texts: What is this weed with ribbed stems and whorls of 1" to 2" long thin leaves?

texts: Lately this weed has been growing all over my property. It is bright green, has tiny white flowers and kind of creeps along the ground as vines. It comes up fairly easily in clumps when I pull it, though I have no idea if I'm getting the roots when I do, but it's everywhere. I think it's spreading from an unmaintained property next to me.


texts: Is a dethatching rake significantly better for removing thatch than a regular rake?

texts: My lawn is full of so much thatch that I can bend down and pull up handfuls. I used a steel rake to pull up some today but it is still full of thatch. I feel like I could continue raking for days and never get it all.  Will a rake meant specifically for dethatching be any easier to use, and more importantly will it pull up more thatch than a standard steel rake?


texts: Differences in shape of fields in Central Europe

texts:
When checking satellite photos on Google Maps, I noticed that there's a striking visual difference between fields in some countries, namely Germany & Austria vs. Czech Republic & Slovakia. Take a look e.g. at this part of the border; fields on the German part look much more divided into smaller segments.

What is the reason for this?


texts: What are the white like spots just above the mango?

texts:
Sometime earlier the mango, amla trees are stuck by a problem of the white fungus like things which stopped their fruit growing.
please give me the solution!


texts:
I have some Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus' growing, and I've always propagated it by division. I'm interested to start some from seed, as this will produce a large, uniform crop, even if it takes years to mature.

How can I tell when the seed is ready to harvest, and how is it removed from the head?


texts:
I have an old woody sage plant (I think it's sage) in my herb garden. It's probably several years old and no longer looks in great shape. Also, I have allowed the grass and weeds to smother its base.

If I pruned it back and weeded it, would it come back good as new? Or is it best to start again?


texts: Fertilizing plumerias with homemade fertilizer

texts: Wondering if there is a combination of commonly found household items , e.eg. Food , oil, whatever, that can be used to fertilize plumerias


texts: Are clear or opaque tarps better for solarization?

texts:
I have always used black tarps for this purpose, because weeds grow under the clear stuff for me. I may not have pinned it down close enough though. Others say clear is faster. Does this have anything to do with climate variation? Does one method work better in hot, sunny climates, and the other in a cooler, shadier place?

Here are some opinions from users on this site:

In comments to user923's answer to the question 'Is it possible to kill a large area of weeds organically/naturally?', user923, as well as Joe, recommend using black. In chris's answer to that question, he recommends using black.
In trip0d199's answer to the question 'What are some natural ways of killing ground ivy (creeping charlie)?', he/she recommends using a dark tarp. In OrganicLawnDIY's comment to that answer, he recommends using clear.
In Randy's answer to the question 'How do I get rid of Crab grass in an over grown garden that will be a veggie garden next season?', he recommends using a 'covering to hide the sunlight'
In stormy's answer to the question 'What is a long-term solution to a goathead infestation?', she recommends using clear.
In Robert Cartaino ♦'s answer to the question 'How do I kill a butterfly bush so it stays dead?' he recommends using black. In my comment on that answer, I (J. Musser) recommended using black.
In a comment to the question 'How do I kill this salt cedar?', TeresaMcgH says both will work (sounds very reasonable to me).

This is somewhat confusing. Have there been any 'scientific', unbiased studies showing that one is better than the other? I'm not really looking for personal opinions, although they may be helpful. I am looking for evidence from an authoritative source.


texts: Why are leaves falling off of my Prickly Pear cactus?

texts:
I just moved into a new home in Phoenix, AZ, and now have a lot of cacti to tend to.  I do not know their care history, or how much/how often they are watered.

One of the largest Prickly Pear cacti is dropping its leaves (pads?) at a seemingly high rate.  Is this a sign of over watering, under watering, a lack of pruning, or something else entirely?  Some of the pads look wrinkled, which I'm told can mean either over or under-watering.

Here is a photo of the cactus

Here is a photo of the place where the most recent leaf-bunch detached

Here is a photo of the broken segment on the ground

This most recent break (the one pictured here) occurred about 24 hours ago.


texts: Does cypress produce any smell or allergens when planted indoors?

texts:
I'm thinking about putting a cypress (Chamaecyparis) onto my office desk which is in an open space, however, I don't want it to disturb my coworkers.

Is an indoor cypress known to produce any notable smell, or emit allergens into the air?


texts: I split my peace plant about a week ago. Ever since splitting all pieces are drooping. It has been at least a week. Do they need more time or are they dying.


texts: Why are my apricots falling off the tree?

texts:
Our apricot tree is about 5 years old. It produced awesome big apricots last year, but this year they are dropping off the tree at the size of a quarter.  It looks like the stems that connect the apricots to the tree branch are dry and breaking off really easily.

Any ideas why this is happening?


texts: Is it OK that the polyethylene sheeting for our greenhouse is opaque, not clear?

texts: We purchased 4mil polyethylene that was supposed to be 'clear' but it is opaque white.  We can not see through it at all. Is this normal? Will this work for one year?


texts: I have a very tall tulip tree abt 18” from my family room and patio’s concrete slab. So far so good. Do I have to worry? I’ve been told that Tulip’s put down a large deep central root and there doesn’t seem to be too much disturbance ...


texts:
When I'm trying to figure out how much to water things in my garden I'll often see things like, "...they will need 1-2 inches of water each week."

From what I understand, this is the same as if there had been 1-2 inches of rain.  My problem is that everything for drip irrigation systems seem to measure in gallons or liters per hour.

How can I go about converting inches to gallons?


texts: Using post-baby-bath balneum water for my plants

texts:
We have a new baby, and we wash him with water with a few drops of balneum oil (on about a bucket's worth of water). I'd like to "reuse" the water afterwards on my many plants, if possible. Will it be harmful for them in the short or long run?

Just to clarify - I plan on using it on ornamental plants, not vegetables, fruits or herbs.

The ingredients are as follows: Glycine Soia Oil, Laureth-4, Oleamide DEA, Parfum (Benzyl Alcohol, Benzyl Salicylate, Geraniol, Benzyl Benzoae, Citronellol, Limonene), Propylene Glycol, BHT, Ascorbyl Palimitate, Citric Acid.


texts: I need about 25 ducks gone. They're destroying my landscaping. What and how can I get rid of them?


texts:
I haven't rubbed it all over me yet, but can this 8 foot tree be poison ivy?  It's growing through my fence.

If so, any suggestions for dealing with it?  I have a dog and small kids!  Thanks.


texts:
I have lots of weed in my backyard and I think I will seed for a green lawn! I was planning on installing sod but I think I will go with the seed. What should I do before I seed? Can I use weed killer and wait two weeks then seed then wait a week and use grub killer? Can I also seed my existing lawn?

Thank you


texts: Should my plant be shedding leaves when it's flowering?

texts:
I have this plant at my new place which I assume is a Cissus of some type from googling. I noticed some of the leaves started yellowing and falling off when the flower buds started appearing. Is this normal, or is there something I can/should be doing (trimming the flower buds?)? I'm just worried it might be dying.

I'm located in Western Australia, so it gets plenty of sunshine, and has been receiving winter rain for the past couple of months.

Edit: Sorry about the formatting, I'm trying to post the pictures from my tablet.


texts: We have a circle of dead grass due to paddling pool being sat on it for weeks, there is a horrible smell from a part of it which has turned yellow! Is there anything I can put on it to help the grass or the smell?


texts: Accidentally pulled fruit spurs during harvest

texts:
I was harvesting cherries and wasn't aware until after that I should NOT pull off the fruit spurs.

I harvested quite a bit. I feel bad. Is the damage permanent? Will they grow back?


texts: I have a cactus and one of the arms is on my house and I want to remove the arm. It is not big and will not throw off the balance of the cactus. What I am wondering is will the cactus heal and are there any precautions I should take or put anything on the cactus after removing the arm


texts: Need identification of yellow flowering plant

texts:
The plant below is living in Zone 8-9, it started blooming at the beginning of July and it's 4 - 5 feet tall.  There is some foliage throughout the winter.
It's right under a Japanese maple and I'd like to move it so I'd also appreciate information about its transplantability and root system.

Thanks.


texts:
Hi all,

I repotted this lemon tree during winter last year and it has had no growth since.
Any suggestions to give it another growth spurt?

It doesn't need much water and the soil that I used to pot it originally was regular household compost, however I just noticed it contains a retention agent which explains why the soil retains so much water.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks


texts: Forcing rhubarb - alternatives to fancy forcing jars?

texts:
Gardening guides, when discussing rhubarb, will always illustrate their advice with a picture of some fancy forcing jars, or else reclaimed old-fashioned chimney pots, which look great and add decoration to the garden.

But man, are those things expensive. Does anyone have any tips for cheaper alternatives? Doesn't matter if it's an eyesore.

Dustbins are sometimes mentioned but they're too large surely.


texts:
I'm working on a landscaping design in arid (10-20" precip/yr) zone 5. I'd like to make a small hedge (18" tall x 18" deep x many feet long) that looks something like a traditional boxwood hedge. Specifically, I'd like something that I could use a hedge trimmer to keep square; the leaf shape, etc, are not really important to me.

I've considered something like a blue fescue that just naturally grows compactly, or some sort of barberry or juniper which might be prunable, but I'm not confident that any of these would work well.

What plants would be appropriate for making a trimmed hedge in a zone 5 xeriscape project?


texts: What’s this white residue in these leaves?


texts: What kind of grass is this, and how can I keep it out of my garden

texts:
I have a thick, beautiful lawn that borders my garden. Unfortunately, I am struggling to keep the grass from infesting my garden. I have used a variety of herbicides, mostly RoundUp, along the garden border, but nothing I have used so far seems to have much of an effect. My only success in controlling this grass is to dig it up, but this is difficult due to the deep root system, and often requires that I uproot healthy garden plants in order to remove the grass and its roots.

I want to identify this grass, which I hope will help me learn additional ways to control it. The identifying characteristics include long root runners that look like the roots of bamboo.

Another feature is the presences of nodes in the root system, from which many large and small tendrils extend. These nodes tend to appear at depths up to 4 inches or so, but the runners tend to run rather deep in the soil, often reaching down 8 inches or more. The following image shows the root node of a small grass clump.

And here is the foliage of this same grass clump.

I will appreciate any help in identifying this intruder and some means of controlling it. I have been fighting it for several years, and am hoping that there is a tactic other than sinking a deep root barrier to keep it out.

Oh, and this is probably important information: I am located in southeast Texas, north of Galveston Bay and east of Houston.

---------  Additional Material ---------

Both GardenerJ and alephzero appear to be correct. I accepted GardenerJ's answer as the correct one, only because he answered first. Thank you both for your answers!

Elymus repens (also known as couch grass and quackgrass, and, according to Wikipedia also as twitch, quick grass, quitch grass (also just quitch), dog grass, scutch grass, and witchgrass) is nasty and difficult to control. My whole lawn was originally planted with St. Augustinegrass, but the quackgrass also appears throughout.

I have been successful in extracting it manually, but it is never a complete job, and you have to keep after it. After extracting every bit that I can find in the garden (sometimes the rhizomes are as long as 5 feet long), I keep looking for new foliage, and dig that out as soon as possible.

I have used RoundUp along the garden perimeter, and that helps, but the rhizomes run deep and can survive the poisoning. Also, it is necessary to keep the lawn cut, in order to prevent the Elymus repens from going to seed.


texts: What features should I look for in a low pressure water timer?

texts:
I harvest rainwater in a four hundred liter ( 90 US Gallon) container that has a drop of about a foot to where I want to add the water. It would save me some time if I could program a timer to turn on every day for five or ten minutes.  What should I look for?

I cannot supply an electrical outlet and the timer will be over wintered inside so there is no risk of freezing.

Edit: the purpose of this was to top up my two water features which can lose a half inch a day during the hot dry summer due to evaporation and transpiration from the water plants.  The issue behind this question is can you find a timer or regulator that works at low pressure.  Gravity feed usually provides 10 to 20 psi where tap water is 100 psi and up.


texts: How do I treat and care for trees infested with borers?

texts:
One of my apple trees recently started to look like it's dying (leaves dying when they shouldn't, bark peeling, lack of fruit, new branches growing and then quickly dying). My neighbor looked at it and noticed lots of small holes, pointing out that borers were living in it and that's what was killing the tree.

I then noticed the same thing in several other of my currently healthy trees, and I have a wide range of trees with them (pine, pecan, almond, lemon, orange, peach, cherry, grapefruit, and much more).

My question is, are there are any tips on treating this? I hear they sell treatments at some of the local stores, though I'm really trying to stay away from chemical treatments whenever possible. Any tips, commercial treatments, or homegrown solutions? I'm completely new to having all these trees too (came with a property I bought) so you're helping a complete beginner.


texts: Help I think I may be killing my mint plant

texts: So I live in Canada further north I've been keeping my mint plant by our window sill I have a pretty big tree out front partially blocking the sun and I'm not sure if my plant is dying from lack of sun, to much sun??,  temperature, cramped are, lack of water or excess water like I've started watering it more but the leaves are still dropping (it is on a windowsill that is above my radiator but I've kinda boxed in the top portion of the radiator so I could have plants on top) it generally falls pretty dry to the touch for the soil I have it in a pot with gel beads that retain water and it is still in a compostable pot holder it is in a pot that is around 6 inches wide. Please help me fix this before it dies cause I'm pretty sure it should survive year round when left indoors it doesn't seem to want me to post a picture here is a link to a drive with pictures https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=11bgPcMUOupF3Am4sfpfMOlnmjxBvEf9R


texts: Should I remove dead grass/weeds from my raised beds before planting?

texts: We bought a house that already has raised beds. One is FULL of grass and weeds, too much and deep to pull by hand. I understand I should/can put newspaper or cardboard down and then mulch, but do I then pull the dead weeds/grass before planting veggies or do I do that right on top?


texts: Is there an edible plant that is hardy and can be mowed?

texts:
Is there a plant that fits these characteristics?

Is edible
Is hardy (grows with little maintenance)
Can be mowed to 6 inches (like grass) .
Makes an attractive ground cover.

The reason I ask is that I would like to have a ground cover that resembles a lawn from a distance, but is edible.  This is for a home I have in a rural area of North Carolina.


texts: Do my tomatoes look like they are damaged from herbicides?

texts:
I planted my healthy tomato starts that I started myself in some new soil that has alpaca manure mixed in.  The original, old growth is fine, but the new growth is all spindly and twisty and curling leaves. After researching the symptoms, I’m worried this is not a virus but is caused from herbicides, though the alpaca farm that I got the manure from claim they use no herbicides whatsoever, and they grow their own hay. We are completely organic and pretty isolated as far as any possible herbicide drift from the wind.  Can anyone help me identify the problem?  Any input is appreciated.  Thanks.
[1]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/5VUCj.jpg![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/l34OM.jpg)


texts: Are these tomato plants ready to be replanted in to my bigger pots?

texts:
My Tomato plants seem to be coming along quite well:

The tallest (shown) is ~10cm tall above the soil and most of them are in square 6×6×6cm cardboardish pots (there are others off-camera, in varying numbers per pot). The 'target' pots (and only other pots available) I wish to have them finally grow in are circular, 21cm in diameter and 19cm tall.

Are these tomato plants ready to move in to my larger pots, if not when?
And how many should I put in each pot?

Oh, and in case that matters, the box tells me they are of the Gardeners Delight variety.


texts: What is this white fibrous thing showing on top of moist soil?

texts:
I'm trying to germinate chives using a soil for seeds. I've gone through the process of watering and draining the soil after putting in the seeds. For two days now, I've been seeing this cloudy spongy thing on top of the soil.

Is this perhaps something to do with excess moisture?


texts: Cold treatment for kernel germination while fighting fungus

texts: I try to germinate stone fruits often in the fridge, inside a bag of peat moss. When I prepare the peat medium I wet it with rain water, but often the seeds/kernels rotten. I was wondering if I could soak the seeds in 10% bleach solution or even use the same solution to wet the peat moss instead of rain water. Could the bleach at that concentration hurt the germination?


texts:
The house we recently moved into has a large tree that I believe to be a Tulip Poplar in the back yard.   It's 40-45 feet tall and the trunk is roughly 21 feet around (~6.7 feet across).  However, it was topped before we bought the house, and the trunk is covered with ivy for almost the entire height.  I don't know how old the tree is, but the house is about 90 years old.

Aside from one (large) side branch that appears dead, the remaining branches are growing leaves, but the arborist I've talked to (over the winter) said that they probably aren't enough to feed it.  The tree is close enough to the house that if it fell in our direction, it would cause serious damage, but it's also close enough to the edge of the property that if it fell in almost any other direction, it will "just" hit a parking lot.

As such, I have the following two questions:

Is the tree as much of goner as it seems? Or is it likely to be able to last for a while if left alone?
If we do have the tree taken down, could I find someone who could benefit from that (other than via firewood or wood chips)?  Would there be anyone worth contacting to see if some of the wood would be useful to them?  Or should I just let the arborist who takes it down do whatever they choose with it?(For some far-fetched thoughts, might anyone be interested in turning some of it into one of those tree slices at nature museums which point out all the rings for historic events?  Or climate research?  Or is it practical to commission someone to make something out of the lumber?)

Finally, pictures!  (Click for full size)


texts: Can anyone identify this North Texas weed?

texts:
I recently moved into a house in north Texas (DFW area) from an apartment in the same area. I had 3 potted pepper plants (jalapeno and serrano) that had died about 4 years ago. I planted them in miracle grow soil (if that helps at all), but my neighbor above me at my old apartment had a dog that constantly urinated on the balcony and it dripped down onto my plants, so I gave up on them for the time being. Now I'm in my new house and I was surprised and excited to see one of my pepper plants sprouting back up after quite a few rains. However, next to it is this interesting looking weed that I've not seen before anywhere in my yard or my neighbors yards. I'm dying to know what it is so I can pull it out already. So far no flowers have appeared.

The first 3 pictures are from May 10th and the next 2 are from May 28th. The weed is growing much much faster than my pepper plant.. The weed is not spikey, it actually feels kind of like fur on the main stem. The leaves are also not spikey, although they look like they might be. The last 2 pictures are of a leaf I picked off of it just now.

Top of leaf

Bottom/back of leaf

I hope this was a good enough description, thanks for any help! :)


texts: Plant identification: dwarf pine and spruce?

texts:
Background: Asking for help with identifying a few more plants that we have now removed. Now that we have taken more interest in the plants around the house, we have a bit of remorse that we perhaps went too hastily in removing some of these overgrown, neglected plants when we moved in.
Plant 1 (large): some kind of dwarf pine?

Plant 2 (large): spruce?

For scale, they look like this together:


texts:
I photographed this flower in Grenada in November of last year. The flowers were small (roughly 1½ in or 4 cm in diameter), white, with 5 narrow petals. There was just one flower on a stem, and one stem per plant (at least on the ones I saw); the plants had toothed leaves. It was growing wild near the Grand Etang Lake.

Click for larger view
I did numerous Google searches, but could never find a match. I eventually found one image that looked pretty much identical, but the original page no longer exists, and (according to the Wayback Machine) it apparently didn't provide an identification anyway. Would anyone be able to point me in the right direction?


texts: How to protect my apple tree from this disease?

texts:
So here is a picture of what I am facing

Is this a sign of heart rot? What should I do?

It seems to be confined to this one branch (no apples on that branch at all).


texts: What is the cause of this white scaling on my cactus?

texts: I’m not sure what type of cactus this is, but I’ve had it about a year and since getting it I’ve moved it into a pot with drainage. I’m careful with watering and do so about every 45 days as that’s what the previous owner had done. When I received it it did not have these spots. What could be happening, and is there anything I can do? Thanks!


texts: What variety is this tomato with long, milky green branches?

texts:
I planted black krim tomato seeds and one of them came out like this:

Other black krim plants are very different. This has rounded leaves, long branches and is somehow milky green color. Does anyone know what it could be? Thank you!


texts: What kind of plant is my little plant here?

texts:
(Please forgive the Instagram format -- it's the best picture I have of it!)
ETA: I'm thinking maybe it's a leggy Kalanchoe?


texts: What should we do with a 7-8 year old honey locust tree that has been damaged by disease?

texts:
2009 diseased honey locust:

June of 2016 full view:

We have a honey locust that developed a disease within it's first year and an arborist saw it.  He told me it is what they call herpes for trees.  It had cankers of some sort on the trunk that had killed the majority of the tree.  He said we could cut the main trunk off and create a new main trunk with a zip tie, the nearest large branch, and patience.

After 7 years, it has flourished, somewhat. The trunk has grown around the dead part and it appears sturdy.  However, I'm afraid too much of the inner trunk is dead wood and will not provide a sturdy enough trunk as the tree continues to mature.  No branches really grow on the affected side of the tree either.

Do we bite the bullet and remove the tree now or will it be okay in the years to come?  We love our little sad tree...

Edit: I replaced the close up of the trunk with a full size view.  You can still zoom in to see the damage. It starts as a "V" near the base and moves up.

With this new view, do you still recommend removing the tree? And is it a disease or poor transporting/planting?


texts: We bought home a Dracena plant about two months ago, it has been watered once since we have had it. We live in Melbourne Australia, so we are now in Winter. It is in a sunlit room in a corner out of direct sun. Noticed what seems to look like Green mould/moss on the trunks enter image description here as well has brown and yellow tips on leaves and some on the actual leaves. I have just now place it near a window hoping it will help the trunks. What are we doing wrong? Thanks in advance.


texts: We have two infant Norfolk pines planted in the ground on property in west central Florida. There has been some concern about these trees 'sucking up' all the water in the water table. We are on a peninsula jutting out into St. Joseph Sound near Tarpon Springs. Is this truly a cause for concern?


texts:
I bought these hydrangeas yesterday, today the red one's flowers died and the white one"s don't look as good as yesterday either.
I haven't watered or repoted them yet.

Update: 4 hours after I watered them.

Thank you for the advices! The red one is coming along also but not as impressively as this one


texts: What to do about grubs in vegetable garden and potted tree?

texts:
This Spring there seem to be grubs all over my garden, in just about any handful of dirt you flip over. There are lots of articles about how to handle grubs in your lawn, but I don't have a lawn, just a vegetable garden.

(Left image is public domain from Wikipedia. Right is from my garden.)

I have a couple of raised beds, currently empty, where I'm planning on planting tomatoes and artichokes. Are grubs damaging to those plants? If so, what can I do about them?

I also have a half-barrel with a Valencia orange tree in it. The soil seems to be full of grubs. If I turn over a handful with a small trowel I find a grub about 1 in 3 tries. I don't want to dig down and risk harming the roots, so I can only see the grubs near the top. They never come above the soil, and I haven't seen any beetles on or near the tree. The tree seems to be doing fine, but I'm concerned. Will the grubs be a problem? What can I do about them without harming the tree?


texts: What is this succulent with tiny triangular leaves and what care does it need?

texts:
I've got this cute little succulent with thin stems and juicy triangular leaves. I noticed that the top leaves started getting dry, so it's obviously not very happy with my care.

If you know the name please let me know or any tips on growing it would be highly appreciated as well.


texts: Improve soil in established flower garden

texts: The soil in my garden is very hard; it's probably clay if I do just a little deep. However, I already have some plants established in my garden and I don't want to dig them up. It's a small area, about 20  20 feet. Is there a way to make the soil better?


texts: Why did my tomato plant stop growing after transplanting?

texts: I started with a few tomato seeds indoors in 1"x1" pods.  Once the seeds germinated and the seedling was a good 2" tall, I transplanted these to 4" pots.  From there, after it was about 6" tall, I transplanted them to my raised vegetable bed.  Some of the transplanted plants are doing well and starting to bear tomatoes.  There are two in particular that look perfectly healthy (looking green and all) but are not adding any new growth.  No new leaves or flowers and they are still the same height as they were when I planted them.  I have fertilized and watered them regularly so that is not an issue.  What could the possible reason for this behaviour and how can I reverse it so the plant starts growing?  I can post pictures later but this has been bugging me for a few weeks.


texts: Auckland Rural Zone and Confusion about Frost Protection

texts:
The more I look into it, the more confused I'm getting about frost protection.  Any advice to help me get a grip on the issue would be appreciated.

I have a property in Dairy Flat, which is rural Auckland, New Zealand.  Our temperatures tend to get 4 degrees centigrade colder then weather forecast (but not when there is lots of cloud), and I measured - probably inaccurately, a minimum of -3.5 degrees C last year - which came along with ice forming in water outside (and a burst hosepipe).

A large local tree seller not far away advised they got down to -5 degrees C - which killed their outdoor trees, but the trees which they place in the sheltered area were unaffected - the sheltered area being a large hothouse like structure covered in shade cloth down to 40cm above ground level.

(I understand that structures on the property and area can create micro-climates which make a big difference, but I am struggling to work out out how to accurately predict micro-climates around my property, not having had sufficient knowledge to observe these over the past year I've been at the property)

I'm struggling to understand -

How a sheltered but not waterproof area can provide such a high degree of protection as advised by the tree company - and if this is only beneficial to large plants like trees, or if it can be applied to plants like tomatos ?
What US hardiness zone would be comparable to Rural Auckland (Knowing this would appear to open a world of knowledge applicable to the USA I think) ?
Why a hosepipe in an area near a small, enclosed citrus fruit orchard
(about 6 trees) would freeze and burst but all of the citrus trees
were fine ?
What this means for my avocado avocado trees (which are 1 year old, in a
semi-sheltered environment and have been ravaged by sheep and thus
have very limited foliage going into autumn)
If using an unheated 6m x 3m polytunnel will provide protection sufficient
to allow me to grow tomatos, eggplants, zuchini, Cucumbers and the like
through winter ?
Can frost-tender plants survive sub-zero temperatures if protected from moisture, and how to work out down to what level ?

Any advice, help, resources or pointers would be appreciated.


texts: Yucca Elephantipes' leaves are drying out

texts:
I have had this Yucca for almost a year and around two months ago I started noticing this happening. The plant is next to a north-east window. Generally, Yucca is watered every 10 days. I always make sure that the soil is dried for about 2 inches in depth.

What am I doing wrong? What is happening?


texts: What is this plant with two kinds of leaves?

texts:
Height 180 cm or 6t, still growing. I thought it was another plant and therefore let it grow in spring, zone 7a in Europe. I did not notice another specimen, so I hope not invasive.

Could it be a Rudbeckia triloba? The thing is, it grew in a small area where I planted several rudbeckias from various sources. But this one is in many aspects different than tge rest of rudbeckias - it is larger, stems are of different color etc. Still did not flower.


texts: Which crops or vegetables can withstand 40 degrees Celsius?

texts: I want to know which crops or vegetables will withstand 40 degrees Celsius (103 degrees Fahrenheit)?


texts:
Location: western Massachusetts
Beautiful flowers around this time of year (May).
 (large)
A close-up before flowering.
 (large)


texts: My cactus is brownish at the bottom, is it rot?

texts: I've had this cactus for around 5 years. A few months ago it started turning brown from the bottom, was it from over watering? Can it be saved?


texts: Could mosses absorb enough carbon dioxide indoor?

texts:
My house is located in a polluted area.
So if I want to ventilate indoors I get in lots of dust.
I'm absolutely stuck in the middle ..
What I thought first was that growing some species which are good at purifying but I realized that to absorb enough CO2 emitted from one person
substantial amounts of plants are needed.
So I found another one here!

called city tree.
If i read correctly,mosses used in there was
much more efficient than normal plants.
What i am wondering is whether any mosses can make same effect like 'City Tree'.
and whethere absorb enough amount of co2 (emited from one person) with Realistic amount of mosses.
Somebody help me T.T


texts: What is this tree with corky wings on the branches

texts:
This tree is located in an urban park in USDA zone 3a with winter temperatures to -40 deg Celsius. It has a trunk about six inches in diameter and is about thirty feet tall. In the winter I mistakenly identified it as Quercus macrocarpa or the Bur oak due to the prominent corky wings on the branches.

Now that the tree has leafed out it looks more like a beech tree with serrations on the leaves.  What species is this tree?


texts: Should I cut off the stems of my bolting pak choi?

texts:
My whole pak choi spring harvest is bolting right now (I sowed in a green house very early to get a second one in if need be).

However I read that with pak choi when the plant is bolting it usually does not turn as bitter as other plants. I also read somewhere (I cannot find that source) that you can cut off the flower stem and the plant will continue as usual.

Has anyone here done that?


texts:
A drought this summer has left my backyard in rough shape. Weeds have really been spreading. I didn't fertilize last summer, fall or winter but picked it up this year doing applications in spring and summer. The weeds had already germinated, though.

I'm debating about the next step. Do I apply Scott's Step 4 (which doesn't include weed control), Weed and Feed, or hire Tru-Green to get it under control?

Thanks.


texts: Blueberry flowers turning black after pollination

texts: As you can see in the picture the stem? parts of the flower is turning black after the flower dried up and fell off. They are also fall of easily when I touch them. My blueberry flowers are being pollinated via brush because I live in a apartment. The plant looks healthy perfectly green with no yellowing or browning so I really don’t know what to do. Is there a reason for this? Is it common?


texts: What is this plant with yellow blooms? I have been told it is a type of Mimosoidea, but would like to know more definitely. The blooms on this specimen were approx. 3-4 cm in diameter. I have encountered it (as is usual for me these days) in Central Europe.


texts:
We need to ask a gardener to apply an insecticide to a CHERRY tree. Neighbours have complained about the tree being infested by insects.

For reasons I cannot go into, there is no regular access to the tree. So we want to ask someone to come once and apply some kind of insecticide.

We want it to be organic – so no adverse effects on other wildlife and humans. What would be a sensible option in this scenario, i.e. what should we ask the gardener to do/apply?

Many thanks.


texts:
I have a Poinsettia that I've been caring for since xmas. I've taken a look at online guides and they all seem to be focused on making the leaves turn red near xmas.

Is this a process that's crucial to the life of a Poinsettia? What happens if I treat it as a regular house plant (i.e. just regular care, without the whole complete darkness process)? Does it just die off by itself after a while?

I'm interested in keeping it alive for as long as I can and turn it into a large bush, rather than have its leaves turn red each xmas.

Its current state:

I haven't done much more than watering it so far, while keeping it in indirect sunlight in a ~22 C room.

It had about three or four leaves that covered the surface of the soil entirely, all of them having large edges that were sort of rusty and completely dry (the edges stopped advancing in the past couple of months), sort of like this:

I cut those leaves off and revealed that the plant also started branching out from near the start of the stem.


texts:
We have a plant that we considered to be birds of paradise for last 4 years.

Yesterday in a brief bout of lucidity we realized that it might be Banana leaf plant
, since it never gave flowers and is ~6ft tall. Searching doesn't really help, but that seems to be a common problem to distinguish these two species.

The main issue we have is that it is not very short, leafs are not too round, the stems looks like birds'.

If this is a birds of paradise plant, how can we make in flower indoors? We have plenty of sunlight and can afford larger pot.


texts: how to grow grass where an underground pool once was

texts: This is my third year of trying to grow grass where an underground pool once was. It keeps dying off over the winter.  Is there anything I can do? Or should I opt to put something else in this 12'X 12' spot.


texts: How much nitrogen per bale in a straw bale garden?

texts:
I recently read a NY Times article about straw bale gardening. It says that you should add about 2 1/2 cups of 20% N fertilizer or three pounds of blood meal and feather meal per bale. Add water, wait for the temperature to decrease, and then plant.

I would really appreciate a more objective approach - but I can't find it in any of the guides (including the few instructions from ag extensions*) that I reviewed.

A typical two-string bale is 45lb with, say 10% moisture, so it has 40 lbs (18kg) of dry straw. composed of 45% C and 2% N: a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 24:1 (according to the USDA-NRCS).

What I am missing is the target range of C:N for the bale - for a mixture of vegetables (tomatoes, squash, beets, carrots) as seen in the article. Then, I could better estimate - and evaluate - what I am doing.

If I knew the target C:N ratio, and how to account for the uneven decomposition and N loss (leaching, denitrification) as well as the "tolerance" for over / under fertilization (i.e., the range of applications rates that would optimize food production), then I could take an arbitrary fertilizer with complete nutrition (NPK+) and have an estimate of how much to add based on the % N.

in summary, my questions are:

What is the target C:N for a straw bale garden?
How much fertilizer should I add, in units of mass (g or lb) N?
What is the range of values in 1 and/or 2 that would optimize mixed vegetable food production?

* for example, while the OKState extension says "The nutrient supply for plants established in straw bales is also critical." but gives no information on fertilization rate, only that insufficient nutrient supply can be be diagnosed (yellow leaves, unhealthy plants, etc.).


texts: What are the obstacles to wide-scale commercial composting of human feces?

texts:
I hope this isn't too broad.

I'm talking about large scale industrial composting. So you take a city's sewage, treat it (irradiating is one method I've seen mentioned) and modify it as needed. Then apply it to crop lands.  Even applying it to non-edible locations (parks, etc.) would seem to be better than current "circular" treatment.

From the little that I know so far, putting treated sewage sludge on crops is effective and economical. It was tried here in Virginia (according to a crop scientist I spoke to from Virginia Tech) but there was resistance (probably racial) to putting "urban sewage on our crops".  (Most sewage comes from concentrated areas. Most applications are in rural farmland.)


texts: Are mulberry trees great for the shrub layer?

texts: I'm planning to purchase some mulberry trees, then cut them very short in order to get some fruiting shrubs. Does this sound like a bad idea to make them easily picked?


texts: Help with spearmint plant. Potential stem rot?

texts:
I bought a mint plant a few months ago as my first plant and have been haphazardly taking care of it as best as I can. Apparently I had not been watering it enough as I read around in various forums and also plan on giving it more light. The stem and some of the leaves are very brown and I fear it might have some form of stem rot or other fungus that will end up being the death of it.
I have a few images of it here in an imgur album https://imgur.com/a/GWZYKx8
What do you all think?


texts: Grassy weed with seeds on spidery stalks

texts: I have a weed growing in my yard that is distinguished by its spindly seed stalks with individual seeds at the ends of branching fingerlets. It grows in distinct clumps. In the picture below, note the seed stalk to the lower left. Does anyone know what this is? Looking at other similar questions, this does not look to me like dallisgrass or annual bluegrass.


texts: Why does my Dracaena fragrans lose its leaves?

texts:
Almost a year ago I bought a Dracaena fragrans plant of 2 meter in height which has since lost a lot of its leaves. The plant often loses leaves in a certain process. Every time a leaf is going to turn brown, it develops one or more yellow or brown marks in the middle of the leaf which are eventually connected until the leave has completely turned brown.

These are photos of three different leaves in different stages of this process. Additionally, many leaves at the bottom side of the plant look limp. As you can also see in the picture, one branch completely or partially turned dark brown. About 3 out of 10-15 branches turned brown like that one.

My apartment views the west, so in the summer on sunny days, the plant receives direct sunlight in the evening for a couple of hours at most. Recently I experimented by putting the plant outside in full sunlight, but that only burnt the plant so at the end of that day I had to remove about 15 leaves which had been scorched. Apparently lack of sunlight is not the problem.

Location: the Netherlands.

The plant does not look very healthy and I estimate that it has lost half of its leaves in the past year. What could be a typical cause of these brown and limp leaves?


texts: Mint Plant growing quite tall, it's often falling

texts: My Mint plant is growing very tall and it's healthy  I guess by the looks of it, but I notice that the whatever-you-call-it that supports the leaves are too thin and my plant is always falling over, so I just made a small wooden supporter. It's working for now but I wonder if it is because it's not growing properly.


texts: How can I remove all weeds and grass from my garden without chemicals?

texts: Have a patchy yard, mostly weeds that I want to turn into a cottage garden. My current method is removing (uprooting) all the weeds/grass that I don't want by hand/spade, it's a bit overwhelming as the stuff I don't want thrives and comes back very quickly. I really don't want to use chemicals. Is there a better/more efficient way to accomplish this?


texts: Why is my palm tree not coming back to life?

texts: It's been yellow like this since the winter and no amount of water can make it green. What's the problem here?


texts: Can I grow a climbing plant as a trailing plant?

texts:
We recently built a step-based garden beside our path. There are only a few wide levels, and the slope is not very steep.

I know of many plants that will work well there, including annuals; ground covers; perennials; and some trailing plants, like certain varieties of nasturtium. I'm also looking forward to making a rock garden, as I don't have one, and I have many ideas of what I can use for that.

Since I don't have a trellis or fence for climbing plants, I'm wondering if I can plant what's usually a climbing plant in that spot and let it trail down. My first choices are morning glory and wisteria, but I'm open to suggestions.

I can understand that the roots may be less supported if the weight of the plant pulls down rather than stands up. However, perhaps there's a way to set them into the dirt to avoid that type of strain. That may not even be an issue, it just came to mind.  It may also be that those types of flowers won't tolerate lying down, but I'm hoping to be wrong about that.

Is there any reason why I can't use those, or other, climbing plants as trailing plants?

As you look at the pictures, please note:

The pansy is something I put there this year. It's happy but easy to move if necessary. All the other things are coming up on their own and will probably be left alone, except for the specific areas I'll clean out to plant something else.
The top step is always shaded by the house, and the rest are in full sun. Since I believe the specific plants I'm asking about are sun plants, they'd start on the second level.
Even though I do want some part of it to be a rock garden, the existing stones can be moved or rearranged if it would increase my options.

Click on the pictures for a larger view.


texts: My dill seems to have a whitish coating most of it. It looks almost powdery and gives it a pale bluish hue.


texts: Can I plant a tree into a concrete foundation to break it?

texts: Apparently, what used to be a foundation for a small house is now part of our backyard. The house is long gone, but the concrete foundation has been there for as long as anyone can remember. Is there a species of tree that I can plant on or near the foundation to purposely break it? Time is not a concern.


texts:
Looking for advice on building a raised garden bed for vegetable gardening. Will be building two beds. Was planning for 1' deep beds, using either 2"x12" or 2"x6" (2 stacked) boards, but is that depth necessary?

Also looking for advice on best types of wood to use. Have been told to avoid treated wood, because the chemicals can seep into beds/plants. Cedar and redwood have been suggested.

All in all, trying to keep costs relatively low, as this is primarily meant to be a fun little hobby and a way to eat a bit healthier. Any advice/resources greatly appreciated.


texts: What's the thickest stuff a garden line strimmer can cut?

texts:
I'm looking at getting a decent petrol-powered strimmer for my large garden. I saw one that comes with interchangeable heads: line, rough-cut, and one more like a saw blade. The idea being they can cut thicker stuff from first to last.

Other strimmers just seem to come with line (2.5mm or so). I've no idea what a line can cut through before it just gives up?


texts: What are these pink spots on the branch of Lilly Pilly?

texts:
This is a photo of the pink spots:

There is no discoloration of leaves as far as I can see.

The plant itself

What are they? Are they harmful? If they should be dealt with, what is the most eco-friendly way?


texts: What treatments would "balance out" what's in dog poo on my lawn, to not kill the lawn?

texts:
Criteria:

I do not want to MOVE the poop.
I just want to keep it from killing the grass
I'm ok with it taking 1-3 weeks to break down.
I'm looking for easy not perfect :)

I know: we should be picking up the poo and tossing it into a compost bin (or the garbage). I don't have the time to do that regularly (and we have to "active" dogs :).  The dog poo is not getting picked up regularly. Not a solution in the near future.

But I do think I could manage to go out and spray/pour something over it.


texts: What are these plants growing on my lawn?

texts:
I have these leaves sprouting all over my lawn and property. What is it? Should I be worried?

NOTE: This is in Wisconsin.


texts: What should I do about a Tillandsia cyanea with accidentally removed roots?

texts: My Tillandsia cyanea was watered too much, and when I touched it, the top part with the leaves separated from the roots. I've found that some types of Tillandsia don't need roots, but is this it? Should I put it in the soil again?


texts: Ant colony in my compost bin: are they beneficial?

texts:
I've got a smallish black plastic compost bin in my garden and I recently noticed that an ant colony has taken up residence. This has happened a couple of times in the past, but they tend to move on when I turn the compost (not surprising, given I'm ruining their home).

However, is their presence actually good for the compost? Do they speed up the composting process by aerating it and dining on the 'food' therein? And if so, should I leave them be for a while?

The ants themselves don't bother me.


texts: What's causing mottled leaves on my Schefflera?

texts:
What is causing this discoloration on my Schefflera's leaves?

It's like a water color effect. There may be embedded bugs in some leaves.


texts:
I would like to grow Wasabi. My climate seems, according an old Times World Atlas, very similar to the (central) Japanese one. But on documentaries I've seen on TV, it seems that Wasabi grows in wet to submerged conditions. This is my biggest problem, as in my garden I have no natural rivulet.

Is watering enough, and how should I do it?

Also, which soil does wasabi prefer? And should I look for seeds or  roots?


texts: Why are the ends of my strawberries not formed properly?

texts:
My strawberries have just started fruiting and they have turned red quite nicely, except that the ends seem to be this brown/black colour which hasn't gone away.

They are growing in a home-made planter box (untreated timber) which is full of a mixture of top-soil and two bags of soil which was marketed towards growing strawberries. The ground is covered in straw and they get watered fairly frequently (it's raining quite a bit here at the moment despite being nearly summer).

They have netting over the top of the box to prevent birds getting in and I put slug pellets down last weekend as well as spraying the leaves with Derris Dust to keep the butterflies/caterpillars off them.

Any thoughts as to what might be causing this?


texts: I got green mold in my oyster mushroom bag, what to do?

texts:
I'm growing oyster mushrooms in a plastic bag on sterilized cardboard and coffee grinds. I was quite stringent with cleanliness at set up, and it's been OK for a couple of weeks, but now there are green patches on the surface of the substrate.
I scraped them off with a spoon and chucked them, but I might have pushed a bit deeper into the substrate by accident.
How bad is this stuff, and does salt really work to get rid of it ?
Will the oyster mycelium fight the green, do they coexist, or will the green harm the oyster mycelium ?
Thanks.


texts:
I started observing some white patches on the soil and have been observing practically no growth on my plant. The leaves are also yellowing. I thought it could be root root so I thought of repotting. The soil is extremely wet, as expected. But I also saw these small white patches. Not sure if it is mold? I read about white root root called scelerotina (I think that is what it said) and once that happens it is practically impossible to save the soil and the plant. But there is no browning on the stems. Should I wash the plant and repot with a fresh soil?

P.S - The plant stays outdoor and receives 4-5 hours direct sunlight and indirect light throughout the day. I have used garden soil with compost. I am located in Bangalore, India and it has been raining here quite a bit.


texts: What options do I have for placing/installing a backflow preventer?

texts:
I'm installing a sprinkler system, and have to install a backflow preventer and pressure regulator at the start of the line.  What I don't like about this is having random bits of plumbing sticking out of my yard where they'll get hit by things, and look unsightly.  There is already a stub for irrigation water inside the house (in the basement) with a shutoff valve and a pipe going back outside.

Is there an indoor or underground option for backflow preventers?  Or do they have to stick out of the ground somewhere?  Do they have to be higher than any point in the line past them?


texts:
About 3 weeks ago I propagated a cutting from a fig tree in water. It is growing roots and almost ready to plant.

I have a nice spot for it but it will (at best) receive 1-2 hours of direct morning sun during summer. The rest of the year its pretty bright but no direct sunlight.

I am aware that it may not carry fruits but will it survive?

I plan to grow it as a bonsai, if this makes any difference.


texts: Can I use the water from a stormwater ditch for vegetable irrigation?

texts:
I've got a ditch in my backyard that I believe was intended for stormwater drainage. It's about 2-3 feet deep so I imagine that there could be some percolation from the surrounding soil as well and not just run-off. As far as I can tell, the only run-off would be from my and my neighbor's yards, and none of us use any pesticides.
On the pros side, it seems like there must be decaying plant matter and other organic material, could my brownish ditch water be beneficial kind of like a compost tea, or is this more likely to be a disease vector?
On the cons side, I'm not sure how much things like airborne pollution into ditches are a factor. I've never heard of people avoiding using lake water for irrigation, etc and I'm not sure what about my ditch would make it any different.
Ultimately I'd like to avoid using city water to water my plants, but not at the expense of contaminating my soil.
Thanks!


texts: Can I grow a new crop of lettuce by saving and planting the whole unopened flower?

texts:
It's a lot of work to separate lettuce seeds from the chaff! So I am hoping someone else has already tried saving lettuce seeds by saving and planting the whole unopened flower head.

Has anyone tried this, and if so, did it work?


texts: What options except cutting the tree down do I have if a fir tree is growing too high?

texts:
There's a fir tree that is now about seven meter tall and continues to grow and will reach something like 20 meters height. The tree is too close to buildings and too close to plants and so the shadow it casts is a problem and also the perspective of it growing to 20 meters is also a problem.

Cutting the tree down at earth level is an options but it doesn't feel good - it would be nice to have some medium size or small tree there.

Maybe I can cut it at three-four meters height? What other options are there?


texts: What is this thorny leafless tree with lumpy yellow fruit?

texts: A friend has this thorny green tree. It has some sort of yellow fruit but there are no leaves at all on the thing and it has thorns all over it and it's getting bigger. She lives in the Algarve in Portugal, and she would like to know what it is so she can decide whether to leave it or take it down.


texts: My Ponytail Palm has half of the leaves that are totally brown.  I have cut them off but still getting more.  Am I overwatering?  Should I transplant to a bigger container?


texts: We just moved into a new house. There was a sickly looking tree in the backyard. I cut it down but now there are little branches coming out of the ground in the area the tree use to be. I think it is the old root system trying to stay alive. I really liked the location of the tree, one of the neighbors said it was an apple tree. I cut it down in the winter, had no idea what it was. My question is if I wanted the tree to come back could I let one of these branches keep growing and it would turn into a tree again or is this just some sort of last ditch effort of the tree trying to stay alive but would not turn into a tree again.


texts: Is the rapid new growth on this rose bush a sign of Rosette?

texts:
I recently trimmed back a rose bush (I believe it's a Liebeszauber Hybrid Tea Rose?) that sits in some shade in my front yard, as its branches grow pretty long and eventually start leaning into its neighboring shrubbery.  The roses that had bloomed on it were now mostly wilted, so I removed them too along with the couple of remaining good ones, because I could then spray the entire plant with insect and mite control, as its leaves were getting eaten up pretty badly.

A gardener a year earlier had suspected a couple of the branches showed signed of rosette and that I should immediately trim them from the base so that it didn't spread further.  I had it trimmed back pretty severely at the time, and it grew back really nicely.  Being more familiar now with rosette than I was then, I have a question as to whether this bush is again showing signs of the disease.

I've just now noticed three really long branches shooting up above the plant:

This plant's new leaves usually have a red coloration to them, and they don't currently have an odd growth pattern to them, so nothing there is out of the ordinary.  I've seen examples of really bad "witches' brooms" on rose bushes, and this doesn't have that.  What I'm curious about, though, is the irregular thorn pattern on these new shoots.  Again, it's nowhere near as bad as other photos I've seen of plants with rosette, but I didn't know if this is cause for alarm:

Is that normal for this type of rose when it rapidly grows back after being trimmed?

Update: here's an additional photo showing the base of the plant, per JStorage's suggestion that these are suckers from the root system of a rose graft:


texts: What is the appropriate spacing for 3' x 5' bluestone pavers?

texts: I'm trying to calculate how many stones I'll need for a walkway for a job and I need to know how much room I'll need to leave between the stones. The stones are 3' x 5' x 2" and will sit fully proud on the lawn. The photo was taken at another job, and the spacing seems to be fine. But I'm interested in whether there is a standard or a formula based on the size of the stones.


texts: Can the african violet be propagated by leafs

texts: I saw this photo of african violet leafs and just wanted to ask if it is really possible to propagate them this way. If anyone tried it and if it works


texts: When building a cinder block wall, how do I attach/level the stacked blocks?

texts:
I am doing some garden remodeling, which includes making sunken beds for veggies. To separate the beds, I am stacking cinder blocks. The problem is that the base is not level, and there are some places where existing work means that the blocks can be offset vertically by as much as an inch.

So what I need to do is to get the second level of blocks level, and get the gaps/vertical differences filled. How do I do this? Mortar? Concrete?

Update

I need to be a little more explicit. I have the base line of blocks as level as I could get it, which is fairly close (I can usually get to about 3-5 mm). The bigger problem is where there is existing stuff that causes the office. These include fence bases, old walls, and old, buried railroad ties. I try and line up the blocks so the tops are at the same level as the obstruction, but I can't get it perfect.

The top of the cinder portion of the wall has concrete tops (landscape blocks), and even a little bit of a gap causes the blocks on top to be unsteady. I was thinking that mortar or whatever I should use might make everything more stable.

I will be walking on these (to weed, etc), and I noticed that some I built earlier are not stable. I think that the gravel might have settled, or something else. I'm not a pro, so I have done the first level incorrectly.

Thanks for any help/suggestions!

Erick


texts: Storing potting soil and reusing the next year

texts:
Am I being silly for thinking that it's good idea to store the potting soil I've used in my annual pots?  As the first frosts are approaching here, we empty our terracotta pots that were filled with summer annuals.  In years past we've dumped the soil but I get so tired all the little white flecks surfacing.

This year I'm playing with the idea of storing the soil (in a dry location) over the winter and adding compost / fertilizer to it next spring and reusing.  Is this crazy?  Should I just purchase new every year?


texts:
I have a pest on my chili plants. It manifests as white powdery substance with black spots.

I am not sure What this is And How to treat It. I assumed It was a fungus, but now I also saw some small white worms or larvae. I sprayed with both white oil and fungus control on a two to three daily basis.

Maybe anyone can help identify and provide a good treatment?


texts: What are these cracks on the bottom sides of my tomatoes?

texts: Recently I noticed the following cracks and small holes on the bottom side of my better boy tomoato plants.  I am in Maryland and we have not had a lot of rain the past month however I regularly try to ensure they get about 1" water a week from a soaker hose setup.  What could be causing this?  Is it due to a fluctuation in water levels somehow?  Note that I'm growing four other types of tomato (brandy boy, porterhouse, grape, and an early season hybrid) and this is the only one that is having the issue.


texts: Are there any ways to combat the Bibio lanigerus?

texts:
For the last year I've had small black flies (1-2mm) in my house. I also noticed that some of my plants were slowly dying, and when removing one from the pot I saw small silver (1mm) larvae undergound around the roots and the rest of the pot.
A friend of mine said these where Rouwvliegjes in Dutch which the Wikipedia page names Bibio lanigerus.
I have tried a trick of my grandmother with cinnamon and water which did not help at all. I also used a package which is filled with microscopic worms/eels that are said to eat the larvae and will then die off without a foodsource present. These eels are called Steinernema Feltiae on the package. All these have failed. My Ficus elastica and Bonsai are the biggest plants I have and now these are also suffering.
Any tips or tricks? I am living in the Netherlands in Noord-Brabant.


texts: Should this plant be grown indoors or outdoors?

texts: I want to know if this plant should be grown indoors or outdoors, and (if possible) what is the name of this plant?


texts: What would be good category names that describe growing from seed, geophytes, nuts or from plants?

texts:
I am building a vegetable gardener website that allows visitors to start gardening journals in which they can record all kinds of data like the days until maturity, plant size and width, harvest date and also propagation method.

With propagation method i mean how they started growing the plant. Right now i only have the option from seeds or from plant. With the latter i mean that they bought a small plant at a gardening centre. But there are more ways to grow a vegetable/fruit plant. In fact, there are many different ways. But i don't want to list them all because i also want to use the same list to filter garden journals results. For instance, if you plan to grow asparagus from rhizomes then you only want to see garden journals that grew asparagus from rhizomes and not from seed for example. I don't want to overwhelm the user with too many filters to choose from.

So far i was thinking about making a list that has the following:

Seed
Bulb / corm
Rhizome / tuber
Nut
Cutting
Plant

Would such a list be enough? I'd love to hear from you

EDIT:

This is the propagation list i have made after doing more research. Do you guys think this list is inclusive enough?

SEED,
BULB_OR_CORM,
RHIZOME,
TUBER,
NUT,
SPORES,
-------artificial propagation-------
CUTTING,
GROUND_LAYERING,
AIR_LAYERING,
DIVISION,
BUDDING_OR_GRAFTING


texts: Should I be worried about cold snaps affecting my sugar maple seedlings?

texts:
I have tried growing maples and this is my fifth attempt. I started vermicomposting in May of this year. It is direct vermicomposting (earthworms in the pot, and feeding them in the same pot that I will grow my tree in).

I first started with batches of vegetables without any leaves to cover them up. For several months I did this until the smell became not as strong as ammonia but definitely nitrogenous. Since then I've added batches of already fallen leaves. I haven’t given them wood at all, just scraps and leaves. I continued adding batches of carbon rich leaves until now. I tried adding nitrogen again but I got that nitrogenous smell again. I have only aerated the soil once because of the worms.

I have a mature sugar maple seed in the freezer to stratify (mimicking winter). I have had it in there since June or July.

I plan on planting it on March 21st when I know it is spring. But I am a bit worried about my maple. Cold snaps happen here in March and sometimes it extends all the way out to the end of April. But March is the best time to plant the maple. I know maples are cold hardy (and heat hardy as well, we have hot summers here, up to 100+). But I would still be worried about a tiny little seedling in a cold snap.

I once had 2 trees that survived for 3 years (I planted them from seed in 2012 I think) but that third winter was bad for those trees. My trees kept getting wounded in the winter. I used tape like a bandage but after those wounds healed, there were more wounds and all these wounds drained the life out of the little trees. How did I know? No leaf buds even in May.

The reason I am worried about cold snaps is because I know that at least for some plants, cold snaps can cut off seedlings from their roots due to the cold weather.

Should I bring the pot inside in March and then plant the maple inside by the back door (it is a sliding glass door with a screen door) so that it can get sunlight without worrying about the cold? The pot is big, definitely big enough to hold a tree for at least 3 years.

I can tell my maple apart from weeds even as a shoot. My maples have bigger baby leaves than the weeds.

The kind of maple I am growing is a sugar maple. So should I bring the pot inside and plant it in March or should I just plant the maple outside in March where the pot is now (in a sunny spot on my patio)? In either case in February I plan to get the seed out of the freezer and warm it up before planting it from seed in March.


texts:
I have been working on applying permacultural techniques of layering in space and time, and most of my gardens work well on this principle but I am having trouble applying it to asparagus. What should I plant around my asparagus to reduce exposed soil and improve fertility?

I have done some research and found a lot of people seem to say that asparagus should be grown alone, but this poses weeding and soil fertility problems I would rather avoid long-term. So, how can I apply permacultural techniques to the growing of asparagus?

Asking here because it was declared off-topic on sustainability.se.com.

Note: I'm in Eastern Washington State, relatively dry, hot in the summer, cold in the winter, moderately growing season.


texts:
I have 2 avocado plants - grown from pits, indoors and just a year old. With the weather getting better, I moved them outside in their containers. It has been a week and they are outside day and night and sprouted new leaves too.
To my utter shock last week, I found one of the plants totally cut off at the stem. Just the pit and roots remain in the pot now. And I saw a raccoon this morning roaming near my garden bed so most likely it is the work of this raccoon. most of my seedings have been plucked out of earth or bit off at the stem.
I am most concerned for my avocado though. Both the plants are a year old, grown indoors and mean a lot to me. So my question to the avocado experts is this - will my avocado regrow (the entire stem that grew from the pit - roughly  a foot long, has been bitten off)? Or should I consider it dead?
Looking forward to all your comments.
Thanks in advance, means a lot to me.


texts: What's the best way to sharpen the blades of a reel mower?

texts:
I have a Scotts 20" Classic Reel Mower. The blades are starting to dull a bit.

What's the best way to sharpen the blades on the reel?


texts: This plant (or different plants?) has started to spread across my lawn. What is it and how can I get rid of it without harming the grass? If it is relevant, I live in northern Mississippi.


texts: How can I kill or remove insects from cut flowers that I bring inside?

texts:
When I cut flowers (typically daylilies) from my garden and bring them inside, I often find I am treated to a barrage of flies over the next few days.  I'm going to guess that there are maggot larvae within the flowers, which matures inside my home.

I'd also like to bring in my peonies, but they are covered in ants.  If a different technique is applicable for them, I'd like to know.

I love the idea of bringing my garden inside, but not at the expense of harboring an indoor insect colony.  Is there a way to kill the insects/larvae (with or preferably without chemicals?)


texts:
I'm building a stack block wall using interlocking block. The base level went well - things are level and all the block are stable. But as I layer on additional levels, minor inconsistencies in the blocks are making them imbalanced. Some of them wobble up to a couple millimeters.

I've tried adding small amounts of sand to level the intermediate blocks. They just seems to make the problem worse the higher I go. I'm building the wall to be 7 blocks high (1st block and a half set into the ground). The problem really shows at about the 4th block, but even the second row wobbles a bit.

Will this impact the stability of the finished wall?

How do I fix it? Redo the whole thing?

Additional Information:

I'm repairing an existing wall. The wall is 3 feet high. I've dug out the wooden steps and removed the block immediately next to the steps to put in new stairs. The existing wall appears to have been built on a mix of coarse gravel and sand. Behind the wall is landscape fabric and behind that is garden bed soil (purchased specifically for growing garden vegetables).


texts: Unable to grow curry leaf plant successfully, what could I be doing wrong?

texts:
Some background - As you can see in the picture below, my plant has plenty of those fruits now. After watching a Youtube video about 3 weeks back, I pluck few of these that were black and seems ready (easily pluck-able) and left it in a cup in shade for about a week. Its been sown in a container for about 2 weeks now (1 inch deep in the soil) but nothing has grown yet
I am using the Kellogg Patio Plus gardening soil, watering twice a week and the container is in shade.
My first try - Last year, 2019 in Fall also I had tried sowing but no luck. From a Youtube video I watched that time, I remember the person saying these seeds usually have 90% germination rate..
I live in Fremont, is there anything I might be doing wrong? Any suggestions/tips are welcome.


texts: Mystery emergent foliage (bulb?) USDA zone 5

texts:
My mom is an avid gardener and works in many gardens close to her. This plant popped up last week but she’s unsure of its genesis. She can’t inagine having planted two bulbs so close together, but maybe if it was a pair clustered together? This location is full sun with a heat-sink provided by the house foundation and stonework nearby.

Please help me get my mom an idea about this intriguing plant!


texts: I have 3 hybrid tea's and a grandiflora in pots that i wish to transplant to the ground this spring but im unsure about the right spacing distance between each them. I've been reading about it on the internet and opinions vary from 2ft, 2 and a half to 3ft. I dont want to plant my roses too close to invite issues relating to disease nor too far to have large gaps in between. I'll be planting them in the South-eastern side where they'll get plenty of sunlight. We have a semi arid climate with summers that are hot and dry. What would be the ideal spacing under such conditions?


texts: Is it okay to let the basil leaves "age"? Like the leaves at the lower part of the stem. I pinch back my basil plant at the top, so the leaves at the bottom doesn't get touched and grow larger. I have read in a forum that the big leaves don't taste as good as the new small ones.


texts:
I've got several mature trees in my yard. I just moved into the home and for the last two years not a lot of care was given to the trees. As a first step I've removed all the trees that were scattered around the tree step.

Question

Other than pruning what other measures can be taken to take care of a mature tree?
Should I cover the stem with mulch? Should the mulch be mixed with something?


texts: Will my mostly brown lucky bamboo survive?

texts:
I've been reading about the lucky bamboo on google, and I have one that hasn't had water for over 2 months. I was wondering whether it will survive.

I've uploaded a picture.
I think only 1 of them has a bit of green leaves.


texts: Is it really important to give blueberry plants acidic soil?

texts:
I have two blueberry bushes which I planted at the end of the summer. Although I had read online that they prefer acidic soil, I didn't have the time to check the pH of our soil, and go out to buy something to make it more acidic. My bushes seem reasonably healthy (although perhaps suffering from a lack of water), but I wanted to know how important it is to give them acidic soil?

There are a few parts to my question:

Is this something to bother with, or just something to do if you are a really serious gardener?
Does the soil acidity affect the growth and health of the plant, the fruiting (quantity and quality), both, or neither?
If you would recommend adding something to the soil to lower the pH, what?

Thanks for your help!


texts: What will fungi do in an aerobic environment?

texts:
This winter I'm considering adding another foot to my wine cap bed so it has a nice thermal environment all winter. That would make it under 2' (wood chip dimensions of 10'x100'x2') of wood chips/leaves within 6 months Will my wine cap dedicate its runners towards the surface to get to the fresh air while running away from the bacteria trying to eat it, or disperse in all directions like it does on cardboard (star pattern).

As I was smart enough to put some on layers cardboard in an inoculation box I plan to put some only 1' deep but on the other side of the wood chip bed to compare the two methods.


texts: Should I cut off this weak branch on my crepe myrtle or try and support it?

texts:
I have this great "pink velour" crepe myrtle tree that I planted last summer. I'm really happy with how fast it grows and how much it flowers. Recently, the weakest branch from the ground has started to sag really badly because of the weight of the bloom.

I'm wondering what a good approach would for fixing this. I don't want the branch to be trained into that position, I want it to grow up more. I could also just cut it off entirely, but it would leave that side a bit bare.


texts: Should I cut leafless stem off of plant?

texts:
I have a ( Indoor ) plant that has been drooping lately and its stems are long and touch the floor. I'm not sure if the stems are supposed to be stiff, or if that is just the way the plant is supposed to be.

Anyway, The plant seems to be dying since it has a lot of leafless stems. The plant has been neglected for a long time and I just decided to try and make it healthier. So, should I cut off the long leafless stems so the plant can conserve energy? And is it normal for a plant to have stems that dont grow upright? I didnt have this plant since it was bought so I'm not sure why its stems grow along the floor.


texts:
I'm looking to build an indoor garden to grow lettuce, basil, maybe tomatoes etc..

I have numerous questions :

Are smart gardens a viable options ? (In terms of electricity cost and harvest quantity)
If not, how to I build my setup ?
Which lamp is the best in terms of quality of growth/low consumption
and many more..

I've seen this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=710GLFRcEy4) but it doesn't explain anything about the lamp, how he built, which species he uses etc..

Do you know a website or YT video that teaches from scratch how to build one, which are the best lamps, how many light a day each plant need. I've seen much videos but they do not answer my questions above..
The main goal would be quality vegetables with low consumption lights. Is there any material that teaches from A to Z indoor gardening ?
Thanks !


texts:
I've just potted a frangipani (plumeria) cutting given to me by a friend and since it's not in its natural climate, I'm wondering what conditions it will thrive in?  If it matters, I live in a temperate zone.

How should I water it?  How much sun does it need?  Fertiliser?  Does it need to be changed with the seasons?


texts: What are some tips on growing plants indoors with cats?

texts:
I have to grow my plants indoors because it does get cold enough in Dallas sometimes that frost may occur or even snow.

However, we have a small household cat. She has bit our bamboo plant leaves in the past.  We really can't just place them in the window where it would be ideal for the plant.
The cat loves to sit by the window. We could hang it up higher but it's not practical to water them. Also, it would provide her another fun "toy" to jump and swat with her paws.

Any recommendations on keeping her from biting our plants?


texts: Why do some people use ice cubes at the roots of outdoor plants to help them flower?

texts:
I once recall my late aunt saying that she used to place ice cubes on some of her plants to help them flower outside. The sad thing is, I don't even remember which plant she was talking about, and whether it was one of the plants that were given to me after she passed away.

So, are there any plants that benefit from having ice cubes put near the roots?

Edit: turns out she used them on her peonies to make them flower as we didn't get enough frost days


texts: Is there such thing as a rootstock that instead of limiting a scion's size (a dwarfing rootstock), instead increases the scion's size and vigor (a "giganting" or "maximizing" rootstock)? For example if a standard apple tree grows to 30 feet, but on a dwarfing rootstock grows to 10 feet, is there such thing as a rootstock that could make it 50 feet? Is this theoretically possible (not just for fruit trees, but for any trees)? For example what if I grafted a normally short shrubby juniper on a taller one (like Eastern Redcedar)?


texts: Why is there such a difference in size between the same tomato plant's saplings?

texts:
I have miniature "balcony" tomatoes which I've planted from seeds last year, and they gave fruit which have been sitting in the fridge slowly drying down and shriveling for about half a year. A few months back I decided to try and plant these shriveled up tomatoes without taking them apart to get to the seeds inside, just to see what would happen. I think all of them sprouted, but there is a noticeable difference in sizes of the new plants. As you would expect, most fruits have produced groups of small saplings, but some have grown into few, but much more massive.

You can barely see the gaps in soil because I used sprouting pods and planted some of them together into one pot. Why is there such a great difference between the saplings? Is it just because the bigger ones had so few other seeds to compete with for nutrients? Because it doesn't look to me like it would be that big a deal, but I may be wrong. Could it be because the roots got stuck inside the tomato fruit's skin? Or is it because some fruit have had more time to mature better than others?


texts: Why are my Sprinkler's no longer rotating?

texts:
I have an irrigation system that's about 7 years old. I started to notice that some of my sprinkers' (MP Rotators) are either not rotating or doing so at an extremely slow rate.  I've done several steps in attempting to resolve the problem but with no success.  Hoping someone has further guidance for me.

Steps I've taken:

First I cleaned each filter within the spray heads to ensure there was no clog. No luck. Then I bought a pressure gauge and discovered that my spray heads are anywhere from 60 to 80 psi. The spray bodies are basic Orbitz brand, so I started replacing them with pressure regulating spray bodies from Hunter. I've verified the pressure is now around 38 psi.

Despite all this, the rotation problem persists. I've run out of ideas. I still haven't replaced all the spray bodies yet, so wasn't sure if I need to get an entire zone on pressure regulated spray bodies before I see a change?

Update:
Adding photos.  Also realized the old spray body isn't Orbitz but...I think Rainbird?

Old and new spray bodies

Filter and in the ground

In action. Streams look good, they just aren't rotating.


texts: Can anyone identify this grass or weed that has sprouted up in my healthy fescure? Please see picture. I have a pretty good tall fescue lawn that I have been working on getting out the crabgrass and various weeds with "0.28% Barricade pre-emergent Weed-Feed fertilizer applied in late March and a good post-emergent spot-spray weed killer this spring. So far, so good. The fescue yard really looks great.  BUT...I have a new patch of this unidentified grass or weed with seeds at the top that just popped up a week or two ago as shown in the picture. It's in an area 20x20 feet only...and it was an area that got a good strong dose of the weed and feed in March. The unidentified interloper is a bit lighter shade of yellow-green (at the top of the picture) than healthy dark green fescue (at the bottom of the picture). And it has what appears to be seeds at the top. I live in zone 7. Thank you. Mark


texts: Is there a way I can deter geese from visiting my yard and pond?

texts:
Has anyone had success with any form of goose deterrent? I currently have a small flock of about 10 geese that like to leave their scat all over my driveway and lawn.

I have about 2 acres of lawn and a half acre pond on the property.


texts: I've read that burdock contact can cause irritation, where can I plant it?

texts: Where would be the best place to plant Burdock so that it won't irritate me when digging in the garden?


texts: I live in Las Vegas, Nevada. So I know I have the right soil and conditions to grow pistachio trees. But can I just plant a pistachio seed and grow a tree or do I have to go buy the tree?


texts: A friend of mine is moving out and he left me his little tree. Nevertheless, I do not know what kind of tree it is, and I'd like to know so I can google some tips of how to take care of it.


texts: plant id - grass variety, purple flowers, wide leaves

texts:
Requesting plant ID. If this behaves like an invasive plant, I would like to get rid of it. The leaves are wide, about two feet or three tall in total, almost like an iris, but the flowers don't look like the iris. The flowers look more like those of blue-eyed grass in size and color (which I have in a different location), but are different in details.    I didn't plant this, but it appeared and a squirrel may have brought the bulbs or seeds from neighbors.   I see this growing in at least four or five different spots in the backyard.

Location: USA, California, San Francisco Bay Area, Zone 0-11.


texts:
I recently bought some clay pots and put a one year old date palm in it using a potting mix of 1 year old compost, leaf mold and very few of bought horse-manure-mix. For drainage I used some stones.

Today I noticed that there is some white foam visible pn the outside of the pot. It looks like a fungi. I read somewhere that it could also be salpeter.

So what it is and is it dangerous for my plants?

EDIT: as requested I upload a photo: (click for a larger version)


texts:
Today I planted an apple tree grown on dwarfing rootstock (M27). The soil at my allotment is very heavy yellow clay. But it's on a decent slope.

I dug a hole the depth of the container in which it came. The bottom of the hole was practically hard clay, you could make sculpture out of it. Therefore I did the following:

Put in some big stones.
Then compost, fish blood and bone and horticultural grit, all mixed together.
Planted the tree and the stake.

I fear that the tree roots might get stuck in the clay "ball", and that the drainage might not be as good as needed.

Can someone give me any impressions about this, and in case it seems it's doomed to root rot, is there anything I could do to prevent it at this stage?

Below you see a picture, and I am in Bristol, UK.


texts: Which two leaders of my Dawn Redwood should I remove?

texts: I need to remove two of the leaders of my Dawn Redwood tree. Which ones? I planted this in October of 2017.


texts: Is something wrong with my zucchini plant?

texts:
I have three large zucchini plants in my garden, and all three have been producing nice fruits for a few weeks.  The last couple days, one of them has started to turn yellow and sickly:

I've never grown zucchini before, so I'm not sure if this is just the natural progression, and the plant's life is over... or if this is a sign of some damage or disease.  If it is the latter, can I nurse the plant back to health? Or should I destroy it so it doesn't infect the remaining healthy plants?

EDIT

In response to @EdStaub's answer, here's a new photo of the base of the plant, at three magnifications:


texts: Should a Rudy Haag Burning Bush be pruned?

texts: Should my Euonymus alatus 'Rudy Haag' (Burning Bush) be pruned in spring or not at all? This is my first spring after planting it last spring.


texts: Is this a fungal problem on my oak leaf?

texts:
I have cork oak seedling where the older leaves (last year's growth) start looking like this:

Though wind resistant, it falls off if slightly touched. Go figure.
But I don't think the plant is in poor condition. The roots are healthy. New buds are popping up and they seem vibrant and vigorous.
Is this condition a normal condition of older oak tree leaves or is it some sort of fungal disease?
Or is it due to over watering issues? I suspected this and I considerably dialed back on the watering and am making sure to check if the soil is quite dry before saturating. Maybe that's why the new leaves are doing okay but the old ones are damaged?


texts: How can I reduce the pressure and flow to only part of an irrigation system?

texts:
I'm designing a more permanent tree irrigation system for my property to replace the makeshift only I currently have that uses garden hoses. To water the trees, I've settled on non-pressurized lines that are open at the ends (to eliminate the problem of clogging, as we have extremely hard water). To ensure that the flow isn't too high, I need a way to reduce the flow so it just dribbles out. To do this right now, I just open my hose bib spigot a tiny bit so the flow is extremely low, and it works fine. However, this means I can't run the sprinkler at the same time.

For the system I'm designing, I want to preserve the high pressure high flow at the hose bib so I can run the sprinkler (high flow, high pressure) at the same time as the dribbly tree irrigation part (low flow, low pressure). I have not had much luck finding a product or method to accomplish this. How can I reduce the flow and pressure for only one of the lines? I almost feel like what I want to do is add another hose bib, or a shut-off valve that uses a globe valve instead of a ball valve. I want to be able to throttle the flow, basically.


texts: Possible reasons for coriander seedlings dying off

texts:
I had planted a grow-bag full of coriander seeds and they grew into plants with no problem. I planted some more seeds in another larger, wider pot, and after germination, a small clump of seedlings in a 2 sq cm area were suddenly flat on the ground one day. I figured a cat or bird must've stomped it. Next day another clump of seedlings were flat. And so on until everyday a few more were getting flattened. I've been watering them every morning and evening, with just enough water to moisten all the soil. They are getting a good amount of sunlight too. On examining the flattened seedlings, I noticed that the portion of the stem that just emerges from the soil, appeared to be a bit squeezed, as compared to the rest of the stem, so I assumed it could be due to there not being enough water and the soil drying up. But even pouring more water didn't help, as today few more of them are flat on the ground. It's happening only in this flower pot, and it's the same soil I've used in the other grow-bag.

I've seen this answer and etiolation, but since some of the coriander seedlings are growing fine and some aren't, I thought I'd ask.
Update Nov 2019: All the coriander plants eventually died. Now a year later, even garlic plants are dying off. They grew fine for a few months and now all are listing and withering off. The curry leaf plant in the middle seems ok. There are black ants that used to use the bottom area of the pot as a storage location for their eggs, and they seem to have created their nest in the mud in the pot. I wonder if the nest building of the ants is creating some air pockets and introducing fungal infection or something.


texts:
I am unsure if this question is being asked in the correct community, but I will ask anyways.

I would like to attempt to build a well-type structure in a woodland area. This woodland is mainly inhabited with Silver Birch and Sycamores and there is a sallow stream running down off of a moorland around 80ft from where the well would be ideally placed, but this can move.

My thoughts are that due to the prevalence of water there is likely to be a body of water underneath the ground simply through the natural process of infiltration.

so my questions are the following:

1) Am I likely to come across water if I dug this well

2) How deep will I have to dig before I reach water or impermeable ground


texts: This plant has spring up from a dry area that is sparsely covered. It has distinctive spiky leaves which resemble a Holly but so far I've failed to match it. There isn't anything in the vicinity where I found this that has a matching leaf.


texts: Rue with white dots and some 3mm white bugs

texts:
I have a Rue plant in my terrace, and for many weeks it has had some sort of plague made of white dots and some slightly bigger bugs, oval shape, no more than 3mm long.

I've been using an organic repellent, with very little success.

I don't even know the name of this plague, so I've posted it here if anyone knows it or has already dealt with it in the past.

Here are some photos of it:

What I know about its "behavior": it prefers both sides of the leaf, and the bigger bugs (those oval shaped) reside on the nodes of the stem, preferably into the most tight part of it (the third picture shows it).


texts:
This flower is growing in my back yard out of the wall. I've tried Googling "purple flower yellow center" and similar terms but I can't find an exact match.

I'm in North-East England if that's any help!


texts: Can I connect an irrigation system to my spigot? What pipe size should I use for the irrigation system?

texts:
In this picture I have a spigot in point 9 (see the spigot setup below) and I am planing to install an irrigation system as per the below layout

The edging is 44'x18' with flower beds ~4' wide (at their widest point)
What size should my red pipes be and what size should the blue pipe be considering that the copper pipe that comes out of the wall is 1/2"?
Can I use a hose with a quick connect from the spigot (❾) to the manifolds (❽) which I plan to remove during the winter?

How deep should I dig for the pipes? The frost line is 3-4' in Toronto so I guess it does not make any difference if it is 6", 1ft or 3ft. I have the feeling that the installation depth for these pipes is dictated by a compromise between avoiding accidental digging out the pipe when doing something else and saving on materials

the spigot and the PSI at spigot level


texts: When and how should I move deciduous ferns?

texts: When is the best time to move a fern? It's a deciduous species, maybe a shuttlecock fern. Also can I divide the plant while I'm doing it?


texts: Is it okay to use left-over pasta water to water plants, including edibles?

texts: We are having a drought in California, so I'm just wondering if I could reuse salted pasta water (after it cools) to keep the plants hydrated. Is this a good idea?


texts: What are these raised brown sections on the backs of the leaves on my pear tree?

texts:
I have this brown stuff growing on all the leaves on my pear tree in my garden.

Does anyone know what this is? I think it might be some plant disease.

Does anyone have any advice on fixing this?


texts: I tried to prune a rose bush and it stopped growing from all the branches I pruned, and instead shot one big green stem up from the root again.  What is the proper technique?


texts: How can I tell when a crab-apple tree is dead?

texts:
I have a crab-apple tree for a few years that was fine, as much as I can tell, however this year it didn't grow leaves. This is south Canada zone and all trees around are green for many weeks now. There was a few days of frost a month back, other plants seems to have handled it well. Also, on the bark there has been that looks like mold for a few years now, it didn't change much.
Basically my question is - does it mean the tree is dead? If not, how can I save it?
For reference, I took these today:


texts:
I received an unknown plant for Christmas and since repotting it in my room, it has been dying. My best guess is that it is a spider plant (but see photo for more information). At first it was in a semi-lit space (no direct sunlight), but once I saw that the leaves were turning brown I moved it into my kitchen which has south facing windows (so direct sunlight). The leaves are now drooping quite a bit and even more leaves are turning brown. I have tried watering more/watering it less and everything I do seems to make it worse.
Any ideas what I can do to save my plant?


texts: Looking for plant recommendations for newly landscaped front yard

texts:
I am trying to find the right type of plants to put along the edge of my front yard on a terraced level.  It has no shade and the plants will be next to a brick wall that separates this level from the next one up. It will be the first thing people see when looking at the yard as it is close to street level.

Hoping for something that can stay green in winter months (Seattle climate) but will bloom/flower in spring or summer. We tried hydrangea but the heat from the brick wall was too much for them even with regular watering.  I have room to plant 4 evenly spaced bushes there.
Any ideas?


texts: How Can I remove leaf eater insect from the lemon plant

texts:
I have one lemon plant in my house. I have seen a small leaf eater insect on my plant (picture attached)

How I remove this insect from my plant. Please give suggestions. Thanks in advance.


texts: Should I move out my bell pepper plants?

texts: Should I be moving my bell pepper plants into bigger pots now or should I let them grow more? If I should be moving them, how should I space them?


texts: What are inexpensive materials for homemade tomato cages?

texts:
After starting our tomato plants from seed this year, we have many more small plants in the ground than in the past years. We are looking to make our own inexpensive and durable cages that we could use year after year.

What are starting materials that we can use? Are there materials to avoid? It seems that the openings in chicken wire and hardware cloth are too narrow.


texts:
I've noticed a beetle on our fava beans.  They crawl out and fly away, leaving perfectly circular little holes.  Any idea what they are and what they do?  Besides the little hole, the beans seem fine.

I can't post images but they're little dark beetles, maybe 3 millimeters long.


texts: Every year I weed around my bulbs which is full of grass, dandelions & thistle. By the time I get done weeding it all, it’s time to start weeding all over again & my back can’t take it anymore. I’ve tried ground cover, I’ve tried news paper, cardboard, mulch.... all of which is supposed to kill the roots because it can’t get the sun light to the roots. None of these have worked. Is there anything I can do or use or spray my bulb flower beds without harming the plants/bulbs so that I don’t have grass growing all summer that’s as high as by flowers? I’d like to enjoy my beautiful flowers not spend every waking hour weeding. Please help.


texts: I've looked online to try to identify the type of tree that it is so I can take better care of it in regards to watering, fertilizing, & the environment. So far I've come up with nothing & it's starting to wilt, any help would be greatly appreciated.


texts: I have some hosta plants that are getting quite large and are crowded where they are located right now. What do I need to worry about when moving/splitting hostas?


texts: I broke my mango seedling stem tip. Stem is still growing but it has no leaves at all. And to tell you the truth i don't understand from where could the leaves grow. Any  ideas on this matter would be welcomed.


texts: How to make a plastic bottle sun resistant for DIY watering irrigation

texts:
I want to accomplish this DIY water technique for my pomegranate trees. https://youtu.be/mEV65WTyxkU

I want to make those plastic bottles resistant to the sun as there is a lot of sun over here (35 - 40 degrees C). Well there may not be all day long direct sun light from the sun to the bottle but I want to make it last from the spring until Autumn

If I use Aluminium Foil around the bottle would it make it resistant to the sun?


texts: How often should you mow a growing lawn?

texts:
During the warm months when my grass is growing, is there a mowing schedule I can use to encourage the lawn to be green and healthy? Mine often seems "unhappy" when it's been cut (goes pale, some browning), which makes me want to mow it less-often.

Is there anything I can check to know when it's best to cut the grass?


texts: Should I remove this plant that is growing on top of my milkweed?

texts:
We have this milkweed that is usually covered in caterpillars this time of year, but hasn't really grown any leaves since this little plant popped up right in the middle of it.

I'm afraid to rip it out in case it kills the milkweed. Do you think it is fine to leave it alone or should I try to get rid of it? And if I should get rid of it, how should I go about doing that?