texts: Plants are in 3 gallon pots, outside in full sun, watered and fertilized, and pruned when necessary. I live in S. Florida, so cold is no problem.


texts:
My monkey puzzle tree is wilting- branches turning brown/black and doesn't feel particularly firm to touch like it used to.

I got it last November and kept it inside over the winter as I thought it was too small to handle the frost, and have only just transported it back outside.

While it was inside it seemed to deteriorate quite a lot- I think I should have kept it outside really, as maybe it didn't get enough light/was too warm.

It's been outside now for a couple of weeks but still looks like it is deteriorating.
Can anyone suggest what might be the problem?


texts: Please identify this LivingTrends plant with a pink flower spike

texts: I recently bought a plant, because it was cheap, had a cool looking flower, and I hadn't ever tried to grow one before. I'm including a picture of the plant below. It is by a company called Living Trends Design. They do have a site, but only basic care instructions for each design they have. They sell some that are meant to hand, some that sit on your coffee table, and like this one it's a small pot with magnets on the back. I couldn't find the names of the plants, though I do have a tillandsia that I got from them. I'd really appreciate an ID of the plant if not the cultivar. Also, some care instructions and potting media info would be great, but if I know what it is, I'll be able to research it or ask another question. Thanks.


texts: My buddy has 6 inch smaller and bigger, mushrooms growing under his lawn. All over his lawn. He wants to know why? Lol. And how to get rid of them. They are leaving huge and deep holes.


texts: So I have a semi-small aloe and it was neglected for a while but I was able to bring it back. I'm going away for two weeks and want o know if my aloe stands a chance. ( if it helps at all its growing baby's)


texts: How long after last frost before lawns need mowing?

texts: A subset of the title question is: What temperature do lawns consider a frost? 32F? 30? 28? By "consider a frost" I mean get knocked back or prevented from growing. So if lawns frost at 32F, then how long do temperatures need to be >32F for the lawn to begin growing? From there I can estimate the usual "X weeks of growing from this height, the lawn needs to be mowed".


texts: It looks like our maple tree is having problems where the spanish moss is. Is there anything that I can do?


texts:
Why are they drying and how can I save them. They are in front of yhe window facing north. There is an apartment across very close. So not too much sunlight but enough I guess. I am in İstanbul.

I don't water the leafs and water them bidaily.


texts:
I just found out that a cactus I was given is a San Pedro cactus. I have had it for three years on my screen porch and it has tripled in height. Recently I found it tipped over with the top 11” broken off. The bottom/
broken end of the top part is black. The top/broken end of the main plant is jagged and rough.  I have re-potted the bottom part into a heavier pot. Should I cut the broken top end so it is even? Should I cut the bottom of the broken off piece and wait for it to cleanly dry? Please advise.
Thanks❣ I will try to add photo.


texts: Why did this dracaena marginata die so quickly?

texts:
I purchased a healthy-looking plant 12 days ago, took it home and repotted it the same day in a mix of roughly 75% cactus/succulent soil and 25% perlite. Within 4-5 days, it was starting to droop noticeably. After ten days it looked like a mess. Then yesterday one of the three stalks folded over on itself and appears to be dead/rotting (soft to the touch). I haven't watered it.

I had a another dracaena marginata in the same place with the same soil a few months back and it also started drooping within about a week. I did the exact wrong thing and watered it, which quickly killed it.

At first I thought this was just the plant undergoing the stress of repotting and acclimating to the new conditions. I figured the solution this time was to hold off on watering. But the new plant died anyway, and even quicker.

Is it possible that late afternoon direct sun is killing it? I'm in Phoenix and the plant is located in front of a large west-facing window. Outside the window is a covered porch, so there is only direct sun late in the afternoon for a couple hours, but it is intense. Across the room is a large east-facing window, so this location is fairly bright all day. The plant at the nursery was indoors with no direct sun and artificial light.

The pictures...

Day two, on June 3:

Day seven, starting to droop:

Day twelve, disaster:


texts:
I have several ornamental pear trees of which one keeps producing suckers.  I have tried cutting them off as low down as possible and have even resorted to weedkiller but they just seem to keep coming back with a vengeance.

Will using weedkiller stop the suckering on ornamental pear trees and will it affect the parent tree?  Any other suggestions to remove them?


texts: Can I plant cilantro with roots on it that I bought in the grocery section of a store?

texts:
I bought this cilantro in the grocery department of a large store. As you can see in the picture below, it still has roots attached. (I can post a clearer picture if you want.)

Would it start growing if I plant it in a container?


texts:
Office plant identification
Does anybody know what plant is this?


texts: I have some Arum Lilies that are getting pretty big. Is there some sort of general consensus on when a plant should be moved to a bigger pot. I would like for them to get as big as possible.


texts: How do I safely eradicate mold without hurting cactus seedlings?

texts: Here are some of my seedlings, sown a little bit less than a month ago. As you can see, there's mold starting to form. I am using the baggie method whereby the pot with the seeds is enclosed in a Ziploc bag, to maintain high humidity and protect from contamination. What would be an easy way to get rid of the mold without hurting the seedlings? Someone suggested to use hydrogen peroxide, but I'm not sure it's safe for the seedlings. Ideas?


texts: Is my Acer Palmatum Bloodgood going to survive?

texts: I transferred my acer into a new pot three weeks back. The plant looked fine until early this week when there were a couple of frosty mornings and strong winds from Storm Hannah. The newly opened leaves wilted and dropped off. The young shoots and branches are now drooping. It might also be over watering but I'm unsure. What is the likelihood of the plant growing again now that I have moved it into a bigger pot with new ericaceous compose and have allowed the soil to dry out. Any advice given will be gratefully received. Thanks so much.


texts: How do I remove the dead flowers on my Hydrangea? Do I just cut them off at the bottom of the dead flower bloom? Please advise what and how I should handle the hydrangea flowers after they turn brown.


texts: Does anyone know what types of fruit trees grow well in southern Missouri?

texts:
We are looking to plant some fruit trees in an open space with rocky soil which gets direct, and sometimes harsh sunlight. We hope that getting some trees in this area to provide shade will help to also increase the humidity the ground holds.

We are looking to at least grow some apple trees. Any suggestions on varieties that grow well in Missouri?

What other fruit trees do well in Missouri?


texts:
Hi,

Can you help me finding the name of this plant? I made some research but I couldn't find anything.
Thanks


texts: My lime tree cutting has developed flower buds along the stem but no leaves. The cutting is about 8 weeks along

texts: My lime tree cutting is about 2 months along and it has not produced any new leaves but is producing flower buds along the stem. Should I be seeing new leave growth?


texts: I've read that butterflies like sunflowers, do they also like sunchokes?

texts: With "adopting" a lot of monarchs last year (to see them grow), and starting a sunchoke patch, has anyone had any luck with their sunchoke patch attracting butterflies and caterpillars?


texts:
I'm growing mint in a flowerpot, and it's been growing fine all summer but now it seems to be fading a bit, some leaves turning yellow/brown and falling off.

Is that simply because I didn't water it enough, or does it have some kind of dormant period in the fall/winter?

Here's two pics of the plant (I've removed some of the yellow leaves, they basically fell off by themselves)

Also, any tips for how to cut it / make it grow better? It's growing lots of "creeper stems" with roots, but that don't really fit in the pot so it gets a bit dense.

I grow it for tea, mainly.


texts: Less invasive alternatives to willow for living structures

texts:
I want to create a living willow arbour (something like this: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RuddSeating.JPG).  However, it would be only 6-8m from my house, and around the same from two underground sewage pipes.

Am I right in thinking this rules out willow, as the roots are likely to cause problems?  Or would the aggressive pruning involved in maintaining such a structure (say 2-3m across) limit the root growth?

If willow is likely to be problematic, are there any suitable alternative species?  Ideally they would be:

fast growing
producing long pliable stems
tolerant of pruning
easy to root from cuttings

I am in central UK, with clay soil.


texts: Which are the possible, suitable growing mediums for indoor plants?

texts: In my childhood, I had tried growing musturd in the bowl having cotton as growing medium. It grown much well. Also tried Money plant & water-cabbage in water. Regular soil is used for potted plants. So my question is; Is there any other growing medium for any indoor plants, that is more suitable than soil?


texts: Should I aerate, or aerate and seed, my lawn? Can I do it myself?

texts:
I live in North Carolina, USA and I never did aeration before. The size of the lawn is 0.37 acre. Recently I got a letter from a lawn-care company offering the following services about aeration:

  Aeration only: $262.00, or $243.66 if paid before 9/15/2014
  Aeration & Seeding: $462.00, or $429.66 if paid before 9/15/2014
  Organic Soil Enhancement: $200.00, or $186.00 if paid before 9/15/2014

  The significantly higher charge for aeration and seed is due to the cost of the seed plus the time spent preparing the seed bed. Problem areas are gone over to the point of "roto-tilling". Seed is applied in multiple applications to layer or to mix it into the top layer of soil.

I didn't call the company because I am not a rich man and I want to do it by myself. Perhaps it can save me some lovely US dollars.

Questions?

What tools will I have to buy? I saw there is one which is very cheap and small. Not sure if it is suitable?
After aeration, how do I seed the lawn? What are the steps? Do I need to cover the seeds with something?
Is it a good time to begin with? The lawn-care company is still in the cycle of the services. It has done 5 services, there are two remaining for this year.


texts: What disease is affecting my Dypsis lutescens?

texts:
I received this Dypsis lutescens (palm) plant as a gift last spring, it had only two leaves and it was potted in nursery soil with sand. Recently I have noticed that the outer leaf started to form a black ring at its insertion on the stem. After new leaves have emerged I removed the outer leaf, but I have noticed that the next one had a small black dot at the insertion point, too.

At the end of the summer the plant became rootbound, so I moved it to a larger pot using general soil from the store to which I added vermiculite. The black dot became a black ring. I have removed this leaf while its lower part remained attached to the stem, becoming the brown-black ringed stump that you see in the pictures.

Now I notice that one of the leaves has a long black area on its stem (as seen on the red rectangle in the pictures). It is clear that my plant has an infectious disease, but I don't know which one.

My questions are:

What is the name of the disease?
Should I apply a fungicide like Topsin or Ridomil just in case I
don't find out what disease is causing this?


texts: what is this white flower shrub from the South of France?


texts: Powdery mildew on oak (Erysiphe alphitoides?)

texts:
I have an oak (Quercus robur) sapling I've grown from seed in a pot (it is 2 years old) and its leaves are exhibiting a powdery white mildew.

After some searching online I think it's a case of erysiphe alphitoides (it looks exactly like the photographs I've seen online). The information I've seen online states that it can be treated with fungicides that contain sulphur, but the information contains the caveat

  this can damage some plants

Would a fungicide that contains sulphur harm a quercus robur oak?
If so, what alternative fungicide would be appropriate?

I am in the UK, in the South of England if that's useful information.


texts:
(Zone 7, Memphis, TN)

A friend and I are starting an organic community garden in a nearby neighborhood and are currently building up the soil and laying out plots for next spring.

This season, I grew several varieties of peppers in my home garden, and would like to donate them when we start planting out there.

But first, they have to survive the winter.

Never overwintered crops before. These are fully matured peppers, 3-4 feet high 2-3 feet wide. I figure there are two routes to go, here: either mulch the crap out of them, perhaps put up some cold frames (never done that either) and hope the roots will survive the frost, or transplant them to (very large) pots and bring them inside.

What should I do?

Edit: They're in raised beds, which I've read are automatically a few degrees warmer, and there's room for a good foot, foot-and-a-half of mulching (leaves, wood shavings, etc). After exploring the site, my gut right now is to harvest all the peppers before the first frost, trim the plants back to their main stems, mulch hard and throw up some cold frames. Does anyone have any experience with this? Is it worth all the effort?


texts:
We have a front tree bed in the front of our house that has had the plastic under-layer destroyed by replanting trees over the course of a decade. Weeds keep growing in the environment causing a persistent problem for us.

What is the best approach to stop the weeds from growing here? We've already taken out a lot of the rocks that we added originally, should we try to cover the area with another plastic barrier? The problem with that is we already have trees planted there now, so how can we place a plastic barrier over the ground with the trees there already?

What is the most efficient way to go about resolving this?


texts:
I would like to plant strawberries at the East end of my house in an existing bed. (I live in zone 5b) I've been trying to find an ever bearing variety that will do ok in partial shade but so far haven't found any.

Does anybody know of any tips or techniques to get standard strawberries to produce in partial shade or a variety they've had success with in a shady area?


texts:
I photographed this weird looking fungus growing out of an open cut in a tree (not sure what type of tree it was) on my parent's property last weekend in central Texas after some heavy rain. The mushroom was dark brown on top, with orange-colored fringes that seeped with this honey-like substance. Under the mushroom was a mass of swirled material with a woody appearance, though I suspect it was part the same or perhaps a different fungus.

I don't know too much about mushrooms. The 'bleeding' around the edges of the mushroom reminds me of Hydnellum peckii or ferrugineum, but it lacks the 'teeth' on the underside of the mushroom (you can see that it's fairly smooth in the top part of the second image). The coloration and general shape reminds me of Phaeolus schweinitzii, but I don't know if that species can produce this kind of 'sap'. Can anyone help me identify what kind of mushroom this is? And what is the swirled material below it?


texts: Why aren't my year-old apple seedlings thriving?

texts: I planted a variety of seeds from apples from a local orchard. They have been growing for almost a year. They are about 8" and have suffered aphids and a white powdery fungus. I have sprayed plants for both, however I can't seem to get them to come back to life. Some continue to show new growth, yet lost their leaves, others have died. Any advice would be helpful


texts:
What is the point of adding peat (peat-moss/sphagnum-peat/sedge-peat/etc.) to soils and substrates? What benefit does it provide?

I like the texture of it, and being that it's composed of partially decayed or decaying vegetation, I presumed that it would be full of valuable nutrients.

Although, some preliminary research suggests that it actually doesn't contain  much in the way of nutrients at all; similar to other soil additives, like coconut coir, perlite, vermiculite, etc.


texts: What comes out of this bump in this vegetable?

texts:
I live in Denmark, Europe and I have in my garden this gigantic vegetable.

It has a big bump on the top and i was wondering about what comes out of it?


texts:
We have these all around the house we bought in fall. What are they? When should they flower?

The previous owners were great fans of bulbs and flower beds.

This is south east michigan.


texts: Mint leaves are weak and have black spots/yellowish

texts:
Recently i started noticing my mint leaves are turning yellow,weak and sometimes have black spots.

I tried using the DIY pesticide /fungicide (baking soda,soap,oil,water ) but it's not really helping.

also got rid of the infected leaves but it doesnt seem to help.

does anybody know what's wrong with it?


texts: I found this bushy plant while walking through an urban area in New England. The majority of its branches were brown, except for the very tips which had a bright red color. It didn't have any flowers, and some of the tips had fallen on the ground which led me to suspect this is how it propagates. I searched online a bit, but I don't think it's a red twig dogwood because the leafs look different.


texts:
A couple of months ago I planted some silver fern spores. For a while nothing happened, but now I have 2 different types of plants growing in my pot, and I'm not sure if I should be removing one of them.

This is my pot:

As you can se there are 2 different types of plants. The first one:

And the second one:

I think that the second one is the first stage of the fern growth cycle, but I don't really know much about plants so I'm not sure.

Also, if one of them is the fern, should I be removing the other things that grow in the same pot?

Thanks for your help.

EDIT:
Backside of fern:

More recent photos:

EDIT 2:
Here is the same planta a couple of  months later:


texts: Should you trim off half yellowed leaves on an indoor plant?

texts:
My mum has a plant (Aglaonema modestum) which she doesn't quite take care of, and it is messy with dead leaves and half yellow, half green leaves.

I find them very ugly and want to trim them off. The question is, should I trim off the half yellow, half green leaves from plants in general?


texts:
I noticed this spectacularly blue Eucalyptus tree growing in Seattle (USDA zone 8). It is partially shaded by a large Douglas fir and a building.

Does anyone know Eucalyptus well enough to identify the tree's species?

Update: I stopped by to look more closely at the tree in light of Bamboo's answer. Judging from the branching and pruning wounds, this tree never had a upright leader. In fact, it appears incapable of growing a branch vertically. All branching is lateral.

I added two more photos hoping it will help with the identification. Note that if you click on a photo, you get access to a much larger version.


texts: What immediate steps should I take after my lawn is aerated?

texts:
My lawn which is a combination of clover, moss, crabgrass, dandelions and occasionally some grass is going to be aerated in two weeks.  I want to know the immediate steps to take after the cores are pulled.

I have read the two best things to do are to leave the cores and to water the lawn because this will help the roots.  I have also read NOT to water because it will just re-encouraged the ground to become compacted.

Anyone have insights?

Edit:
My goal is to eventually get the soil prepped and ready for growing a healthier thicker lawn.


texts: Help identifying plant (North America - Midwest)

texts:
I've been scouring the internet for weeks on this and am hoping for some help.

This plant is growing prolifically in a flower bed in my yard starting in late April. Below are three pictures of single stalk that I pulled up (I think this is a mature version of it at 2+ feet with serrated leaves and a cluster of small white flowers on the top).

This plant appears to grow through rhizomes based on my experience in pulling it up although it's possible that it's just so well-seeded that it appears as though the clumps are connected. The stems pull out of the ground easily but tend to break off at the root making it very hard to weed. Only a few have survived to the flowering stage you see above (due to intensive weeding efforts), but even before flowering, they can grow more than two feet tall and are shading and crowding out some sedums and lillies that did not emerge as quickly (which is why I'm designating it as a weed because it's aggressively crowding-out wanted plants).
Additionally, I think I've come to the conclusion that I have a variegated version of this growing in a different part of my yard.

Summary

Location: Illinois
2-3 feet tall
Serrated, opposite leaves
Small, clustered white flowers
Fast growing (possibly via rhizomes?)
Prolific (not uncommon to have 5-10 growing in a 1 to 2 inch area)
Hollow stems
Variegated variety exists

Picture 1: Entire Plant

Picture 2: Leaves

Picture 3: Flowers

Additionally, if you are familiar with it, any insight into controlling it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!


texts: Can bushes help keep driveway and patio gravel stable?

texts:
My front yard has a U-shaped driveway on a significant slope. The arrows in the diagram below indicate the downward direction of the slope. From the bottom right to the top left, the elevation drops about 3'.
According to my design, there will be a level round patio in the middle.  The patio and the driveway will be covered with two distinct species of gravel. On the low side, there will be a quarter-circle retaining wall supporting the patio. On the high side, the patio will flow into the driveway. But in-between, there will be a 2'-wide sloped strip that spans the two elevations.
My question is: if I planted bushes on that strip, can they serve as a separator between the patio and the driveway? Would they keep the patio gravel contained in the patio? Would they help keep the stope on the strip stable? And can they be planted on a slope to begin with?


texts:
We have a large fireplace made of rocks from the Craters of the Moon park in Southern Idaho.  The rocks are very rough and already have some dry moss on them, but really, the whole thing's a kind of eye sore, to me; I prefer river rock.  So I started thinking maybe I could get moss and other small plants to grow on the moon rocks. Then it would be quite beautiful!

Our climate is dry and there is no direct light on the rocks.  Would I need lighting and some way of misting the moss daily?  Any ideas on how best to do this?


texts: Put an apple core in the pot with my plant and now it’s getting moldy and the mold is spreading to the soil. Will the mold hurt my plant? Or is this all part of the composting process?


texts: Please what is the name of this flower in the picture below?


texts:
I recently bought a house and there is a bush I would like to know the name.
It has pink flowers in it but I think they appear late summer.

Can someone help identify the name please?


texts:
I recently got a Brussels Boxwood Bonsai, 3 years old.
And I have it placed indoors near an optimally sunlit area and apartment temperature is around
70 F.There seems to be a little bit of wilting/decay on the top canopy.

Boxwood is supposed to be an outdoor bonsai.
 What exactly does the term outdoor mean?

Should I just the place the bowl outside or have it replanted on ground outside?  If it must be outside anyhow, is that absolutely mandatory? Are there no alternatives to placing it outside?


texts: What is causing white spots on my Ginseng Ficus?

texts: I got a Ginseng Ficus 3 months ago and up to the last couple of weeks its leaves have been turning yellow. Meanwhile the ones which have been healthy have developed white spots as if lining the outer edge of the leaf. It's spring going into summer and I don't know if it's a climate change problem (it's kept indoors). I have no idea, as it's my first time having a Ficus. I've been watering every so often when the soil gets dry. The weird thing is that it seems to be healthy enough; I have new leaves budding but they die shortly. Help?


texts:
I am experimenting growing Piel de Sapo melon plants from seed that I saved from the supermarket. I have four plants.
It took some time but eventually I got some female flowers that pollinated and started growing the fruit. The first melon grew really quickly but stalled at around the size of a mango. The second is slightly smaller but also stalled.

I did manage to pollinate a third on the same plant and it is growing quite quickly. I also have a single melon started on another plant which is going to overtake the original which I thought was the strongest.

I suspect the first fruits have stopped growing because the energy is going to the newest fruit. However, I’m wondering what will happen to these smaller melons. Will they ripen at this small size? They certainly look more mature than the newer fruits. I don’t plan to allow any more fruits to grow on the plant that only has one as it is doing so well. It is also getting late in the season here in Scotland.
Edit:
Adding overall picture. The plant is around 1m in height and is grown in standard compost fed with potash and tomato fertiliser, also some tea and coffee grounds occasionally. I do not know about the ph. It is watered every day or two, and not let dry out. The greenhouse does get quite warm.


texts: Is this an offshoot of a tree or a separate plant?

texts:
Plants native to the Sonoran Desert require watering every 6 months. The following plant, which I am not sure is native to the Sonoran Desert or not, was found to thrive in the Sonoran Desert solely off rain. What is this plant?

Is this an offshoot of a tree? It sprung up right next to the trunk a young (albeit dead or dormant) tree:


texts: What is this growing in the soil of indoor plant?

texts: What is the yellow thing protruding from the soil? Should I dig it out? Also there appears to be white mineral deposits at the top of the soil This is an indoor aloe vera plant in a pot.


texts:
My name's Chuck, and I'm a plant.

Bamboo tells me I'm a Sansevieria trifasciata laurentii, also known as "Mother in Law's Tongue" or "Snake Plant" (see other question here).

I live indoor with my human flatmate.

I think I may have some health trouble.

The ends of my leaves are turning brown, and so does the whole leaf on occasion (there's one in the picture).

I also noticed my roots are kind of sticking out of the pot a bit...

I am exposed to only electrical light, and average apartment temperature.

There's no way for me to go play outside, as it's freezing and raining all the time out there.

Questions

Is the human not giving me enough water, or maybe too much?
Should he move me to a larger pot or am I ok as is?
Are my looks ok, considering I'm indoors all the time?
When one of my leaves turns entirely brown, should the human cut it out or just leave it there?


texts: Hydroponic spearmint are turning brown - what can I do?

texts: These were beautiful last week. What do I need to watch for?


texts:
I've had my kalanchoe blossfeldiana for about 3 years now, and I propagated one plant into 4 separate stems earlier in January. It flowered in the spring, but after the flowers went away the plant has been growing new baby leaves but all the old ones are dying. Is this normal, or is there something I can do to help it?

Note: I'd also like to point out that it gets a lot of sunshine due to living in California.


texts:
My wife picked up this plant and it didnt had a tag , though it looks beautiful.

I have noticed it doesn't take much water and going fine in less light unlike the basil plant lying nearby dries faster and needs more light. If I know what plant this is then I want to know how should I take care of this plant and how much light it requires.


texts: What herbs/vegetables/greens can be grown in a balcony garden with limited sunlight?

texts:
Growing up in a house with a yard, we had a pretty decent sized garden with fruits, vegetables, and herbs galore. Since moving to "the city", I haven't had a yard, and I miss being able to grow things

The situation:

The only space I have for a garden is on my balcony. It doesn't receive a lot of sunlight - the building walls enclose it on two sides, the main opening is west-facing, and the railing has thick wooden slats that block over half of the light except when the sun is at  the right angle to shine directly from overhead. I would be able to add pots, but not planters.

The question:

What plants would you recommend for a balcony garden, to grow in pots, with limited sunlight? I'm open to herbs, greens, veggies, or anything that comes highly recommended by community members.


texts:
I'd like to know what might have eaten my cabbage and what can I do to prevent it in the future?
This is how it looks after it's been devoured:


texts: I need nitrogen-poor soil. Where can I buy some (US)?

texts:
I am a student doing a science fair project relating to nitrogen content in plants. For some trials, I will need nitrogen-poor soil. Can anyone point me in the correct direction?

And if you have used sawdust to remove nitrogen, does it return it to an optimal amount or does it have the ability to remove large amounts of nitrogen?


texts: What is this tall plant with large leaves and long bunches of soft pink flowers?

texts: Please can you help me identify this plant. The flowers are soft to touch.


texts: Can I replace my lawn mower's blade with any brand blade?

texts:
I have a Murray lawn mower (Model 20223X12A). The Tecumseh engine model number is TVS 90 4354K. I measured the blade diagonally and it is about 19.5 inches long. It is just a regular blade.

I wanted to know if I can install any type blade or brand as long as the length is the same. I was thinking of getting a 3 in 1 blade.


texts: Can I inoculate crabapple tree logs with mushroom plugs?

texts:
My wife and I are interested in setting up a bit of a stumpery as a feature in the garden and a friend of ours has a crabapple tree he wants me to remove from his property. I was wondering if it was acceptable or effective to use crabapple wood as a growing medium for oyster/shiitake mushrooms, effectively killing two birds with one stone.

I searched for this online, and couldn't find anything yay or nay other than some people worried their trees are unhealthy because they're growing mushrooms from their trunks.


texts: Can anyone identify this maple-type leafed plant?

texts: This plant was growing like a vine within an evergreen I have. The thickest part of the stem was about .33 inches wide and it was woody. From that there were lighter green stems that branched. Attached is a picture of the leaf (with a $1 bill for scale). I cut it and pulled it out from the evergreen.


texts: New Zealand weed with strong central stalk, narrow blade-like leaves, no flowers

texts:
Our garden in Christchurch New Zealand has been invaded this summer by what I have in my profound ignorance named stalky things. These weeds have a single, strong central stalk. No hint of flowers has been observed. Their roots are shallow: the largest specimen I have removed, shown below, has no more than 10cm of root supporting more than 1m of growth.

I'd be grateful for any hints toward identification. I'm happy to provide more information - I've never asked such a question before, so I may well have left out something obvious and critical.

Here is an uprooted 1.2m specimen:

And here are two smaller examples in the garden, the larger 30cm:

Added 14 February 2020:

After waiting until late in our summer for flowering of the plant, this has begun at the very tip of the largest specimens (>1m). Here is the detail:


texts: I don't know what kind of bug this is but its weird, its slightly larger than a quarter. What kind of bug is this?


texts: How much dirt can I put on pine tree roots?

texts:
How much dirt can I safely add on top of an established pine tree's roots without harming the tree?  I want to add berming for landscape interest around and near the pine, which is 29 years old so rather large.
[Edit]  If I add a mound of dirt in a few small areas near the drip line - just enough to tuck in a few young plants, not over the entire root area -  do you think that would cause any problems with the tree? I'm talking about a 2' diameter planting in a couple of spots near the edge of the root area which is 22' in diameter.
Also want to place a few 1to 2 foot rocks here and there within the drip line, would that be an issue? Thanks for your input!


texts: How to prevent water at the bottom of a large ceramic indoor container for a Norfolk Island Pine?

texts:
I purchased a Norfolk Island Pine that's about 4 feet tall (20 bucks at Home Depot!) to replace the one I got last year, that I put in a large ceramic pot (14 inches high, 15 inches across), because the old one went from being bright green and cherry to a duller tone along with a lot of branches over the past year that have turned brown and fallen off.
When I pulled out the old one, I noticed the soil at the very bottom of the ceramic pot was pretty wet. The pot doesn't have holes for drainage, but I inherited a few nice houseplants from a neighbor that have been in large pots of the same size, that don't have drainage and seem to do pretty well. (Although those are traditional house plants that seem to need to be watered less, and are pretty maintenance free.)
Long story long, I don't want to repeat the same mistake as the one from last year. Any suggestions as to what to do to prevent water build up, as well as tips for keeping this lovely little tree in beautiful condition? I don't know much about gardening, but I really enjoy having plants in my apartment, and the little pine tree is a nice alternative to a Christmas tree, that I can (ideally, with the right care), have and love year round!
Much appreciated!


texts: Can I save orchids infested with scale insects?

texts:
I have a number of orchids, which are doing well in general terms, but which are becoming increasingly infested with scale insects.

I've tried manual removal, and spraying with such things as Neem oil, washing up liquid and various other old wives' tales, but nothing has helped.

They are mostly blooming quite happily, and the leaves seem in decent condition, other than the inevitable stickiness. The flowers show various levels of infestation, from none at all...

...to heavy...

The stems are generally well infested...

Is there anything I can do, other than throw them all out and buy new ones?


texts: Why should I prune my avocado plant already when only two weeks old?

texts:
In most instructions I've read about growing an avocado plant, it says things like the following:

  In 2-6 weeks, roots and a stem will sprout from the seed. When the stem is about six inches long, trim it in half.

What's the purpose of doing this?


texts: How should I do about dry patches in my Leylandii hedge?

texts:
I trimmed my Leylandii hedge some weeks ago. And one day I went outside and found this:

What can I do? I am new at gardening.


texts:
found these under the leaves of my indoor palm, not sure if these are two type of pests or young/mature of the same one. Both the long brown ones and the small dark ones easily scraped off). Thought it might be scale however it looks different from the types of scale I've encountered so far (I'm based in the UK, if that helps).
The palm leaves have been turning yellow lately (no stickiness or sap though), I suspect it might be due to the pest? Suggestions welcome. Pics below. Thanks!


texts:
I was given a gardenia in a pot as a parting gift from a fellow house-sharer a few years ago. I keep it as a houseplant on a bedroom windowsill.

It's looked increasingly sickly since then, but it's bounced back a few times as well. But lately, nothing I do seems to stop it shedding leaves and withering away. It now only has a few left.

I have noticed that there are crawling bugs in the compost - tiny ones. Since I'm sure I've solved all the other problems it might have had with its environment (soil fertility, acidity, humidity, temperature) I have a feeling these bugs are probably eating its roots.

What can I do to get rid of them?

edit #1:

Adding a picture of the plant as it currently survives. A sorry state indeed.

Note the streak of yellow along the veins of the leaf in the foreground; that came on extremely fast; a matter of days. Furthermore, after the dunking treatment I described yesterday, the same discolouration has noticeably receded on some of the other remaining leaves; this is in under 24 hours.


texts:
I found some good information on looking after fruit trees of types common in the UK here (https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=539)
Essentially:

Clear ground of grass around the trunk
Apply appropriate fertiliser in late winter/early spring
Apply mulch in later spring

But what about fruit bushes - in the UK that would typically mean currants, gooseberries, blueberries for example? Is it all the same or are there species-specific things that need doing?


texts:
Planted grass seed 3 weeks ago. The grass is well over 6 inches; however, I read that I should wait 4 weeks before cutting.

Should I keep waiting?


texts: How do I deter the honey-bees from my compost bin?

texts:
I have two composting bins on the terrace beside my terrace garden (TG). A couple of days back I saw a swarm of honey bees near my TG, and from yesterday or so I am seeing that there are a couple of bees sitting all around the compost bin. I suspect they have started creating the hive inside the bin. I have utilized old earthen pots (generally used here as jars to store cool water on humid/hot days); to have good airflow I have drilled a couple of holes of approx. 1/4 inch diameter. I believe bees might have used these drilled holes to go inside. Although I thought I have secured the main opening of the pots, I suspect it also has left enough space for honey bees to get in.
My compost is almost ready and in 1-2 weeks, I would be harvesting it. So, I need to make bees leave the compost bin without hurting them, for the most part. And of course, without hurting myself too.


texts: How to prepare a soil that is compacted and has a lot of rocks

texts: I have a 1 acre area of soil in Upstate NY, The soil has been disturbed from construction, and its full of rocks. How do i clean them and prepare them to grow a lawn/grass.


texts: Do I need to fix this Avocado debarking?

texts:
This self seeded avocado tree has been growing happily on the slope down from the path at the back of my house. It doesn't get much Sun but it seems to be growing over the last few years with no help from me.
I've noticed this loss of about 60% of the bark on the main stem. So I presume the branches below this area are feeding the roots.
What action should I take?


texts:
I have an aloe vera plant in a ceramic pot. It is growing too big for it and I'm not sure what to do. What is the procedure for transplanting aloe vera into a larger pot?

Also since it's so big, is there a way I can take part of it and start a new pot (like reproduce it)?


texts: What is the best method for trellising green beans?

texts:
I have 6 rows of green beans that have now grown to about 12" in height and I want to give them something to climb.

What is the best method of trellising them?

I was thinking about grabbing some more bamboo stakes (Already use them for tomatoes) and putting one at each end of the row with a string strung across and letting them climb up that. Will this work and if not is there a better way to do it?


texts: Can someone identify this plant with a strangely shaped leaf?

texts:
If someone could give me the name of this plant, I would be very grateful. Even a common name would do.

The guy I bought it from does not know the name, but I know that it can only have two leaves at a time. I tried searching on a lot of websites but couldn't identify it.


texts:
Another succulent found in a greenhouse without a tag in the Gobi desert, though likely originating elsewhere in the world.

And with Bamboo's ID, I found an example online of this plant flowering.


texts: My aloe vera is passed out, what can I do?

texts:
I bought this aloe vera last week. As one of the leaves was falling (photo 2), I thought that if I tied them together with a string for a few days, this would help her to create strength to hold the leaves better.
In addition, I exchanged the soil that came with the plant for a mixture of earth + vermiculite + sand. Today, 3 days later, I removed what was holding the leaves and it doesn't look right at all. The leaflets at first were holding up, but now almost all of them have fallen (photo 3). What can I do?


texts:
I want to grow Indian coriander from indian seeds in Germany.
First I tried it in cold temperatures (15° c) but it grows very tall (3 cm )with 2 leaves and then it died
Second time I had grown it in hot atmosphere with UV lights in room, then also same it start grow with 2 leaves and increase hight till 4 cm and after 10 15 days it will died.

Can anyone give me reason for this.
And how can I grow perfect coriander in pot with UC rays?


texts: What is happening to our potato plants? (going black, wilting)

texts:
We have a row of 3 different heirloom potato varieties, 50 originally, of which we've lost about 15 to a problem we'd like to identify.

The following photos show the start of the issue, through to a completely wilted and near dead plant over the course of about 3 to 7 days.

Neighbouring healthy plants don't appear to have the issue, which seems randomly placed along the row...

Some more info, hopefully helpful:

Our region, north of the North Island of New Zealand, is currently experiencing very dry conditions. We've kept the plants well hydrated around every 3rd day, and while we have lost a couple to lack of water the result of that is more obvious (they dry up and die much faster and as a complete plant and the issue above often appears to affect half of the plant initially).
The potatoes were planted later in the season than normally. The same varieties at another location nearby, but planted earlier, are thriving.
No obvious caterpillars or insects on the plant or damage to the base.
They've been fed liquid seaweed twice (as per recommended concentrations and duration between feeds).
We've mounded once so far.
We garden organically.

Any identification of the cause, tips for next year and/or remedy for this year greatly appreciated.

EDIT: We dug up some of the plants yesterday, the badly affected ones had slimey sacks left of their tubers, and interestingly none presented with a black insides. We also pulled out some that were only just on the turn, but their tubers appeared quite fine.


texts: How many times do Fungus Gnats lay eggs?

texts:
If they lay eggs only once, this fact could help in eradicating them. If one has an extra pot of soil without a plant in it and waters this one day before watering the plants, then this pot may be targeted first for laying eggs. The next day the potted plants can be watered with less chance of having eggs laid in them. The plantless pot of soil could be thrown out every week along with the fresh eggs thereby avoiding a generation of gnats.

This requires that you water your plants infrequently so that the soil in the planted pots are not attractive to the gnats.

Would this work?


texts: How crucial is it to measure pH of hydroponic growth solution for leafy greens?

texts:
I was told I need to continuously measure the pH of my growth solution and modify it if it exceeds a certain range.
Is it really that crucial? I mean no one pays attention to pH of soil in a pot...

If it is crucial, would once a day with litmus paper suffice or do I need to get a continuous electronic measurement?


texts: I planted my redbud 3 years ago, 2 years they have had lots of leaves no buds.  This year there are no leaves at all, around the base of the tree there are little twigs growing with small leaves. Is my tree dead?


texts: Will refrigerator freezing garlic in the pot for a few hours create the necessary cold time required?

texts: My garlic heads that were dying already didn't turn out too well, and my elephant garlic isn't turning out yet, should I throw the pots in the freezer for a few hours in order to simulate to the garlic it's time to grow?


texts: What's the vine that is wrapping around my plant and how can I get rid of it?

texts:
I've got a vine that is deep rooted and is wrapping around the plants in my front yard. I haven't spotted any flowers or fruits on the vine yet. I've tried pulling it from its roots a couple of times, but I haven't been successful at getting rid of it.

I'd greatly appreciate some help in identifying the vine and would like suggestions on how to get rid of it.

I live in the Seattle, Washington area.

Here are some pictures:


texts: Need help identifying invasive grass/weed in my landscaping + St Augustine grass (9A)

texts:
I'm having an issue (among others) with my St Augustine lawn and flowerbed. I'm in zone 9A and this is happening in the sunniest part of the lawn, most gets sun from 8-9 am to 4-5 pm.  I'm about ready to call someone to come in and help get this under control but wanted your opinions first to see if this is something I can take care of on my own. I'm fairly certain this came in when I brought some dirt in to level my yard in a few spots. Any help identifying this would be greatly appreciated.

I'm fairly certain we're going to pull all the mulch and plants up, put down landscaping fabric then remulch.

See link below image for more photos:

http://imgur.com/a/aZJSS

Thanks in advance!


texts: Are antibiotics helpful when propagating a plant

texts:
I have seen opinions that dipping stem cuttings in a topical antibiotic such as Cicatrene which has a number of different formulations which include sulfates or zinc assists in propagating cuttings.  I have never heard of this.  I have read in numerous publications that all pruning and propagating should be done with clean or even sterilized tools for maximum success.

Does anyone use antibiotics and is there any reference material to back up it's effectiveness?


texts: Do cloned tomatillos pollinate each other?

texts: For tomatillos that require a pollinator, if I have only one tomatillo plant, but I root some cuttings from it, will the plants pollinate the other clones (and/or the parent)? They're all from the same plant, originally, and should be clones. So, I'm guessing they wouldn't pollinate each other well. Is this true?


texts: I'm told by my seed supplier that it's impossible to to put down too much seed when overseeding an existing lawn or seeding a new lawn for the first time.  Assuming the cost of seed is not an issue, is it possible to put down too much seed?


texts:
I've been growing Kale under a 600W LED grow light for the past few weeks. My plants were doing quite well and I'd begun hardening off the oldest two to prepare them for transplantation. After 8 days of this, I noticed spots appearing on the leaves. They began on one as yellow spots, which then turn brown and appear dead.

The weather here (Seattle, WA) became sunny quite suddenly so I assumed perhaps it was sunburn, despite the 8 days of hardening the plant already experienced, perhaps combined with some underwatering.
I noticed similar spots (seen below) appearing on a plant that is still under the grow light and has never seen the sun. This plant is much younger and seems to be more severely afflicted. Perhaps this indicates a bacterial culprit? Any help is appreciated!


texts: How to dispose of sand, concrete rubble and field stones?

texts:
I have three piles of rubble from an old stoop I just demolished. Here are some pictures:

1) sand pile:

2) concrete rubble pile:

3) and field stone pile:

I have a few questions about how to dispose of this debris.

First, in a related question, I found it was unwise to disperse the sand across my lawn, even if I was planning on replacing it with sod next fall: Will leveling uneven lawns with extra sand kill future lawns?

My questions are:

Will landscaping companies want these materials if I offer them free of charge?
If not, is posting an ad (eg in craigslist) an effective method?
Are there cheaper methods than renting a dumpster?

Any advice related to disposing of these materials is much appreciated.


texts: I'm quite sure this recently acquired beauty is a Dieffenbachia, but I can't seem to figure out what kind. Also, I really can't find any list of all kinds with photos or other good identification details included, online. Is there some web-resource on plant/Dieffenbachia identification that I am missing?


texts:
I planted a flamboyan seed (ie. Royal Poinciana) in a pot a few months ago, and it was growing really nice and had nice foliage (if that's the correct name?) .
Recently, I've noticed that the leaves all turned brown and dry, and then fell off. I know the plant's not dead, but I'm not sure what's wrong. The plant doesn't have any leaves now.
I looked at the trunk, and it has all these things attached to the trunk. The trunk's full of them. Is this some insect or some parasite? Or is it part of the tree? They're really attached to the trunk, so they can't be washed off.
Btw, I live in the Caribbean and the plant receives full sun. Although the sun here's very strong, I had the plant during the summer (which was much hotter and dryer) and it was looking nice. So I don't think it's the heat.


texts: How can I tell when to water my Chinese elm bonsai?

texts:
I moved my Chinese elm bonsai from my office to home. In the office the soil was usually dry after 2 days without watering, so I'd water every 2 days, before it got dry.

Now, at home, the soil is never dry! Does that mean I should no longer water it?

I'm new to bonsais (or any gardening for that matter) and I'm following the rule that you should only water your bonsai if you realise the soil is getting dry.


texts: How do I start an oak tree from an acorn?

texts:
I have a lot of acorns on my lawn from a red oak tree.  I would like to start a new tree from an acorn and I was wondering what I can do to ensure success.  What should I look for in an acorn, for example, cap on / cap off?  How deep should I plant it?  Is there a right side up?

So far so good...


texts: How to bring this Rubber plant back in shape?

texts:
I have a rubber plant that has grown sideways and quite tall. I want the plant to become somewhat dense and a little less tall. I am thinking of pruning it as shown in the image below:

However, I am not sure if it is okay to prune so much of the rubber plant and then what to do with those bigger stems (propagate? Green or brown stems?). Or should I let this plant get much bigger and grow freely?


texts: How long do you water after planting grass?

texts: I have just planted some grass seed to replace some grass lost after the dry summer. I have been watering it daily for 3-4 days. How long should I keep this up?


texts: What is causing my Dracaena deremensis to develop brown spots and die?

texts:
My plant has been having brown spots growing out of nowhere and the whole leaf would turn brown. I tried drying it out and water less (also water more) and it didn't seem to help. I tried using baking soda and it didn't help. I tried misting it and it got worse. I have had this plant for 8 years.

Can someone give me some advice?


texts:
I have a blue giant hosta. It is in fertile soil and gets plenty of water. I had been dividing it every few years but lately it has started to shrink. I don't want to lose it. How can I get it back?

Update: The plant is smaller than it's ever been before. See pic. The hosta used to cover the entire tank, except for the cap.  It is now about 30 years old. Does that have anything to do with it?


texts: How to cut optimally the basil on my balcony?

texts:
My context: I have a basil in a pot which is unfortunately not very big. I like to cook with basil and sometimes I cut some leafs.

My question: Is there a way to cut the leafs in order to maximize the regeneration of the plant? E.g. cut the buds or cut only half of the leafs...


texts: I am doing a project about plants and I am new at this. I found this in a park in Cairo, Egypt. Would be great if someone can identify it.


texts: What is this grass and how prevalent is vivipary in grasses?

texts:
We noticed some seedlings emerging from the flower head of an unidentified grass flower head yesterday. None of us had seen this before and we wondered how common it was and if it is more prevalent under certain conditions. How common is this? Also are these sprouts, which would either drop singularly or attached to the seed head when it drops, as vigorous as seed germinating in or on the soil?

Below are photos for anyone who thinks they might be able to ID.


texts:
I read the answers regarding pillbug in the garden. I realized I had a raised bed and no composting material. I placed the shallow bowl with beer in it. Before I could complete the project. ( I ran out of bowls and went back in the house) The pill bugs had drown in the bowls with beer.
I added more bowls and more beer. They are running to the smell of fermentation and drowning.
I think I will turn one bed  into a compost bed and see if that takes care of the pill bugs ringing the new spouting plants.
Thank you


texts: Do seeds get frozen and unusable, if held in a cold garage over winter?

texts:
I collected some seeds this year, and I meant to store them in a garage that gets cold in winter (temperatures are approximately the same as outdoors temperatures). However, an aquientance says they will be frozen, and not viable anymore next spring. I told her, what about natural processes, she says it is different, seeds are on the ground, there is snow, etc.

Is she right?


texts: Is there any point in putting what is rest of our tree back in the ground?

texts:
So we are in the process as we speak of having our sewer line replaced and the old line ran underneath a large Japanese Cherry Blossom Tree. They did their best job to try and dig around , then placed the root system and tree into the bucket of the digger, pulling upwards, but unfortunately the weight of the tree itself snapped the top off.

Tree is on the right of the branch pile in the image.

Once they finish up with the sewer line, is there any point in putting the roots and stump back in the ground or is it a lost tree now? We are very sad to see it go :(


texts:
So, I grew some zucchini and the squash bugs finally proliferated on it. Today I was in the garden and I saw that there were squash bugs hanging out on my chili pepper plant, which is by the zucchini (it's probably half Carolina Reaper, and half something else, but it was supposed to be a Carolina Reaper).

Are they just resting themselves there, or do they actually feed on chili pepper plants? Watching them, they just looked like they were hanging out, and I didn't see any damage, but there were a lot of squash bugs (all of them were fully mature bugs in appearance).

I'm not looking for advice on squash bug control (just on whether or not they feed on peppers).

Sorry. No pictures right now. I need to charge my camera.


texts: I'm considering putting teabags into my compost bin but I'm not sure about the bag itself breaking down. Do I need to tear open each bag and only put the tea leaves in the bin or are the whole intact bags okay to throw in there?


texts: How much to water Raspberries on a drip line?

texts:
I just put in a drip line today. I only used 1 GPH emitters on the raspberries. Any idea how long I should water them when it dries up this summer? I know it should be 1 to 2 inches a weeks but how do you convert that the GPH on a drip system?

Thanks!


texts:
My wife & I purchased a home in November in Los Angeles.  There's a fully automated, underground sprinkler system in the front, but nothing in the back.  The backyard is a bit of a mess.  Not terrible, but not ideal.  4-5 years down the road we see ourselves having it overhauled, so we don't want to invest in an expensive sprinkler system (& installation) at this point.

However, with the summer here, we're realizing watering by hand is going to be... a challenge.

I've seen a few DIY sprinkler systems with no underground plumbing.  (E.g., Quick-Snap & LawnBelt.)

This could work for us, as the the backyard is basically two large rectangles.

However, I haven't seen a lot of people use them.  Has anyone had experience with them and/or advice?  I checked Consumer Reports & couldn't find anything either.

I'd also be interested if there's any with a timer (e.g., so we can set it water the yard every other day for X minutes, etc.)

Thanks!


texts:
We put in four young apple trees a few years ago, two cookers and two eaters, four different varieties. Now that those puny trees have grown up and started to produce a substantial crop, we're wondering which varieties they are. The labels have been lost.

Supposedly there are 1200 apple varieties native to England. How can we go about identifying our apple varieties? Is it even possible?

Some photos of one of our cookers, in case anyone can identify this variety from photos alone. That would might start us off.

Click to enlarge


texts: Not sure why it's been limping, the baby one also started limping and died recently. The bottom is a bit yellow but not rotten yet. Not sure how to care for it not that it's so tall


texts: setting up raised garden beds for spring. what is best mix but affordable?

texts:
So I have raised garden beds (not touching the ground) and other garden beds that WILL touch the ground. what is the best mix for BOTH of these beds? most beds will be 3ft x 2ft to 5ft x 3ft

I have came up with

50% kellogs raised bed soil/potting mix 25% peat moss 25% compost with Fish meal and spread it out on the soil
50% raised bed/potting mix soil 50% compost with fish meal spreading out
50% top soil mix with 50% manure compost with fish meal and perlite

what are your thoughts? Thanks!!!


texts: What chances do I stand to relocate this lilac bush?

texts:
Do I have any chances to move this lilac without killing it?

What is the best time of the year for this?

Any recommendations in terms of tools, procedure, root cutting, replanting?


texts: How can I get rid of a large hornet nest in my hollow tree?

texts: I have an old hollow black cherry tree and sandhills hornets moved in this year. The hole is about one foot from the ground. How can I get rid of the nest without a professional?


texts: I am from Mumbai. This photos I took in winter. My chille plants buds are falling after flowering. I daily watered less to plants. I put fertilizer every two months.I want to know how polinated chillie buds are falling after few days?I use vermicompost. How to water less?


texts:
I own a small Monstera, but I do not know which specific Monstera.
It is about 7 stems in a 9 cm pot.
There is only one stem that has two leaves with holes.
My guess is that it is either a Monstera adansonii narrow form or a Monstera acuminata.

the full plant, etc.
leaves with holes


texts: What would someone charge for digging 4 inches of dirt/much?

texts: I need to have 4 inches of dirt and mulch mix dug up across my small approximant 400 sq ft front yard and move gutter drain...I want to know a rough price estimate so I'm not being taken advantage off any advice price knowledge or involved labor would be helpful as there are no wrong replies only shared knowledge and advice


texts: Why is my indoor lime tree growing fruit without pollination?

texts: I'm growing a lime tree indoors. It's about 7 or 8 years old now and finally producing some flowers and also fruit. I just read a home guide from SFGate that manual pollination is required to grow fruit, however I didn't do any on my tree, and there are a few flowers that seem to be growing little, tiny limes from the centre of the flower. Do you have any idea why this may be?


texts: Growing bonsai using artificial lighting

texts:
So I bought Japanese ELM seed to grow my own bonsai. The thing is, I read everywhere that it need a lot of sun, especially in the morning. But where I live, I the sun doesn't reach the window until late afternoon and almost the same if I put it outside in the morning...

Will my bonsai be happy if I use an artificial light to replace the sun? And what are your recommendation for such use case?


texts: What is this grass that supports all weather types, doesn't invade and prevents bad plants from sprouting?

texts:
It apparently doesn't grow longer than on the photos, can support all types of weather, doesn't invade other parts of the garden and it seems to prevent "bad" plants from setting up there (bramble, etc.).

Does anyone know what is the name of this grass?


texts: Need help identifying this flower (male/female) on a Big Max pumpkin; also, why is it growing flowers already?

texts:
I have two Big Max pumpkins I planted around June 20th.  High temps since then have been in the high 90's.  I fertilize weekly.  The plants are still kind of small (one is about 2 ft. x 2 ft. and the other is about 3 ft. x 4 ft.) so I was surprised to already be seeing what looks like buds for flowers on them.
There is one flower is particular I wanted to ask about, since it looks like it's already growing a fruit.  Please let me know if this is fruit growing on this flower, or what I'm seeing.


texts: How do I change the color of my hydrangea flowers?

texts: So, I've heard that people sometimes mix a bit of lemon juice in when they water blue hydrangeas, they say it keeps them blue if the soil is lacking in acid. I was wondering, I have a pink indoor hydrangea plant; would it be possible to alter the color by putting the lemon juice in? Would it possibly make it blue in time, or purple?


texts: What is this low-growing plant with fuzzy green and gray leaves, and when can I transplant it?

texts:
I found a number of these plants tucked behind peonies, bleeding hearts and other perennials. They're primarily up against my cement foundation, and are growing in clumps. I didn't plant them, but don't know if they're perennial or something that re-seeded. They may have been there in previous years and escaped my notice.

The furry leaves are a combination of green and gray. Each plant is only a few inches high, and the widest are about 8 inches (20 cm) at the base.

I'd appreciate an identification and a bit of information as to what I can expect from them as they grow. If they produce flowers, when will that be? Also, what will they look and smell like? Right now I don't see buds, just pairs of young leaves forming at each center.

They're very pretty and different from anything else I have, so I want to move some to where I can see them. When can I do that? I've heard that a general rule of thumb in transplanting is either well before a plant flowers, or after the flower has gone by. The foliage alone is worth looking at, but if it's saving energy for flowering, I don't want to interrupt the process.

Since they're all in the shade, is that a pre-requisite for optimal growth? I have both shady and sunny areas, so that would be helpful to know.

I live in zone 6. Our average high temperatures in the summer are between 80°F (27°C) and 90°F (32°C), although we usually get a few significantly higher spells. The location of these makes me think they're shielded from that level of heat, but I can't say for sure. I started seeing them just after our last frost, but if they've overwintered, they're hardy well below freezing.


texts: What are these black round dry spots on my Aloe Vera leaves?

texts:
The leaves of my Aloe Vera are covered with black dry regions of round form. They are found on new and old leaves, at the middle and on the edges of the leaves.

What could be the reason? How should I treat it?

It does not look like the question Black patches on aloe vera leaves because in my case the shape of the leaf is changed, the leaves become thinner at the place where the black dot exists.


texts: How can I grow mushrooms in my houseplant pots

texts:
I like fungi and find mushrooms aesthetically pleasing. I grow two jalapeno pepper plants in some large pots and would like to also grow some mushrooms in the same pots for decoration. I don't really mind what species provided they are not toxic to humans. Ideally the species would also be beneficial to the plants.
Is this a bad idea and if not, what would be the best way to go about inocculating my plant pots with fungi?


texts:
From what I understand there is something in seed raising mix that increases the chance of germination and I guess the rest is stuff that helps feed a seedling. What is there in seed raising mix that improves chances of germination?

Is there a way I can make my own seed raising mix? I would like something that is as natural / organic / chemical free as possible.


texts: When do you move your lucky bamboo from water to pebbles?


texts: What is this weed in my lawn and how can I get my grass back?

texts:
Essentially, along the edges of a new-to-me yard (edges of house, porch) -- I'm assuming from moisture retention -- a weedy/cloverish (I have no idea, clearly) thing is taking over.

This is a yard in North Texas / Fort Worth, if you're curious about environment.

Here is a picture of the grass/weed in question:

click image for full size

What is this stuff, and what is a good method if getting rid of it, while vitalizing the good grass?

Looking for ideas, or product + method recommendations.


texts: What animals make good "lawn mowers" for a fenced in food forest?

texts: I'm looking at building a food forest, and was wondering what breeds of animals will make the best "lawn mowers", but leave my trees/bushes "alone".


texts:
Here are my avocado leaves from both sides. Can anyone please tell what kind of fungus or thing this is? It's causing all the leaves with those dark spots.

This is a 30 feet tall "don't know how many years old" avocado tree in a small town in the Gulf of Mexico. It's shaded by bigger mango trees in the back of my yard.


texts: I’ve made some vegetable broth and after it’s done I’m left over with some boiled vegetables can those be composted? I’ve seen some articles that say you cannot compost them while others you can which would be best?


texts:
My Fuchsia is indoor, it's a small plant and looks quite healthy with so many buds.

However, I for last 2-3 days the buds are dropping if I am touching the plant.

Watering conditions:

Plenty of holes in the pot
I usually tend to water when the surface is dry.

Fertilizing conditions:

I use liquid fertilizer (COMPO Blumendunger) twice a week as per instruction.

Wind, Sun and temperature

No wind as it is indoor.
It gets morning sun usually.
Temperature is approx. 20 degrees Centigrade (68F).

Other

No Bugs or anything else.

Should I be worried or it's normal?


texts: What kind of tree is this? And how can I kill it?

texts:
This tree is growing outside my office and blocking almost all the light coming into my window. I don't necessarily want to kill the tree and I can't just blatantly chop it down, but I would like to get more light in my office. I'm also hesitant to prune it for fear of making it look holey. If the tree met an untimely end, I would not be upset.

Two questions:

What kind of tree is this?
What non-apparent things can I do to make it so that I get more light through my window?


texts: Is rust from a steel rainwater barrel harmful to edible plants?

texts:
We are using a used steel drum barrel as a rainwater container. Someone else in our house brought it from work, and we haven't bothered replacing with a plastic one yet.

Supposing that there is no harmful residue of the previous content in it:
It is rusting a bit on the inside, so the water doesn't look that clean. Is the iron oxide actually harmful for vegetables? We are using it to irrigate plants such as peppers, salad, strawberries and some herbs.


texts: Is excess leaf growth on cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage a bad thing?

texts: I am a newbie polytunneler in NW Ireland. I have been amazed at the prolific growth of almost everything we planted. Having read the questions on the height of runner beans, is the prolific leaf growth on cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage detrimental to the vegetables we wish to harvest?


texts: Strawberries from seed. Apparently growth stopped. is it fine?

texts:
I planted strawberry seeds on coconut seed starters. The seedlings did come, and I got two nice set of round leaves (the cotyledons I guess) for each seed followed by a new pair of nice, real leaves. The seedlings grew to approx half a centimeter high, with the leaves being a little smaller than the length of a grain of rice. I was extremely happy about it but then I realized the growth stopped. It's like they are stable in that size since weeks. I keep the coconut starters wet from below, adding water to the base plate once every three days.

I am keeping the seedlings inside, on a front window. I receive very little sun. Is it the expected life cycle for the plant, or is it due to some problem ?


texts: Why does my Norfolk Island pine tree have brown needles and drooping branches?

texts:
My Norfolk Island pine is not doing so well; the needles are turning brown and the branches are drooping.

Why did this happen to my plant, and how can I cure it?

Click photos for full size


texts: What are these 3' to 5' tall plants from my new back yard, and how should I remove them?

texts:
I just moved into a new apartment (in Brooklyn, NY) with my own backyard. My girlfriend and I are very excited. However, my backyard is overgrown with that vine-looking-green-stuff.

My current plan is to go to Home Depot, get a pair of gardening scissors and a bottle Round Up. I'm thinking of cutting down the plants, put them in plastic bags to throw away, and spray the whole bottle of Round Up all over the backyard. I am not looking to put lawn or anything - just hard soil to put a table and a couple of chairs will be good.

Should I go ahead? It's not poison ivy, right?


texts: I am starting roselle in seed trays with plain sterilised cocopeat and the temperature hovers around 24~40 degrees celsius each day, with atleast 6 hours of heavy sunlight here. Should I do this in full sun outside or in some shade?


texts: Coral vine tuber not showing any signs of growing back

texts: I have a small coral vine tuber which I found while digging up an old pot in which it used to grow a year back but is no more now. I had planted the tuber over a month back in another pot and it has not yet shown any signs of growing back. I love the vine and really want it to grow back as many butterflies would visit it when it flowers. Would somebody please suggest what to do? I water it when the topsoil seems dry and it is placed in filtered sunlight. I live in India and it's monsoon season here so not a lot of sunlight. Thanks!!!


texts: What is this plant with long leaves growing tough green stalks?

texts:
I brought this plant a while back, but I lost the name tag. It's supposed to grow well in less lighted areas, and it's supposed to generate lots of oxygen.
Recently, after moving it in a new pot, it started growing large stalks which seem to be tough as wood.


texts: Should I trim the shoots coming off the root of my grapevines?

texts:
I have a couple of grapevines that were planted 3 years ago.

The first year, they didn't do much.

The second year, there was lots of growth, but only a couple of grapes.

This year, I pruned it back quite a bit (I have 3 vines in an 8' garden) but each of the vines has 3-6 shoots coming right out of the ground.  Should I trim these off now, or wait until fall?


texts:
The leaves of this kalanchoe are thin and greyish. I noticed that the main stem looks like the trunk of a tree.
When I received it as a gift, it was beautiful, very small and filled with flowers. But then it was thrown off of its pot many times by a toddler. I planted it in a bigger pot and it grew new leaves, but it doesn't look well at all.


texts:
I know there have been a few similar questions posed but was hoping to get some additional clarity.

My Dracana Fragans has experience some spotting over the last couple of months, mostly on new growth. Images are attached, but it manifests as small yellow spots towards the edge of the leave that then get slightly larger and brown out. Images are attached.

I water the plant once every 1-2 weeks, and there don't appear to be any issues with drainage. The only thing I can think of is that the plant hasn't been repotted in a while, but not sure that would be contributing to this?


texts: Will a mowed down tree sapling grow back?

texts:
My granddaughter got a tree sapling from school for Earth day and I planted it in my backyard. I forgot it was there and mowed it down. It was in a little bit of a hole from there not being enough dirt to cover it completely, so there's still a branch or two still on the trunk. She is devastated.

Will it grow back or is there a way to grow it back?


texts: Maldives-PLANTATION - VEGETABLES AND FLOWER

texts:
I am living in Maldives, this country is full of islands. all over surrounded by ocean. Climate- mostly summer and sometimes rainy ( April to July- occasional raining). Sandy land.

Please help me out- what type of vegetables and flowers can I grow in small pots ( both indoor and outdoor) and how?
Thanks in advance.


texts: Questions from an organic lawn care beginner

texts:
My lawn was sodded last year during the summer and there was a drought, so this spring the bare spots have revealed themselves. I'm trying to figure out the best plan utilizing organic products.

Today (late April) I overseeded with Kentucky Bluegrass, with some Sustane Turf Starter organic fertilizer. I figured trying to get the bare spots filled in is a good start. I've also been pulling weeds, which I expect to do for a while.

Since the area I overseeded is quite large, I'm concerned about not mowing for a month.

Also, I'd like to apply Milorganite in a couple weeks. Would there be any negative interaction with that and the Sustane Turf Starter?

Any general advice is appreciated, too.

Thanks.


texts:
I have several fruit trees all in good condition, all around 2 years old.

One of them is a morello cherry. He was bought as a one year
Old.

On its second year, I missed pruning and ultimately he grew dozens of tiny branches all the way up the main stem which I have now trimmed, only leaving 4-5 buds to allow it to grow in a goblet shape which is working well. The main stem of the tree is also very strong and well established.

However,

This tree, for reasons unknown to me keeps growing new stems from the roots. I know all trees will try that and the others do as well but in a quantity which is nothing compared to this one. If I let it, I probably would end up with 2 main stems!!
I have tried to increase the compost around it to deprive the roots of light. Adding a bigger layer of mulch as well.
All trees are fed regularly, all healthy. I do not use chemicals, it's all 100% organic tree care.  I live in Gloucestershire UK

I am stumped with this one. Any ideas?

Edit:
It was planted dormant in the
Ground  2 years ago February time with one year "wasted" with lack of pruning(as explained above) The variety is as per comment.


texts:
Every so often I see plants advertised as being "deer resistant".

I can understand when flowers are marked as attracting butterflies or hummingbirds, since that can be determined by the shape of the flowers. But how does a plant get marked as deer resistant?

I can't imagine someone gets paid to sit and watch a plant to see of deer will avoid it or not.


texts: Is Coca Cola bad for Nightshades and curcubits?

texts:
A bit of a whimsical question, but I'm curious nonetheless.

Phosphoric acid (E338) - the stuff used to make coca cola tart/sour and useable as a cleaner is also used commercially to make soil more acidic for growing nightshades and curcubits.

This leads me to wonder how bad using would coca cola be to poar on a plant (for example to lower PH, or because you spilled some by mistake)?


texts: Should I add more soil to my bonsai seedlings

texts: I have three bonsai seedlings that are just about 3 months old. They are Norway spruces and appear to be doing well but I was wondering if maybe I need to add more soil (particularly for the third one, see second screenshot). After watering them for some time it looks like the soil level as dropped and I’m worried that if it’s too low the roots/stems might not build a solid enough foundation in the soil.


texts:
I've got a cherry tree in my garden (courtesy of the house's builder) which this year is full of fruits.
They look very nice but I am not sure they are edible. I tried one the other day and it was lightly sour but sweet.
The flowers are white.

On a forum somebody mentioned that if even the birds avoid the fruit they are not fit for consumption and mine are untouched.

UPDATE: In the end I DID make a cherry pie. It was gone in minutes and nobody felt ill. So the cherries are edible.


texts: Why do my Nepenthes N. Ventricosa tendrils dry out, and the N. Alata do not?

texts:
I have 2 pitcher plants in a single pot. The N. Alata sprouted around July  (totally accidental, thought it was just a new stem since my ventrata has been in a bending position ever since I got it last May). My N. Alata (I assume it is alata since it has hairs on the pitcher) already has traps and is growing just fine.

On the other hand, My N. Ventrata hasn't been pitchering since then. It just continues to grow leaves with red tendrils (I trimmed the last pitcher it had since it was rotting, it was already grown when I got it) but the pitcher tendrils just dry off after a week or so.

The temperature here in the Philippines is 27C-32C (80F-90F). It rains about 2-4 times a week (rainy season). As you can see in the pictures it is placed on a rusty metal roof (heat/temp issues?). But as I recall I had a leaf that was just in the rim of the pot and it still dried off and another that didn't touch the roof and it still dried.

N. Alata doing fine:

N. Ventricosa tendril still red. Trimmed pitcher. The pitcher has already grown before I even got the plant:
.

Dried tendril:


texts:
I've got a cedar tree that divided into two smaller trees, and the previous owners tried to keep the twin trunks together by tying a rope around them.  The rope eventually strangled one of the trunks, and now it's dead; at least, all the needles are brown and it doesn't look good.

So, I think the thing to do is to cut down the dead trunk, but this will leave half the tree bare.  The question is, will the remaining trunk eventually grow branches in the newly cleared space, or will it just keep growing up and out on the side where it already has branches, and never fill in the open space?


texts: How to save unwatered croton? Nothing seems working:(

texts:
It happened that I couldnt water my croton for quite long, about 20 days. We had it for about 15 years, so it was almost like a small tree. After such lomg period without water it looks really bad, leaves are hanging down, many have already fell off. I am wrapping wet cotton around the branches and next to leaves bunches, sprinkle the plant with water all the time, place air moisturizer next to it, but it does seem to revive. Is there any tips how to save those leaves which are not fully dead? Maybe hot bath? And if all leaves fall off how to make the new ones grow faster, if possible.
Thank you for all the tips!


texts: What areas in the USA have many cool days with little sun and no frost?

texts:
Are there any areas in the United States that have a lot of short days (as in, few hours of sunlight) in the frost-free season and fairly to very cool temperatures during the frost-free season?

I've observed that Shark Fin Melon grows very well in such conditions—better than when it's even moderately warm and sunny. In fact, mine wouldn't even flower until it pretty much got cold and rainy, almost ready to frost. However, it grew fast during that time (not during the heat, but before and after the heat) and it set fruit, which grew pretty quickly. Notwithstanding it likes cold, it's not frost-tolerant (although the roots may survive down to a certain temperature and grow back; I'm not sure how cold they'll survive).

I'm looking for a region to experiment with that might inspire Shark Fin Melon to flower and fruit early on.

I imagine it would work well in cool greenhouses, after the season, though.

EDIT: If you can find an area that's hot for a very short while and then cold for a long while (before the frost), that may work even better, since it might be the change in the daylight hours that encourages flowering (rather than just the daylight hours).


texts: What can I plant between rows of sunchokes?

texts:
I have planted rows of sunchokes in my 10'X15' community garden, so I was wondering what I should plant between the rows of sunchokes. I'm looking for something that I can leave in the ground all season.

They're spaced about 2 feet apart for plenty of growing/spreading room my first year.


texts: Can anyone identify this house plant - it has broad leaves and a rosette center? Dracena Family(?) but short trunk


texts:
I’ve got a little issue in my backyard with growing some grass.
For starters, the yard is in a very sun exposed spot. I’m located in CT, USA.
Last year I believe I had grubs in the yard which ate away the roots of the grass and I was left with a big patch of dead grass which came up very easily in sheets when raked. I threw down about 3/4 of a big bag of grass seed about a month ago and now I’m left with what I have in the pictures below.
I watered it every day but only a few patches of grass actually grew. I now have some wasps who burrowed in the dirt patch.
My question for someone who may know better is what do I do now?
I have a bag of grub pesticide I was going to spray down but can I throw some more seed down? Is it too late? Anything I can do about the wasps as well as the grub pesticides?
Thank you


texts: I recently purchased a 5 ft kentia and placed it next to a patio door, but out of direct sunlight. I water it sparingly when the topsoil has dried out and it is well drained. The only thing I have done is given it Baby Bio feed.I have looked for insect infestation and found none. It seems to be turning brown and dying quite quickly now.


texts: How long do I have to harvest my potatoes?

texts:
I grew about a dozen or so fingerling potato plants in four separate sacks this year.  Everything went according to plan, the plants stayed healthy and pest free throughout the year.

The plants have died back recently, and I'm ready to harvest.  I read that if you wait too long, the potatoes will rot.  I've also read that it's better to harvest when the soil is a bit drier, though I don't remember if that's just a matter of convenience or not.

It's been non-stop rain in the midwest USA for the past week, and I'm not eager to slog into a giant pile of muck and mud to retrieve my fingerlings.  How soon after the tops die back do I have to get my potatoes out, and am I okay to harvest when the soil is still wet and muddy?


texts: How can I save my garden from an unknown critter that destroys everything?

texts:
I decided to start a garden of my own this summer and I got seeds from all areas to plant. No sooner had I put the seeds in the ground, but there came some critter at night, which dug up the seeds and ate as much as it could find. I have never seen this vermin before but when I go to look in my garden in the morning, I find something has dug holes in my planters, and in some places uprooted some of my plants.

I have right now tried three netting sizes and think it may be best to take the plants all indoors for the meantime cause I don't seem to understand what it is I am up against. No matter what I put up against it, it not only keeps coming back but seems able to bypass them all. I am right now considering building a netting shed around my garden area but since I am new to work work, I expect this to take me some time. I intend to move my seedlings and other plants indoors until my netting is ready and tested. Does anyone know what this vermin could be, and what I do to get rid of it?


texts: What household wastes can you use to fertilize without composting?

texts:
I cannot compost, no room, no permission. My kitchen produces a steady output of used coffee grounds, which is a good slow release nitrogen source (2.3 .06 .6), should not attract pests or transmit diseases, and used in moderate amounts should not cause problems for plants.  So I figure I should be able to spread used coffee grounds over the garden without composting.

Are there any other typical household waste products that I can use on the garden without composting?


texts: Can you propagate a Hosta by a root cutting?

texts: I recently purchased my mom a Victory (species) Hosta (so it was free for her), and it got me to wondering if I can propagate a Hosta by a root cutting like rhubarb, and comfrey for when it comes time to dig the plant in the spring (to have a few more).


texts: What is eating my Kohlrabi (and why isn't it me?)

texts: I went out to the garden today to weed and discovered large holes in the leaves of my kohlrabi (see photo). What is doing this, and how can I get it to stop, preferably using organic methods so I can eat the kohlrabi leaves myself later? I didn't see any insects when I poked around a bit.


texts:
I had a large Maple tree removed and the stump ground last fall, then removed as much of the mulch as possible.  Now I want to plant grass seed. there are still wood chips in the area that is approx 8-10" below the surrounding area, and there is some solid wood from the roots that were not ground far enough.
Would applying a composted cow manure then top soil be a good way to go? Should I layer it below the new topsoil or mix it into the topsoil? Any suggestions would be appreciated.


texts: What is the plant with multiple lily-like yellow flowers with iris-plant-anatomy?

texts:
This September suddenly, what I assume to be a bulb or rhizome-based plant was coming out of the ground somewhere in my garden. I didn't plant it, and have no idea where it came from.
Early November suddenly the flower stem came out and I could see 3-5 flower buds.
When it got cold early Mid-November, I cut the stem and put it in vase, only to see the buds opening soon and presenting nice yellow flowers.
The flowers to me look like a lily-flower with the typical stigma (the right word, the thing hosting the pollen) floating around. The leaves however are looking more from what I'm supposed to see on my irises, which are long and sharp leaves.
Here are two pictures I took in a rush, so please accept my excuses for the bad quality:

I'd like to know what kind of plant this is, and what to do to keep it alive or maybe muliply?


texts: Please help with this issue with my plant!

texts: My curry leaf plant which is potted in a 10 inch container with store bought potting mix has leaves which have got brown on the edges and dry. Also, the newest branch has very light coloured leaves. The plant is in Delhi, India and is getting 3 hours of hot sunlight and temperature is 30~41 degrees celsius. Please help diagnose the issue with my plant. I have posted several times earlier but have got no response.


texts: What to do with a plant that can't support its own weight?

texts:
I received this plant (I'm sorry, I'm not entirely sure what it is) a few years back when it was on death's door and only had a few living leaves left. I managed to bring it back to health but that left me with another issue: all the new growth increased the weight of the plant and the existing stem could no longer support its weight.

In a bid to keep the whole thing from falling over and snapping, I staked it. It kept growing and growing and now it's to the point where the top is much heavier and larger than the poor, sickly original stem can support.

Is there a way I can train this plant to eventually support itself without the stakes or am I past the point of no return? If not, is there anything I can do to help ensure that the tiny little stem does not snap, say while moving, etc.?


texts: How to prepare plants to move to greenhouse from indoors?

texts:
I've been growing some starts in this little hot-house thing I made after seeing something similar at a local gardening store.  It seems to work great - with a heating pad under one of the flats it's warm, humid and plants grow like crazy.

Now I'm planning to move them outside into a greenhouse I just built.  @Ecnerwal mentioned in a previous post that I need to "transition" the plants, but I'm not sure exactly what that means.

When I look up instructions for hardening off plants, they seem to be preparing plants for being put in the ground.  Most instructions talk about going from ~30 min outside in light shade to a full day over the course of 7-14 days (not very specific, really), and to cut back on watering.

I'm hoping to have them in the greenhouse for 3-5 more weeks (depending on the plant) at temperatures between 40°F at night and 80-85 max during the day. I expect to be watering them regularly and hoping for them to get pretty big & stocky.

I'm wondering if someone could suggest (in detail, ideally) a good process for going from indoors to outdoors?  Thanks!


texts: Can I use carnivorous plants to control cockroaches?

texts:
I've started seeing cockroaches in the kitchen at work. We've managed to keep their population from exploding by cleaning. Since their food supply is now limited and the critters are highly active, I expect that they would be quite vulnerable to traps.

The traps I have in mind are carnivorous plants, like pitcher plants. Are there any species that specialize in beetles, or more specifically, cockroaches?


texts: viability of alocacia seeds after winter storage

texts:
My climate is hot Mediterranean, winter temperatures seldom go below 5c/41F.

If I buy seeds around this time of the year (Midsummer), I must wait till the heat of summer abates, and winter is over, which gives me the first window of opportunity around March to April of next year. This means, the seeds will have to be stored in the fridge.

Do Alocacia seeds remain viable after this time in storage?


texts: How can I remove dirt that has blown into my landscaping rock?

texts: We have an empty field by our house that is being made into a subdivision, and now that they have started work on it the wind has blown 6 to 8 inches of dirt in certain spots in among the rock in my front yard.  I'm looking for any ideas on how to get it all out.


texts:
What is this (probably) weed with nice fern-like foliage?

A detail from the top right of the second photo, where the stem of a plant in the background that appears to be the same species is visible:

More photos (update on request):

If crushed, the leaves exude scent of medium strength that resembles cut grass scent. It wasn't an unusual scent. It is not poisonous to inhale the fragrance (I am alive and feeling well so far).

The zone is 8a, photos taken in mid-March. The winter was mild.

I found two similar plants using internet searches, which I hope my plant is NOT:

Conium maculatum
Ambrosia artemisiifolia


texts: What's wrong with this Pilea Pepermoides?

texts:
I really don't know what's wrong with my Pilea.

It was doing fine, and then I think I over-watered it one time. A lot of its small, lower leaves went brown and mushy really quickly, and a few of the bigger ones near the bottom fell off. This was a couple of weeks ago. Since then, one by one the leaves have been getting black edges like this, and dying over the course of a couple days. I've been very careful with the watering, checking the soil well before watering, but can't seem to stop it. The plant seems ok otherwise - its little top shoot went black so I plucked it off, and since it's been making a new shoot which seems fine. It also has those little baby plants growing on the stem which seem fine.

Do I need to repot it? I was worried about the shock of re-potting whilst it was suffering. I do want to check the roots for any rot, but again I'm worried about stressing the plant out too much.

It's not in direct sunlight, or anywhere near a radiator.

Any advice would be most welcome. Thank you!


texts: What kind of flower is this and what does it need to grow


texts: I just recently moved into a house with a large lawn and I've noticed that there is a type of grass that seems to be littered throughout. Firstly, what type of grass is this and secondly how do I get rid of it?


texts: How to use fresh goat manure for growing vegetables?

texts:
I have few bags of fresh goat manure I'd like to use to feed my vegetables in raised beds and in ground, but I was warned not to use it fresh i.e. directly on plants.

Searching on similar questions I found that best way is to put manure into compost pile but that would probably take some time to decompose.

I was wondering if there are other ways to use fresh manure without waiting too long and without harm to vegetables?


texts: How do I get rid of worm-like trails all over my Senetti plants' leaves?

texts:
I have had a Senetti (more info) for about 18 months, and last year it was attacked by aphids. Initially the leaves had a worm like discolouration, as if something was attacking or eating them.
Are the two things linked?

Some soapy water and some insect spray seemed to eliminate the aphids. I cut off many of the 'infected' leaves which almost killed the plant. I bought some new Senetti recently and they seem to have suddenly exhibited the same worm like attack. I want to save the plants from the same worm like attack

What is it, and how do I get rid of them?

A couple of other things in case they're relevant

Balcony is south facing and so I tend to give them a load of water every few days, depending upon weather
I do put plant food into the soil to help them grow
I seem to have a lot of very delicate spider's webs across some of my other plants (although I've not seen any spiders)
I'm on the 7th floor so a fair way up for small flies to come
the bees keep coming all the way up, so the plants must be doing ok


texts: Can anyone identify this fruiting tree/shrub for me?

texts: First saw it in tree form, in Madeira, where it was (I'm told) mis-identified as mango. I've now found it in Southern California, grown as a hedge.


texts: If money plant can grow submerged in water, why it can...

texts:
die from over-watering in soil?

Question is simple: If I can grow a money plant(Devil's Ivy) in water, why over-watering it in soil can kill it?

Can anyone explain?


texts: How to propagate Norfolk Island pine and asparagus fern ?

texts:
How do I propagate two of my house plants or in other words how can I give this plant to someone else who wishes to grow it?

Photos of them are given below:

Plant 1: Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla)

Plant 2: asparagus fern (Asparagus setaceus)


texts: Plant identification (I think it could be some kind of lilly?)

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I saved this plant from a dumpster at a botanical garden last year (around August) and it has just started to bloom as shown in pics. Now I am even more curious as to what species this plant might belong to? I think it could be a lily.

(in the background a chili plant and some Pachypodium lamerei) and with a blurred pothos in the background.


texts: How to save a 4 foot pink Mimosa tree with root damage?

texts: I have a four foot pink Mimosa tree. It has root damage from shipping. I put it in a plant pot with good drainage and have watered the plant. It is winter so the tree is dormant as well.


texts: What is cause for Eggplant leaves getting burn from edges in Summer?

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I have planted Eggplant in Pot in winter, it was good growth now, summer started and fond that Eggplant Leaves getting brown from edges & dying and no growth found.
The Temperature around ~40 degree in Gujarat State in summer ..
Is it cause to plant to dying due to weather?
Is it any solution to make plant make healthier in this summer Season?

Provide some solution to make plan get growing again.

Before few week ago there was some white fly seen, that time I was sprayed Neem oil with liquid soap mixture to get ride from some bugs from plant..

Few pictures:

Thank you.


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On a different post, stormy wrote "Rooting hormone has been shown to not be effective". In my experience this statement is correct. I have had the best cutting success rate when not using hormone and instead using a sterile perlite/peat mix.

My questions are:

Where is the evidence that shows root hormone as ineffective
Is it actually the fungicide in the rooting hormone mix that aids in successful rooting?


texts: Flowring Plants that eliminates pollution or aids in cleansing of the room air?

texts: Delhi is very polluted. We are thinking of getting some plants for home. my mother wants beautiful and big flowering(with big flowers) plants. However, I couldn't find any flowering plants that also cleans the air. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!


texts: Are these eggs on this Sugarcane Jujube leaf?

texts: This is a leaf from a Sugarcane Jujube tree in Arizona. Are these eggs on the underside of this leaf? If so, what type of insect would they be from?


texts: after removal of red tip Photinia, when can I plant a new Bush/Tree?

texts: I have had 15 large red tip photinia bushes ( 12-13 feet tall and very sick) removed, stumps were grinned, but many roots are still there. I have a plan to plant Savannah Holly's there again for privacy fence, it is along a back fence in a backyard. My question is , would the roots that are left interfere with my new plants, would they be able to grow? The new plants are in a 15 gallon container. Thanks to all for helping out!