. I've since controlled for it by loosely tying the trunk to prevent bends past 45 degrees.

Other Details

1.5" diameter trunk and at least 12 ft high
Newly planted this past Easter (2 months)
In southern Texas. Gets lots of full sun
Healthy leaves, no other diseases noticed
Arrived with a bad infestation of sharpshooter insects. Treated and pretty sure they are gone now.

Update

Per stormy's answer, I consulted an arborist. Nursery is reputable and leaned towards animal damage. Said it reminded him of damage deer make when rubbing against trees. Seeing that my tree is fenced in, highly unlikely to be deer. I watched my tree like a hawk and discovered the culprit.  My cat was using the tree as a scratching post. Pic attached at bottom. I surrounded trunk with a wire mesh. Cat was not happy about it. Arborist thinks the tree will be fine though will take years to recover from the damage.


texts: How do I stop dog urine from killing grass?

texts: Everywhere I've lived, the dog urine just kills the grass. I've found nothing on the internet and the garden person at the local hardware said it's impossible. Any suggestions?


texts: Why are my Avocado Leaves turning bright red?

texts: Tree is about 1-2 years old. Some of the leaves are turning bright red, why?


texts: Does anyone know what this dark green houseplant is?

texts: I'm not sure what type of plant this is! The leaves are somewhat thick, but I have not been able to figure out what it is. Any ideas?


texts: What fruit trees requires the most water?

texts:
I just moved into a home (zone 5) and there's a small part of our backyard that is often wet from how the water flows with the surrounding homes.

Are there any fruit trees that consume more water than others (and in turn would help some minor water issues in the backyard)?  I'd love a fig tree and supposedly Hardy Chicago Fig's can survive in zone 5.  However, I'm not sure what their water consumption is.


texts: what care should I give my lemon and orange tree after 8 months neglect?

texts:
In July I moved into a new house with an established lemon tree (about 4-5 m high) and orange tree (3-4 m high). Apart from collecting the last crop we have left them alone.
The previous tenants grew their own vegies, so I assume the trees were cared for up until about April last year.

Today I stripped off a vine that had been growing all over them, and I wonder what care should I give them now. I assume I should get rid of all the stuff growing under them. Is it too late/early to fertilise (I'm in Sydney, so it is midsummer)?

Some of the leaves on the lemon are a bit yellow, but that might be from being overgrown by the vine.


texts:
I just received a Monstera deliciosa in the post today and noticed what look like brown flecks all over the leaves.

Anybody know what they are? If it's rust, any advice on how I can treat it? It appears to have spread to all of the leaves on the plant.
I live in the UK, so am not sure what fungicides would be available (if one would be applicable here).


texts: Mushroom growing, when to harvest champignons?

texts:
I am having a small experimental box with brown champignons in my basement.
It already had two great waves of mushrooms, but it seems I waited too long because they all were opened up already.

When I watched the day before, I harvested a few big ones and left the smaller ones to grow a little more - next day all of them were opened and didn't have the typical champignon shape anymore.

I have also noticed, that my mushroom stems seem to be quite long in relation to the mushroom head (e.g. 10cm/4inches) in average.

Champignons are grown on straw substrate covered with clay-based soil (all ready and prepped by the shipper)
The room is pretty dry but the box is covered with a perforated plastic sheet to contain more moisture. Room temperature is 10-14 degrees, it's pretty dark most of the day (just enough light to walk around when eyes are conditioned)

So here my questions:

How do I know when to harvest a champignon?
When I harvest, should I cut the stem or just rip/screw it out?
Do I have to harvest all at once, no matter what size?
Anything I can do to grow them bigger heads smaller stems?

The mushroom box

First harvest

Just 1-2 days later


texts: What is this succulent with 4 stacks of leaves?

texts: The one at the very bottom is Sedum makinoi, right? What about the tall one?


texts:
I have a rabbit's foot fern I will be repotting soon, and everything I read says to make a mixture of 2 parts peat moss, 1 part sand, 1 part perlite or 2 parts peat moss, 1 part loam, 1 part sand/perlite.

However, upon doing further research I see a lot of things suggesting that peat moss has a very low pH and that it is necessary to add garden lime to correct this. Unfortunately, nobody is able to describe the required ratios, and to complicate matters further it sounds as though garden lime has a slow effect over time.

Is it really necessary to neutralize the peat moss, or is it fine to use as purchased?

For example, this site says to use 2 parts peat, 1 part soil, 1 part sand/perlite: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/rabbits-foot-fern/repotting-rabbits-foot-fern.htm#:~:text=Use%20a%20potting%20mix%20with,the%20edge%20of%20the%20pot

However, these websites all say that rabbit's foot fern prefer a neutral pH soil:

https://bantam.earth/rabbit-foot-fern-davallia-tyermannii/#:~:text=Soil%20with%20a%20pH%20of,level%20of%206.6%20to%207.5. (pH 6.5 to 7.5)

https://www.wikihow.com/Grow-a-Rabbit-Foot-Fern (neutral pH of 6.5 to 7.5)

https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54822/%20http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54822/ (6.6 to 7.5 (neutral))

https://plantcaretoday.com/rabbits-foot-fern.html (neutral pH, but goes on to mention the same recipe)


texts: My raspberry in a pot grows babies next to it

texts:
Last year I planted a raspberry bush (?) in a pot on my balcony. This year some small ones started to sprout next to it.
There is not enough space for more than one plant. Or will the parent die soon? They are also too close to the pot wall.
What should I do now? Remove them or leave them? Destroy them? Relocate them (is that possible without hurting the parent plant?)?

Sorry, I don't know what the correct term for the babies is.


texts: Will cutting a bolted lettuce plant allow it to regrow?

texts: I'm a novice gardener and my lettuce has bolted. Do I have to remove the entire plant from the ground or can I just cut it down to the ground so it can regrow?


texts: Hey guys I just bought a house in so cal. The backyard lemon tree was overgrown really bad. Had lots and lots of intertwined dead branches. I read online to cut the diseased branches off but I probably over did it. Can my tree be saved ?


texts: How do I fix dead white patches in my lawn?

texts: I'm in the process of trying to repair this lawn and I'm looking for advice on how best to go about it. As you can see from the attached I have a lot of white patches, a problem with dandelions and I've also found the following grub whilst attempting to manually get rid of some of the dandelions. I'm not sure if the dead grass is being caused by this grub (I'm not sure on species etc. ) or just poor maintenance generally. Is this dead grass thatch that needs to be removed or just dormant grass? Sorry for the plethora of questions just would like some advice on what to do next. I'm in the UK and as yet have not fertilised or seeded or dethatched. there has been two cuts done thus far. and mower set highest setting. I'm manually removing weeds.


texts: Does anyone know what type of tree this is?

texts: This is one of many trees that are growing in a very shaded area in my new yard in Northern Indiana, United States. They range from about to 2 - 8 feet in height.They have thin branches with big leaves than range from about 6-12 inches long and about 4-5 inches wide.


texts:
I was given a lemon tree (pictured) which is about 1.2 metres tall. It's currently in small yellow pot depicted that has edges of approximately 16cm in length.

Ultimately I want to plant it in my garden, but I can't do that for about 10 months because the property is about to be renovated.

I know that lemon trees can do well in pots indefinitely, but is my current pot too small for the 10 month storage

I have a larger pot which is about 40cm in diameter. Should I transfer the plant from the small pot to the large pot, and then (in 10 months) to my garden? I was worried that multiple transfers would increase the chances that the plant would die.

Are there other factors that I should hold in mind? For example, my larger pot does not have drainage.


texts: What vegetable seeds should be planted right now?

texts:
I have a few outdoors vegetable boxes and live in the San Francisco Bay Area.  To get a head start for the growing season, I would like to start by planting seeds indoors using a heating mat.

What are good vegetable seeds to plant now?


texts:
We believe we have a thick scattering of Petty Spurge in the garden and patio. I've read that it's sap is toxic and a severe irritant. NOT what you need with a very curious toddler around.

Can anyone suggest the most effective way to rid ourselves of this plant? And keep it away?

Thanks


texts: Contractor regraded and sodded to direct water away - grass now within 1/2 inch or at top of foundation

texts: I have just had some work done to correct a drainage problem at my house.  The engineers specs said to "lower the soil against the house (which I found out means raise the soil up because water is draining under the foundation slab) to expose a minimum of 2-3 inches of foundation."  When they finished, they had raised and graded soil so water will drain away from the foundation, and then put grass sod in, which now brings it up to right near the top of the foundation where the brick mortar meets the foundation.  Some of it is within 1/2 inch of where the house is sided instead of bricked for about 3-4 feet, and also on the east side of my house where the wall is brick.  Is this ok?  It is slanted down away from the foundation.


texts: Propagating quince - method and timings?

texts:
I have updated with some pictures that have been sitting on my phone for a long time, showing the flower and the fruit.
There's a somewhat neglected and overgrown quince at my workplace which still manages to put out a few fruit. Taking cuttings is permissible (and the thing really needs some help, pruning-wise.) If I want to root cuttings from it (or otherwise propagate it) what is the best timing for taking them and method from that point forward?

Hmmm. I guess it's probably a "flowering quince" chaneomeles; though that's somewhat unclear. Definitely fits the "only conceivably useful for jam" but I don't have a fruit handy to examine - it didn't make many and the ones it did were removed by someone or something else. Smells good, tastes horribly astringent, but that seems to fit most of the "quinces." I had hopes to trying a small batch of jam from it, but I'm now leaning to trying a new bush in my own spot for that.

Fruit is definitely apple sized - looks somewhat like a granny smith with a bit of red blush  (but more texture/less gloss to skin) most of the time it's on there, though in some years it has actually started to yellow at the end of the season


texts: Can I give sugar (or something similar) to flowering plants?

texts: I was wondering if it's possible/advisable to give a flowering plant or any plant for that matter, sugar (or something similar) in addition to plant food?


texts: I soaked lettuce seeds in distilled water for 12 hours.Then, I transferred them to petri dishes that had double folded filter paper moistened with distilled water. The petri dishes were then left in a room for 72 hours (Petri dishes were covered with transparent glass). After 72 hours,when I checked the petri dishes, only a small radicle had come out from the seeds and no hypocotyl could be seen. I left the petri dishes for 2 more days, but there was no further growth. Is there is problem with my seeds?


texts: Why are my ornamental chili plants turning brown?

texts: I have some ornamental chili plants and they started to make chili. However they started to turn brown in colour as shown in the pictures. They started to turn brown a couple of weeks ago but they haven't increased. Why do you think this is happening?  I water them regularly once every two days.


texts: What edible, winter-hardy plants would grow well on my northern patio?

texts:
I'm near Zurich, Switzerland, which is in hardiness zone 8a. I recently moved and have an uncovered patio facing North. It gets some sun in the morning and a tiny bit of sun in the afternoon.

I'm still a beginner and would love to have some low-maintenance edible plants on my patio. I don't want to start from scratch every (other) year, so the plants should be perennial and winter-hardy. Also, I don't want to grow salad, because I think it will require much more space than other plants. I've asked some more experienced people and done some research online, and already have the following candidates:

Chives
Lemon balm
Mint
Parsley
Wild garlic

I'd love some thyme and rosemary, but according to a lot of websites, they only do well in a very sunny place. The same applies to tomatoes. Speaking of which, my list mostly consists of herbs. Any fruits or vegetables that I should try? Has anyone had good experiences with berries under similar circumstances?


texts:
I threw some infected tomato, and potatoe plants into a bath, and hope to drown all the pests including psyllids. But then these slimy things appeared in the liquid. Their body is the same size as their tails, and they have feet like caterpillars, but swim under the water. I was using the water as a compost tea but they block the nozzles of my water can.

I've never seen anything like them before.  I'm in New Zealand. I'm guessing it's some type of larvae.

Pests with tails

Pests swimming in the bath


texts:
What is this spiky tree as seen in northern Mississippi?

Another one:


texts: How to grow water forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides) in a container?

texts:
Water forget-me-not is semi-aquatic and usually grows in ponds and swamps, because it likes very moist soil. It can even grow in water if it's not too deep (<10 cm).

Sadly, I don't have a pond, so I'm trying to grow it on my balcony in a pot. Is there anything I need to do besides keeping the soil wet all the time?


texts: How do I treat the survived parts of a cactus after some of it has rotten to prevent the problem spreading?

texts:
I have a cactus consisting of three "cylinders" growing from the same center point. Recently one of the cylinders started rotting rapidly and I had to remove that part. While I was doing that the rotten half-liquid contents of the "cylinder" spilled onto the soil in the pot.

Now if I was doing something similar to a human or animal (like removing a splinter from under skin) I'd seriously consider using an antiseptic or maybe also an antibiotic to prevent the problem from spreading to still healthy parts.

Is there any special treatment for cactus in this situation that would reduce risk of rot spreading?


texts: How do I stop the leaves falling off my Rubber plant?

texts: After killing my last rubber plant through over watering, I've been very careful not to do the same. So much so, that I came back from holiday to find all the leaves drooping. I watered it but a month later the leaves are still falling off every day! I'm watering from the bottom so the soil at the top still feels quite dry. Is it getting enough water? What should I do!? The top leaf has never perked up since I underwatered it! When I put my finger down through the soil it doesn't feel very compact at all]1


texts: Identify a succulent with flat whorled leaves

texts:
So I bought this plant but don't know what it is. Any help would be much appreciated. (I don't know if its pot is the right size but that's what it came in so haven't changed it.)

I think it is an Echeveria of sorts (I know it's bent but I've moved it so it gets more sunlight so hopefully it will be OK)


texts: Currently i have decided to use bio fertilizers such as phospobacteria and azospirillum to my garden plants. I am confused whether these needs to be used regurarly on the soil or is it a one time application?


texts:
am hoping for advice please.
My friend is growing tulips for her daughters wedding celebration. Got the variety right for flowering at the right time, planted properly into the border..... It's been so warm that these are growing, and are potentially going to be blooming 6 weeks, at least, early.  How can we stop these growing? She lives on the Gloucester/Herefordshire border in the uk. It was hoped these would flower at the same time as the apple trees blossom.
Professional growers would have them chilled, but I don't think that's an option.  Any advice would be appreciated thanks


texts: I have an old lilac bush that I would like to propagate. Suckers work, but I would like more control over amount, uniformity, and size. I had heard that they root readily from hardwood and semi-ripe cuttings, but after several failed attempts, I came here for some help. So, how are these cuttings taken?


texts: How can I choose the best wood and wax to build an interior planter?

texts:
First post on the forum, please let me know how I can improve it before downvoting :)

I would like to build a rectangular planter, (W: 40cm (15in), L: 1m (39in), D: 20cm (7.5in)), in which I would grow grass. It will be kept in interior most of the time.

I am concerned that over time, the wood might become mouldy, and I am not sure how to design the bottom of the box (should it have holes to let water/air through?).

Would you have any advice as to which wood to choose, whether I should apply wax, and whether there is a best way of designing the bottom of the box (eg with holes, or put gravel at the bottom and soil on top)?


texts: How long do I wait to wire my ficus bonsai after re-potting it?

texts: I recently got a ficus bonsai 3 days ago. It's responding well, however, it needs some wiring, pruning and general reshaping before the spring/summer growth. I was wondering how long should I wait before re-wiring it. I was going to wait until spring before pruning it.


texts:
Is it just a household variety, or something special?

They seem to like buddleia.


texts:
Lemons from my garden are really hard. Is there a solution to this?
Here some details.
I'm in a tropical country (Sri Lanka)
here its a sandy soil. I dont use any commercial fertilizers on them.
My lemon plant is 1 year old. nearly 1m high fully grown. Can't squeeze it for juicing. but its so much yellow and ripe. Why does it happen? Thanks a lot!


texts: Herb identification (Possible Satureja viminea)

texts:
Hi I'm developing a plant database for my garden and I'm having trouble identifying this herb.

It has a minty taste and I believe I bought it as a mint variety.

Here is a close up of so you can see it better

Doing some research I found it could be Serpentine Savory, also called Jamaican Mint tree, latin name Satureja viminea but I can't find any information on the RHS website, that is my official go to for plant findings.

If anybody has information about this plant I'm looking for:

Type (I would list it as a herb, if I'm wrong correct me)
Sunlight
Soil
Moisture
pH
Propagation
Pests
Diseases

All this information for all my plants is based on the format the RHS uses, here is an example for Thyme if you would like to help me out:

https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/18213/Thymus-vulgaris/Details


texts: How to prevent chicken damaging my plant?

texts:
I kept some chickens in my backyard. They are caged, but sometimes I let them out to feed on the ground. The chicken loved to dug the soils in my potted plants.

I've tried to put some rock on the potted plant, but the chickens keep dig the soil and even the rock.

This image is taken from google. Because, currently I'm not at home. But, it's something like this.

How to prevent this? I prefer solution/hack that not hurt both the chicken and the plant.


texts:
I was wondering if someone could help. I have had an avocado plant for years, I've kept it small by pruning it and it's become part of my family in a way. It lives on my windowsill and has been thriving recently!
However, yesterday we had some really strong sun which came through the double glazing and basically cooked my avocado plant :( it is now a green stem with dried leaves accessories.
Is it possible to cut it right back, water well and feed it and have it grow again or is it the end for the little plant?
Thanks for your time.


texts: why isn't my venus fly trap eating the bugs i try to feed it?

texts: I just got my baby venus fly trap and it just wont eat. None of the mouths even open.


texts: What plant is this purple berry like shrub?

texts:
Seattle, zone 7 I believe, has things that looks like berries year round.
About 4-5 ft tall and grows outward like a crepe mrtyle.
Thanks


texts: I ordered seeds from a "garder" on aliexpress. I was looking to order Soursop seeds, however the seeds I received were not what I was hoping for. Could somebody help me with figuring out what kind of seeds they actually are? Does anybody know what they could be? I'm stumped. As I don't know what kind they are, I have no clue as to planting and caring for them so they grow properly or if I even need or want them anymore. :( Thanks in advance to all who can assist me.


texts: Can anyone help me identify this rose, it was a gift from my mum, but unfortunately it died during a move. I live in London Ontario. The rose was a bush and had glossy leaves. Zone 5 Hardy.


texts:
I keep reading that ficus trees can't handle a draft. I have a 7 foot ficus tree I just bought for my bedroom, and I run a fan all night every night, so there's a pretty permanent draft running through my room from the fan.

Will my ficus die? :(


texts:
About the size of a rock - I actually thought that's what it was at first.  The inner brown markings amazed me thinking the internals were eroded and exposed.  But touching the surface with my shoe revealed it was a little bit slippery, firm and a bit spongey.
Can anyone tell me what this interesting thing is?


texts: How to support mint cuttings with wilted tips?

texts: I had rooted some mint cuttings in water but the upper ends of these had already wilted a bit. They have rooted and I have placed them in a 10 inch pot with potting soil. Yet due to wilting the tips are touching the surface of the soil. Should I support it with some bamboo sticks? Or do something else?


texts:
I've run into this problem and I'm sure others will too:

I want to know what variety of lawn I've got.

Knowing your lawn type is important for: watering, PH levels, fertiliser, etc. And if you didn't plant it (like me), how do you know what you've got?

To be generic enough for general consumption:

Cover common lawn varieties - Couch, Bermuda, Buffalo, Kikuyu, Fescue, etc.
Have image
Have short description on how to identify (rather than care for) the the lawn.


texts: You can buy hybrid seeds anywhere in large quantities and the plants all turn out about the same, but when you save seeds, they all turn out different. How do the professionals save the seeds? If I could do it I would save a lot of money.


texts: Does "two weeks before the last frost" mean when the ground is still frozen?

texts: I was reading how to plant catnip seed, and noticed that it said 1-2 weeks before the last frost. Does that mean to plant it when the ground is still frozen?


texts: Please identify this rose growing in my garden


texts: Do just-repotted plants really need to wait for days before watering them? Why?

texts:
I have read that for plants that have been just re-potted you have to wait some days. For the Aloe Vera in particular, I have seen some saying to wait for 2 days and others 2 weeks.

I just repotted it so that the soil was special for cactus as the previous one didn't drain properly and the tips were getting brown. The new soil looks dry after just one day, and I was supposed to water it just when the whole soil is dry.

Do I really have to wait more? For how long? Why?


texts:
When I bought my house ~3 years ago, the backyard was being watered by hand even though it has a sprinkler system. The sprinklers had no supply line.

EDIT: What I mean is, the supply line delivers no water. The stop & waste in the front turns on the water for the sprinklers in the front yard, but the back doesn't get water. It could be a missing shutoff (which I've tried like the dickens to find) or a broken line under the driveway so it was just disconnected. Either way, the supply line runs under lots of concrete, so my best option is just to run a new line.

Fast forward to now, my backyard is a layer of weeds, holes dug by my dog and piles of dirt. There is also a roughly 2x2 foot pad of concrete in the middle of the yard I want to remove. The sprinklers run throughout the yard are still usable.

I have sprayed the yard once with roundup killing all the weeds. That leaves me with a very uneven yard w/ sprinklers in it and a lot of dead weeds.

I'm not sure what my best options are from here. Should I pull/dig out the dead weeds, or would leaving them in place while leveling be an ok option. The soil where I live is very rocky so any type of digging is always a huge pain. What is the best type of tool I should rent to get this job done as easily as I can? I was thinking of using a bobcat. (Renting from Ace Rents or Timp Rental).

Caveats are:

I don't want to destroy the sprinkler system already in the ground.
I would like to get rid of the 2x2' concrete pad.

I have called 811 a had the utilities marked. Nothing obstructing us there.

After I've leveled the ground, is there anything special I need to do to prepare for sod? Any special care after it's been laid?

I originally was thinking I would rototill the yard (as suggested reading Can my lawn be saved or is it time to dig it up and re-sod?) but I don't want to destroy my sprinklers.

I currently have a chain link fence between my yard and the neighbors yard on the side with the other 3 side surrounded by concrete. The neighbors yard is not well taken care of and I worry about weeds coming over from there. I would like to put in a concrete strip and a new fence then roughly 3 feet of veggie garden space along the length of that side plus another concrete strip to separate it from the grass.

I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm not going to get it done before winter, so at this point I need a plan of attack for ASAP after thaw in the spring.


texts:
I have an Aloe that has thrived, and has grown to be too tall for its own body weight.
How should I trim this lovely plant.
Propped up


texts:
About 3 weeks ago I purchased my first orchid on a whim, suspecting I'd end up killing him. But he's been growing happily, I've had 2 new flowers from him within that time! (I've recently learnt that I have green fingers :D) I haven't used anything other than water and Baby Bio to grow him.

A few days ago I noticed a new growth on him and I'm unsure what to do with it as I hadn't researched them much before my purchase.

I've attached a picture in hope of some advice, thank you!


texts: What is this shrub with star-like off-white flowers?

texts: Zone 7. Growing in a neglected area. It looks it needs support, but nevertheless 8 ft high. Habit is just a huge pile of branches and leaves. It looks invasive to me. Didn't notice any bee, didn't sense any fragrance. Flowers 1in diameter.


texts: Can anyone identify this infection with my Mango Tree?

texts:
The blisters seem to be spreading only to the older (darker, interior) leaves, and the sap is dripping out of the blisters (literally raining down)

What is this?


texts: Something ate the Marigolds seedling overnight

texts:
I have my Marigolds seedling for about 3-4 days and suddenly overnight, most leaves are gone

I am in Pacific Northwest and we have a lot of bunnies and squirrels.

Any idea which animal or bug would cause this and how to prevent?

Thanks


texts: How should I choose the correct N-P-K fertilizer values for my plant?

texts:
I have a red coleus plant at work that's still growing despite my best efforts. I'm trying to choose the right fertilizer for it, but I'm not sure what I'm looking at when it comes to that sort of thing.

I keep the plant inside and it gets more fluorescent light than natural. I water it pretty regularly.

I'm interested not just in choosing the right fertilizer for my specific situation but also in learning about picking the right kind in general. So, how should I go about it? When looking at different fertilizers, how do I determine which one is the best for me?

Source: Michigan State University


texts: Can I feed Nepenthes pitcher plant meat?

texts:
Recently I've bought a Nepenthes pitcher plant, and the seller have told me that I may feed it meat, if there is not enough flies and bugs in the house.
As I have nets on my windows, I guess that indeed will be the case, but I just want to be sure that I really can feed it meat, and I won't actually hurt it by doing so.
Thanks in advance for any help.


texts: Venus flytrap/Dionaea muscipula doesn't grow traps anymore

texts:
I've had this Venus Flytrap since about 6 months. It was in bloom when I got it (for some reason shops like to sell flowering plants). I read that flowers take a lot of energy from the plant, and since my Flytrap started deteriorating soon, I did cut out the flower, and the flowers that came after it.

Soon the Flytrap died back even more, it grew a few new traps, but then it was mostly gone.

I also read that they can do that in winter, so I didn't worry too much yet, and kept watering it (not too much) and waited.

After a while, it started to grow new leaves, but without traps. If you look very closely, you can see just a hint of a very tiny withered trap at the end of each leaf.

I cannot find any reference to this behavior. Is it normal? Is there something I can do to make it grow real, working traps again?

In comparison, my sundew, which should have a sunny spot as well, was bought at the same time, and seems to be flourishing. It has nice sticky droplets and it catches many fruitflies and other small flies.

The flytrap, withering.

The sundew, doing fine, so it seems.

Thanks in advance for any insights.

Update

Following the advice TeresaMcgH gave in her answer, I've investigated the lighting conditions, and although it is a very bright spot, the plants get hardly any direct sunlight.

I did some reading and apparently the Drosera thrives in lots of direct sunlight as well, and its leaves should be reddish. A Drosera that is mostly green is also a sign of too little light. Since mine was pretty green, I took that as an extra confirmation that Theresa was right.

I've moved both plants to the other side of the house, where they will have direct sunlight for about 5 hours until about 2PM and still a lot of daylight after that.

Let's see what happens...

Update 2: Two weeks later

Well, it seemed that during spring (more light), the stub-traps were already slightly larger, but the first new leaf that unrolled since I moved the plant has grown an actual trap. It's not very big yet, but at least it's a complete trap that actually opened. I've got good hopes for the future! :-)

Update 3: Seven weeks after moving

I think I can consider my plant saved! The difference the new spot made is far greater than I could ever imagine, but look at this; A bunch of new traps, a couple of which caught some insects when I put the plant outside during a sunny day. Lots of new traps in the making. Instead of just pale green, the traps have hints of red on the inside and outside.

I notice the same effect on the sundew. It's as full as it was before, but it completely changed colour. Now, the weather has been extremely sunny here in the past two months, but still I wouldn't have expected this to have this effect so soon.

I hope the updates don't bug you (this might have been the last one), but I think this case should convince anyone who would have any doubts about the effects of (more) sunlight.

Update 4: Summer's end

I've moved the plants outside a couple of months ago. At first I kept them in the same pots, which worked well and they flourished. But after a while I moved them together to bigger 'pot' of peat. I thought this would make it easier to keep them moist. By that time, both the fly trap and the drosera (Alice Sundew, I'm guessing now) were grown big enough to be divided. In the bottom-right of the picture you can see half of the fly trap. The other half is hiding at center top. The one on the left is a different plant I added later. The drosera is divided and individual rosettes are spread around the bin. I've added some other species as well (drosera binata, drosera albino (?), two types of sarracenia and a nepenthes.

So far they are doing well, and I hope they'll make it through winter. I'm not sure every one of these species can handle frost, so I think I'll move the whole thing indoors before that time. Anyway, it seems like the plants are doing even better outdoors. I'm saving up for a greenhouse, and I guess that will certainly unlock some new possibilities. :)


texts:
This succulent was purchased at a grocery store with out a tag. It is fairly quick growing, going from one inch to eight inches in a month and a half. Can anyone identify it?

[Note: There is a jade plant in the foreground of the first picture. The plant I am interested in is the single stemmed thing with grayish foliage. The plant has been grown in bright light inside the house.]


texts: Will "winterkill" crops reliably die in USDA zone 8?

texts:
I am in USDA zone 8 (specifically 8B, US Pacific Northwest region). I am looking to plant some cover crops (if it matters, specifically daikon radishes) over the winter with the idea that they will winterkill and begin decomposing by the time I start to plant in the spring.

In my zone we typically do not get any hard frosts. Once or twice each winter it gets down to about 25 degrees Fahrenheit (about -4 degrees Celsius) overnight, but that is about it - it typically stays above freezing. Sometimes it snows, but even then it is just barely below freezing.

Can I rely on the winters in my zone to actually kill my winterkill cover crops? I'm assuming this is probably dependent somewhat on the species of plant, but in general, if a plant is said to "winterkill" can I assume it will do so in zone 8B or do I need to find out exactly how non-hardy it is to be sure that it will die over the winter?


texts: What guidelines should I follow when planning out my garden?

texts:
I am planning out a vegetable garden that will have 3 large raised boxes. I have made a list of what I want to grow. How do I figure out a good location for each type of vegetable?

My list includes:
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Peppers
Carrots
Radishes
Cauliflower
Lettuce
Garlic
Peas
Zucchini
Strawberries
Basil
Cilantro

I am a newbie and need a place to start! Thanks.


texts: What is happening to my chilli plant? How can I help it?

texts:
Some white spots appeared recently on my Twilight chilli plant (indoors), on some leaves brown spots start appearing in the middle. First I thought - aphids, but it doesn't quite look like insects. Or those very small insects. The white thing can mostly be found on the upper surface of leaves. It is a bit sand-like in touch.

The transparent spots on some leaves (visible on the last photo) had appeared earlier, but I didn't panic about those, as the plant seemed otherwise healthy. In fact it still looks quite healthy apart from the described symptoms – it is flowering and first fruits grow.

I am afraid about my other plants on my windowsill – three other chillies and a tomato. They do not seem affected now, though.

What is it? Can it be powdery mildew or rather those are some insects? How can I fight it?

Do all the symptoms (white 'sand', brown spots, transparent spots) seem related or, maybe, some of them can be just an effect on some bad care from my side?

Update 2012-05-15: Thanks for the comments. You may be right, these are scale insects. Though, today I was able to take a bit better pictures and it doesn't quite look like on the other question:

I am starting a treatment, with soap, vinegar and scissors, like it is scale, anyway.

Update 2012-05-22: Just after my last update I have started my 'treatment'. I have washed the leaves and whole plant with a soap and vinegar mixture, then flushed with clear water. I was able to get rid of most of the white stuff and for a moment things looked well. But in an hour first leaves started wilting. In a couple more hours most of them wilted. The next day most of the leaves and some branches were clearly dead. The pests would probably not harm this plant as I did…  I hope they were killed together with the most of this plant.

Probably the solution was too strong, the leaves to delicate for such treatment or I was not able to flush it properly. Or all of these. Do not try this at home!

Out of curiosity I have kept the plant to see if it can survive. Now, a week later, new leaves and branches appear. The three fruits are still there, even some flower buds seem still alive. The pests are nowhere to be seen, but I know I need to wait a few more weeks to know if they are really gone.

The next time the bugs appear, I will buy some pesticides at a local gardening shop and use them properly rather than trying a compilation of 'organic' treatments described on the Internet. :)

Update 2012-06-19: Over a month passed and the plant recovered from my 'treatment'. Unfortunately so did the insects. Yesterday I have found them on my Cayenne plant, then one adult on a Habanero and lots of small ones on the Twilight, which started this story. This time I have bought a pesticide (systemic, for chewing and sucking insects) in a nearby gardening shop and sprayed all my plants… I hope this time the results will be much better.


texts: What are the main kinds of permanent sprinklers and what they are best used for?

texts:
I have a lawn and a garden. That's about the extent to my expertise in keeping them tidy and healthy. I have some permanent sprinklers in some areas, but they downright stink, so I'd like to redo my whole property.

I have several lawned areas as big as 60' x 50' and as small as 20' x 30'. I also have some garden areas with what I hope to be vegetables one day, another with some dense lilac about 10' x 15', another with two large lilac trees, another area that I'd like to fill with flowers that runs the length of my driveway about 5' x 70', and one area with tulips and other bulb plants that gets lots of heat and sun because it's south facing and against the house about 5' x 25'.

In general, I'd like an overview of the main type of permanent sprinklers available and what they are best used for (or designed for) and for extra points which ones I should probably have on my lawn and in my gardens considered by plans and existing plants.


texts: Identify bonsai & maintenance advice for total beginner

texts:
I got this as a gift and have no idea where to start! Scared to water it!

Firstly, please could someone identify the species?

I'd like emergency advice so it lasts a month or two while I read up - watering, trimming, etc. It looks like it's grown wild for too long with some very long new growth as per picture.

Questions from the spot of reading I've done:

Will scissors do for the moment?
Should I cut only brown stems, or green or either? (I did read a bit about node counts and fresh growth)
Watering: moisten or soak?
Special considerations eg time of year?


texts: Is Perlite safe to use in the home or will it cause health issues?

texts:
I'm new to indoor farming and I was wondering:

Is it safe to use Perlite in the soil or should I stick to more
natural organic materials like pumice or gritty gravel?


texts: Why would one of my Prairiefire crabapple trees seem stunted this year?

texts:
I planted two Prairiefire Crabapple trees on my front lawn about ten years ago. Each spring, they flower beautifully together, then fruit, then leaves.

This year one of them seemed to lag behind.  It only bloomed very sparsely, with only a few flowers, and the same with the crabapples. It looks, for lack of a better word, sick.

I had a landscaper last year that took it upon himself to prune the trees while I was out.  I was shocked to see how much he removed.  Could this have something to do with it? I cannot see anything else wrong with the tree. They both look the same otherwise.  This tree was planted for my aunt that passed away, so I really don't want to lose it.  Any suggestions?


texts: What are these trees in the front of the picture?

texts:
Here are the trees I'm wondering about:

They are growing in Hong Kong. They have moderate length leaves pointing downwards, and are twice as tall as road signs.

They look like young palm trees, but I'm not certain of that.

What are they?


texts:
I have some questions:

What are these, new leaves?(red circle)

What is this?(white circle)

And my cycas leaves are turning yellow (yellow circle). What is the matter? Is my cycas dying?(It's old and some of it's new leaves are turning yellow)


texts:
I moved into a new house where there was an aluminum raised bed. Let us call this bed A. I made a wooden bed 10inches deep. Let us call this bed B.

Bed A was there before I came and the soil looked bad, sandy, tough and full of cacti.

I filled bed B with 10 bags of expensive best organic raised bed soil (and just that - nothing else).

I planted same species of tomatoes, spinach, and peppers in both beds. It's been 2 months since planting.

To my surprise, bed A plants grew up to 3-4 feet and ready to bear fruit. On the other hand my bed B which I was proud of, the plants are only 10 inches high, leaves turning yellow and I feel like they'll die before bearing fruit.

Where did I go wrong? Is my bed B soil too lose and not holding much water? I live in desert area of south USA.

Is there something I can do to fix it now? That is by layering it with water holding materials like coconut coir etc.

Any help would be appreciated. Willing to provide more details if needed.


texts: Which fruits and vegetables can feature russeting?

texts:
Which other fruits and vegetables than apples, pears and potatoes can feature russeting?

For example this nectarine: that stain is a scab or is a russet? To me it looks like mild scab but maybe the nectarines can also feature russeting?

I'll provide here the image of a russet pear for reference:

Later edit: Here's a very interesting nectarine - scabs or russeting?


texts: This year I'm trying to improve my compost by adding rock dust. I'm having some left over joint sand (meant for plaster joints) and would like to know if this would work too.


texts: Frost killed my lawn but my oleanders are still blooming

texts: Last week, we had frost and saw alot of stuff die back but these oleanders are still flowering and producing blooms. I read online that the best time to prune oleanders is by the end of September when they're done flowering and I've been meaning to prune them cause they've gotten so leggy that without support, they just fall completely to the ground. Should i prune them now or wait untill spring or when they're done flowering?


texts: Does controlling night-time light for house plants improve their health?

texts: I keep a few dozen assorted plants under fluorescent lighting in my basement, because the light isn't very good at the windows. I have always left the light on day and night, but now that I think about it, that is not very natural for plant growth. Would the health of my plants be improved by controlling the light during the night?


texts: I brought a Marie gold plant and I kept it in sunlight ,I water it twice a day ... But it seem that leaves and buds are drying up .. I even cut a dry leaves a week before ...but still it continues drying...I can see that the buds are flowered soon such that they are even small.


texts:
Below is a picture of a stem from a particular tree that I have propagated mulberries in the past. The tree is in a different city than where I am now.

I know I should have cut a thicker stem, but had to rush the process due to being late for my train.

Anyway, I have been watering this for two weeks now. Another stem that I cut at the same time, but thicker and gifted to my neighbor, has put out a leaf.

Just wondering whether I should continue to keep watering or is it completely dead and not worth the effort.


texts: Colorado Plant/Weed Identification Thistle thing with purple flowers

texts:
Can anyone help me identify this plant?  It is located in the foothills of Colorado.

and a younger version:

Have not had any luck that past few days online and would appreciate any shared knowledge!


texts: Does this Chinese Fan Palm look over or under watered?


texts: I have a "plague" of Oxalis corniculata in the middle of Vinca minor. Is there any way to eliminate it chemically or just tearing it off?


texts:
I was tearing down my tool shed in the garden and found these droppings on the floor. Can someone tell me which animal's droppings are these?

Note: I live in the Pacific Northwest of the US


texts: How do I recover from an over fertilized yard

texts: Last summer I decifded to create a lawn and brought in top soil and planted grass seed. After six weeks, I spread fertilizer and then my grass turned yellow. I didn't water as much as I think I should have and by the end of the summer, I had some very green streaky areas where it was obvious that water from the driveway was being directed down my sloping yard. I live in Alaska and there will be snow until late April or May. When spring finally arrives and the snow is gone I would like to be proactive in recovering the rest of the yard. Besides the obvious of adding some new seed and watering frequently, what else can I do? I'm wondering if adding lye or some other type of neutralizer would help. Any ideas?


texts: What is this tree/shrub growing in my front yard?

texts: I have this in some landscaping that came with the house when I bought it.  I have asked the neighbors and no one can tell me who the landscapers were that planted it, or what kind of shrub/tree it is.


texts: Kentia palm gets brown/yellow spots on the leaves and has no growth

texts:
I'm a bit concerned for my kentia palm. I've had it for about a year, I've placed it fairly bright, I spray the leaves with water regularly, and water it every-time the top layer of the soil is dry (1-2 times a week). Its planted in a pot that can drain and with regular potting soil.

Even though I have had it for a year, it has barely shown any growth, as only one new leaf has emerged, and the roots seem to not be growing into the pot, as the soil is still very loose. I have therefore not yet used any fertilizer.

When i first got it, soon after yellow/brown spots showed up on several of the smaller leafs, which made them look like they where dying. I therefore removed them because I thought it could be an infection.

Now almost a year later the spots have turned back again, and are now browning the bigger leaves. I'm concerned about removing them, as the plant does not show signs of growth, and because removing them would mean removing about half of the plant!

The spots start of as yellow, then brown with a yellow outer which are killing the leaf. The spots often start at or close to the tip, and move down the leaf.

Does anyone recognize this spots, and known how to treat them, and does anybody known, why my palm isn't growing. Is there anything important about the care of the plant I've missed?

The plant still looks allright, but I would really like to treat the problem, before it gets out of hand.

-Anton


texts:
The main part of my rubber tree looks like a slingshot. The main truck is 3 feet long before it splits into the 2 branches. If I cut off those 2 branches will any new limbs come out of that trunk? If so how much of the trunk should I leave?

There is some new growth at the bottom off an old limb but it is just another branch that's going to grow out at a bad angle.

Is my only hope with this plant to keep it from falling over to cut back the 2 branches? If so does it matter how far I cut them back?


texts: Dionaea miscipula (venus flytrap) laid over the ground

texts:
First of all, I live in Valencia, Spain, where the temperatures now are about 16-20°C.

I have a dionaea muscipula that I bought at Lidl store and I moved it to a plastic pot. I bought it being the half of it size. The plant is indoors next to a window with about 4-5 hours of full sun at the afternoon.

I bought the plant with its leaves already lying over the ground, and since then nothing changed. It's growing new leaves, that, at the early stages of the leaf, are straight and pointing up, but when the leaf become wider and the traps grow the full leaf falls to the ground.
Some pictures attached.

Is it normal? Maybe its related to this variety of Venus Flytrap. Should I do something? When I search pictures on google every image shows plants growing straight up, none as mine.

Thanks in advance!


texts: How can I tell if my apples are ready to harvest?

texts:
I have a young apple tree (Spartan) with a small number of nice sized apples.

How can I tell if they are ready to harvest?


texts: I removed the sod last year. Do I need to rototill before seeding this spring?

texts:
I removed the sod last year and now I am waiting for the temperatures to raise so I can seed. From what I am reading Early in April is the best time here in Toronto (5a)
Do I need to rototill before seeding?
I know it would have been better to do this before winter but the stars did not align for me


texts: Why is my lemon tree losing leaves after I gave it tomato feed?

texts: There are pale blotches on the leaves of my lemon tree. There are no pests or mites, but all leaves have fallen from tree. I have tried a tomato feed with no results.


texts: Slim 6ft high evergreen hedge for a UK garden?

texts:
I'm interested in surrounding my UK front garden with a evergreen hedge border.

The garden is small, enough for 2 small family cars.
So is it possible to grow a "slim" evergreen hedge which is at least 6ft high?


texts: Why are my peas dying from the bottom up?

texts:
I grow Super Sugar Snap peas in large containers every year, and every year I see the same thing -- around the time they flower, they start dying from the bottom up. This happens quite early -- the attached photo is of the stage where the first peas are starting to appear on the vines. I can still harvest from the plants as the tops are still healthy-looking, but they're gradually dying and will stop producing pretty soon.

Is this part of a normal life cycle for this variety of peas, or is something wrong?


texts: How to strengthen a leggy pomegranate sapling?

texts:
I just received a Wonderful Pomegranate sapling in the mail. It is 18 inches tall. Its single trunk is so thin and tall that it can't stand up by itself. I believe the gardening vernacular to describe this is "leggy". How do I strengthen it to be self-dependent?

As an aside, pomegranates naturally grow as shrubs (multiple trunks). I think the nursery trained this one as a single trunk as evidenced by thinning cuts at the very bottom of the tree, causing the weird zigzag shape.
Update March 26, 2015
I planted the pomegranate plant in the ground last year. It's still leggy. You can see many branches arching over. On the other hand, the foliage is lush and the vertical growth rate is stupendous. I thought planting it outdoors would help. It's put in a sunny spot. The wind was supposed to make the limbs grow stronger, but it didn't.


texts: What word would you use to indicate the type of a plant?

texts: I am making a webapplication that allows people to browse through a database full of plant information. People can also add filters before hitting the search button. One of those filters is now called 'plant type' and the options of the filter are Plant, Bush, Tree, Fungus and Cactus. If people select Bush and Tree for example they will retrieve only Bush and tree plants. Calling this filter 'Plant type' sounds a bit off and i was wondering whether there is a better term instead of plant to describe the list above. Does anyone know of a better or more appropiate word? Thank you


texts: I recently re-potted this guy to a pot thang would drain at the bottom and have moved him over the course of a few months to a spot that has more light. The color has continued to get darker and the tip are curling. When I reported it, I watered it throuoghly and haven’t watered it again. I have been listing it and have a humidifier going in the room now. Is there anything else I can do? Do you think it’ll make it?


texts:
I read that tilling wet soil can destroy soil structure and make it more difficult for seeds to grow roots through the soil.

How exactly do roots find their way through the soil? Can artificial soil structure be created for roots to grow more easily?


texts: How to install irrigation for an unstructured garden

texts:
Last year my wife and I were veggie gardening rookies: I built a 4'x8' raised garden bed out of cedar, we planted, and actually didn't do half bad. At the end of the season we spoke with a "master gardener" at a county fair who told us why we lost half of our harvest: our irrigation method. I had, in my ignorance, been watering our plants via sprinkler at the end of the day. According to this gardener, this "top-down" irrigation method was leaving moisture on the leaves, allowing mildew/rot/disease to creep in. Apparently it also makes it harder to get the water directly to the roots, and so its inefficient as well.

This year I wanted us to learn from our mistakes. We went out and bought all our seeds and transplants, some extra top soil and compost, etc. Last weekend I got the soil/compost in the garden, and I thought we would be planting everything together this coming weekend.

Turns out my wife couldn't wait. She went ahead without me and planted everything in the garden basically according to the space each plant needs around it as well as by aesthetic appeal:

I was planning on doing soaker hose-based irrigation this year, that is:

Putting everything (essentially) into an (x,y) grid
Snaking a soaker hose back and forth betweeen the "axes" on the grid

But as you can see, we now have a hot, unstructured mess where instead of a neat, easily-irrigatable grid, we have "plant clusters". So I ask: is there any way for us to stay with soaker hose irrigation? If so, what might it look like and what special hardware would I need to snake around all of these "plant clusters"? If not, what is our best option for irrigation here?


texts:
I found these white bugs on my Carolina Reaper plant last week. They seem to leave white webs/fluff behind them, as you can see in the picture. From what I've read online, they appear to me to be mealybugs, except that these little fellas jump. Are they dangerous to the plant? How should I deal with them?

I can try and get a better picture or from a different angle, if that would help.

Edit: I asked a buddy of mine who does landscape architecture, and he said it looks like some kind of spider to him, though he has no idea what kind. I looked at a list of all spiders in Indiana (where I live), and didn't find anything that even comes close to resembling it. I used a similar website to look at common bugs in Indiana, but couldn't find anything there, either. I'm in Southern Indiana, if that helps.

Update: A Carolina mantis decided that s/he now owns the pepper plant. There are no more white bugs/spiders to be seen.


texts: What is wrong with my acer (and can I save it?)

texts:
I got given an acer about this time last year, and put it in a pot because I didn't have anywhere ready to plant it. It did fine last summer, and looked good in the spring with new leaves coming out, but then the tips started dying back (colour going out of the stems and leaves dropping off), from about the middle of April. I tried cutting the worst affected stems back, but it has continued to spread. Now most of the leaves are wilting or look like they are dying. I'm in the Midlands in the UK. I have been watering it through drier spells, we've just had a week of quite a lot of rain.

Is it verticillium wilt, or something else? Is it a goner, or is there something I can do to save it?

picture of my unhappy acer

Edit: Still looking for an answer on this, although by a few days later basically all the leaves had shrivelled up and dropped off. I think it is most likely dead given it's late spring/early summer here. But I'm still interested to know what caused the problem, whether I need to clean the pot up before using it again (and what to clean it with), and whether there are certain plants I should avoid putting in the pot if it's a disease that can be transferred between species.


texts:
In our back yard we have a 4' high chain link fence between us and our neighbors. We are looking for ways to cover it up as it is unsightly. There is a (currently empty) flower bed that runs along the length of the fence. We have looked online and one suggestion was to make wooden panels and hang them over the fence using U-bolts. We like this idea as we can get a fence without having to dig post holes etc. As we plan on putting plenty of plants in front of the fence, it won't be so visible and we're hoping to get away with cheap materials. Assuming that the neigbors are OK with it, my question is what type of wood to use.
I have seen these at HD: 1 in. x 8 in. x 8 ft. Whitewood Ledger Board which look like they have potential. Will these boards hold paint? How long will they last? Is it a false economy to use them?


texts:
I had some Cabot Wood (deck) cleaner spill on my garden tools (in particular a couple of shears). It probably sat there for a few weeks before I noticed it. Now the steel parts are quite corroded. What’s a good way to clean them up? Are there particular household chemicals / cleaners that would be good for this?
My goal is to prevent further damage and restore them to looking less-bad.


texts: Please help me in identifying this beautiful insect

texts: This beautiful looking comuflaging insect on my Chameli plant. What it could be?


texts: What type of grass am I dealing with and how to get rid of it!

texts: Can anyone please help with the identification of this weed grass in my lawn? I live in the Pittsburgh area. It is like a lime green with purple stems (see Photos). The stems are thick and course. I have tried tenacity on this but no luck. I can not get a solid answer as to what this is. Any help would greatly be appreciated.


texts: How to avoid "importing" insects when bringing plants into house at end of summer?

texts:
I had many of my plants out on my porch last summer (potted avocado trees, potted miniature roses, some herbs). Unfortunately, when I brought them into the house in the Fall, I also brought in some very small flying insects which lasted months indoors. Not swarms or anything –  but enough so that I want to try to avoid doing that again.

It there a way to prevent this occurring? I didn't vigorously shake the plants though they must have been shaken a bit while being moved. Is there anything more I can do?


texts:
Well, as title says.. a few questions about mushrooms and veggies:
I have several raised beds with different vegetables. Raised beds are made from heat treated wood pallets and on top of them I've used wood chips as mulch.
Plants are doing really well but recently I've noticed rather large number of mushrooms (not sure what kind, probably not edible) growing inside beds (so far near wood edges of beds) after this rainy period...
What interests me are those mushrooms beneficial to vegetables or I should try to remove them? Also, could this growth of mushrooms be caused by my wood chips? Was there a way to prevent growth of this 'weed'? (although I don't really mind them growing near vegetables).
Also, should I take some extra care before consuming those vegetables or regular washing with fresh water is enough?
PS: Can mushrooms be considered as weed since they are not plants? ;)


texts: Why are my avocado's leaves drying out from the edges?

texts:
I recently moved into a house in the South SF Bay Area in California, with three large avocado trees. I've noticed that the leaves on one of these trees is drying out from the edges:

Here's another photo, this time from further out to give you an idea of the extent of the damage:

In fall it produced smaller fruit than I'd expect, and the other trees on the property did pretty well.

Am I under-watering the tree? What's going on here?


texts:
Blueberry flowers are dropping off. I raise mason bees so, I know pollination is not the cause, and Lane County Oregon has had an over abundance of rain.
I am baffled. Last year I had a bumper crop. What gives?


texts:
Several months ago, I made the following experiment: Make a plant grow inside of a box with artifical lighting. I bought this lamp (15W):

And removed the white sphere from it, so it got like:

It burned my plant completly. After that, I bought several fluorescent lights and this experiment made me think that plants need to be far away from the lamps (at least 1m). This belief gave me some problems, I spent a lot of time with basil and lettuce never growing more than 1cm and never knew why because they weren't growing but several other plants were. Eventually, I decided to move them to very close my fluorescent lights and - to my surprise - the lamps didn't burn them plus, they are finally growing! See the following photo: That plant is very close to the lamp, ~2cm max and there are plants that even touch the lamp and don't get burned (This is a stand with 4 T5 54W each).

As that plant is light hungry, I decided to make another experiment. I put another of it near a LED light, this time, I used the following:

It's a 50W LED flood light. I put the plant at that distance (~10cm):

And it got completely burned as you can see here:

I have another experiment with fluorescent lights and the lights are VERY close to the plants, as in:

And just as the other plants near the fluorescent lights, they don't get burned (that section of the leaf that looks burned is just because the leaf is old. The rest of the plant is completely fine). I measured the temperatures and got 40 degrees celsius in both fluorescent and LED flood light so it doesn't seems that it is heat that is killing them but then, what is? Can we adapt LED lights for plant growing with some filter similar to the filter I removed from the first lamp? I didn't test that lamp with filter but I will eventually.

NOTE: I know that there are lamps specialized for plants, I have some of them but I'd like to adapt standard LED lights because they are much cheaper.


texts: Can dilute latex paint or bordeaux's solution be used to reduce winter desiccation?

texts:
Trees in cold climates lose water to the dry air when they are warmed by the sun (direct and reflected) but have frozen roots, so can't replace lost water.

There are products like wilt-pruf and vapor-gard that in essence put a very thin layer of wax on the tree.  Studies I've read are mixed about the degree of winter protection.  Some indicate that it's ineffective, some that it needs to be repeated every few weeks, some that it needs to repeated after every rain or thaw.

Given that the main mechanism is solar heating, it seems to me that increasing the reflectivity of the tree would result in less heating.

The ideal material would be strong enough to last through the winter, could be applied at near freezing temperatures, be inexpensive for the materials, and not be harmful to the needles.

A lot to ask for.

A good answer would be one of:

Personal experience doing this in a cold long winter climate (I'm in Canada Zone 3 -- roughly equivalent to USDA zone 2, and our winters typically have snow on the ground from mid November to mid April)
Pointers to publicly accessible research papers.

Bordeaux mix is used to control at least one needle cast fungus in colorado spruce used at an 8:8:100 concentration, applied at bud break, and every two weeks during the growing season.  It's also used for balsam fir, and some pine fungal needle casts.  This indicates that lime as such isn't harmful to the needles, at least at low concentrations.

Images don't appear very white.


texts: Dracena Marginata leaves spots (orange and white)

texts:
My Dracaena plant has started developing what appears to be two separate issues after I have repotted it (admittedly in the wrong time of the year - mid winter).

I've had it for close to 7 years now. I have repotted it previously and it didn't require much care: it was able to recover if I forgot to water it for a few days. It has been always located in a fairly sunny spot without any issues.

First, some leaves started to wilt turning yellowish (some may look like dry but it seems to be because of wilting).

Second, bright orange and brown spots started appearing as well. I've seen that those may be the result of exposure to direct sunlight, but it wasn't much of the problem for the last 7 years.

The first suspicion is that the soil is not a good fit for dracaena. Should I try a different soil?


texts: Why are my squash and pickle plants just producing flowers?

texts:
Location central Jersey (USA). I have a small garden next to the house. All my plants get watered nightly from the sprinkler system. My tomatoes and hot peppers are producing bumper crops, but the squash and pickle plants near them are just producing flowers.

Is it too hot for them right now or is there some other issue?


texts: What is this succulent with dark green paired ovate leaves?

texts: What is the name of the following plant?


texts: Is there any way to keep cats away from indoor sprouts?

texts:
It's been a problem all spring.

I have my sprouts that I want to plant in the garden, but living in Canada, it's better to sprout them inside to then plant them outside when it stops having freezing temperatures at night.

But my cats have a big interest in those little sprouts. And they are not gentle about it.

So is there any way to keep them away from the sprouts?


texts:
I received a package of 50 mint seeds. They seemed small so I just planted all of them in a wide 10 liter pot.

Was that too many seeds in too small of an area? How much is too much?


texts: What is eating the base of bell pepper plant?

texts: I live in San Francisco Bay area. Till last year I did not have this problem. Something is eating the base of my bell pepper plant which is about 18 inches tall and producing. The critter is eating just the base of the plant and the plant is falling off and dying. It is like someone just cut it at the base. It is not touching the leaves are the bell peppers. I thought it is gopher and I put bites in all the holes around the backyard. I have also added chili powder to the base. This morning I saw that the base of another plant is chewed (only a little) and hopefully this plant will survive. I noticed that it tried to chew from the side the chili powder is not present. Mostly they were eaten when it was dark though once it happened in the afternoon too. I have eggplant, okra, tomato and other vegetable plants. But none of them were touched. I had very small Thai pepper plants but were eaten by critters.  Please help me finding out who the critter is and how to get rid of it.  Thanks


texts: Terrace garden plants are slowly getting sick

texts:
I live in Pune, India and I am new to terrace gardening. I have no knowledge in this field.
I bought Marigold, Catharanthus, and Zinnia (name not sure) from nursery.
I made pot mix myself of 30% soil, 30% compost and 30% coco-peat.
I added little bit of general flower fertilizer in it.
But I am observing that the plants are slowly getting sick. Overall, these three plants are not looking fresh after transferring them from plastic grow bags to pots.
What could be the problem?
Is there something in my way of making 1/3 soil, compost and coco peat mix?
I have purchased coco-peat loose 1kg bags not coco-peat brick.
Is it coco-peat or is it something else causing the problem.
Please help me.
Plant1

updated photo of the problematic plant leaves.


texts: Can I cover the roots of my cherry tree?

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

I want to put a circular bench around my cherry tree but need to make the ground level.  It's not level due to its roots. Is there anything I can do?  I was thinking about covering the area with sand and pebbles but understand this would harm the tree. I love the tree and do not want to lose it. Help!!!!


texts:
This may not be the correct place to ask this question, but I'm not sure a more appropriate place exists.

I have a Craftsman 32.8cc 10in tiller with a two-stroke Tecumseh engine. It ran fine the first day I used it, but then I ran inside to grab water and it tipped over and stalled out. I couldn't get it started again.

The next day, I was able to start it, but it kept stalling out. I don't think the idle was set too low, because the tines were actually spinning slowly -- but the only way I could keep it from stalling was to pull the tines out of contact with the ground and rock it forward periodically. On top of that, the throttle doesn't respond anymore.

I did notice a bolt had fallen out of the muffler, so I replaced that. A more thorough inspection revealed that the governor spring wasn't hooked to the throttle assembly anymore. I've tried reconnecting it, but it seems to unhook itself again every time.

I ordered a new governor spring assembly, but wondered if there was a way to jury rig it in the meantime. If the spring's hook is bent, can I solder it to the throttle? Or should I assume the spring has lost tension too?


texts: What is this ground-hugging "weed" with small purple flowers and fleshy stems?

texts: This popped up in an area that we've been converting to native meadow. I've never seen it before. We are in NY State near the beach.


texts: Climbing long beans leaves started have white spots

texts:
6 months ago, I planted the climbing beans in a container. They started growing beans since last month. We had like 2 harvest of maybe 40-50 beans. It is still growing beans but but now the leaves started having some white spots, doesn't look right. On google search, seems to be some fungus infection. Or is it the random weather condition. Any idea, how to cure it? .

Location: Melbourne, Australia.


texts: Is my Dracaena compacta dying? This is a Hydroculture plant. I’ve only had it for 1 month and it has started developing brown and yellow tips. Some leaves have gone brown and fallen off. I water it once a week or whenever the metre is at minimum level. I use filtered tap water. I also use Formulex every 3 watering. I occasionally mist the plant if it feels dry. The plant is kept in the corner of the room near the front window. The sun does not shine in my room but does get natural light. The TV next to the plant has lights behind it which are often on during the evenings. The temperature in my room is around 19 degrees. Not enough water or over watered? Not enough light?


texts: How can I get rid of this vine-like weed with small rounded leaves?

texts:
I've got the weed shown here all in my yard, and no one can tell me what it is or how to kill it.

What is this and how do I get rid of it?

Click any photo for full size


texts: What can you do with oak leaves within a garden? Are they compostable?

texts:
We have a lot of oak trees on our property. Is there anything we can do with the oak leaves?  They never really seem to break down, and because of that, I am afraid to try and add them to a compost.  Are they useful in composting at all, or should I keep them out of any mix I make?

When I rake them, I have been chopping them with a leaf blower that breaks them up so I can fit more into a bag. I am not sure if that makes them more useful. I'd like to use them if I can, but if it's not wise, then I'll not try.


texts: Should I cull June-bearing strawberries for fall bearing?

texts: This year some of my Gurney's Whopper strawberries, a June-bearing variety, produced a few berries in the fall. That might weaken the plants for next years crop. Will culling them for this be effective or do they do this randomly ?


texts: All four of our 50' high Swedish Columnar Aspens have, for the 2nd year, lots of "floppy" branches that are, well, flopping over.  In a couple of sections near the tops, there's a long patch with no leaves or branches and then a bunch of leaves creating a puff of leaves effect.  There's no borer disease, thank God.  But why the floppy branches?  Growing too fast?


texts: I have an orange tree growing in my backyard. I am not sure of the exact species. It has 4 oranges growing on it right now. Three of them appear to be very healthy. The other one is very small and stopped growing. When I inspected it I could see that most of its attachment to the branch was torn and this is probably why it was stunted. Is there something I can do for the other fruit to support them and prevent the same thing happening? This is a very small tree, less than 4 feet tall.


texts: Why is my guava plant producing sour fruit?

texts: My guava plant is producing sour fruit. Is this because of a nutrient deficiency or because of the type of plant? How can I grow sweet guava fruit?


texts: I bought these at flower show and I can't remember what they are. I also had some freesia and I wondered if these could be Iris.


texts: What happened to my airplant, can it be revived?

texts:
I recently purchased this airplant online, when I received it it was healthy and green. The directions said to water once a week, I may have gone over that amount before watering. Is this plant revivable? Will soaking it in water help? Or is this a total lost?

The environment I have it in includes rocks, moss and it's inside an open glass container.


texts: Scientific (?) literature on planting and maintaining apple trees

texts:
A friend of mine and I want to start producing cider, but from scratch: He inherited a property which we want to clear up, plant apple trees and eventually produce apple wine (a common beverage in some regions of Germany). We are aware that this is a 10+ year project.

I'm a biologist, so I know the basics, but I don't know much about agriculture. I'm looking for literature on how to select, plant and maintain apple trees (the wine-making part is not relevant at this point). A general agriculture book will also do for now. The literature doesn't have to be easy, I'm completely ok with research papers or university-grade books.


texts: I have a 12' high cedar hedge. Unfortunately it is 8' wide.  I have a narrow back yard, so would like it to be only 3' wide.  Do I need to start again from seedlings, or is it possible to coppice the individual trees?  If so, then would it be possible to coppice every other tree and then do the remainder once the first batch reaches height. (I live behind a school so need that height)  I live in Victoria, Canada.  Similar climate to Seattle.


texts: Is a virus, or something else, causing my tomato leaves to become shriveled, yellow and wrinkled?

texts:
Information:

two tomato plants - one is some kind of a plum tomato, and the other is a black tomato.
the plum tomato's seed was taken from a freshly cut plum tomato (which was bought at the supermarket).
the plum tomato was planted and grown indoors until it was about a month old, at which time it was taken outside.
the plum tomato seemed to be doing great, until it was moved outside.
the black tomato's seed was taken from a bag of seeds imported from eastern Europe.
the black tomato was planted and grown outdoors.
both tomato plants grow in a ready-made soil bought from a nursery, in a spacious plastic container. They're both located at a sunny spot, though near buildings blocks some of the sun, so they get about 4-6 hours of direct daily sunlight.

The issue:

since being taken outside, the plum tomato exhibits yellowing of leaves, drying and falling off of leaves (especially leaves which were in direct sunlight) and is overall sick-looking.
the black tomato seemed to be OK up until now, when it has started to show similar symptoms.

The plum tomato:

The black tomato:

I'm suspecting this might be a virus, or a fungal infection of some sort, like the Fusarium wilt or Verticillium wilt, but I'm not sure.

How should I treat them?

Also, is it possible that the infection got into the soil and will affect plants that will be planted instead?


texts: Should I be worried by these rhubarb leaves?

texts:
I have 3 rhubarbs in large pots that for the past 3 years have given a very nice crop. Usually the leaves are a nice consistent green colour but this year one of the plants has suddenly got yellow mottling (see picture) is this somthing I need to be aware of? I do feed them regularly and at the end of every winter the pot soil is refreshed by removing the top inch or so, string fresh compost in alongside blood fish and bone and chicken pellets.

Fertilizer info

!


texts:
I live in subtropical Hong Kong. I know a place in the mountains where some Alpinia hainanensis K. Schum.  grow and want to take some cuttings to grow in my garden.

Where exactly do I cut and how should I care for this particular species until it has roots?

I do not want to kill the mother plant in order to get it's cuttings.


texts:
Why is the stem of my ZZ Plant drying? It was fat like the other stems. Is it dying or doing something for its own good?

I am not overwatering the plant.


texts: We just had sod laid about a month ago, Bahia grass. It is so lumpy and bumpy I can’t imagine it will flatten out. It’s nice and green but walking on it is hard. Will it flatten out? And it also has dollar weed throughout.


texts: When should I repot a ponytail palm? Mine is quite large in what looks to me like a too small pot. It has been healthy but is now turning brown on lower tips and stopped growing.


texts: How can I maintain a permanent shade lawn?

texts: My Fescue Grass does fine here in my shady South Carolina yard. However, it needs to be re-seeded every year or it gets bare patches. Are there any alternatives that do not involve buying more seed every year (besides chopping down my trees and planting a sunny grass or naturalizing the area)?


texts: Small white grains on underside of spinach?

texts:
What are these white grains on my spinach leaf?  What are they? Is it safe to it?

Not the big white thing (that's a hemp heart). I mean the little white grains lining the leafs veins...

Curious because now I'm not sure I want to eat this salad.


texts: Should I knock over the tops of onions when they get to a certain height?

texts:
I was told two years ago that it is a good idea to knock over the top of an onion plant to encourage it to grow bigger in the middle.  That worked good two years ago, but it didn't work at all last year so I'm thinking it was just coincidence.

Is there anything I need to be doing to the stem of an onion to encourage them to bulk up?


texts: Can I dig up a wilting Begonia in the garden and turn it into a houseplant?

texts: I live in Massachusetts and have some begonias that have been very happy all summer planted in a mostly shady area of my garden. The recent cold nights have caused the flowers to fall and the leaves to wilt, however they're still alive. I know begonias can be houseplants, but my question is whether or not I can successfully uproot them and expect them to survive the transition to a container and a warm house.


texts: I decided I need a community garden plot this year, and since I do a cardboard cover barrier will plant roots be able to survive under the cardboard, or are they going to suffocate due to a lack of oxygen?


texts: I'm at Seattle. Recently, I found holes on our bell pepper even when it's small.. Any ideas on what caused it? There're also some holes on leaves too, but not a lot. Shall I buy some oil or insect killer? Thanks


texts: Identification office plant, fake or real?

texts:
There is a huge pot with a plant in it in the hall way of our company. Nobody knows what it is and if it's fake or not (some photos can be seen below). We never give it water as well and it doesn't seem he needs it.

If it's not fake, what kind of plant is it and does it need some kind of care?

The leaves feel cardboard-ish. Maybe that's some information you need to identify this plant.


texts: I found this caterpillar in my garden. Does anyone know what it is? It's in Michigan.


texts: Will dead-headed dandelions flowers germinate in lawn?

texts:
When fighting dandelions in a lawn, I know it is common practice to dead-head the yellow flowers before they morph into the pappus stage with the feathery seeds, but will the seeds in the yellow flowers germinate if left in the lawn?

A neighbor told me that they will, but I question it.  Are the seeds fertile/mature at that point?  Once the yellow flowers are plucked from the plant, can they still mature while on the ground?  I can not find info on this anywhere on the interwebs.


texts:
I have two flowering crab apples planted 2 yrs ago beside each other (20 ft apart). When they went in they were identical. However for two years the one has flourished and the other is anemic, such that one has a 2.5 inch dia trunk and the other one has a 2.25 inch trunk. The most striking difference is the leaf size: the healthy one has many leaves 2 inches long and the anemic one has only a half the number of leaves about 1 inch long.

Is this a serious problem?  Should I just wait for the weak tree to pull out of it?

Any suggestions for the weak tree?


texts: Should I plant anything under dwarfing apple trees grown in containers?

texts:
I have a couple of apple trees on very dwarfing (M27) rootstock, than I have planted into patio containers, approximately 50 litres each, with a top diameter around 50cm.

I am wondering whether I should plant anything around the edges of the container under the apple trees.

I was thinking of either strawberries, or some herbs, but was wondering whether they should have the container to themselves and cover the ground with bark mulch or something.

I'm in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The containers get good sun in summer, but not much in winter as there is a building to the SW of them which the Sun doesn't get over during the winter.


texts: Planting new between established cedars (emerald)?

texts:
I moved house and the garden has a row of cedars that are about 6-7ft tall and have been there for approx 10 years (looking at old satellite photos). The are planted with gaps between the trees that I would like to fill. The gap varies across the row, but many of them I can easily step through to the other side. Can I plant new cedars in the gap to create more of a hedge or will it kill the established ones? Or is there an alternative that i can plant that will add height? I would like privacy without having to fence.

Thank you.


texts: What is this skinny black caterpillar with brown on the head and tail and a stripe on the back?

texts:
I found this caterpillar and several of its buddies on my hummingbird tree this morning. It's skinny and mostly black, but it has interesting brown areas on the face and tail. There's also a stripe down its back.

A friend suggested it might be a fritillary, but it doesn’t look like any photos of fritillary caterpillars I found.

What kind of caterpillar is this?


texts:
Which flower is this? It is dying, and I asked a gardener and he told me that the room is cold, which is around 22 Celcius.

Location: Turkey


texts: What pesticide should I use with an Orange tree in Texas?

texts:
I've got two Orange trees and two avocado trees in my backyard.  One of the orange trees looks to be the victim of a disease and has sooty mold on it.  From what I have read this is usually due to animals which excrete honeydew which allows for this to occur.  To attack this at the source I need to get rid of the animal/insect issue.  Has anyone had a good experience or have any recommendations on which pesticide chemicals to use.  If need be, I can hold back on eating the fruit for a year to resolve this issue (if the pesticide is not safe for consumption) as I have already started to see certain branches die off due to this.

The pesticide I have tried is "Ortho Elementals Garden Insect Killer" in a spray bottle which has the active ingredients of "Pyrethrins (0.01%), Canola Oil (1%) and other (98.99%)".  It seems to have worked to a certain degree but was expensive.  If I can get a recommendation on the right chemical to use then I can buy it in greater bulk online after testing it out.  In a perfect world I would like to have something I can universally spray on both orange trees and avocado plants.

If I am taking the wrong approach to this then please let me know.  Thank you for taking the time to read this.


texts:
Should I treat every infestation as I catch them or is some level of aphids "tolerable" and the presence of aphids in the garden unavoidable?

In other words should I only treat the worst cases?

I'm not sure how bad it is for the plants.


texts:
I am getting ready to sow some seeds in our brand new garden. We picked out some veggies for planting and on the back of some of them it reads like this:

  In full sun, sow 4 to 5 seeds over a 12 inch tall and 2 feet across hill.

I have zero idea what that means. Does it mean to create a raised row in the garden 12 inches high and 2 feet across? What about length? What if my row is 10 feet long? Do I only put 4-5 seeds still? My row isn't 10 feet long, I'm just giving a for instance.

Thanks.


texts: Why are there no earthworms in my garden?

texts: For some reason I cannot find any worms in my gardens soil. I recently obtained a compost bin so the soil should be improving. I have tried adding compost to the soil and adding coffee grains to attract worms but none have come. Would it be worth buying some?


texts: What is happening to my pepper seedlings?

texts:
I grew them indoors for about a month then moved then to new pots. I was careful to not destroy the roots as best I could. I also attempted to "harden" them for a few days when it happened to be fairly overcast. I also made sure they all had true leaves.

Their first day out for 8 hours they looked liked the attached. Some even completely feel over and died. Their stems not even able support their own weight.

https://imgur.com/a/ixCyfOK


texts:
As of a few weeks ago, I've noticed that my lawn has started to get a lot of white blades in it.  When I look down close to the ground, the base level seems to be almost all white.  What is this?  Is it just thatch, or is the grass unhealthy? What can I do about it?

The lawn had a moss problem earlier in the year, and I applied an organic moss killer and raked it all out, and reseeded the worst parts. The grass has more or less recovered, but now has developed these white parts.


texts: What is pulling up tufts of grass all over my lawn?

texts:
I went to mow the yard today and found 1-2 inch plugs of grass pulled out of the ground all over the place. It looks more like the result of digging than a deliberate pulling out.

What could be doing this, and what can I do about it?


texts: Is it normal for a Kalanchoe to bloom in spring?

texts: I have a Kalanchoe in yellow. I left it out too long last fall & almost all of it died but 1 little sprig. Wasn`t sure what to do so I have a tall pitcher oriental style slim neck, the stem just fit in it. have vining plant in main side, it stayed there all winter started putting on leaves then this spring it started blooming. the roots are almost 2" long, I will pot before long. Is this normal for these plants or did I just  get lucky? Thank you!


texts:
I keep having small flies in my flowerpot soils and my plants. I think they already were in the package of soil I bought.

Any idea what kind of fly this is and what I can do about it? I'm suspecting it is the St. Mark's fly.


texts:
I have a grass lawn that is showing signs of weed invasion. Not sure the best course of eradicating the weeds.

Lawn is in coastal San Diego. Mild climate. Not a lot of rain. I water every 3 days, 15 minutes per day.

I believe my lawn is fescue. Grass is cut once per week.

Here is the culprit. How do I eradicate it?


texts: Can you please help me identify this lovely houseplant?

texts: Green, heart-shaped leaves, grows upwards on strong stalks/stems.


texts: Will adding earthworms to my lawn enrich the soil?

texts: I want to put some earthworms in my lawn to enrich the soil.  Will it work?


texts: Cactus is becoming brown from the bottom

texts: I bought this cactus recently from farmer's market and it is becoming brown from the bottom. I have stopped watering it but is there anything else I can do to save it. It is kept outside in spot that gets about 5-6 hrs of sun. Should I repot this? I have also removed the weeds shown in the picture.


texts: Could anyone identify this plant for me?

texts:
My mother bought this plant and has no idea about it's characteristics and the name, she would love some help in identifying it so that she could care for it correctly.

I would really appreciate any help!
Thanks so much in advance.


texts:
I have been trying to grow lettuce and I am having some problems with what I think are slugs and snails, Something appears to be eating my lettuce and it is not growing much. I was wondering if anyone could confirm that this is the work of snails, and recommend any strategies to stop the snails. The lettuce has been growing from about mid winter to early spring (Southern Australia)

Photos (click to enlarge)
These two photos show the lettuce plants.

Any tips or help would be appreciated.

Update

The lettuce has started to grow a bit more. I think that although snails and slugs might have been eating it, it was probably mainly the cold stopping it from growing.

This being said, Tyler K.’s advice in the accepted answer is very useful to anyone with a similar problem.

This is what the plants are starting to look like now (same plant as first photo):


texts: Should I prune this Java Plum (Syzygium cumini) or not?

texts:
I have this plant grown from seed of the fruit that was planted last year after summer (probably around August). They were lush green and the leaves are really big. However, this plant is not even an year old and I couldn't find any information about pruning of this plant. This is in Delhi and he height is probably around 2'.
I want the plant to become bushier. Does pruning this plant now helps or I should let it grow longer? Would love if it bears any fruit, by the way. If I should, then from where I should cut the stem?

It was so green before winter.


texts: How competitive is the oyster mycelium mushroom?

texts: I keep reading that oyster mycelium, once it has grown some, will out-compete other organisms. To what degree is this true? Will it eventually push out green mold?


texts: What is the difference between compost tea, manure tea, compost leachate and herbal tea?

texts:
We have seen several questions recently about compost tea. We have also seen questions about manure tea and at least one question that referred to compost leachate as "compost tea."

What are the differences between these products/concoctions and how are they used? Are there any dangers associated with any of these products?

A good answer should define and give uses for at least one of the following items

compost tea
herbal tea
manure tea
compost leachate


texts: What can I do to make it fuller Avocado tree. About 4 months old Only 3 leaves 21” tall. Already pinched back 2 times. South facing window indoors daytime diffused light. Direct sun  one day burnt 2 leaves.  8 inch pot, regular potting soil. Never been fertilized water two times weekly


texts: Why do fertilizer ratios not add to 100?

texts: I often see fertilizer NPK ratios that are advertised as "percentages" but the numbers do not add up to 100. My Latin is little rusty but I think per centum means per a hundred. So, in that case why do I see formulas like "13-25-12" which only adds up to 50?


texts: What is this clumpy 20-30 cm high yellow-flowered plant?

texts:
I never noticed this plant in my garden. Now I see it in several places. Is this an aggressive invader? Or a well-behaved wild flower?

I don't mind its looks (even I like it in a way, its natural style; flowers are a kind of pleasing to the eye too), or location, just don't want to have zillions of them next year.

Zone 7a, continental Europe. Pictures were taken today.


texts: Why are the leaves on my houseplant turning yellow and getting black spots?

texts:
I have this shade plant in my home. The leaves are becoming dry, turning yellow and developing black dots on them.
I don't know whats wrong with it.

If it's a lack of food, I can give it compost, compost tea or kristalon.

Can you please tell me what's wrong?


texts: Radish plants grew tall but radish was non-existent

texts: So I planted some radish in my garden and they grew fine but when I went to harvest they were tall and had started to flower but the radish was almost non existent. What did I do wrong?


texts: Tree support with plastic hose wrapping around

texts:
Few months ago I bought a persimmon fruit tree. I didn't have any supporting materials and was in a hurry so I used some plastic hose material with metal wire and wrap around the tree like picture below and use 2 stakes to support on both sides.

Now it is starting to rain in Dec/Jan in Pacific Northwest and I feel a bit regret. So I don't know if I am in trouble or not.

Would the tree get rotted by the moisture within the plastic wrap area? Or is this OK? If not, I will properly remove and use something else this time.


texts: How far apart should rafters be spaces on pergola if used specifically for the purpose of growing grapevines?

texts: Im planning on training 2 grapevines to grow ontop a pergola but im a little confused as to far they'll span (shoots) without dropping so that i can space my rafters accordingly. Plus, do i need slats ontop the rafters? If yes then again, how far should they be spaced? And should the vines run parallel or perpendicular to the rafters?


texts: What should new tomato growers know about growing tomatoes?

texts:
Can I leave ripe red tomatoes on the vine until I'm ready to use them?

How long do they stay good on the vine?

Will picking them cause them to go bad faster or does it make any difference?


texts:
I planted what was supposed to be a gourd and it has given a few of these fruits from small flowers (similar to cucumber) that have reached around 20cm long and about 2kg.
Any idea what they are?


texts: What are these yellow patches on the leaves of my tomato plants?

texts:
My first year growing more than a couple of tomatoes.

I have about 20 plants, 6 different types, in rows about 80x400 (I dug up my lawn)

Yellow patches have appeared on all my different varieties of tomato in the last 24hrs... is it sun damage perhaps? Or some nutritional deficiency?

Thanks for your help :)


texts: What extent of trunk carving is acceptable for tree health?

texts:
I'm in central Florida, by the Atlantic. I have a few trees that would make exceptional canvases for tiki faces. What trees should I avoid? I've seen it implemented in my area, but didn't note the type of tree.

In addition, will I need to mind the depth and area of cuts to ensure the tree's health? Will coating exposed areas with paint, stain or lacquer endanger the tree long term (affect aesthetics)?


texts:
I live in the Seattle area. My neighbor has a very nice lawn -- it's unnaturally green, other-worldly thick, and chemical-dependent. I'm going to overseed my lawn with a nice mix of microclover, rye and fescue for what I hope is a lawn that doesn't require poisons and a lot of watering to maintain, and that keeps the weeds in check.

My question is: How do i best separate my lawn from hers so that I don't screw up what she's spent a lot of time and money on. Are there lawn barriers that I can hammer into the ground pretty deep?


texts: What is the latest time to split mondo grasses?

texts: We have the black variety lining each side of our front walk. In Ohio, October is fantastic weather for growing, while November starts to get cold. How late can we split these clumps up? Will splitting them up late make then less hardy for the upcoming winter freeze?


texts:
We thought it was a Petticoat bush but can’t find that anywhere.
It has:
Orbicular Detate Cordate rounded alternate pinnately veined leaves


texts: How can I make this marguerite nice again?

texts: I bought these marguerites last summer (2 plants) and they survived the winter in a pot.  It now looks woody and straggly with lots of brown leaves.  Is there any way I can revive it to make it look neat and healthy again?


texts: How long does an echinopsis subdenudata last for?

texts:
I recently bought an Echinopsis Subdenudata and I was wondering, approximately, how long they last (outdoors and indoors) and how resistant to a lack of watering they are.
I was also wondering about its specific characteristics in the sense of what minerals they lack or need more of, potential common diseases, etc.


texts: Is it ok to screw nesting boxes to trees?

texts: I have a bunch of nesting boxes for small birds I am putting up. I am just wondering what is the best way to attach the boxes to various trees. I have seen screws used but I am not sure about that. I think it may damage the tree.


texts: Encourage campsis radicans to grow and climb

texts:
I have obtained the depicted trumpet creeper (campsis radicans; currently approx. 35 cm in height) and I would like to encourage it to grow and climb. However, so far (after about 2 weeks) it does not seem to be impressed with the frame I have provided.

Is there anything wrong with the frame (its bars are approx. 4 mm in diameter and approx. 2 cm from the wall) or do I just need to remain patient?