texts: Spontaneous reappearance of Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner

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Last summer, the leaves of the chestnut tree in our back yard have, quite early on in the warm season, developed these stains on them:

All of the tree's leaves dried out and fell long before autumn (around late June). I understand this might have been caused by a Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner infection, which seem very common in Europe in later years, and against which apparently no cure currently exists, once appeared.

Assuming this parasite is in fact what's causing the leaves' degradation in this case, then I am wondering how likely it is that the same parasite will infect the same tree next spring as well, or whether this just happens randomly and cannot be prevented. If it can be prevented, what substance can use?


texts: Mysterious Brown bumps; bugs, bug eggs, or maybe disease?

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As it is springtime, I'm looking over my many plants (I'm located in Seattle) and I saw these brown bumps, they are one one of my for Little hazelnut trees. At least that's all I have found so far.

Are these something you recognize? I have not seen them before and I have spend a good couple hours searching for references but nothing is clicking so far. They are about ladybug size, not moving, and I'm very curious what they might be!


texts: My cactus has recently broken but it is still connected on one side. I don't know what to do. Can he be saved or is he going to be lost?


texts: How to prevent Sempervivum tectorum (Common Houseleek)  from growing in length and not width?

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I have torn a part of this plant twice at my hometown, brought it to where I live now and then planted it. On both occasions, the plant started growing fine at first, but at some point, it started extending its stem and growing in order to reach the sun as much as possible (the top level entirely left the pot). What happened next in both occasions is that the old leaves at the stem started falling off and eventually the stem rotted, dividing the healthy top of the plant from the root.

I've tried replanting the leftover in the first case, but it eventually died off. Currently, I have the leftover of the 2nd plant which I tried replanting, but don't know what will happen yet.

I'm keeping it inside my office. It's facing east. During the morning it's very sunny, but in the afternoon it's not. I water it once per week, or once per 2 weeks.

Question: What do I do with this plant once it starts growing in length rather than in width and how can I prevent that? Is the problem that I have it inside the apartment instead of outside?

I'm trying to get it to grow and look like the picture on the left, but mine looks like the one on the right.


texts: Husqvarna R322T AWD blades engage with deck up after replacing middle belt

texts: I had to replace the middle belt. I have the correct belt, have it on correctly but now the blades engage with the deck up. What would cause this?


texts: How do I improve drainage vertically through clayey soil?

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I live on a hill where the soil has lots of clay.  My back garden has been terraced with small (1m) retaining walls.  The net result is that we have several lawns / gardens with the following properties:

Surrounded on all sides by concrete retaining walls.
The top 20-30cm is good soil; the remainder is clay.
At the bottom of some of the retaining walls (i.e. a bit less than 1m below the surface), there are periodic drainage holes.

So the drainage is quite terrible -- the water can't get out the sides, and it can only sink slowly through the clay.  To improve this, my idea was to dig a trench ~30cm wide along the side of the retaining walls (where the drainage holes are), fill the bottom 50cm with sand, and the rest with dirt, and then run drainage pipes from the rest of the lawn to this trench.

On the other hand, I have also read: "Don't mix sand and clay; that's how you get brick".  Is this a good idea?  Will it work?  Are there better options?

Edit: Photos below (excuse the laundry -- we can't let a sunny day go to waste :-) )

The corner with the manuka (centre first image, bottom-right second image) is evidently a little lower than the rest of that lawn, and thus in heavy rain it can be under 5+ cm of water.


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I have Two Ficus starlights in one pot and for some reason one starlight's leaves are getting brown. I water them after 10 days.

Last time i gave them NPK 20-20-20 a month ago


texts: Any permanent solution in killing wild grape vines?

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I have 80 acre with over 3/4 bush/trees situated about 1 mile from an old CN railway line (no longer in use) where people throw out their fruits among them, grapes.  The grapes seeds have made wild grape vines all over the property, in sizes ranging from less than a child's small finger to over 4 inches in diameter.  These vines are growing along our driveway among our stone fence created by the farmer over the years.  They are growing around, through, and up our beautiful old oak trees.
How to I permanently destroy the vines without hurting the trees.


texts: What is this plant that resembles tomato and has small dark fruit?

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I got lazy and let weeds takeover a bed near the porch that has some azaleas and perennials. When I went to pull some of the weeds, I noticed this ~3ft high plant that looks like a tomato plant. It is starting to fruit and has very small dark, almost black, fruits.

Is this some kind of tomato?


texts: Why are my bean leaves curled with white splotches?

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My beans received fertilizer occasionally in the spring to get them going, and now each plant has several beans growing. However, I noticed that many leaves are curled, deformed (like an old scar), or have white patches. What could be causing these issues?

I'm in southern Ontario, Canada. These are potted plants on a high balcony with plenty of direct sunlight in late afternoon (indirect at other hours).


texts: Ficus Elastica - yellow and red spots, please help!

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I bought a Ficus elastica and noticed some strange spots! Could you please help identify the problem and offer some help? Thank you so much! Larger versions of the photo are on reddit here.
Thank you so much!


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Photos: https://imgur.com/a/OY1lPGy/

Background: My SO and I got this ~4 ft kentia palm about 2 months ago. Our cat chewed it up a bit at first, but we put it on a table so she couldn’t get to it anymore.

The palm is about 2 feet away from a west-facing window, but we do not get much direct sunlight through it due to other buildings surrounding ours. We open our curtains during the day to allow more light in.

We’ve been watering the palm once a week until the first 1-2 inches of soil feel wet. Our apartment has been around 70 degrees most days, maybe a bit colder at night (we live in Los Angeles with no AC).

Several of the leaves are starting to turn brown and wilt, and others have holes in them and are starting to fray at the top (some of this could be due to our cat). I also noticed some brown spots on the bottom of some of the leaves and also some lighter yellow spots on one of them.

Any insight into what’s going wrong and what we could do differently would be greatly appreciated!


texts: How heavily are herbicide products restricted in the UK?

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Recently I've been finding every product, or type of product, I read about online for specialised weed control is impossible to source in the UK.
Examples include:

quinchlorac products for weed grasses
surfactant products... Other adjuvants are available but I have a lot of ivy and it seems this is an important factor

Is this due to legislature or simply supply problems (Brexit, Covid)? What is and isn't allowed in the UK, and do these rules apply to everyone or can professionals still get products not on the open market?


texts: Keep potted Cardinal Climber plants through the winter?

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I grew some Cardinal Climber plants from seed and have them in large pots on my porch. They were marvelously successful and took over the porch. It is beginning to get colder where I am and I am wondering if I can cut back the plants and bring them indoors for the winter.

I've searched around and see that these are annuals – but I don't really know what that means. I'm not a gardener – I just like to buy a few seed packs every Spring and see what comes up.


texts: Can a big compost pile around its base kill my tree?

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Will I kill a big birch tree if I put all my grass clippings around the base?
The clippings (from 2 acres of grass) are now 2 feet deep around the tree.  I have been told it will heat up and cause the tree to burn.  I want to make a raised bed garden around the base of the tree.


texts: Side yard flooded, low spots near patio, nasty bare clay spots.. best route to take?

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I've always loved reading these posts but never thought to make an account.  So here goes nothing.

New homeowner, want to fix the drainage issues and get some trouble areas growing.

-My side yard holds water, its mainly an orange clay like substance with some grass/weeds mixed in.  I DO have gutters ONLY on this side of the house, it appears the gutters flow to the corner and then allows the pool to form.

-There are two areas by my patio that are really low and "sinking" towards the house.  I want to build these up, possibly seed them, and not have water pool.

-Area near my gate is a disaster, I'm thinking some sort of pavers to fix this area.

See photos here:


texts: Is my Willow Tree dying or just needing TLC

texts: I just bought a home with a huge Willow in the front yard. It has a lot of dead branches and doesn’t look as full as other willows in the area. I’m wondering if there’s anything I can do to make it healthy again or is it too late. I’m not sure how long the tree has been here but the house is a little over 30 years old.


texts: Do I need to add new topsoil when redoing my lawn?

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I have 2/3 of my lawn bare and plan to redo it. The soil is compacted and most of the bare area is shaded.
I was thinking of turning the soil over with a rotovator and adding fertilizer before turfing with shade tolerant grass. The area is 32"x16'. I am looking to do the job with the minimum of effort and expenditure. Is it necessary to add fresh topsoil? I am based in London, U.K.


texts: How do I eliminate invasive creeping fig?

texts: I live in Central Florida, in a courtyard-type home.  Growing THROUGH my rear wall is a creeping fig [I believe] coming from the outside of my wall from a neighbor's home.  I have heard that nothing ordinary will kill this - I have tried Roundup, & others tell me they have tried many other products, to no avail.  The growth on my side is beginning to take over the entire wall, eating into the stucco covering the wall, & the roots have shifted the wall off its base on my next-door neighbor's home.  We are desperate to get rid of this before we are forced to have our sides of the wall reconstructed!  Appealing to our back neighbor is useless, as she thinks it's just great!!  Please, can anyone help??


texts: I grew this from a mango seed in pure coconut coir. Now I see the root and the sapling coming from the seed. Should I let the seed sit in the coconut husk till when or I should plant it now in a container with soil and all?


texts: What nutrient solution is best for hydroponic basil?

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What hydroponic nutrient solution is best for growing basil?

I'd prefer to know what characteristics to look for rather than a particular brand or product.


texts: I have rooting powder already, so this is more of a curiosity question. Can tree cuttings root in just water? Or, has it ever been accomplished?


texts: What's the best way to thin delicate seedlings?

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When thinning seedlings (salads, beetroots, spinach etc) I will normally pull out the entire plant (root included) of the discarded seedlings. Like it's a weed.

Where my seedlings are densely packed this is nearly impossible to do without disturbing and possibly damaging the remaining "good" seedling.

So is it sufficient to just pinch out the discarded seedlings and leave the root system in there? That way I've given the remaining seedlings the space they need above ground. But presumably they also need the room underground too? Will the left over roots make way and/or die off fast enough?

So is decapitation a valid thinning strategy?


texts: Can I use house lighting to grow lettuce hydroponically?

texts: I need to know if I can use house lighting to grow lettuce hydroponically


texts: What should I do with a top heavy Croton?

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My Croton is top heavy and I'm not sure what to do to fix it. I'm afraid that the stem will break.

Should I prune it, and if so, how would I go about doing that?


texts: Need repotting advice for my small red maple (hopefully to be bonsai)

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I recently grew a red maple from seed after cold stratification. The seedling is now about 4 inches tall, and i am not sure what to do next! Do i need to repot? What are its watering needs?
If anyone could help with basic techniques this would be great.
Its currently in a little cardboard pot with bonsai soil, and looks like these, but the head has already gone, and it is a little smaller.


texts: I did some research but I want confirmation because I'm really not sure. I live in northwest Oregon and I found it growing nearby our barn, on the ground underneath the eave of the roof.


texts: Will african violet fertilizer diffuse through clay pots?

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I have several african violets in special clay pots. The pots kind of resemble a double boiler, and the lower pot is filled with water, then the upper section, containing the plant, is unglazed on its bottom half.

If I add fertilizer to the water in the lower pot, will it diffuse through the clay to the soil? Or do I need to apply it directly to the soil or directly water the violet every now and then?


texts: My cactus has been grown from seed and has lived about five years. Over the past several months it has turned yellow- I read that it may be a case of root rot/overwatering so I’ve not watered it in several weeks and it is continuing to die. The plants “sister” (same species, planted at the same time) is fine and has the same watering schedule. Should I water it, leave it, or accept that it’s going to die? I’m quite attached to him and would rather he live.


texts: how long is it safe to walk on fresh grass seed

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How long can I safely walk on my fresh grass before I start causing damage.

I added a layer of top soil to my lawn and overseeded on Tuesday evening. I raked the soil as level as I could by eye and then used a long 2x4 to do a final level. I used a hand spreader and then raked the seeds into the top soil.

It's been raining pretty steady. Temperatures around 6-8C overnight and 7-12C during the day.

I did't have time before initially, but I was still contemplating renting a water-filled roller.

Would it be beneficial to roll out my yard at this point?
Would this help with the levelling and soil contact with the seed?
At what point should I stay off my lawn?
Is it ok to gently walk on my lawn to water through the entire sprouting stage?

thanks


texts: Can anyone help on identifying this vine?


texts: My seedling looks stressed and the leaves are wilting.

texts: Tonight I tried to give 4 hours of direct sunlight to my seedling, but after 4 hours of sunlight it looks so stressed the leaves went down. What should I do?


texts: What is this houseplant that looks like it has a fruit in the curled leaves?

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I've had this plant for a year now, but don't know the name. Can someone help me identify this plant and also tell me how keep him healthy?
Here are the two photos for identification:


texts: I have an indoor plant (sorry, no ideas what type), and it's starting to look sickly. I'm hoping for advice. It's in a relatively dark room, but gets moved to the window for sun every so often.


texts:
Gostava de sabre qual a melhor maneira de fazer o transplante de uma Dracaena draco.
Tenho 5 que foram plantadas muito próximos e agora estão sem espaço.
O meu clima é mediterrânico vou entrar agora no inverno e o solo é arenoso.


texts:
Can a carambola/starfruit tree grow in a planter in the Caribbean?

A friend in Florida has a carambola tree in his backyard. Would this fruit grow in a planter?

The planter will be in a patio that will receive at least the same sun as the tree in Florida.


texts:
These hundreds of these pine trees are planted on either side of the road in a row.

The location is inland (not coastal) San Diego, particularly in location that's very windy (lots of prairies and mountains to gust up the wind) and hot.
The needles are about 4-6 inches long. When mature the needles are a shade of light to dark green. But the new seedlings on the ground usually put out bluish green needles.
My best guess is that they are ponderosa based on the straight trunks, long branches, and long needles. Does anyone have a better guess?
What other information is required for me to identify these trees?
UPDATE:
The needles are in bunches of 3.
Please see photo of the cone. It is about 6 inches tall and 4 inches wide.


texts: These Azaleas I planted last spring look like they were damaged during winter. I was wondering if I should prune the dead looking stems or if I should wait for them to put on leaves.


texts: I’m Anna. I live in England . I have big monkey puzzle tree in my garden and it looks like it’s dying. We moved to the house a year ago . Last year we had very dry summer and since then we noticed that more and more branches are turning brown. We tried all sorts of fertilisers and it doesn’t help . It’s beautiful tree and I don’t want to loose it. If you could give any advice what to do I would be very grateful. Thank you.


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Red stem
Red veins
Green Oval Leaves with Red outline


texts: Sodding a grub-damaged area in Southwest Florida

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I've got some white grub damaged areas (I've seen some on the top of the damaged areas) in our front lawn that will need to be replaced. It's probably too late in the cycle to really do anything about the grubs now, correct?   What steps can/should I do before I get my exercise and start laying some new St. Augustine sod (which will probably have to be done over a few weekends)?

Stormy, last spring I applied an insecticide (a "once a year" kind, but I don't remember the brand though) when I saw some grubs on the neighbor's grass (probably ended up being the wrong time of year... should have been here sooner about it).

I'll upload a photo when I have some time, but they look like the "C"-shaped grubs found when you Google "lawn grubs"

Sorry for the delay... pneumonia is a bear... here's a closeup of the lawn damage. There are several patches like this, the whole area affected is about 27' x 20', but I won;t have time to do that all at once... gonna try to find some grubs today

Lawn Damage http://www.unkfrank.com/images/StackExchange/LawnCloseup030715.jpg

Over the weekend, I tried dumping several 2 gallon buckets of soapy water onto some areas of the damaged lawn, but I didn't see any grubs come to the surface during a few hours of checking.


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This was found along the path in Edgewood Park, San Carlos, CA.
  There were a line of them, so I think they were planted.  As Jack in the pulpit is native, I would suspect that, but the pictures I see have three prominent leaves.


texts: What is causing this damage on my apple tree?

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UPDATE
On inspecting all the other branches, I found one of the branches in the following state. It shows the bark beginning to fall off the tip, explaining how the other branches have developed.I cut it off, sealed it in a box and put it in the fridge whilst I wait for an identification of the problem. It is still unclear what has started it - i suspect some sort of parasite?

This has happened to one of my apple trees over the past few years, I'm now concerned because it is happening to other branches and there is very little one year growth on the tree.
This is the shape of the tree, and ringed in red are the branches that are affected.

Does anybody have any ideas what might be causing this?

Here's another picture from a different angle, clearly showing the cambium layers and the profile of the edge on them. Nobody else has pruned the tree to our knowledge, could an animal have caused this type of damage?

Here's a shot of the same damage having occured to another branch


texts: Last valentines day I got a bunch of flowers, and I threw everything away as they died, but this kind of foliage, stayed alive and well for about 10 months (a few of the branches still look ok almost a year later). That alone is curious, but the leaves have a strange thing on the bottom of the leaves. I am not sure if it is a plantlet or a flower, or what it is! On the one that is still alive, it looks more like a plantlet, but they don't come off easily and this one that was more dried out looks more like a staminate flower, or (maybe) a pollen cone. I would like to know something about the plant.


texts:
I've been spraying with neem oil and it hasn't been helping. I've attached pictures. It seems like something is killing the leaves from the bottom up. New leaves sprout but they get killed and eaten by this unknown disease.
I was recommended to use a mite killing pesticide. I've been spraying need oil for about 2 times a week for a few weeks with little improvement. I've been using a sprayer that attaches to a hose.
I'm pleading for help for my poor tree.
Any help is appreciated and thank you.


texts: I have a hundred potted strawberries and some on plots. I've taken care for more than six months and they haven't borne flowers. They just kept growing some runners, and I have a hard time preparing more pots to grow more strawberries.


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I'm a first time gardener so I'm not sure how this works - I may have picked my squash too soon, I also think I may have mixed squash together which would have made a hybrid (from my understanding).

Will my squash ripen over time now that it's picked? I think it was suppose to be spaghetti squash. How do I know when it's time to pick?


texts: What is the name of this plant which has roots on its stem?

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I've had this plant for a long time. It was a gift and I never knew exactly what it was. It had its good times and its bad times and gave flowers a few times, which are little pink to purple and bell-shaped. Now almost all of it rotted, so I transplanted the two parts which were still fine. Happily the plant formed roots on its stem (check the second picture). Due to the thick leaves I would think it's a succulent, but I do not find any picture with leaves similar to this one.

Now, I would like to check how to take care of it best (probably I gave it too much water), but therefore I need to know what species it is.


texts: Is moving plants around good for plants?

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I am new to gardening. My neighbour owns a garden and has a lot of plants in pots. I see him regularly moving those pots around the garden, some pots in the interval of 2-3 days, others in 2-3 weeks. Also he changes those pots sometimes.
Is this good for plants? Should I do the same with my plants also(i.e. changing their places)?


texts: Its a Stihl fs 45 trimmer and when I hook up a spark tester to it it shows I have spark but when I take the plug out and ground it to the engine i don’t see a spark. My guess is that the coil is weak and the spark won’t make it to the plug. The plug itself looks new and I try other plugs that should work and I don’t get a spark. I did gap the coil with a business card so I don’t think that’s the problem. Also the magnet on the flywheel is not dirty or rusted


texts:
Ok, so my cousins had come over.sweet kids of 8 and 9. I was just showing them around my garden.And earlier in the day, we had some mangoes, and I had showed them how to take the seed out of the tough outer shell. Both of them had a seed each ,I put mine in the wet-paper towel-in ziplock bag experiment.
We were searching for a spot in the garden, and started digging some soil and placing the seed there.Finished off by pouring some water.

Then I just wanted to show them how the seed grows.So I had dug out some mud from my pot where I had placed a seed 20 days ago.And we got to the seed.My cousins peeped in and said they wanted to see the whole thing. I was sceptical, and honestly thought the seed is dead or something- since the plant had not come up yet and I had lost hope in it. So I dug it some more , and the seed seemed stuck or too tight to come out.I used my fingers to just move the mud aside, and holy cow I saw a strong root going down ! I was so happy!

But then it had been just 20 days , so I thought the root might not be lengthy. I was trying to chisel the seed out with my hand ,my cousins helped me push the mud out of the way.By then there were three hands in the pot, and I tried to be careful but my hand slightly shifted and, Oh dear god, the root BROKE!just like that!

I took the seed out and the broken root. It was 2 inches approx long!.
But the seed still has an inch and a half  of strong root attached to it.The cut end had some kind of rootlings coming out of it,tiny <1mm kind of light greenish white tubes( I don't know how else to describe it!) radially popping out.

I have planted the seed back into the mud and took away the broken root as a souvenir.
Is there any chance that the seed will grow a new root?

Can I do anything with the broken root? right now its inside a pot, But will it grow?I know that's silly , but still, does the broken root do any good?

EDIT 1: just made my sentence construction better.


texts: Why is my Dracaena leaves turning yellow?

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So I've had this plant for about 4 months now. I'm wondering why the bottom leaves are beginning to turn yellow?
I'm almost certain it's not root root. I don't over water it. Im always sure that I do the soil check because I did lose one to root root.. only because my other half insisted that it needed watering and instead of arguing I just watered it until unfortunately I showed him it didn't need that much water and showed where the leaves got mushy from the inside out..
There are no small white fuzzies which I believe are the spider mites I've heard of..
I know I probably need to trim the leaves because they're kinda big.. but will that actually cause the leaves to turn?? I'm just worried to make the leaves look funny but ive put it off long enough.
This plant is very special to us because it come from his mother who initially kept it outside. Colder whether and us not having any shade,  It's now inside.
Please any suggestions are appreciated!


texts: How to water very small plants correctly?

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I have planted Parsley(one in the green pot) and some flowering plants in small pots indoors with holes at the bottom for drainage. I've seen small white pebbles recently which when I googled seem like calcium which usually deposits when the water is not draining properly. I water them with a spray bottle and try to water them once every two days or whenever the soil feels dry. I have since then seen a couple of videos but they suggest watering indoor plants under the sink. I'm a little scared of doing this since these are very small in size and I don't want to flood the pot.
P.S.: Any suggestions on what's the right technique of watering small plants will be helpful as I'm a novice in gardening. Also, what should I do with the calcium deposits, should I remove them or let it remain in the pots.
Attaching a few pics.


texts: Could I use fleece covering over blackcurrant plant in England all year round?

texts:
I want to give my new redcurrant plant the absolute best chance of not being attacked or infested with insects, so I have the idea to put a warming cap/fleece cover on the plant to keep insects and birds out. In England there isn't a huge amount of sun, but a good amount during spring/summer. Could the plant suffer or get too hot from using the fleece covering during spring and summer? Or would it be fine? It is fleece so it is breathable and not plastic.

The kind of fleece I would be using is this, it's not the thick clothing type fleece if that's what you were thinking - is this the row cloth you were talking about? Since this is what I've got, will this be ok? if you understand what I was referring to now?

I'm not sure insects it would be since there are none right now, but I've struggled with these green aphids/black fly type insects on my wild strawberry plants I've also had in pots, and I'm worried that they'll decide to live on and infest the redcurrant plant. I'm also in general just worried about any kind of insect or worm deciding to make the berries their home, since several months ago at a completely different house I saw how easily worms infested a huge blackberry bush at another house in the town where I live.

I do not know regarding white pines unfortunately. There are pine trees in this town but not close to my garden.

thank you @Ecnerwal - I also heard about that but thought while it's not fruiting, the covering could be ok. Or would it be detrimental to the production of berries/pollinating even when its not fruiting?


texts: Is 31% relative humidity at 22C too dry for gemination and seedlings?

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I have trouble with starting seeds indoor this year. I have a low germination rate and my tiny seedlings have flopped to the ground when I come back home from work.

One perks up after watering but the others are dead.

I have installed a thermometer/hygrometer and the temperature is at 22 C and the humidity is at 31%.

My house is very dry in winter.

Do I need to increase the air humidity to prevent the things drying out too fast?


texts: Japanese Maple in Full Sun in Dallas Texas

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I live in Plano, texas. I have a house facing east. I am thinking of planting Japanese Maple tree in my backyard. Wondering if Japanese maple can withstand texas heat, considering it's not going to be under a shade. But I do have fence at back about 7ft, and the tree will in the corner of NW direction, as shown in the image). But almost 100 % of the tree will get full sun from 11ish to 3ish.

Are there other varieties of Japanes Maple that could withstand sun better than others. Please suggest.


texts: Weed with very sharp thorns and nearly impossible to pull

texts:
Folks on this forum tipped me off to a thistle I had in my garden, and I've been treating that at least weekly for the past several months.  So I figured I'd turn to y'all for help again.

I've noticed a new weed, mostly distinguished by it's super sharp thorns. I was nearly unable to touch the stems of these weeds even with sheet metal gloves.  They are growing tall, and are so solidly in the ground I ended up snipping them near the root because most of them I couldn't pull.  Flowers appear to be white in color.

Perhaps it's possible that these are thistle too, but they are VERY different from the other, much more abundant thistle I have in my beds.

It's mid July here in the DC suburbs of Southern Maryland.


texts: Are rigid poylethylene irrigation pipes more reliable than soft ABS sprinkler hoses for residential sprinkler systems?

texts:
My experience with the typical household dripper hoses - like the ones pictured, made of soft ABS, and connected with nipple connectors secured with plastic rings - is that they fail frequently; under pressure, the hose comes off the nipple, leaving a jet of water squirting into the garden. (I have had more luck gradually replacing the failed plastic clips with automotive hose clamps, but they aren't cheap.)

I am thinking of hiding a distributor hose inside a balcony floor (and from there to planter boxes).
There is limited limited access under the balcony floor. If I do so, repairing a failure will be a half-day job of removing decking boards. I want to avoid that. Also, a long-term slow dripping leak will damage the soffit.
So, for the key sections, I am looking at 15mm polyethylene "rural irrigation pipe" - it is rigid and the ends are threaded. It looks like it would be much more robust and unlikely to leak or disconnect at the connections.
Is that a fair assessment? Am I likely to get a low-maintenance solution if I set-up a network of irrigation pipe with threaded elbow and tee bends? Am I just going to be spending my weekends pulling apart decking to add more plumber's tape?


texts: What is causing brown spots on my Philodendron?

texts:
I have dark brown spots appearing on my very large Philodendron and have no idea what is causing them. They are not turning yellow like the soil is too dry or they are getting too much sun.

Does anyone have any ideas what might be causing this?


texts: Installing a watering system and edging above it: any pros and cons?

texts: Here is the picture that is worth 1000 words Since I am about to install the edging that you see in the backyard (area covered by the runs 1-4) I am considering installing the irrigation pipes in a channel formed by cutting a drain pipe in half along the longitudinal axis and then install the slabs that make the edge on top. The actual shape of the path will be pure rectangular I gave up on the zig-zags you see in the picture Do you see any issues raised by this design? The idea is to be able to reach the pipes easily without digging them out of the ground. This will add support to the slabs as well


texts: Why did the leaves of my pepper plant become partly white after transplanting?

texts:
I am growing a scorpion pepper plant and I have an issue. Since transplanting,  all of the new growth is white. I used miracle gro potting mix. The seedling was previously in a pot with a different plant of which I don't know what is in the dirt.

The picture shows the plant. The half green leaf was already half formed when transplanted. The existing green stayed while the new part became white, which is why that leaf is partly green and partly white. It has been 2 weeks and it is continuing to grow new leaves that look healthy, but they're green and white. It is kept indoors.

Why would the leaves be growing white and green like this all of a sudden?


texts: Can someone please help me identify this plant? It's lived six years in just water. :)

texts: Can someone please help me identify this house plant? It's lived in cups and water for six years and I love it!


texts: Parts of my lawn are full of these. I thought they were weeds when they were smaller and now they are looking like tree saplings. Is that what they are? Maple saplings? How do I get rid of them from the lawn?


texts:
During the spring of 2017 I tried to plant a few tamarind seeds that I picked up from one of my travels. Two of them are growing quite well but the plants are just growing vertically, without any "strong" secondary branches.

Now they are around 40 cm (15 in) high (without the pot) and I really don't know how to prune them. Since I'm not an expert when it comes to tropical plants, can someone please help me or give me some suggestions about how I should prune it? Is winter the right season to prune it?

I'll be changing the pots soon because they are getting too small for the size of the plants.


texts: Pros and cons of different types of staking

texts:
I have got a 10 year old acer that leaned slightly towards a wall of a 2-story object, and on windy days it touches the wall, sometimes harshly banging its leaves and branches against it, and I would like to help avoid that to some extent by staking the tree and forcing it to grow more vertical.

I am thinking of many staking methods, as illustrated on this picture:

(illustration credit:  International Society of Arboriculture, Bugwood.org)

What are pros and cons of these methods?


texts: why newly brought acera plam is turning yellow and corner of leaf is becoming wilt?

texts:
I brought acera plam three days back and placed it indoor near window, by which the plant gets sunlight after 1 pm. When i brought the plant the soil was just watered so I thought watering after a week would be fine and so I didnt water the plant for three days. Now the acera palm leaf is turning yellow and corner of leaf is becoming dry like wilt. so what im i supposed to do now.

Note: (aaded information) The pot was changed by the seller at the time of purchasing from plastic black bag to pot and added more soil to fill the pot.
Pic: Corner leaf


texts: We have this tree that spontaneously planted itself  5 years or so ago. We decided to let it go and see what it is. Last year I noticed some tiny white flowers at the top of the tree. This year there are many more buds (haven’t opened yet) and I was able to get this picture of them. I live in upstate NY and this picture was taken May 5. What is this tree??


texts: A knot to tighten for tension on a trellis

texts:
I have a square frame and wish to run twine from the top down and then repeat that across a number of times.

I would like a knot on at least one side where i can pull the tag end to make the line somewhat tight. What knot will allow me to achieve that?


texts: Any guesses what these seedlings are, and whether I should remove them?

texts:
A few weeks ago, I cleared the (rather mossy) top inch of soil off a plant trough, weeded the trough, and put in a mix of Commercial Multi-purpose Compost and some "compost" made from organic discards from a local Health-Store Chain. (Planet Organic, though it's equivalent to Wholefoods)

A couple of weeks later, all the plants seem pretty happy, but there are 2 very vigourous new seedlings growing, which I didn't plant.

To my eyes, they look like fairly generic "weedy plants". Before I pull them out, can anyone make any particular guesses as to what they are, and whether they're at all interesting? ( A year ago, I discovered that Lavender had seeded itself in one trough, which I was quite happy to keep!)

For context, the thing in the top right of the first picture is a cyclamen bulb, and the 2nd two pictures are chives.


texts: Why is my Majesty palm getting dried out, when the soil is moist and I'm misting the foliage daily?

texts:
I recently repotted my Majesty palm and pruned the fronds that were damaged in the past.
It all looked really nice and fresh, and I've been misting it every morning.

However, I lately realized that some of the  fronds were turning lighter in color, and some were drying out, like it went through an oven or something.

I don't get it. What am I doing wrong?


texts: Interveinal chlorosis of aubergine leaves

texts:
My aubergine plant seems to be developing some nutrient deficiency. I pulled it from the ground in autumn about 9 months ago and placed it into an air pruning pot with some potting mix, and kept it inside over winter. During this period it still flowered and produced several fruits which I consumed. The only issue were some spider mites which disappeared after spraying with neem oil.

I took it outside in spring after the last frosts, and it's started to flower again with fruits forming. I noticed a light aphid infestation today and sprayed with insecticidal soap. I've only fed it twice with a fish blood and bone mix, and general water with aquarium water.

I've noticed today that the older leaves are suffering with some interveinal yellowing, which seems to be starting from the middle and spreading out. Younger leaves are still green.

As aubergines go, this one is only 2 foot tall versus reaching the roof as with greenhouse grown plants.

Since the young leaves are not yet affected, is this more likely to be magnesium versus manganese or iron? pH is 7.4, and soil is moist.


texts: Inadvertently sprayed Ortho Ground Clear in area in which I would like to plant shrubs

texts: If you inadvertently spray an area with a vegetation poison is there anything you can add to the soil to neutralize the effects of the glyphosphate (5%) so that you can plant shrubs?


texts:
What are the pros and cons of using cement blocks for a raised bed?

I am thinking of using something similar to these cement blocks and building them 3 blocks high. That would give me a good 2ft deep bed. I am also thinking (but unsure) if I should pour cement down the slots to help make it solid and connected or how I should go about keeping them together.

Once all the bricks are lined I will also be getting some nice treated wood to build around them. This will be mainly just for aesthetics but I guess could also help hold the blocks in place.


texts: Prunus cuttings used for pollination: How to prolong their life?

texts:
I'm using some wild Prunus americana cuttings to help pollinate my American x Japanese hybrid plum trees (hybrid plum trees are notoriously difficult to pollinate).

The cuttings have lasted for about 3-4 days in the water, but now the leaves are browning and the flowers are wilting.

Meanwhile, my hybrid plum trees are still flowering, and still require pollination. In the future, I'd like to squeeze as much life as possible out of Prunus americana cuttings.

Is there anything I can do to improve the health of the cuttings (so that they flower for longer)?


texts: Since tomatoes don't need cages in the wild, how do they stay up?

texts: I was watching a video from Jack Spirko where he said that tomatoes stay up on their own in the wild. How exactly do they stay up then?


texts: Can apple scab be treated with comfrey or other biodynamic accumulators?

texts:
In this video from Advancing Eco Agriculture it is claimed that apple scab is totally arginine-dependent for energy, and historically sprays for apple scab suppressed arginine production. In some trees prone to apple scab, their cobalt levels are lower in sap than those relatively resistant to scab.  They treated affected trees with cobalt (sulphate I presume) to try and speed up the metabolism of arginine to other peptides and proteins to deprive the fungus of an arginine source curing the scab.

This article talks about herbal leys to improve apple production.  A herbal ley is a leafy green ground cover including amongst others Apiaceae, yarrow, chamomile, borage, clover, chicory, cornflower, clover, lupin and comfrey.

Comfrey (Symphytum Officinale) is a well known biodynamic accumulator that many have recommended growing in the garden (confined so that it doesn't take over the garden) for using its leaves to add nutrients to the compost pile.

  comfrey’s thick and tuberous roots create an expansive root system, allowing the plant to “mine” compacted soils for minerals and other nutrients which are often difficult for other plants to obtain. It is this ability to help cycle nutrients through the soil that has given comfrey its designation as a dynamic accumulator plant.

I wonder whether therefore it's worthwhile to try growing comfrey alone under my apple tree to see if it can bring up cobalt to help the tree fight the scab.  I'm hoping a ground cover might also stop the spores from being blown back up into the canopy.

http://permaculturenews.org/2010/10/01/the-wonderful-multi-purpose-comfrey-plant


texts:
I was recently given an avocado tree that is a 5 ft tall stalk. It is in a pot indoors. I would like to trim it to encourage bushiness.

How much should I trim off? The top five leaves? The top three?

Should I cut right above a leaf? Right below? In between two leaves?

Can I trim it now, or should I wait until spring/summer?

On the long thin branch (the lower part where there are no leaves), there are also little sprouts going

Maybe I could try cutting above one of these?


texts: I have an orange tree for about 4 years. It bears flowers but they fall off. I have seen only 2 fruits from this tree. What may I be doing wrong.  See pictures. Some leaves have holes. Not sure if that has anything to do with it.


texts:
I grew some butternut this year and they turned out great but one of the vines has started producing something that doesn't look like a butternut:

In hunting around the closest image I've found so far is from this blog: http://recipe-junkie.blogspot.com/2012/10/bish-bosh-lots-of-squash-some-soup.html

My questions:

Is this a cross-pollinated butternut or a recognized vegetable? If the latter, what is it called? Is it edible, and if so how can I tell when it's edible?


texts: Is my rhododendron on it's way to an early grave?

texts:
I ordered a rhododendron online. I plan to grow it indoors on coco coir and General Hydroponics nutrient solutions. The plant is fully budded without flowers and also has green leaves. Unfortunately, it spent 5 days in a row inside a delivery truck with the average temp about 34°F and a few nights around 28. Now the leaves are kind of brittle and the buds are browned on the top. If/when the leaves start dropping, is my plant dead? Could the cold temps have prematurely brought the plant into hibernation? What if the leaves stay and the buds die without flowering? Bonus points for knowing how many cold hours a rhododendron needs to have to flower each year, but I can ask a separate question for that.

Edit: Here's more info. I answered the chill time part.

RHODODENDRON PURPLE PASSION Blueberry Glaze is an interspecific hybrid, mid-chill ornamental variety that with an estimated chilling requirement of 600 hours and cold hardiness limit of Zone 5. (I live in zone 5A)


texts: Some of my walnut trees have double trunks. Is it safe and wise to remove one?

texts:
I have bought an orchard which has some walnut that are about 10 years old. These walnuts have been never pruned. Some of them have two or three trunks. Is it safe or wise to remove one of them?

Can I remove left and right branch from below tree? or they are too thick to be removed.


texts: What is this bonsai tree with serrated elliptic leaves and why has it lost all its leaves?

texts:
My son bought me a bonsai tree for Father's day in June last year.

It grew new leaves and shoots for a while and has been watered regularly.

It has now dropped all its leaves and there does not seem to be any new growth.

I would like to know how I can tell what type of tree it is and whether it has lost its leaves for the winter or if there is something more seriously wrong with it.

The pictures are from mid-December when it started to loose its leaves and now it is a bare tree.

The tree has been kept on the window ledge in the kitchen.


texts: Red spherical flower with long hairy thin petals

texts: Please help me identify this flower, I saw this in my garden in India


texts: I live in the Chicago area and a small dead spot started in July and has grown to this. Even though I dug up portions and didn't see any grubs, I treated for grubs. I contacted the county extension office over a month ago and have not received help there so if anyone can offer any thoughts on what I should do to prevent more lawn dying and how to repair this I would appreciate it. If repair suggestions involve renting equipment, could you suggest professionals who might do the work since I am a 60+ single woman and can only do so much. I also haven't had any luck finding "lawn repair" professionals in my area and lawn care services just mow, they don't fix lawns. Help? Thank you so much for any advice!


texts: What is the most efficient long term way to destroy and kill the invasive weed named “Japanese Knotweed”

texts:
I absolutely hate Japanese knotweed with every inch of my body! It grows anywhere and everywhere on the South Shore of Massachusetts. My question for you wonderful people out there is, “What is the best way to effectively kill and maintain areas where Japanese Knot Weed grows.

Some attempts I have made to destroy this “super weed” are cutting it with a brush cutter attachment on a straight shaft multi tool weed whacker. After it is cut as low as it can go I spray the stocks that are left with a generic round up from Home Depot/Lowe’s. After it is cut and sprayed I covered it with a large black tarp (during middle of summer) so it would get baked in the sun.  After 3-4 months new growth was shooting up in same places.

Another attempt I made started by cutting the full grown Japanese Knot Weed down to about 3 ft stocks. Then we pulled the stocks out and shoveled the roots as best we could. Then the black tarp for about 2 weeks. This kept the area of Knot Weed gone for about 5-6 months before new growth happened. But then it was late Fall heading into a north eastern winter.  In the spring the Knot Weed came back but it was much smaller than the previous year. I sprayed the new growth every 2 weeks throughout the spring/summer and that worked well.

The best method I was able to do for a customer of mine who had a massive patch of Japanese Knot Weed and saplings growing was to use my skid steer and scrape down about 3-4 inches and remove the entire root system of the organism. The Japanese Knot Weed has very shallow roots so 3 inches of scraping gets nearly 100% of root system.
I then brought in about 10 yards of nice screened loam and seeded the entire area. This has lasted from early May 2018 until now, mid July 2018 and we have not seen on shoot of Knot Weed.”!!

My question for all you wonderful folks is if anyone has a specific chemical that can be sprayed. The generic round up works... kinda. But there must be a stronger or more target product that is designed for this invasive species!

The Japanese Knot Weed is my all time, most despised enemy in the world of invasive species and large property maintainence! If anyone can relate and any tips, solutions, or just agreement on the hatred of this organism feel free to comment!!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallopia_japonica


texts: Weird black egg-like things on cherry fruit tree leaves

texts:
My bing cherry fruit tree just developed this about a week or so.

It is mostly near the top of the branches on small leaves:

Here is another shot (shiny thing was Neem Oil I tried to put on but didn't do any good):

Any idea what happened here and how to fix it?

It is May in Pacific Northwest now.


texts: I have a strange growth on my cacti, around a flower

texts: I got this cacti in the spring, I believe it to be a pin cushion cacti. Its bloomed three times since then, but just this last time a strange growth started to envelop one of the shriveling flowers. What is it?


texts: Best season to plant English Box small rooted cuttings into the garden

texts:
I am living in Melbourne on South East coast of Australia and I'm wondering when the best time to plant the cuttings of English box which have sprouted roots about 8 weeks ago. They are currently in a greenhouse doing very well but I'm wondering whether I should leave them in pots or plant them out soon. It is currently early winter here. Days are usually 15 degrees Celsius which is about 59 Fahrenheit.

I can't wait to start my little hedge border and have about 60 of these to plant out. I just don't want to plant them too early and have them die. I'm trying to upload a picture but have problems doing so. Each cutting is about 4 inches high

edit:
Thank you very much, I'll plant them out very soon, then I free up some more room in my greenhouse for more!
And yes, I learnt a very hard lesson a few years ago leaving a whole lot of small plants in the greenhouse on a hot day

here is the picture showing the size, I was trying to upload it yesterday


texts: What kind of plant is this growing in my friend's shower, and how can I grow one?

texts:
I came upon this plant growing in a friend's shower the other day (don't ask me why I had my camera in her shower!):

I thought it added a unique and interesting touch to the shower.  What kind of plant is this?  And what do I need to take into consideration to grow one of my own?

I notice hers is sitting on a sponge; presumably to provide moisture, as well as to prevent it from falling through the wire mesh.  Do I need to feed it anything (on the sponge)?  Will such a plant grow in an air-conditioned home?  (This one was growing in an un-airconditioned home in central Mexico).

She also had a skylight above her shower.  None of my showers have any natural light.  How can I compensate for this?


texts:
What is the flowering bush called
This is a Bush with Orange flowers


texts: Is it ok to use the rainwater off the roof, water comes off the roof into the gutters, can we use this rainwater for plants?


texts: I have 2 apple trees that are about 5 yrs old.  They are about 6 to 7 ft. tall, but the main stem seems to be dead. There are quite a few new branches lower down,near the base and in the middle.  Is it ok to cut off that main stem? Not sure what to do.


texts: Why do landscapers constantly play with the throttle on a leaf blower?

texts:
I live in a condo complex which employs a professional landscaping service to take care of garden area around the house. They all use equipment that is powered by two-stroke engines: leaf blowers, chain saws, hedge trimmers, lawnmowers, lawn edge trimmers.

With the leaf blowers and lawn edge trimmers they constantly play with the throttle, going between maximum and idle. I don't understand this really, is it impossible to hold them at half throttle?

The sound of the two-stroke engine itself is annoying, but the change in the throttle makes the sound really hard to ignore. What is the motivation for using those devices this way?


texts: Why is my cactus’ arms growing skinny like this?

texts: The arms of my cactus are growing skinnier and I don’t know how to make it grow and appear like the original arm (lower part of the arm). It’s skinnier and has a lighter green color than the loser part of the arm. Should I water it more? Or give it more sunlight?


texts: How long and when to drip irrigate potted tomato plants?

texts: I have ½GPH (gallons per hour) drippers watering 3' tall tomato plants in pots. How long and when should I set the timer to water them? They are in an arid climate.


texts:
I am new to gardening. I want to grow Celosia plants from seeds.

To start I made a suitable soil mixture:
Vermicompost 20%, Coco peat 20% , Ground soil (sand soil) 60%. Now seeds germinated and in the beginning all seeds were quite erect but now they are appearing tilted. I am seeing it as sign that they will die soon (same happened with brinjal, tomato seeds).

I am not keeping them in direct sunlight, I have been spraying garlic spray and not overwatering them. What could be the reason of damping off, how can I save them? One reason I think is roots dont have good hold on soil.

Here is one picture, I have six paper (bio-degradable) pots like this:


texts: I am growing a couple varieties of peppers this year.  They are Red Thai, Bhut Jolokia, and Red Marconi.  What is the most effective way to maximize the amount of fruit I get from them.  They are growing very well and are starting to get peppers on them, but since I live in Western NY I want to get the most out of the short growing season.  Any help is appreciated.


texts: My broccoli has started to head up. Anything I should know?

texts:
First time broccoli planter. A couple of my plants have just started to form heads, is there anything special I need to do? How do I know when its ready?

Also, what is the proper way to harvest broccoli when it is ready? Finally I have read here about side shoots what do those look like?


texts: What techniques can be used to manually sieve stones from the soil efficiently?

texts:
After our house was built there is quite a bit of hardfill (river pebbles) mixed up with the topsoil around the section (approx 180sq.m.). We want to level the section, and loosen the top layer of soil to ready it for laying a lawn and growing a garden, and we're wondering what to do about the pebbles.

We understand that leaving too many stones in the soil will reduce the capacity of the soil to hold moisture and can also prevent tree roots from forming normally so we're considering sieving the soil somehow. It sounds like the local landscaping contractors can't help us with sieving, so I suppose it will have to be done manually.

We'd be happy if we could remove any stones with a diameter of 20mm or more.

Ideas so far include:

bird-netting (dump the soil on top, then lift the netting); this might be hard work when it comes to breaking up clumps of soil?
a wooden frame (supported, somehow) covered with chicken wire (several layers of wire to reduce the gap size); this might get stones stuck between layers of wire
something more rigid from the local building recycling firm (have yet to see what they've got)

I would really appreciate any other ideas, or accounts of what's been tried and has proven effective. Thanks!

[Edit] Have added a photo to give an idea of what we're dealing with. This soil was dug up and scattered around the left side of this photo by contractors putting in the fence post to the left.


texts: Help with apartment gardening and lighting mainly concerning bougainvillea

texts: I have recently moved apartments to be closer to school, and sadly where I have moved is a basement apartment without a patio or windows that get a lot of sun. I have a fair collection of plants and I want to continue adding to my collection. My two biggest challenges right now seem to be a lack of space and a lack of light. I have purchased two LED grow lights and that has seemed to help the plants I have come back to good health (except for my bougainvillea). My bougainvillea seems to be rather sad and has lost all of it's main leaves. They stay green and just fall off. Could this be because the grow lights do not provide sufficient light? (pictures will be posted after classes today) Could over crowding due to little space also be a cause of leaf loss?


texts: Help Identifying This Burdock-Type Plant

texts:
I have this kind of wild burdock-type plant that I can't identify... No flowers are yet available. The leaves are big and distinctive, with red spots on the stem bases. A kind of vegetable paper wraps the main stem of the plant.
It is now almost 2 feet high and still growing.
I live in Québec, Canada, Zone 4.


texts: Ants, birds or another insect eating the fruit?

texts:
I discovered the nectarine below with some small black ants eating the raw flesh. I'm trying to work out if the ants ate through the skin and are the sole cause or if this was started by a bird or a different insect. I guess that my question is: Can this type of ant eat through the skin of a nectarine and are they the pest that needs to be controlled or is it something else?

Location: Phoenix, AZ
Date: 3-May-2015
Fruit/tree: Arctic Star Nectarine


texts: Why are my basil's stalks turning brown and dying?

texts:
I googled and it seems that basil does turn woody after some time but the leaves on these browned stalks look really unhealthy, like I haven't been watering them. Also, the stalks got thinner after they've woodened.

I sprayed them with garlic because I thought it might be a fungus but it doesn't seem to help. What's going on?

Picture of stems at the base:

Picture of individual stems with wilted leaves:


texts: Indoor houseplant - stand up or flop over?

texts: I have what I think is a peperomia plant based on other searches here but my question is about if it's meant to be upright or grow more like a vine. Is the plant, as it grows, meant to "flop over" like in the photo here (House Plant With Round Waxy Leaves Identification) or stand up tall? Mine was very short until recently and has grown quite tall but I've also been propping up the stem as it seems too heavy and wants to topple over. I'm afraid of the stems breaking but the picture in the other post makes me think it will adjust to not being upright? Thoughts?


texts: What methods can be used to apply an antifungal to the interior of a tree?

texts: Diseases such as the Blue Stain Fungus infect trees from the inside out due to inoculation by host insects. Are there any effective/standard methods for applying antifungal compounds to infected trees?


texts: How to set up a very long (1600 ft) drip irrigation system?

texts: I've been tasked with setting up a drip system, and I'm at a loss of how to go about it. My only source of water is from a 3/4" garden valve. I am planting 250 plants, and ideally 250 emitters will go with them. They will spaced equally apart lengthwise (3.2') along an 800' stretch of ground. Each plant will be 2' from the center line of the 800' planting length, with each successive plant on the opposite side of the center line. Assuming I use 1' spaghetti tubing for each emitter, I would need about 1600 ft. of drip line. From what I've read, 1/2" drip tube will only fly for about 300 ft. What would be a good way to go about this? I was planning on running 1" poly pipe along the 800' length, then possibly running 1/2" drip line from that at certain intervals. Any suggestions would be wonderful.


texts: What are the seeds I can preserve and use in my terrace garden?

texts:
I have preserved haldi (turmeric) since December and planning to plant during this month. This has worked great last year. I will like to know what are the other seeds those I can get from day to day vegetables / Fruits those I should keep for a few months and can still germinate in Indian weather?

For e.g. Can I keep the per fruit seeds? Will they be useful if I have large open space?


texts: I received a foot long rooted cutting of a fig tree that is hardy in zones 7-11. I have it in a clay base soil in the ground. It currently has two small leaves. I am completely ignorant of how to care for it and would like some advice. I am in USDA hardiness zone 6. Has anyone got an idea of how to grow these?


texts: How do I make seed starting green mulch form newspaper?

texts: I'm trying to grow some shade grass, but heavy rains washed my first attempt partially away. I've read that using straw is not the best idea because the straw had weed seeds nad needs to be racked afterward. I've also read about something called green mulch, that is a combination of newspaper and other stuff that you can just add and forget. I can't seem to find it at anyplace locally, was thinking maybe its possible to make it myself by shredding newspaper and maybe adding food coloring or something? Has anyone used something similar to start grass?


texts: Fruit tree species with root system that help stabilizing earth and stop erosion?

texts:
Which species of fruit trees (or some other productive species, like nuts, berries, eathables ... can also help with its root system in stabilizing the earth, binding water and thus protect against erosion? If, in addition, it can help over time with bettering soil properties by bringing up nutrients from deep down that a good second property!
This will probably depend on climate zone and ... General answers are good, but for the moment, my interest is in Andean valleys at altitudes above sea level ranging between 2000-3500 meters.  That is, from quite warm to temperate.


texts: Why is there Mold growing on top of my dirt?

texts: I’m not sure what kind of Angel plant this is but it grows mold on the top layer of the dirt after I water it and it dries out. None of my other plants have this issue. Any advice on what I’m doing wrong or what I’m not doing? It’s growing fine; but I don’t know why it’s doing this.


texts: Is it possible to over-water a fruit tree? What are the signs of over-watering a fruit tree?


texts: What's wrong with my Austrian pine and how can I fix it?

texts:
Lack of water is not the problem. We've had a very wet spring here in Chicagoland. Is this due to an unfavorable soil pH or something like that?

click on picture for full size


texts: Are lemon tree roots unusually damaging to nearby concrete?

texts:
A colleague told me that in a region where all tree removal required consent he had processed many consents for removing lemon trees and concluded they (and limes) are particularly bad at damaging concrete paths and foundations.

This is of particular interest to me since just a few months ago I planted a lemon tree not much more than 1m from the concrete foundation of our house. I don't have a lot of space so it makes sense to keep things tightly spaced, and I was intending to keep it heavily pruned.

We have a 600mm eave and it's usually quite dry under it, so towards the house is probably an undesirable direction for the roots to grow.

Can anyone confirm whether lemon trees are any worse at damaging concrete than other trees?


texts: We did not mulch our strawberries this winter and we have brown leaves on some of the plants. Do we take the brown leaves off?


texts: So here is our rubber plant, it is quite large and we have recently determined that  it is suffering from overwatering. It has been losing leaves daily and now only has 2 on the main trunk and 2 (probably only 1 healthy one) on very small branches. Our current plan is to cut off the healthy branch and attempt to root it. Then we will try to replace the wet dirt with new, dry dirt and try to trim the roots as best as we can. Does anyone else have advice? Do you guys think it will make it?


texts: i have found these bugs on several different plants. With the naked eye they always look like a grey band having the same shape .. its not until I have a photo or video and zoom in that can I see the individual bugs. I have searched the internet but cannot find anything that resembles this. One person said they are possibly aphids. I sprayed with Trilogy yesterday, which is good for aphids, but that effort could have been a waste of time. Can someone please help identify these insects?


texts: How can I clone (propagate) a juniper tree from a stem?

texts:
I'm experimenting with vegetative reproduction, i.e. getting stems from a thin branch and replanting them after the branch develops some roots.

I got a couple of stems from a nice Juniper tree beside my home, and I was wondering if anyone has tried this and any ideas (like putting the roots inside a dark container) that could help with this.

I know that there are some species that are way easier than others, but it occurred to me that you might force this by using some hormones or something similar to fool the tree cells in the water to develop roots sooner, but I understand that those hormones would change significantly from genus to genus.


texts: How can I add drainage to an area with shrubs already there?

texts: I have 12 sweet viburnums (Viburnum odortatissimum) in a row as a future privacy hedge. I had to replace 2 of them just recently because they suffocated from sitting water when I had heavy rain at the end of the fall. They all discolored but only 2 died, thankfully. So basically, this whole strip of land these viburnums are planted on has poor drainage when it rains a lot and I'm wondering the best and cheapest way to add some drainage when there are already plants there? I know they'll be a bit stronger as they mature, and possibly survive the suffocation, but not necessarily, and I don't want to take the chance. I'd hate to see them die off after maturing should a drenching rain leave water sitting for a month.


texts: Orchid on branch: What carrier could work?

texts:
A few years ago I had an orchid that was sold mounted on a cork plaque and did very well - until it was stolen. So I know how to care for them and what to expect (not my question).

I can get my hands on a few Phalaenopsis and Dendrobium nobile keikis that need a new home and am tempted to try again, this time mounting them myself. From what I read on the web, keikis are especially suited for mounting, as they never were potted and therefore don't have to deal with changing conditions.

But I'm still wavering as to what to choose as the base:
I'd love to use "the right" branch and find it myself instead of ordering something off the internet. We live in a rural area and I can get my hands on a lot of natural materials.

My current list of "candidates" looks like this:

Oak (Quercus robur)
Texture-wise my first choice, but how about the tannins in the bark? Oak was used for tanning leather, after all, would this affect the roots? I wouldn't want to "tan" them...
Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris)
Also with a nice texture, but would the orchid's roots cause the small layers of the bark to separate, thus leading to instability? I'm only marginally worried about the resin as pine bark is a main component in most commercial orchid mixes.
Grape vine (Vitis vinifera)
I have seen orchids on grape "trunks", so I know it's doable. For me, that would probably be the hardest to get my hands on. But does it contain chemical residue after decades of commercial wine production? And if so, would it affect the orchid? (I'm not planning on eating the orchid, of course, so it's about the plant's well-being, not mine...!)
Apple or Plum (Malus domestica / Prunus domestica)
Currently my favourite, because  really easy to get and with a wide choice for "the perfect piece". I think the bark is reasonably coarse given the right cut and it should be pesticide free (meadow orchard). Would the moss and lichen that's often on the older branches be a problem? Should it be scrubbed off or can it stay for additional visual interest?
Some random piece of fallen timber or root, left outside until the bark fell off and it turned whiteish
(The landlocked equivalent of driftwood, so to speek.)
Arguably the choice with the "most visual appeal", but would it be too hard and smooth for the orchids to "get a good grip"?

Any comments on my plans? What would be a good choice and why? Did I forget something? Would any bark fall off eventually, thus risking the stability of the orchid fixed to it? Commercial cork plaques are only bark, so no risk of separation. On the other hand, our local botanical garden / zoo has many of it's orchids on tree branches and this seems to work fine.

Or should I simply put the keikis in a nice pot and forget about this plan?


texts: How to remove woodchucks and rabbits from under my shed?

texts:
There are woodchucks and/or rabbits living under my shed.  How can I make them find a new home?

I'm in Massachusetts where it is illegal to trap them or to catch & relocate them.

I've tried used cat litter and flooding with the hose, but failed.


texts: How do I quickly remove crabgrass without too much manual labour?

texts:
My backyard is being overtaken with crabgrass again.  It started later this year than last. In the early spring, I rented a de-thatcher/powerrake and cleaned up the year of a lot of dead material (to promote growth of "regular grass").  I also applied "Dimension" twice — once in early March and again in mid April (following a local landscaping suppliers recommendation).  I did not powerseed last fall or this spring.

I live in Southern New Jersey (United States).  2010 Spring/Summer were brutally hot/dry.  This (2011) spring/summer have been much more "average" in temperature/precip.  I just treated with the Summer Scotts fertilizer mixture (early July).  The backyard is on a small slope, but definitely not dramatic — perhaps an elevation change of ~6–8 feet over ~90 feet.  The yard has little in the way of shade (mostly full sun from about 10am–6pm).  The lawn is otherwise healthy.  In fact, up until about 3 weeks ago, it was covered in what appeared to be a green/healthy grass.

  Question: Is there any way to rapidly remove the crabgrass (organic or not), and do this in a way that will not harm any of the "good" grass that currently exists at this point in the season.  For example, a chemical/product/etc that I can apply that will only kill off the crab grass, such that I don't have to manually dig up all the crab grass roots (and rip out "good" grass roots at the same time)?

There is this other question on how to prevent crabgrass from growing, but I'm mainly interested in removing existing crabgrass from my lawn.

In addition, any tips/advice/product for preventing crab grass emergence next season are appreciated and/or any details on why this year's pre-emergent (Dimension) application may not have worked would be helpful.

Update: Here is a picture I snapped of the "infestation".


texts:
I have had my Monstera Deliciosa since March 2020, it's still relatively small (maybe five big leaves) but has become very top heavy and looks like it has outgrown it's current pot. It is also growing outwards rather than upwards and taking up a lot more space than it needs to! See pictures.
I would like to repot it and add a support but I've read online that the best time to do this is in Spring/Summer when it is actively growing.
What do you think about repotting it now in the winter? Is there anything I should know about if I do decide to go ahead and repot it now?
Many thanks for your help!


texts:
I have a V shaped Acer pseudoplatanus (2 leaders, starting right from the ground). Do I need two holes to use all juice producing capacity of the tree? Or one is enough? From what part of the tree the juice comes? How does it flow, in which direction?

(The tree is 14 years old, and I don't plan to get any juice for half a dozen years, but I am asking in advance)


texts:
I have a Toro push lawnmower with a "Ready Start" engine (similar to this one); I just pull the cord and it starts.

I was halfway through mowing the lawn when suddenly a ton of white smoke came billowing out of it. I read that this could be due to the air filter being clogged, so I cleaned it out as best I could. Now, the mower won't start at all, no matter how many times I try.

It has oil, it has gas, the air filter is now cleaned (or at least, cleaner than it was)...what could the issue be? I've had the mower for three years and this is the first time I've ever had it not start.

UPDATE: I tried it again later and got it to start. But here's what it does: it'll run for about 5 to 10 minutes with no problem, and then a ton of white smoke will start coming out of it again. If I turn it off, wait a minute, and start it back up, the smoke will clear up. Then it'll run for another 5 to 10 minutes before doing the same thing again.

From the comments here, it sounds like oil is getting in, but why would it happen on and off like that?

Regardless, I think I'll take it in for servicing since it probably needed it at this point anyway.


texts: A strange plant popped up in my pot. It's about a metre and a half tall, skinny and has yellow green leaves which tastes minty, is serrated. It never flowered but has seeds on it too which also taste minty. I took a few bites but it has no side effects except leaving a fresh minty taste in my mouth. Is it edible? Can you help identify this plant. Perhaps it's dropped into my pot by a bird.


texts:
I want to grow potatoes in the following manner but I want to know if it is a good way to grow them. We have had pretty bad rain this summer and a lot of the grass in our backyard has not grown back after the winter frost.

I have a lot of grass clippings from the front yard. I want to plant potatoes in the backyard by laying down a layer of compost and plant the potatoes in the compost. Then i want to lay down the clippings to act as mulch.

Could you use store bought potatoes or is it really important to use seed potatos? Is there other considerations for growing potatoes like this/


texts:
I am concerned that thiis flower may be invasive, can someone idemtify it?

Zone is 7.


texts:
I've seen discussions here and elsewhere, about composting news paper, cardboard, etc.  But I'm wondering what considerations to consider when composting some specific non-food items. Some of the recommendations in The Rodale Book of Composting seem a bit questionable to me.  For instance, it recommends composting newspaper, but this answer suggests the inks may be harmful.
Some items I'm specifically wondering about:

Facial tissue
I can imagine that the lotion-treated ones may not be good.  For untreated ones, are spent facial tissues safe to compost, or will they carry contagions (from blowing one's nose), or other manufacturing chemicals that would be harmful?

Human hair
This is a recommendation from The Rodale Book of Composting. But is it a good idea, considering the various types of hair product many people use?  If all I use is shampoo, will my hair be safe to compost? Will it depend on which shampoo I use?

Coffee filters, tea bags, paper towels, etc
With the exception of some paper towels, none of these items typically are printed (and I usually buy plain white paper towels anyway).  Are these items safe to compost?

Corks
Although cork is obviously wood, it's soft enough I imagine it would decompose quickly. Are corks (from wine bottles) treated in any way that would make them unsafe to compost?  Should I avoid the ones that have logos printed on them?

100% cotton cloth
Will socks or other clothing made from 100% cotton decompose reasonably well? Are there other reasons not to compost them? Perhaps fabric dyes?


texts: Tiny Yellow spots on Dracaena Reflexa Pleomele. What I am doing wrong?

texts:
It's not on all leaves, but, let's say, on 70% of the leaves.

Well-drained soil. Medium-bright indirect light. I water it every two days, ~250ml water. It was fine a few days back, but now the leaves are getting these yellow spots. Here are they:

This is the plant I am talking about.

What plants is this?

Close-up underside pic of the affected leaf:


texts: Is it possible to calculate how much Oxygen plants release indoors

texts:
My room has two small Aloe Vera, one huge Peace Lily and tiny peace lily.

Is there way to calculate how much oxygen they're creating or are there any consumer devices to measure the levels in the air?


texts: "Forcing rhubarb" - what does that mean?

texts:
In the question Forcing rhubarb - alternatives to fancy forcing jars?, the poster is asking how to "force rhubarb".  What does that mean?

The house we bought has a rhubarb plant in the yard, but I don't know anything about caring for it.  Is rhubarb forcing something I should be doing?


texts: Can I get fruit from an olive tree in the UK?

texts:
Our local garden centre has some mature olive trees reduced substantially, but still by no means cheap.

We're in a secluded spot in North East England; is getting fruit from an olive tree this far north fragile or are such trees purely ornamental for us?


texts: Why don't hydroponic systems suffer from constant root rot?

texts:
We are cautioned against keeping soil (and, as a result, the plant roots) constantly wet in order to avoid rot and fungus from harming the plant.

I can understand why ebb and flow systems would have some resistance, but why don't raft tanks and NFT hydroponic setups suffer from ceaseless blight? The constantly moist roots seem the perfect breeding ground for fungi.


texts: Choice between a cutting and an air layer

texts: I have the choice between buying a Kohala Longan tree that was either propagated by cutting or by air layer. They are both successfully rooted, but I would like to know the advantages of each technique that affect the later life of the tree. For instance, would one method cause the tree to fruit earlier or make it stronger?


texts: Help me make this drainage "ditch" look great

texts:
I have about 100 feet of flowerbed that follows a damp drainage path. The area is 100% in the sun, no shade. I would like to plant some plants along this flowerbed that don't "spread" over time - can tolerate the damp soil of the drainage area, bloom, and come back every year.

Separately - at the end of this bed, where it actually goes towards the drain, I would like to plant some kind of spreading moss or something that blooms and would spread so that it eventually can cover the drain. That area is also on a bit of an incline.

The top soil is kind of low, and shale-y, so I guess I will have to dig a hole and put in some topsoil at each planting location? The climate is near the Washington DC area.

Any ideas on what could make this look great? I would also like any ideas on the right kind of edging for the outside edges of this bed. Here are some pictures


texts: Does eating fruits and vegetables watered with greywater affect your health?

texts:
Does using greywater on your fruit and vegetable garden affect your health in a negative way?

Greywater is the run-off or cast off water that lolls about when you do normal washing around the home. The sink water when you're doing the dishes, the ejected liquid that comes from the laundry, etc. Most of it involves the suds and afterwash of soapy conditions.

Will eating the fruits of plants fed greywater do anything to a human that normal watering from the heavens above (rain) or from the tap (without rinsing through soap beforehand) won't?


texts: I have clematis and other plants that the leaves start out a dark green and then, as it continues to grow, new leaves loose the color and are light yellow. And, the same thing happens in reverse; starts light and eventually turn green. I’ve put on iron, miracle grow and other fertilizers. Nothing changes.


texts: Over the years I have had an ongoing battle with onion weed in my small front garden. I have poisoned and I have carefully dug out every bulb by hand (took forever), but to no avail. I tried using a weed mat, which worked for a while, but eventually the weeds made it through. I have a piece of old carpet which would cover the area, and I thought that if I put the carpet down, and then put gravel on top, that might work, but someone told me that it would make the soil go sour. I also thought about that black thick plastic you can get in Bunnings. Can you tell me if carpet or plastic would be a problem?


texts: Ants on the tip of my avocado plant. What should I do?

texts: There are ants on the tip of my young avocado plant, and they've been there for a while now. I didn't know what to do. I thought they would go away after a while, but they don't. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? If I have to get rid of them, the method preferably should not involve going to the store to buy extra stuff.


texts: Could you please identify this weed in my lawn?

texts:
I live in Fairfield, CT. I've noticed a particular type of grassy weed starting to pop up in my lawn which is actually from last year but very noticeable from this year. Now that it's May, 2018. I'd like to identify it so that I can learn how to prevent it from spreading further.

It's a lighter green color than the rest of my lawn. Please see the pics.

I really appreciate your comments!


texts: Should I remove tomato "side shoots" growing from cotyledons?

texts:
I'm growing tomatoes and in accordance with all the advice I am pinching out side shoots, which I take to be the shoots which sprout out roughly bisecting the angle between the main stem and a 'branch'. By this definition I have side shoots growing out between the the main stem and the cotyledons. Are these side shoots to be pinched out, or rather the beginnings of branches which will later develop side shoots of their own?

Update:

Exhibit 1: One tomato plant with cotyledons; shoots in the vicinity thereof.

The question is simply, are these side shoots, or branches?


texts: Will animal burrowing under tree damage the tree?

texts: There is an animal burrowing under one of my trees. The hole is 2 or 3 inches in diameter, and I'm fairly certain it's chipmunks. However, my main concern is the overall health of the tree. As you can see, I've tried filling the hole with dirt and then rocks, but the animal always finds a way back in. So can the animal damage the tree? If so, what signs should I be looking for?


texts:
I brought some trailing vinca cuttings indoors to hang around the apartment. Very pretty — but I just discovered a sticky (ew) spot on the furniture and carpet under the hanging vines.

The leaves are covered in what looks like a misting of water, but which is very sticky and saplike in consistency.

Is this normal/healthy? (With whom do I lodge a complaint about a poorly designed plant?) The plants are otherwise very happy-looking.

PS: The only information I can find about vinca sap is that it's likely poisonous. So I guess I won't lick my plant.


texts: Will potted plants suffer over a radiator?

texts: I've got a few water-circulating wall radiators that are mostly useless space, and I'd like to put some shelving over them and use the surfaces for houseplants, but I'm concerned that the elevated temperature or else lower humidity right near the radiators would be bad for plants. Should I worry about this?


texts: When should I first use fertilizer on new plants?

texts: In general, when is the right time to feed new edible plants fertilizer that you've planted from seed? After they've sprouted a bit?


texts: What are these things on my plant?? It started as small yellow dust then it grew to these weird fungi looking things on my plants. Is it time to throw it out?


texts: What is this low-growing leafy plant that looks like salad greens?

texts: This is something I planted in my garden and forgot about whether it was a salad green or something else. I'd like to know what it is and if it's edible.


texts: Brown tips and dying leaves on Kentia Palm house plant

texts:
I have a Kentia Palm for probably 1.5 years now. Over the last 6 months it's deteriorated a bit, showing brown and dead leaves.

It's in a living room away from direct light (but still get indirect light). It's the end of winter now and has been cold (could be factor). Furthermore, the house is generally on the cold side (possibly another factor). It's in a good pot with drainage at the bottom (concealed).

I've recently repotted it as I was worried the root ball wasn't really propogating (which was true) so it's in fresh soil now.

I've been keeping it on the dry side, but recently gave it a good shower which seems to have helped, although hard to tell.

I'm wondering is humidity possible a problem too here? It might need more regular misting, or a humidifier.


texts: Cactus turning yellow and shriveling from bottom to top

texts:
I have a cactus that turning yellow and shriveling from bottom to top, as Following pictures:

The cactus age is about 20 years old.

What is the problem?
What should I do?


texts: How can I get rid of these small white pests in my peace lily pot?

texts:
I realized late last night that there are lots of small white creepy crawlers in my peace lily pot. It's so thoroughly infested with these creatures some are even coming out of the drain holes.

I have 3 questions:

What type of crawlers are these?
Are these pests harmful?
If yes, how can I get rid of them?


texts: Why does my repotted cactus seem to be dying?

texts:
I bought a cactus from my local big chain DIY store a few years back. It was in a tiny pot and all was well. It's really grown over the years so I decided to re-pot it. I used your everyday compost but it looks like my cactus is not well:

I'm not green fingered so it's highly likely I've used the wrong compost or done the Worst Possible Thing for the plant.

What can I do to help my cactus recover?


texts: I'm wondering if the plantlets on kalanchoe can be removed occasionally without affecting the plant in some anyway. To my knowledge, these structures on the leaves are basically a means of natural propagation. So if they don't serve any other function, can the plantlets occasionally be removed so that resources for the plant are directed more to plant growth rather than plantlet formation?


texts: Can I water indoor fruit trees with aquarium water?

texts:
I have kiwi, lemon, orange, mandarin and avocado trees, grown from seed from normal fruit which I have eaten.
I also have an aquarium with turtle. I've treated aquarium water with ReptoSafe and ReptoFresh.

I was thinking to use the water from the aquarium (containing turtle manure) to water my trees. They are just small indoor trees.

Is it feasible to use aquarium water on my trees?
What water parameters I should measure (like pH)?
How should I measure those parameters?


texts: How far apart should bush beans be when planted in blocks instead of rows?

texts: I've got two 6 foot by 3 foot beds I plan on growing bush beans in. The varieties I'm growing are European Soldier & Kenearly Yellow Eye and the seed spacing that is on the packets says about 2 inches apart, 1 inch deep, and in rows 20-36 inches apart. Since I'm going to be growing these in a 6 foot x 3 foot block instead of a row what would be a good spacing for them?


texts: I hastily bought a bouquet of pink roses yesterday, but they haven't bloomed yet. The flowers are in my room right now, and I'm wondering if there's anything I can do to make them bloom?


texts: White dots on pepper plant leaf. Which nutrient/fungal problem?

texts:
Consider the attached pictures of some leaves of my pepper plant.
There are white dots on the backside of the leaf which correspond to regions of mild translucency on the face of the leaf. Further, there are small indentations on the face corresponding to the dots.
The plant in question is quite large and is currently producing many peppers. Hence, I suspect that it's due to a nutrient problem and is more likely to be a deficiency than overfertilizing. My smalle pepper plants, which get the same amount of fertilizer, are showing less/no decoloration on their leaves.
Please help me identify what nutrient is in short supply, if any, and how to remedy the deficiency. I have checked that the white dots are not scale, it's really the leaf itself that's deformed not something sitting on top. It is still plausible that it could be a fungal problem.


texts: Why are the leaves on my chilli plant turning 'silver'?

texts:
The leaves on my chilli plant have recently started turning silver, (as below), they also become thinner and have an 'elasticy' quality to them.

Any idea what is causing this?

Factors to consider:

Its a 2 year old plant
Its recently been put outside (no frost)
There are a few aphids on the plant


texts:
I am unaware of what type it is, I bought it at Wal*Mart, so I was rather suspicious that it had been improperly stored, but I don't know.

The base seems very rotted, which I think means that I need to try my luck with cuttings [tips?]. The soil is moist, and I left it in that exact spot for the past two days. Plenty of sun, no rain, only the morning dew. It's not cold enough for frost [If anything, it's in the 80s]. The nickel in the photos was for size reference, if that helps anything


texts: What are some tricks to force vines to fruit?

texts: My achocha hasn't seemed to start setting fruit yet, and was wondering what tricks I should start trying in order to get fruit from the plant.


texts: I'd like to start growing microgreens indoors. Why do I need to buy specific microgreen seeds? Why can't I use seeds that I'd plant in my garden? It seems like a marketing gimmick to me.


texts: What are these small black things appearing on my cucumber leaves, and are they harmful?

texts:
There are these little black things on my cucumber plants that have started appearing recently.
They are more concentrated towards the 'top' of the plant.
They don't seem to be eating away the leaves or anything like that at the moment but they don't look benign.

I have tomatoes, zinnias, lettuce and eggplants nearby and the only other plant I see them on are the eggplants.

I tried Neem spray (I used Bayer Advanced - Natria Neem ready to use spray) but it had no effect whatsoever:

Any suggestions on what they are and how to treat them?


texts:
I recently moved to a new home and my fiddle started showing signs of stress and infection. At first I thought it was root rot but she also started yellowing some leaves and a few leaves have spots in the center. I'll attach some photos. Can you have both root rot and a bacteria problem?
I re-potted the tree after trying to see if letting the soil dry out would solve the problem but it didn't seem to help.

Also, I've pruned many of of "infected" leaves but she still has a few with spots. Should I keep those? I've read if it is bacteria it will just spread to it's best to remove them all..?


texts: Will pre-germinating grass seed produce a green lawn in less time than just seeding and watering properly?

texts:
I have heard and read quite a bit about the benefits of pre-germinating grass seed in terms of getting a lawn growing quicker than it would if you simply seeded.

The procedures I've seen involve several days of soaking, rinsing, draining, changing water, etc. before spreading the seed, but it seems like they all start counting "time till green" from when they sow. But if the preparation time is factored in, is there still a time savings compared to seeding into good soil and maintaining proper moisture?

And are there other benefits/costs that might affect a decision to pre-germinate?


texts: What is the difference between Buxus and Ilex?


texts: How to tell if I have multiple seedlings/when to remove secondary seedlings?

texts:
So I asked a question here about planting in a raised container a few weeks ago, and now I have some small seedlings!

I planted a couple seeds per hole, and it seems that in some cases, multiple plants have emerged from the same hole in the soil.

My questions are:

How can I tell whether I just have multiple sprouts from one seed or if I have multiple plants growing in the same spot?
If I do have multiple plants, when should I cut off the secondary (smaller) plant?

Here are a few pics of what I have so far:

Source


texts:
Here in the UK we have many garden birds that feed from the small cracks in our brick-paved patio. Unfortunately, those small cracks are also full of various weeds and grass at the moment.

What is the best way of killing it all, but without poisoning the birds that eat from the ground?

I appreciate it can be weeded meticulously by hand, but I feel that way lies madness...!


texts: How should I care for newly planted cauliflower and broccoli plants?

texts: I am in USDA hardiness zone 9b, and just planted store bought cauliflower and broccoli.  This is the first time I am growing these (6 of each) in a raised bed and have no clue how to care for them for maximum results. I would appreciate a few simple steps from this group, in addition to watering (which is not necessary since it is raining)?


texts:
What is the pictured hedge shrub?
What is the following hedge shrub?


texts: What is this vine, and how should I kill it?

texts:
I'd like to identify this vine, so I can figure out how to kill it.  It actually looks kind of pretty, but it's filling a two foot wide gap between my garage and a brick fence, and I'm afraid it's a haven for critters.  Because the space is so narrow, it's hard to get into to work.  I've tried just pulling it out with my hands, but some pieces are very strong, and I can't break them.  I'm hoping there's some chemical I can just pour on to kill it.
The vine is completely filling the whole space, which is approximately two feet wide by twenty feet long, and six feet high.  It's mostly shaded, and located in Southern California.

I've only been here for a week, but haven't seen any berries or flowers.  I don't want to use RoundUp or any other toxic chemicals.  Yesterday I wound up going in there and cutting all the stems.  Then I poured salt all over the ground, hoping that will stop anything from growing back.


texts:
It is hard to identify a dry/died plant.
It looks like from Asteraceae family. But don't let me mislead you.
It should be from North America.


texts: Curled leaves on Jojo plum and something rot like in fruit

texts:
We have planted Jojo plum tree couple weeks ago.
Some of tts leaves are curled and there is also something rot like in the fruit. I have not found any aphids in leaves.
We have mostly sandy soil and water quite often.
What is going on?


texts:
I just planted two unnamed blackberry cultivars in a raised bed with rhubarb surrounded by flagstone.  It seemed like a good idea at the time but now based on a remark about how they are a "nightmare to control" I'm having second thoughts.

Do they send out a lot suckers?
Can they be controlled by yearly hard pruning?
How far will the suckers extend?  More than a few feet?

Edit: I cannot mow the plants down in a raised bed. Is it feasible to plant them in a bottomless pail so they only send new canes from the base of the roots and not send suckers under my flagstone path?

Edit: in 2015 the blackberries have been planted for three years in a shady area with good soil and water and three competitive rhubarb plants.  Last winter in USDA zone 4 they were killed to the ground but still managed to grow ten feet in a season.  No berries though.  Rhubarb is doing great!


texts: Why would my basil leaves have a sharp, unpleasant smell?

texts:
I have a basil plant that's getting plenty of sunshine (it's around 29 °C today, with clear skies). It's in a big pot, not shaded, and the soil is damp. We had a lot of rain a few days ago, and I've never seen this basil plant wilting. The leaves have been yellow in the past and then they turn green again, but a darker green, and now, when I rub the leaves, I get a smell that is sharp and unpleasant (but still somewhat like the basil smell we all know and love).
Is this a problem for the plant as a whole? Should I discard all affected leaves, or will they recover?

Edit:
The plant has not flowered, and the stems are all green and supple. Here are some photos for those who would like to take a look:


texts:
As you can see in the picture, my Orange tree is developing plenty of beautiful looking oranges.

Now, I'd really like to enjoy these oranges as soon as they ripe, so I have a few questions:

How can I ensure that they grow up all nice and healthy?
Suggestions to improve the overall flavour of the orange?
Should I be worried about pests? If so, What pest control measures can I
use that are environmentally safe?

Cheers!

This tree is in Lahore, Pakistan.


texts:
I have two gardenia plants that have done well in the garden for many years. I recently noticed many yellowing and browning leaves. Upon inspection, it appears that some of the gardenia buds had turned black and there are spots on the stems. Some stem tips were black. I removed those and all of the discolored parts, but it seems clear that the whole plants are sick.

A couple of years ago, I noticed what appeared to be sooty mold on many of the leaves of one of the plants, and to a lesser degree on the other plant. I tried to clean it off with water and cloth and get rid of the aphids I found with soap and water. After that, the plants seemed to be doing better. Now I'm thinking I didn't do enough.

Is there anything I can do for my gardenias?


texts:
I bought the house in January. There are two apple trees side by side. One is more of a crab apple tree with mall apples that turn red. But the other tree grows bigger yellow-ish apples. I've picked enough to bake a pie and it was really good! Some are a little more sour than others but still nice and sweet.  I'm just wondering what type of apple it is. I googled it and got different answers, including Pristine, Lodi, Golden Delicious, Ginger Gold, etc.

Anyway I'd love to know what apples these are when I share my next pie!