texts: Please help me to select the best form composition for this backyard design

texts:
Below you have the existing areas designated as marked.
Just below the access path to the left side I intend to install an outdoor sofa, parallel to the fence (it can now be seen in the 3Ds). The left side threes belong to my neighbor.
The green rectangle to left bottom side is a vegetable garden

Update as requested:
-NNW is at the top of the page, vertical axe of the schematic diagrams
-no drainage issues
-vegetable garden positioned there because it is the least visible and close to the shed where the tools are. Shed is there ..because that is the best area for it :-)
-exterior brick veneer
-no pets
-USDA zone: 6a (Toronto)
-prefer perenials and evergreen (but not for trees)
-the trees in my design: Japanese Maple (Emperor wolf), Hybrid Dogwood, and again a green leaf Japanese maple.
-fence segment parallel with the garden will be a perennial flowering vine (Trumpets Vine or climbing rose)
-privacy was addressed by the below showed placement of the trees Basicall I need privacy in the patio area.
-I do not insist to have a lot of lawn
-watering will be done with an irrigation system
-no previous landscaping experience (if you check the homereno diy section of stackexchange you will see my work on the patio and some pictures)
- I do not intend to post more pictures
-no other areas other that what is suggested.
-the BBQ is next to the wall parallel with the patio table (so that is the kitchen for now)

I basically need help with a theme not with the detailed design, something like what is encircled in green belowk:
https://i.imgur.com/RJXScvS.png ☚ direct link to full size picture

-NNW is at the top of the page, vertical axe of the below diagram

And here is the best idea I could come up with. A rectangular theme where 1,2,3,4 have the same size. I must admit that it will be a challenge for me to create these areas (1,2,3) either with plants or some hardscaping materials

What would you change or how would you do it? What do you consider that I should change?

-NNW is at the top of the page, vertical axe of the below diagram

 And here is a 3D

Here I added the sofa. That in the 3D is not exactly the style that I want. It will be more like this:

I could also center the sofa on the longitudinal axe of the biggest area of the backyard as below but that will squize the dwarf tree that would be planted in the that corner behind the sofa, corner that I want to be a second focal point (lights might be installed there) This will be a focal point for the viewer from the deck as well. (dwarf japanese maple of dwarf pine or strong color shrub)

View from the kitchen with a view that I am trying to block. Basically my neighbor and myself see each other from the kitchen or deck. There was a tree there but the former owner cut it for unknown reasons.

I have also added the windows in the 3D so you can have an idea what the viewer sees from the house

Update: How about this idea:


texts: I accidentally ran over my weigela with my riding mower. There is about 3 inches left. Will it come back or do I need to get a new one?


texts: I just bought this plant but I am now realizing that I have no idea what it is, so looking up care tips is much more difficult than anticipated. Would you be able to help me identify it?


texts: Tomato plant-Yellowing of older leaves with necrosis of green leaves- flowers falling off without fruiting

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The Internet has led me to suspect this is a nutrient issue but I can't figure out which nutrient or if that's true. This is a cherry tomato plant. It gets moderate sun- direct sun for about 3 hours per day in Southern California. It has been chilly here lately (~65 day, ~55 night) and randomly ~75ish. This plant was last fertilized 3 weeks ago with Jobes tomato spikes. Brand new leaves show no sign of disease- new leaves at base of plant show no sign of disease. Some flowers fruiting, others drying up without fruit. The lower leaves yellowed completely in 3 or 4 days. Upper leaves appear dry and have small light brown thin spots- not concentric circles. Other leaves have holes- usually the holes are in the center areas of the leaf and do not affect the tips of the leaf.

[![leaf damage][3]][3]


texts: How to safely use insecticides for Gesneriaceae plants?

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I migrated some of my Gesneriaceae plants out of my home. They include episcias, Streptocarpuses, and a few African violets. All of these plants grow from stem cuttings and thus, taking more space in my house. I noticed that grasshoppers and some unidentified insects eat their leaves and they turn ugly in just a couple of days.

I usually make natural insecticides from some garlic juice combined with little soap if necessary. And this works like a charm to tomatoes some and other fragile plants outside. However, if this is done to a my Gesneriaceae family plants it works, but it causes permanent brown spots or areas on the leaves in just couple of hours. These kind of plants don't tolerate water on their leaves even if it's pure water .

Perhaps, anyone ever encounter a similar case and know how to handle it? Tricks? Better insecticides?


texts:
I'm about to open my store and I built my logo with moss in a coconut fiber board (sticking little parts of moss with gardening wire to the board).
I wanna hang it on the wall and direct a light towards it. I have no idea how to illuminate it.
My store will be opened for 12h in the future, so I'd leave this light directed to it for those 12h (and moss should only get about 2 hours of sunlight / day)
I figured I could just buy those light supports for artwork (60cm long).

The thing is, it normally only comes in with LED. I saw this other thread where @Kevinsky explains the impact of different types of light for moss in a typical terrarium. He doesn't mention LED though. Would it work?
In this thread, he also mentions that Xenon would it make it look better. But I only found Xenon lamps for cars and parties. Not sure if I'm poorly searching.
Another important theme is the watering of the moss, I plan to water it by sprikling water directly on it. Filtered water, every 12h (and it would not be watered in sundays). Is this a problem at all? It is normal filtered water, should I add in something to make it healthier?
I put in A LOT of work to build my logo with this, I really want it to be healthy for a long time and to look good on the wall. Thanks for everyone willing to help!


texts: How do I get rid of moles and mice humanely?

texts:
Possible Duplicates:
  How can I get rid of gophers in a non-lethal way?
   How can I get rid of rabbits in my yard
  Is there any way to prevent vole lawn destruction during snow cover?

I have a problem with moles, and possibly mice, burrowing tunnels in my yard and garden and creating piles of dirt. I would like to get rid of them, but I don't like the idea of killing them or using poisonous chemicals. Is there a natural, humane method for getting rid of these rodents from my yard?


texts: Will yellow undergrowth rhubarb leaves turn green?

texts: My rhubarb colony has a couple yellow leaves, but everything on the surface prior to picking was green. Will the yellow leaves turn green?


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My poor cactus was under-watered and I accidentally left it outside during the Big Southern Freeze in February. I had forgotten all about it when I was freezing my butt off in my house. I feel awful about it!
Have since brought it inside. Been watering it here and there, but don't want to risk rot. Used a little cactus fertilizer.
It has a dramatic lean and looks shrivel-y. It looks like the top is going to break off. There are some damaged spots from the freeze.
Does it look like a goner? Do I need to cut it and let it regrow or do I need to just let it be?

Update
Cut my cactus open and it looks like death :'(
Is this goodbye to the cactus I've had for 20 years?


texts: Leeks, how long from flower to dry seed?

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I left some leeks in the ground from last year, and they shot up to form a bulb in December. They flowered shortly afterwards at a height of about 6 feet. I expected the seeds to be ready for planting this year but it's already into autumn and the seeds don't look ready. I've examined a few and they are still green.

Does anyone know how long I need to wait for the seeds to go black? And can I cut the flowers off and let the seeds harden off the plant, or do I need to leave them on?


texts:
Hi my first post on here as I've been trying to find out what this purple plant is that popped up from no where. It's in a part of the garden where I lost a stunning old red rose due to weather in winter.
Thanks in advance


texts: Found amongst bluebells. The local vegetation is made up of heath, chestnut trees and English oaks. I didn’t see any other similar plants around it. Any idea what it could be?


texts: What can I do with rocks to encourage wildlife?

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Recently I was preparing an area for planting, so dug up a lot of rocks and stones. These are a variety of sizes and shapes, mostly between 5cm and 30cm. So now I have a large pile of rocks.

I would like to do something with these rocks, to benefit wildlife in my garden. So how should I arrange them? Better as one big pile, or several smaller piles? Or maybe build a dry stone wall, or other structure? And whereabouts in the garden should I put them?

And what sort of wildlife could it attract? Specifically in Scotland.


texts: What is this shrub and why does it attract flies and can anything be done?

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I have a shrub which but I'm not sure what it is that around this time of year that attracts bees but also attracts a large number of what appears to be common or bluebottle flies. Can anything be done to stop the flies?

Obviously I don't want to harm the bees but the bush is right near my front door so I end up with a flies coming inside so may have to look at cutting it down if nothing can be done.

Location: UK


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They are not very tall. About 1 to 2 foot tall.

Spotted in Sydney, Australia


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I have a young bay tree in a pot, which I received from my parents. It lives outside on a South-East Facing balcony.

For a long time after my parents gave it to me (maybe 8 months ago?) it didn't seem to be growing at all, and various of the existing leaves were gradually yellowing. There were also lots of holes in the existing old leaves which didn't seem to be expanding or increasing in number, so I assumed them to have been damage from previous insects.
All-in-all it seemed pretty poorly, and I suspected that it had not really survived being repotted and given to me.

A month ago it suddenly started creating shoots, and has now grown a nice batch of new leaves (excellent!) but a week ago I was surprised to see more holes on the new leaves.

What are they, and can I do anything to prevent them?


texts: Newbie with yellow/falling avocado tree leaves

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First time newbie here:

I've received an avocado tree as a gift no so long ago (April 3rd) since I always wanted to have one (although planting it myself from scratch hehe). However, my plant has been having some problems since I had it. I'll list out all the information I can so it'd be easier to explain. It's a Hass plant.

I've watered it twice since I received it (the 3rd and the 8th of April) (with tap water, my bad, and the pH in Madrid's tap water seems to be from 7 to 8,5 , so it's alkaline. http://madridsalud.es/control-del-agua-del-grifo/)
The climate here is cold these last couple of days, but I leave the window closed during the night (Madrid, going 5 Celsius to 15 these last couple of days.
I have not used any fertilizer, but as far as I can understand, I might need an iron fertilizer due to the problem I have.

Some leaves have turned yellow and then brown. The location of these leaves were not in the bottom but in the middle of the plant, so it doesn't seem to be too much water. The first 2 leaves that were too brown are still "watery" sort to speak. They're not dry. The 2 other leaves that are also now brown ARE dry.

Reading online, I should feel that the soil around the tree is at least a bit compact when I press it and it does feel that way, so I'm not sure about watering it even more because it doesn't feel that it needs to be watered.

I've tried to notice any bug on the underside of the leaf or in the top, but I don't see anything.

And unfortunately, I don't have any external area to leave the plant because I live on a high floor.

Could it also be a change in the environment due to the different location now?

I also leave some pictures for you to see.

Any recommendations? Thanks!


texts:
I have a 10x25 foot greenhouse and I am looking for a way to keep the humidity level up in the space.
I tried a second hand humidifier but it doesn't seem to be working very well.

I want to try using a Mr. Mister shower head humidifier, but keeping it on 24/7 will be too much.
Does anyone know of a water hose timer that will turn on every X minutes and stay on for maybe 1 minute at a time?
Even better would be a water hose timer which activates based on humidity level.

Advice please.


texts: Is this Chinese Evergreen healthy? what should I do with the specifics?

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i got this Chinese Evergreen yesterday from a local nursery. I selected the best one from them(sadly they had only two small ones). Since it's better to buy small plants then big one, I chose this Evergreen. But I found some things that I am not quite sure what to do about.

What caused this:

What caused this tiny little hole?

The two white roots tell me the plant is quite healthy, right? But if it is healthy, what caused those two above mentioned problems? Should I re-pot it now? I got a small pot(bigger than its current pot).


texts: Please help me to identify this plant, please!

texts:
Hello again to the knowledgeable people; I have one more plant to identify in my garden. I have moved recently and seeded some plants but many different other plants are growing also. Please help me to find out if the below plant is a weed or a flower.

Thank you very much for your time!!

Cristina


texts: What has caused my Bleeding Hearts to multiply and spread?

texts:
I planted three Bleeding Hearts last year. They were healthy and very pretty. This year there are seven or eight others all around the yard, as far away as fifty feet! They're even popping up under azaleas!

As expected, they ended last season with pods that shriveled up, however, I didn't see them break open.  I understand that wildflowers can spread by methods such as seeds being blown by the wind or carried by birds, but we've had bleeding hearts in other places we've lived, and have never seen this behavior.

They're adding beauty to my landscape, free of charge, so I'm not complaining. I'm just wondering about the mechanism.


texts: What are those orange things growing on my soil?

texts:
After two uncommonly hot & humid days in Southern California (weather is usually mild and dry), I noticed these orange things growing on my soil.  Wondering what those are (see 2nd and 3rd picture for close up)

ignore the yellow dots on the leave, those are fine :)

here are they up close. they are very fuzzy.

i'm guessing some kind of fungi? I am actually clueless here...


texts: Are my large box elder and Norway maple trees too close?

texts: In one corner of my yard I have two largish trees that are about 5 feet apart. One is a box elder, the other is a norway maple. They both have trunks about 12-14 inches in diameter. The box elder is a little bigger and taller. It seems like the canopies of these trees are interfering with each other. Are they too close? Should I cut one down?


texts: Selecting a weed flamer to use in a garden

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I want to experiment with using a weed flamer in the garden.  There are basically two scenarios I'm imagining using this thing:

quickly weeding wide areas like walkways & unused beds
as a supplement to hand weeding among living plants (obviously a potentially risky task)

What should I look for in a weed flamer?

This is a small-scale venture for me.  I have a moderately-sized home veggie garden (~50x30') and a couple perineal beds.  Something tells me the BTU rating won't matter much for my smaller needs - my larger concern is something so large that I won't be able to use it safely within a foot of any plants I want to survive.


texts: Can eggplants survive down to 33 °F (1°C)?

texts: We're getting a cold snap in May after the cold spring, and was wondering how cold eggplants can go while still surviving.


texts: Painting concrete pots to help conserve water

texts:
I asked this question about my potted lilly pillys. I have another separate question.

I live in a temperate climate zone. I have plants on a east facing balcony- they get  sun from about sunrise till the middle of the day.

I have Syzygium smithii, lilly pillys native to Australia, planted in square concrete planters. They are approx 2.5 foot wide and deep, and  2.5 foot tall.

They are unpainted (I had wanted to paint them before they were planted and was talked out of it).. they dry out very quickly.

Would painting the outside help conserve water, and if, so would an oil based paint be the best?

Would it have been better to paint them on the inside?

What sort of material is good to retain water, ie terracotta, concrete?


texts: New construction, rough top soil spread, how to flatten it?

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I recently moved into a new construction here this December, and since we have cold winters where I live, the builder was not going to do any landscaping for us.

What they did was spread some (very) rough top soil across the yard with the intention that it can be tilled and grass can be planted in Spring.  In the meantime however I have a puppy that is having a very awkward and difficult time navigating the dirt to do his business when I let him out.  He is refusing to go into the dirt and the thought of walking him across the street to go in my already unfriendly neighbors lawns isn't a good way to get on their good side.  Plus I don't want to walk across the streets in below 0 weather with a cold puppy everytime he needs to go.

My question then is what can I realistically do about this craggy and unmanageable topsoil in my yard to smooth it over and make it easier for the puppy to walk across.  Even if I can just do a small section it would be preferable.


texts: Shade tolerant plants that including ones that will cascade

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I have a series of terraced beds in front of my house that navigate a downward slope of 4'. The terrace is mostly in shade due to the maple tree that is also in the front yard. I'm looking to fill the beds with a nice variety of shade tolerant plants. I'm particularly fond of things that would cascade over the beds. I live outside NYC in New York.

Any suggestions on a variety of shade tolerant plants that would fit my situation.


texts: Am I over or underwatering my bird of paradise?

texts:
About two months ago I acquired a large bird of paradise plant. I keep it indoors, about 15 feet away from a north facing window.

Its leaves have been browning and curling, which I believe is either a sign of under or overwatering. I worried the soil might not be well-draining enough so I watered it relatively infrequently, about once a week.

I live in a small apartment, so it's difficult for me to de-pot the plant to see if it has root rot. How can I figure out what the problem is and save my plant?


texts:
My Mom gave me this plant after some animal (her neighbor said it was likely a cat) ate all the foliage off of it. She said it originally had leaves similar to my crappy drawing on the first picture. She had not watered it for ages and presumed it was dead.

I took it in an effort to resurrect it and after 6 months it has a small new sprout (look closely at the second picture)!

Questions:

What is this plant?
I was told not to transplant it for fear of killing it but it has obviously outgrown its container, can I transfer it to a larger pot without killing it?
Obviously it prefers partial shade, but what else should I know about caring for it?


texts:
I had this rose bush for a few years and I used to cut it back in winter. Two years ago it grew some long stems and I decided to let them and see if they can survive winter, which they did and they had beautiful blooms by the end of spring. Now it keeps growing and I was just wondering if anyone can tell if this is a climbing rose?

P.S. Here is the earlier post I made about this rose
Roses fading their color


texts:
We picked up a brown turkey fig tree last summer. We plan on keeping it in a large pot rather than in the ground. We have a small space and understand they have a good sized root system. Plus we live in an iffy area for this tree when it comes to overnight lows (Kootenays in BC Canada).

At the end of year wrap up we brought it inside rather than protecting it outside. The location it's been in has not allowed the tree to go dormant and instead it's growing...too well!

My question is what should we do to give it the best chance this summer? Did we harm its year? Should we prune it now and get it outside (slowly) to give it some cold time? Or let it be and just move it out in when it's warm?


texts: How can I determine when to pick a spiny cucumber, without touching it?

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We have a friend who occasionally brings us vegetable plants, as she has her own garden/farm thing where she cultivates plants to sell to restaurants. This time around, she brought us some tiny red and yellow tomatoes as well as some cucumbers. The tomatoes were easy to work with, the cucumbers less so. We're currently at the point where we're trying to figure out when it's time to pick them. Unlike store-bought plants we've dealt with in the past, our friend did not leave us any seed cards or other kind of information that could help us.

The problem is that they're particularly prickly. The largest one, on the left, is probably ready by size alone. The picture on the right is one of several smaller ones. You can probably see a fair amount of spines, mostly near the bottom, but the entire fruits are positively covered in shiny barbs. It's not limited to the fruits themselves, though. The stalks and the leaves of the plant are also covered in coarse hairs that can even puncture our gardening gloves. If there was such thing as a cactus cucumber these may very well be it, haha, but I've actually heard of spiny cucumbers for a long time. Mom says these are worse than dealing with rosebushes.

A quick search online has shown up mostly ways of checking if a cucumber is ready to pick is by the firmness of grasp. This is decidedly not an option as I enjoy my hands being relatively smooth and hole-free, and thicker gloves mean I won't even be able to feel the fruit. Resources I've found on dealing with spiny cucumbers all seem to be about how to cook and peel them, not how to harvest them off the plant in the first place. So I ask, how might I ascertain that a cucumber is ready if it is too spiny to feel? With touch out of the question (lest there's a means to touch them without needle death), what means can we use to check on them and decide to snip them off the plant for eventual cookery?

 Click on pictures for larger view.


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I had potted some garlic to grow recently, and yesterday when I lifted the pot to clean under it, the soil seemed to look like pest excrement, of some sort. Here is a picture. Can someone help me understand what this is and if I need to be concerned?

Thanks]1


texts:
I have a bamboo species in my backyard I would like to identify.  Its a mid level running bamboo with shoots that hit 1 inch thickness near the base and grows up to 20-25 feet at this time.  It has only been planted for a year and a few months so not sure if the shoots will get higher next growing season.  There are also about 12 inches between joints on the shoots too.  I would also like to say this species grows very well here in Phoenix AZ and with a good watering once a week and twice or more in the hott summer months where the temps are up around 110F+

I am asking about this species to find out if its edible for pets and domesticated animals.  Once I identify the species I am hoping i can answer this second set of questions.  It links to this reference on this post at Pets StackExchange

Here is a photos of a leaf group and a shoot.


texts: New to the landscaping game. Planted a small lilac in my yard about a month ago and I am starting to see these spots on a majority of the leaves. Is this due to lack of water or nutrition?


texts: Hydroponics and transparent water container

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Is it fine to have a transparent bucket of water for hydroponics with recirculating water? the roots of the plants are obscure, but not so sure about the container.

This is the setup: https://www.reddit.com/r/Hydroponics/comments/a0ebb6/newbie_here_my_setup_of_3d_printed_parts_pvc_for/


texts:
I have a lot of oak trees where I live, and I've heard that acorns are edible, although not particularly tasty. Is it true?

To be honest I have only tried a minimal amount, too little to make any claim. I wasn't particularly eager to find myself at the hospital.


texts:
I'm fairly new to the gardening world and I've started to have a fair amount of plants indoors on my window sill. A while back though, I discovered a flowering plant that was not a species of flower I purchased seeds for.
It grows yellow flowers that drop its petals very quickly and leave these exposed seed pods on its stem. The seeds it drops vary from a dusty dark green color to pale gray/white and the little protruding "thorns" from the seeds are quite sharp when dry.
I've tried my hardest to find any sort of resemblance to other common yellow flowers but I haven't had much luck on my own. I'm located in Texas, so hopefully that might help!


texts: This is an orange/yellow flower. The image is not taken by me, so I can't give much more detail other than what can be seen.


texts:
I moved in a house without balcony nor garden nor communal garden, very sad. I was considering the idea of having an indoor garden with LED lights, like the Veritable indoor gardens, or there are manu others actually.
What is your experience with this kind of stuff? Does it work at least for having some green around?


texts: Zucchini leaves yellowing - but not powdery mildew

texts:
I have about 8 zucchini plants, about 6- 8 weeks along, which are starting to show signs of disease on the leaves.

It's definitely not powdery mildew, but the end result is quite similar. Leaves are getting yellowish patches which then develops brown spots and eventually the whole leaf turns yellow.

So far only some of the first leaves have turned yellow, but I can see it has spread to some of the larger leaves.

We've had unseasonal excessive rain over the past few months, which I assume is the cause of disease and helping to keep it spreading.

Does this sound like it can be treated and how? or Should I just remove the plants and plant something more suitable to the current weather?


texts: Will brickwork affect the water quality of a pond?

texts:
I'm building a fairly large raised brick pond in the back garden. It's walled on both the inside and outside of the pond, so you can't see the foil.

the wall stretches out about 7,5 meters (24ft) round, and is about 1 meter (3ft) tall.
The wall is cemented, and flushed afterwards with normal mortar (based on portland cement)

Does the water eventually break down the interior wall? I know it will inevitably damage it by time, but will the wall hold?
Does the water get effected by the mortar in such a way that it won't get 'clean'. (for plant growth purposes only)

The first year, only waterplants will inhabit the pond.

Different sources give different perspectives: some say to clean the dried wall with vinegar, others say that I have to fill the pond with water, adding 1 liter of vinegar with every 100 liter water... others say don't do anything.
What to do?


texts:
my garden is full of these plants (weeds) and I'm wondering what are they.

The purple flower (small bit that attaches to the plant) is a bit sweet in taste.

Location: Moldova (Eastern Europe), it grows in summer time.

Pictures taken at the beginning of July.


texts: Hi I'm growing this guy under lights but the seeds I had were labeled "jalapeno!"


texts: Do sterile plants still produce pollen or nectar?

texts:
While reading on certain plants, I often read that some of their hybrid varieties are sterile.

While it seems clear that the plant will not produce offspring I'm not sure if it still produces pollen which is one of the main component of plant reproduction.

Does a sterile plant still produce pollen and nectar? Is it serviceable in any way for pollinators?


texts:
I have multiple hardy kiwis on my balcony and one of them started to have strange colour on the leaves, dried out.

What could that be from?

My guesses:

There was a really heavy sun for the recent 4-5 days and I was out for this period so I didn't watered the plant. I started to water them back right after coming back but still, after a week, the problem remains. Maybe my balcony is simply a wrong place for those plants? I'm not sure because, interestingly, this does not happens to 3 other hardy kiwis I have on my balcony, so maybe this particular one is particularly vulnerable.
I have used running water that may contain too much chlorine or calcium. I've read that for hardy kiwi sometimes leaves begin to yellow because of excess of calcium or iron deficiency. I started to water with iron chelate and the water I use remains in a bottle for two days before using for watering. I've been doing this for a week but I'm not sure if this is a step in the right direction.


texts: What is this bush called and can it be pruned this time of year?

texts: Can anyone identify this bush? The photo was taken in May (in South England).   It is slowly turning into a kind of a tree, with long branches without any new shoots, so I would like to prune it and turn it into a low bush again but as I don't know what it is not sure when it's best to prune it.


texts:
I’ve had this aloe vera plant for about seven years. Three years ago it became too big to keep indoors so I moved it outside to a shady spot. But each winter, I bring it back inside.
It’s warm again so it’s time to get the aloe back out. I moved it outside three days ago after I was confident that there wouldn’t be any more frost. And these dark patches cropped up.

The patches have more than doubled in size since they appeared yesterday. There were no patches before it went outside. When inside, I would water it once in about 4-6 weeks. It got a good soak the first day it was out; more than what I’d normally give it.

Is it sun damage? Was that last water too much of a flood? Maybe I need to repot again? Could it be these dark patches are healthy? Someone please help!


texts: How to stop weeds from growing through weed barrier without weed killer?

texts:
I put down weed barrier, then a layer of enough gravel to hide the weed barrier. The weeds are growing through anyway.
I am hesitant to apply week killer, as we may want to change the land use to agriculture in the future.
The weed barrier advertises it as "allowing the soil to breathe". Is that really important? Can I just put a heavy plastic liner down with no holes on the entire lawn?
What is the solution to stop weeds from growing through weed barrier without using weed killer?


texts:
I was watching a documentary on plants, and I came across this section that tells about the effect of music on plants. It says that Rock music kills plants while some other type of music encourages growth. One such music was composed by Roger Roger named "Rhapsody in Green."

Are these plants music really helpful to plants? If yes, how often do I make them listen, and for how long?

Here is the documentary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-4w5xYLwiU


texts: How can I differentiate between male and female Sonchafa trees?

texts:
I have two Sonchafa trees in my pot. but they are not flowering. I am told that there is a male tree and a female tree. I may have a male tree in my pot.

How can I differentiate between a male tree and a female tree?


texts: Will cleaning mildew on my house's siding with diluted Dawn detergent mixture harm nearby hollies?

texts:
In front of my house, I have large holly bushes which have some bald spots. I don't want to harm them in any way.
Will overspray from diluted Dawn detergent harm them?


texts: How can I revive a Meyer Lemon Tree with no leaves?

texts:
Here is what my Meyer Lemon Tree looks like:

No leaves anymore. Is there a chance that it will ever revive itself?


texts:
I got a bonsai tree as a gift, all it says on the card is Bonsai Ficus, but after searching online to find the exact type of my tree I couldn't really get to a precise conclusion.

Could anyone identify it using the attached picture?
Thank you


texts: Identify a plant with a thick trunk, leaves have dark green line down the center

texts: I am in need of identifying this plant that is growing in my flower garden, as i have dogs and children and want to make sure it is safe for them to be around. It is tall with a thick trunk and leaves every few inches that are green with a dark green line down the center. It sort of looks exotic. I have a picture, but can't figure out how to add an attachment.


texts:
I recently bought coir for my pot plants, after I saw many other pot plants (in the garden centre) containing a handful. I would like to know the benefits for pot plants if you add coir above the soil?

Coir (n): Fiber from the outer husk of the coconut, used for making ropes and matting.


texts: Please explain how leaving turf 1/8" longer equals 30% increase in leaf area

texts:
A number of eco-friendly turf management sources say something along the lines of

  Increasing grass height only 1/8 inch adds about 300 square feet more
  energy-collecting leaf surface for each 1,000 square feet of lawn. So,
  it has a greater ability to produce its own food and less need for
  fertilizer.1

and

  If you are currently mowing at less than 3” every 1/8” of grass blade
  added increases leaf surface area by 30%. - from the Perfect Earth Project Toxin-Free Lawn and Landscape Manual available here.

Does this have to do with the fact that the first couple of inches are non- or low-photosynthesizing crowns or stems? Wouldn't having greater leaf area up high lead to shading out a grass plant's own or neighbor's leaves?


texts: Can I put coffee filters into my compost?

texts: I've heard that coffee grounds are a good "green"(nitrogen rich) to put in your compost, but I was wondering if I could throw the filter in there as well?  They are the standard "accordion side" white ones.


texts: Why do my bonsai seedlings die after a month?

texts:
I got two bonsai kits and have tried growing from seeds. Both times my sprouts grew to about two inches and then flopped over and died. I watered them daily, kept them in a plastic bag most of the time to keep them moist. It seems I may have drowned them. One of the seedlings was from a red maple. The other was from a black pine.

Here is a shot of how far I got:

What is the correct handling for growing a bonsai from seeds? After sprouts reach a certain height, should I stop watering so much?


texts: What tree does this nut come from? Is it a walnut?

texts:
I was hoping someone can help me identify this nut and the tree it goes with. I found a bunch of these near my truck when I went to my Uncle's mountain place in Grayson County, Virginia. I'm pretty sure it's growing wild as he cleared the property when he bought the place and never planted anything. It was raining on me when I took the pictures, but I couldn't see any nuts actually on a tree. However, most of the nuts seemed to be clustered under the tree in the pictures I included. Again, I didn't actually see any on a tree, so this might not be the tree they came from, but there were a lot of them directly under it. It looks like a walnut to me, but when I looked up a picture of a Black Walnut, the green pods were smooth. The one pictured clearly has sections. Whether this is due to the beginnings of decay, I don't know. I also have a picture of the nut out of the shell, pictured near the one in an intact shell. Thanks for the help.

Click on the pictures for full size.


texts: Red insects/eggs on chilli pepper leaves

texts:
I've been finding these red things on the upper sides of one of my Carolina Reaper plants' leaves. No more than several at a time.

At first I thought them to be red spider mites but there's no sign of webbing on the undersides of the leaves. Also, they don't move and if they have legs, they're not visible to the naked eye. They're red, about 1 mm long, flat and seemingly segmented. Not sure if I'm looking at insects, arachnids or eggs of something.

Here's a picture. Sorry for the quality but I didn't have a proper camera at hand.

I live in Poland, the peppers are currently growing in pots outdoors.

Please help me figure out what these are. Is this something to worry about?


texts: Are these indeterminate San Marzano tomato plants "leggy?"

texts: I sowed the seeds 11 days ago. As soon as they germinated, I placed them by a SW-facing window, where they receive direct sunlight all day. I'm no expert, but they appear to be healthy. I just can't tell if the stems should be thicker at this point. The tallest plant is 2 1/4 in. tall.


texts:
I have a 6-month old Venus Fly Trap who isn't looking very happy at the moment. I read that she had to be kept damp. Is there such a thing as being too damp. I have her sitting in a saucer of spring water which is suppose to be good for her. I think I may be over-watering her as her leaves continue to brown off. Should I let her dry off a bit between watering and not leave her sitting in water which is something I wouldn't do to any other pot plants.
We are heading into Autumn now and so will start easing of the watering soon.
Many thanks to all who can help me.


texts: When would I prefer a shovel with a rounded blade over one with a pointed blade?

texts:
I've got used to shovels that have a pointed blade like this:

which is more or less the right shape for digging ground. Now the very same shovel (same handle, same everything) comes in this design with a rounded blade:

which I'd guess would not stick into soil as well as the pointed one. Still there're plenty of such shovel offerings.

When would I use the latter design (rounded blade) shovel instead of the former design (pointed blade) shovel?


texts: How to name/characterize climbing plants by climbing habit

texts:
Some climbing plants need a support to climb. For example some (all?) Clematis species which climb a trellis but not a bare wall.

Other climbing plants can climb on walls without a support, for example English Ivy.

Do these two types of climbing plants have names/categories that differentiate this climbing habit?

Or otherwise do they have a common characteristic that differentiate them?


texts: How can I rejuvenate a privet and hawthorn hedge?

texts:
I have a mixed hedge which is about 6 feet high. I think it is privet and hawthorn.

Currently, it is very top heavy in terms of the growth, and it has a lot of bare stems lower down. Please see the photographs.

I want to try and get the hedge to be bushy all the way down to ground level.

I've read about pruning back hard, which I take means to basically chop the whole thing down to within 12" of the floor.

However, I don't know if this is the right thing to do, especially at this time of year (April). There are buds appearing on the hedge, so I don't know if a hard prune down to ground level at this time of year would kill the hedge.

I've got no gardening experience, so I'm nervous at taking such a drastic step.

Any advice welcome.


texts: How should I stop my cilantro plant from falling over?

texts: We’ve had this cilantro plant growing around the beginning of this year, it’s doing the best out of all the herbs growing at my house. However, recently it’s started to fall over, I’ve tried giving it water from a spray bottle to make sure it’s receiving enough moisture, I’ve left it out in sunlight for a longer period, but it hasn’t held itself up. Has it grown too large and need something to hold it up now? Or should I transfer it to a Slightly bigger pot to allow the roots to spread out some more? From what I know, the current pot it’s in has a 7 inch diameter and is about 5 inches deep. We have another one that’s 8 inches in diameter and 5 inches deep, and one thats 11 inches in diameter and 10 inches deep, however we were hoping to save that one for a habanero plant we’ve started growing. Any suggestions would be appreciated! I’m still new to all this gardening business and want to make sure I’m giving my plants the best treatment.


texts: I have an amaryllis plant that is getting ready to bloom, and I know that I won't have enough time to cross pollinate it with a snowdrop so I want to know if it's possible in general to preserve pollen for extended periods of time and if so, for how long?


texts: Why does my chili plant look like someone painted it beige?

texts:
What the heck is going on with this? Is it sun damage, or did I burn it with too much fertilizer by accident? It looks like somebody painted the leaves beige, but it doesn't rub off.
Also, does anyone know why the leaves are curling like maniacs? Is it nutrient deficiency, or leaf curl virus?


texts:
The leaves at the bottom on our Fuschia plant have started to yellow. I have heard contradictory advice that either...this is part of the usual process as the plant grows whilst others have said that it could be a watering issue.

The plant gets lots of sun though is a little exposed to wind. We have had some fluctuating weather recently between very hot and pretty cool/wet.

Our plants unfortunately need to thrive through neglect as we are very new to gardening. Please be gentle.


texts: All my plants have problems with the leaves and im unable to identify the exact cause of the issue

texts:
I have some vegetables and fruits in my balcony. All are in pots. Unfortunately, almost all of them start to develop issues in their leaves. Yellowing, having grey dead spots, etc. Here are some photos I took :
Plant 1 (Start Fruit) :

Plant 2 (Egg plant) :

Plant 3 (Bitter gourd) :

I also have orange, a small variety of orange (I don't know the English name for it) and grapes. They are doing well! Any idea why this is happening?


texts: Can I plant Escallonia Apple Blossom as a hedge in partial shade?

texts:
Is Escallonia Apple Blossom shrub suitable for planting as a hedge in a North facing cornish wall?  The site is windy, coastal and in the shade of the house.

The Royal Horticultural Society says they are okay for North facing, partial shade.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=748


texts:
How do I get rid of these insects that are in all of my planters?
I find them only to be in the dirt and not on the plants.
To me they look spider mites, but they did not die out when I applied Bayer Advanced™ 3-In-1 Insect, Disease & Mite Control on them directly, they just scampered on.
I'll add pics once I get home so you can come to your better judgments.


texts: Would a forsythia at edge of kitchen garden cause problems?

texts:
We have a rather small garden and would like to start growing some vegetables and herbs. We already reserved a part of our garden for this, but at the edge of this part there currently is a forsythia growing. It is about 1.5 meter high. My question is; would this cause any problems to our kitchen garden?

The main thing I'm concerned about is that the forsythia may excrete substances that may be toxic, or that it may draw away lots of water from the herbs and vegetables. I like the forsythia so I'd rather not clear it. I would relocate it, but since our garden is small there is hardly any room left to move it to.


texts:
Aphids are killing my Lenten Roses (Hellebores).  I have treated them with natural spray (water, vinegar and Dr Bronner's soap) and with Neem oil.  They keep reinfecting; I can't get rid of them.

How do I eliminate them permanently?


texts: What is this tall tree growing in London?

texts:
Can anyone help me identify the following tree?

Any help would be gratefully received.

*Note: This may be a similar, or identical, species to another tree I am trying to identify. See this question.


texts: Why do my roses look dry, brown and full of holes?

texts:
I've been using Bayer's BioAdvance Rose and Flower care to feed and prevent insects/diseases. It did ok last season, not wonderful, but ok. This season my rose bushes are dry, they have brown/rust spots and holes all over.
I'm carefully and faithfully following Bayer's directions. How can I save my roses? I'm afraid they'll die.

https://ibb.co/album/Z6cKcb
Thank you.
P.S., these rose bushes are located in USDA region 6b.


texts: I want to stop my sago palms from growing taller

texts: I have a mixture of male and female cycads in my gardens. I want to know how to stop them from growing taller, they are about 10 years older than when they were planted by previous house owner. If I remove the male pollen pod or the female seed pod before they develop will it kill the plant or stunt the growth? I live in Port Macquarie, NSW, on the east coast of Australia.


texts: Black spots, curling leaves on potatoes, help identify problem

texts:
First, some relevant information:  I am growing Yukon Gold potatoes.  I am in hardiness zone 6b.  The weather over the last month has been dryer than normal for the area I am in (Northeastern US).  I have four potato plants, all near each other.  In my shared garden I don't think anybody else has potato plants.

About a week ago I saw some leaves curling on one of my potato plants.  The leaves weren't dry; in fact, they felt kind of spongy.  This happened after I had buried the plant for a second time in dirt.  The plant is now buried about 12 inches up from where the original dirt level was, when the potato first sprouted.

Then yesterday I noticed some black spots appearing on a few leaves, and some of the newer leaves having large black spots and more curling.  See pictures below.  Text of question continues after pictures.

My largest plant is the one with the most spots, while one of the other plants is starting to show similar symptoms, and my other two plants are showing no symptoms.  What kind of disease is this?  From my Google results my best guess is leaf curl or early blight, but I am not sure which one.

What should I do to treat my plants?  Or are they goners?  Is it worth pulling out the two infected plants to try and save the two healthy (so far) ones?

Also possibly relevant:  I saw two species of bugs I haven't seen in my garden before on my potato plant today.  One was a red/orange kind of beetle, about a half inch long, which I was unable to get a good picture of.  The other is shown in the picture below.


texts: Can I put aphid infested plants in the compost bin?

texts: I have a few vegetable plants (kale, broccoli) that have been badly infested by aphids.  I was wondering if I can remove those plants and put them in the compost bin or I should discard them some other way. I want to make sure they are gone and done reappear next year (I am sure new ones will appear but want to get rid of these for now)


texts: Improving water retention in potted plants

texts:
I live in a temperate climate zone. I have plants on a west facing balcony- they get full  sun from about midday till sunset. I don't have a tap on this balcony, but have put an extender on my hose and we can bring the hose through the apartment to reach this balcony.

I have   Syzygium smithii, lilly pillys native to Australia, planted in timber plantars. The planters are imitations of a half wine barrel, where the timber slats are held into place with metal strapping. They are a bit bigger than 2 foot diameter, a little less than 2 foot tall.

The soil is "light" and the water passes through it quickly.

My question is:

I am having trouble keeping them watered through dry spells, winter or summer. What can I do to make the soil retain more water?


texts: A few leaves on my peppers are showing multiple small holes, should I be worried?

texts:
I've noticed that a small number of the leaves on my pepper plants are showing several tiny holes through their surface. These are focused towards the stem of the leaf, and not so much towards the tips, and it seems to be effecting the top-most leaves, with only one or two leaves on each plant showing this issue.

Note that these leaves are not the ones I was seeing insects on the other day, in fact the plant that had the bugs on is the least effected, so I've a feeling these incidents are unrelated.

Is this a sign of a problem that I need to address?

Images (not the same leaf):


texts:
Now, I am seeing Aphids in my indoor Fuchsia. Previously I lost my Petunia and Bleeding heart for this reason.

I have initially removed them using Sellotapes and then I sprayed soap water.

Is that a good way to remove Aphids?

Any more suggestions in How I can prevent any more attacks?
Is it because I keep them indoors?

Thanks!


texts: Placing eggshells on top of potted plants?

texts:
In general, is there any benefit (growth, soil quality, etc) if I place eggshells on top of my potted plants?

My mother often does it to provide it organic material. She's not much of a scientist. I always ask why she does it. She explains that just does it because she's been advised to by others with more experience and swears by it.

Thus my other question: If there is a benefit of egg shells, what is it? Why is it helpful to do this?


texts:
We purchased a penstemon with individual purple flowers for the first 2 years. This year it has grown with the flowers shown in the photo. What's that all about?

This is just what the plant looks like. I guess it may have been in the compost that the Penstemon came in as we have never grown any of these. Many thanks for your help.


texts: What are these spots on my daylily leaves?

texts: A few of the leaves on my daylilies have these spots. Should I be worried?


texts: is perlite dust toxic or is it safe for humans to breath

texts:
I'm growing avocado seeds and I'm wondering as there is
so many confusing info out there in regards to perlite.

I would like to use it in my pots but I'm not sure if it is toxic or not.

can I keep the plants In my bedroom if there is perlite in the pot?

I know that when its wet it stays in one place. but what about when the pot is dry?


texts: Identity of this plant (yellow snap-dragon looking flower)


texts: Why are the leaves of my gardenias turning yellow?

texts:
The leaves of my gardenias turning yellow as following pictures show.
Water and sunshine are sufficient in my area. Any suggestions to keep the leaves green?


texts:
My rose buds are drying out and falling without opening. This is on the all the rose plants.
And fee of the rose plants,leaves are also drying and falling out. Attached are the photos of both.
I am in western part of India and temperature is around 39 degree with bright sun.


texts: What's this large tree with wrinkled brown fruit in Somaliland?

texts:
Can you please tell what type is this tree? It's large and has brown fruit which you can see in the photos.

It's located in Hargesia, the capital of Somaliland, on a coastal area in the region of Africa. It's about 1370m above sea level.


texts: Why were my parsnips fat with a woody core?

texts:
The last (and only) time I tried growing parsnips ("Harris Model") a couple of years ago, they ended up much "fatter" than the parsnips I've typically seen in the store and in pictures. Instead of being just a bit bigger than carrots, these were about 3-4" diameter at the top, and had a tough woody core. The core was inedible and removing it made cooking them a hassle. I regarded the crop as a "loss"; nobody wanted to cook or eat it.

I followed directions seen in various places: direct seed in spring (late April) and harvest after some frosts (around Thanksgiving -- mid-November). Some research I did afterward indicated that I may have given them too long of a growing season and should have harvested them earlier. (I.e. maybe they were overmature?) The tops were at least 3' high, which is more than I've seen elsewhere. Was it too much fertility (i.e. an overdose of horse manure)?

What caused this problem and how can I prevent it when I try again next spring?


texts: Please help me to know if this is a future healthy and beautiful flower or a weed in my pot. Thank you very much.


texts: Why do some of my zucchini shrivel and turn yellow at the blossom end?

texts:
Every year, I grow a zucchini plant, and every year a few of the zucchini stop growing once they reach a few inches in length, then turn yellow from the blossom end:

Left to themselves, they will start to turn soft and shrivel, again starting at the blossom end.  I generally pick and dispose of them once I notice them.

Other than a few zucchini that don't develop properly, the plants themselves are generally healthy and usually have healthy ones forming at the same time.

What causes this, and what can I do to prevent it?


texts: Just got this plant and I thought it's Hoya but not sure. Can anyone tell me the name of this plant please?


texts: I have a self started three year old avocado tree in a five gallon pot which is  wind beaten. I am moving next year and want to plant it there. I think it needs nourishment and care. Can I take it out carefully,add new soil and put back in same pot?


texts: How do I kill the bugs that are inside of a white cocoon in my apple tree?

texts: I have a white cocoon type nest in a small apple tree in my backyard.  I can see small bugs inside and I want to kill them before they hatch.


texts: What should I look for when selecting lights for indoor cacti?

texts:
We grow cacti indoors due to the weather (UK).

What should we look for when selecting lights? We have had mixed results with a new lighting system and have started to lose some.

See one of the old guys clearly dying/dead and my precious Euphorbia Obesa beginning to bolt


texts:
While I was on my holiday in Greece, I passed by some nice looking conifers at one resort. I'm trying to find out what type they are. At first I thought they are some kind of thuja but now I'm not that sure. Can you guys help me identify them ?

Thanks in advance !


texts: My aloe vera plant got rotten from the inside after potting it in a soil very rich in vitamins. Can I save the plant and the babes ?


texts: A few days ago I put my basil outside. In a couple of days, the temperature fell considerably, and I think it got a shock, despite moving it back inside as soon as I could. I think this is the reason, however, it could also be a disease. Can you say if it's one or the other? The leaves are yellowish and broken, with the borders of the cuts greyish or brownish. In addition, there are slight pits on both surfaces of the leaf, either brown or grey.


texts: What is this large, fast-growing plant with red stems and leaf veins?

texts: I thought this was a red beet, but I am not so sure, as it got huge very quickly. It has red veins all over it.


texts: If it's possible to overwater a plant, then how do plants grow hydroponically?

texts: This is confusing me since I am new to the idea of hydroponics. I have read that it is possible to damage a plant by overwatering it, so how can plants live with their roots submerged in pure water? Is it only possible to grow specific plants using hydroponics? Or is there a large misunderstanding regarding overwatering?


texts:
I bought four Arabian Jasmine saplings from local nursery. I re-potted them into bigger pots. But then it looks like I made the criminal offense of the Jasmine world. I added NPK fertilizer granules and some Osmacot Rose granules too. Added some cow dung manure too. All into potting mix. I did add water too since I was re-potting them.The result is yellow leaves on two of the Jasmines. The one on the left in the picture below is one of them.

Are these all doomed or will they pull through. I am keeping them in sun hoping that the roots dry out if this was a case of over watering. No more watering for a week at least.

Anything else I can do?


texts: Do you know what plant this is? Grown in utah, usa


texts: How can we protect a fig tree's fruit from birds?

texts:
We have a fairly large and productive fig tree, but we never get to enjoy the fruit because the birds always get to it first.

What can we do to take advantage of this tree before my wife makes me cut it down for more yard space?


texts: Why is my Cayenne pepper plant losing leaves and curling/burning at tips?

texts:
My Cayenne pepper plant has been in relatively good health until about 1 month ago (coinciding with when I harvested its one ripe pepper and also a brief brush with aphids which were eliminated using soapy water). Since then the top leaves have fallen off and the tips appear burnt with some white spotting.

I suspected that it might be too much fertiliser (currently alternate between Seasol and power-feed weekly) so drenched it in water last week and let the soil dry out, but there has been no improvement - if anything it has gotten worse. As for the soapy water I'd say that it has all been rinsed off previously.

Can anybody comment on my problem as to whether it is a feeding or a disease problem or something else?

Thanks


texts: What is this bug and is it harmful to my vegetables

texts: I found a few of these bugs hiding away in my cauliflower when I picked it. What are they and are they harmful to other plants in my raised vegetable garden?  If so how can I organically eliminate them?


texts: Honeysuckle leaves turning purple, yellow, then dying

texts:
I'm in England's South Coast, with a climbing honeysuckle (can't recall exact kind) planted in the back, north-facing garden, against a waist-height east-facing fence. It gets full sun most of the day, and has white stones around the base to provide some root shade and retain moisture. Watered most days at the moment due to extended dry weather, fed weekly with Phostrogen.

The whole plant is shown here:

The base has become very woody and fragile, see zoomed in picture here:

New leaves appear healthy and green, like this:

However they soon turn purple and eventually yellow, then wilt and die, such as in these examples:

Many also display tiny orange blotches, but I think that's from the neighbour painting his side of the fence.

The leaves show no signs of pests on either side (the occasional ant, but no aphids) an no residues on the leaves that I can wipe or scratch away.

I've searched extensively online. All I can find regarding honeysuckle and purple leaves is due to powdery mildew. However from photos online, it doesn't look like that to me.

I do notice there's a thin pale film on the shoots, but I'm not sure if this is normal. See picture below (darker, red area on the stem is where I wiped the film away with a finger).

I hope the images help. I really don't want to lose the honeysuckle if I can avoid it, so any suggestions are welcome.


texts: How to support/stake/cage a large amount of tomato plants economically

texts:
I have an interesting situation. I received a lot of tomato plants as a gift. I'm not sure exactly how many, but let's say that I'm dealing with 50 for good measure. Right now they're in pots that are too small for their size with a soaker hose on a timer. If I don't give them better growing conditions soon they're not going to make it, but I don't know how to go about this. I plan on planting them in the ground in rows 50 feet long. If I do the recommended 3 feet spacing, I would need about 3 rows to plant them all.

The land isn't the issue. Supporting the plants is. From an economical standpoint, what is the best way to go about supporting them? I think cages are out of the question as 50 of them would cost hundreds of dollars. Even buying 50 stakes could get pretty pricey. My current idea is to buy a few posts and some rope/twine material and put posts at either ends of the rows, and maybe a few throughout the row and run the rope from end to end every foot vertically or so. But even though I'm looking at hundreds of feet of rope and at least a few nice posts.

Any suggestions for the method, materials to use, and where to find/buy the materials is greatly appreciated - if you come up with an idea that uses more than 3 rows that's no problem.


texts:
My lawn is very healthy and happy, but all around the paved margins of the lawn crab grass is growing. The crab grass does not grow where the lawn abuts unpaved ground. For example, where there are mulched areas or wooded areas or forested areas, there is no crab grass. It is only where the grass meets asphalt or brick pavers in the walkway. The crab grass is much more prevalent along the asphalt than the brick walkway. Along the walkway there is only a crab grass plant here or there, but along the asphalt it is solid crabgrass.

The soil is marine clay (leda) and climate is New England coastal.

Why is crab grass growing in these margins and how can I get rid of it and get lawn right up to the asphalt?

Is the asphalt poisoning the lawn? Do I need to put some kind of buffer there like brick pavers along the asphalt?


texts: Is my crepe myrtle dying because of winter season?

texts:
I grew my Crepe Myrtle early spring and then knowing that winter was coming, I slowly put it inside to get it used to the indoor dark light and dry atmosphere. It's been two weeks now that I let it always inside and the lower leaf are starting to dry and die. I added an Humidifier yesterday hoping it could help. But for the light, I can't make any miracle as my window isn't really facing the sun anytime during the day. Just some low ambient light i'd say.

Is the lower leaf dying a normal behaviour of three during winter? Or is it slowly dying? What could I do to save it?

Side note:
I live in Quebec Canada, so it's gonna be 6-7 month of cold temperature so I must keep it inside...

Older picture:


texts: Is it too late for my under-sized leeks to fatten up?

texts:
If you want that very welcome leek crop in mid-winter, you have to start thinking about them early on in the spring growing season. They're such a long time in the ground. Well, I got mine in on time but I've been neglecting them ever since. Next door's chickens paid a visit and damaged some patches of leek seedlings so I threw in some optimistic late sowings to fill in the gaps. Later some thinning was required but I left it rather late.

The result is a row of leeks which range from OK to severely undersized (some less than 0.5cm, many less than 1cm). Is it too late (mid-August) now for these feeble looking plants to swell up in time for a winter crop?

And when exactly do leeks slow down and stop swelling? At what point later on this year should I stop looking for progress and just be happy what I've got?


texts: How to prevent avocado from drying out indoors?

texts:
I have an avocado plant that has grown indoors since it was a pit. It grew first in a badly insulated, north-facing, wet and cool house, where it grew splendidly. After I moved it to a well insulated house with central heating and lots of light, the avocado began to act sick.

The symptoms were drying of leaves from the tip to the stalk with wavy patterns on the edge (the remaining green area, gradually reduced, would thus look like a oak leaf).

I first suspected that the drying of leaves meant I had drowned the roots, so I gave it less water. Then I read somewhere the symptoms could be a fungus, the only cure for which would be some bouillie Bordelaise, which I prepared and sprayed on the plant.

The next year the avocado grew new leaves, but by the end of summer, they got brown again. By then I thought the problem may have been the atmosphere at home, too dry perhaps. So I sprayed the avocado several times daily to keep it cool and humid. It didn't help either however.

This year I pruned the tree and it grew new sprouts which dried out in turn. It didn't even get the chance to grow them. The dehydratation this year looks different however, it is not brownish, it is dark green and dry.

I'm really confused, I've tried many different things and don't really know what to do now. What has caused this change? I can only think of the climate change, but funnily an avocado is a semi-tropical plant from meso-america, it should love sun and heat right? I really am attached to this tree and would like to do my best to help it grow. If you could help, I would really be happy for it. Thanks.

Update:
Here is a picture of a smaller plant which has similar symptoms (the larger one has lost all its leaves):

There is another picture I found on line too.

Edit July 21st, 2011: I have transplanted the large plant into a new light humus soil. I can't get a clay pot for now, so I used the same plastic pot and made 4 x 5 cm diameter holes at the bottom. Water runs through now. Hopefully that will help.

The following picture's blurry, but the tip of the young leaves are drying and curling at the tip:

Update July 30th, 2011:
I have not watered the plant a second time since changing the soil, which is still humid today.

The plant's young leaves are drying out further as you can see from this picture (compare with above).

There are a number or new sprouts however, but I'm afraid they'll suffer the same fate.

Further help would be appreciated.


texts: Is humic acid good for Norfolk Island Pine tree

texts: I have a Norfolk Island Pine tree discussed here. I want to improve its well-being. Would liquid humic acid be helpful? What kind of fertilizer would be most effective? Is there any related documentation to study?


texts: Sansevieria (Snake Plant) mother plant dyeing after new rhizome bud

texts: I have had this Sansevieria for three years. It had a new rhizome bud about three months ago and I waited for it to get bigger and then remove it from mother plant. In the last two weeks the leaves of mother plant are suddenly getting yellow and dying. What's going on? If the new plant is causing it, does removing it help?


texts: Which is preferred: worm castings or worm casting tea?

texts: I was just wondering, for fast results in plants, which would you prefer: applying worm castings on the top soil or using worm casting tea, and why?


texts:
I planted a row of climbing green beans in the spring and enjoyed good healthy plants; they flowered and grew plenty of delicious beans.
Now I am ready to tear them up and plant new seeds. My wife is distraught because she thinks the existing plants will flower again and give a second crop.
I have always thought climbing beans were a "one-and-done" plant. Will my existing healthy climbing bean plants flower again and give a second batch of beans?
P.S.- we are in California, it is mid-summer here now.


texts: Japanese Acer - Why does the new growth coming from the bottom look very different?

texts:
It looks like it has been grafted & the top is dead but the bit it was grafted onto is thriving. The supplier says it wasn't grafted.
The new leaves look very different to the plant I bought and it is Crimson Queen variety which had very purple leaves. I googled it to see if the leaves change colour throughout the seasons but apparently not.

I have bought two, positioned in different places in the garden so it's not wind or sun that's caused this.

Whats happening to it, please?

Update: After looking again (with my glasses on this time) I can now clearly see where it has been grafted, thanks for all your replies.
 I will return both for a refund.


texts: What is this insect, which is drilling holes into my rose bush?

texts:
I recently bought a rose bush for the first time and planted it in a large pot according to the instructions on the label. It has been about a month since then, the first yellow rose has started to bloom.

However, I recently noticed that there was a small hole in the woody part of the bush, near the bottom. There were also wood shavings and bits on the soil directly above it. My brother told me that he saw black insects that looked like ants with wings crawl into the hole. What are these insects, are they harmful, and if they are, how do I remove them?

I am only 17, but I like the idea of planting roses, so I would like to keep my first rose bush alive and as healthy as possible. I have little gardening experience though, so please answer in detail (as I may not understand the terms or whatnot).


texts: I got this yesterday at my Dad's memorial service, I was a dummy and left in the car for about 45 minutes. My mind was working right yesterday.  I came out to this :(   How can I save it ? I will be devastated if I can't save it.


texts: How to prune a October Glory Maple  to have shorter hight and wider width.


texts:
I'm just getting into gardening, and while the first round of seeds I planted a couple months ago mostly germinated, the second round I planted two weeks ago have produced almost nothing. I start them off them indoors as it's too cold outside this time of year. I water daily, as the soil goes dry by the end of the day (they're near a radiator). One thing I noticed is that the soil appears to have gone kind of crusty and hard, unlike the first round. Could the choice of potting soil cause this problem?
Whatever it is, any recommendations on how I might save them?
Some of these I think are hard to grow, like aubergine, asparagus, rhubarb, but most are easier, like herbs and strawberry.


texts: Can I save this stem or must I cut it out?

texts: One of my stepdaughters decided to use their nails to damage my plant. Can I save it or do I have to cut this out?


texts:
I think it is a cactus or succulent, but I am not sure. As a result, looking up tips for caring for it has been difficult.

picture 1

picture 2

Sorry, the pictures are over 2 MB, so I posted them on imgur.

If this is the wrong way to go about asking such a question, then please inform me of how I may go about it better.

Thank you!


texts: What is the difference between a melon and a squash?

texts:
When looking at either the fruit, or the plant of either, is there a specific characteristic, or set thereof, of either group that distinguishes one from the other?

I am curious as to the classification of watermelon. I saw a listing of them with "Cucurbits", and am mostly just confusing myself with the little help Wikipedia is providing. Is there a taxonomical clarification someone could help me with to figure out how to sort watermelon, and know how the family tree works with respect to melons and squash?


texts:
Two days ago I noticed this thing growing semi-covered in my garden near a grapevine:

As you can see, it was light purpalish - light pinkish kind of colour. On touch it was a bit soft, and the diameter of the whole thing was not more than 5-8cm. As far as I know, it looked like a mushroom.

Yesterday I decided to pick up this "mushroom" and slice it in order to try identifying it.
I should say that removing this from the ground needed just a gentle pull.

Here is the unexpected result:

The slice showed the following (outer to inner):

Skin layer
Green jelly-like substance that was sticky to touch
White and hard to touch porous main part
Jelly-like white center

This thing does not look like anything I have seen before. I am no more even sure, that it was a mushroom.

Can you identify this?

I live in hardinest zone 6, Bulgaria. The thing was growing under a grape vine, so most of the day it was in shadow. It has been quite hot these days, around 30 C and above.

EDIT: To give you more sense of the size, one of these things is as wide as the circle you get by touching your thumb and index finger.

EDIT: After 36 hours in the composter, the white hard part has grown quite a bit. The plastic card on the photo is the size of a credit card.

EDIT: After consulting a Mushrooms Encyclopaedia, it turned out that this is actually Phallus hadriani. This corresponds to the observation Bamboo made for the root like thing - it is actually "aggregations of mycelium that resemble plant roots". Beside this, it appears that this species is endangered in Bulgaria... Next time I see it I'll just let it fruit and hopefully spread.


texts:
I’ve got a sunflower which seems to be in the latter stages of its lifecycle. It has started wilting back and the lower leaves have fallen off. I’ve attached an image below.
A couple of questions around the seeds

At what point do I collect the seeds
How do I collect the seeds
How should I store them ready for next year.


texts: This little guy is suffering and I'm not sure how to help him out. Any ideas?


texts:
Just to let everyone know in beginning what happen to whole plant - IT DIED
Now how this happen, I had Sansevieria trifasciata with green Center and yellow edges, It had 3 pups and that plant started to become too big for that Plastic pot. So I did what i shouldn't had done.
PROPAGATION
I took pot two inches bigger than the old one and planted the Main Mother plant in it. Note: I let it callus over for a day, then plant in new pot  and did the same for pup and planted it to its new home.
And just in 2 weeks the main mother plant decayed, I'm 100% sure it decayed from root level. Same thing happened with pup .
I lost a very beautiful specimen
Please note I don't have any picture.
Now I stay away from propagation especially Snake Plant. I watched many videos of propagation but in my case not one worked.


texts: Why are the leaves of my fig trees drying and falling off?

texts:
I have several fig trees. Some of them seem to be contracting some sort of illness - leaves dry and fall off completely.

This does not seem to weather or water related. Watering them does not help and others that had no water at all are doing great.

Two trees that had the problem when I moved here last summer have since recovered but now two previously healthy trees have it.

Is this an illness? Should I be worried? Is there anything I can do except wait?


texts: Hi will it be easy to remove old concrete posts with panel fencing to replace with timber posts and 6x4 flat top fencing?


texts: Are there any complications installing concrete pavers over a natural sand sub-base?

texts:
I will be installing a concrete paver patio in the near future, and recently dug 6 post holes in the area of the patio and discovered there is about 6" of topsoil/organic material, then a natural sand layer down almost 4 feet.
I am wondering if this sand layer which will be my sub-base (see cross-section below) will cause any issues with the pavers in the long-run, or if it is actually a good thing due to the drainage capacity of sand.
I plan to install the pavers based on this cross-section.

Concrete paver ~2" (50mm)
Polymeric joint sand
Bedding sand 1" (25mm)
Gravel base extended 6" (150mm) past paver extents
Grass
Plastic retaining edge
Landscaping spike
Geotextile
3/4" crusher run with stone dust
Sand sub-base (pink area) and topsoil above

I was unable to find any relevant information on the installation of pavers over top a natural sand sub-base, many of the searches returned discuss the bedding sand (3) in the figure above.
Any information would be greatly appreciated.


texts:
I had some moss in one of my seedlings pot and I asked what I should do with it here in GSE. I was assured it was mostly harmless so I left it be. However, a couple of days ago, it has sprouted leaves. Does moss do that o_O? If not, what is it? Is it time to panic?

I don't think it's something independent from moss. since, as you can see, it only sprouts in the center of the moss.


texts: Applying straw mulch - should straw touch tree base?

texts: For winter protection, I know wood chip mulch is supposed to be placed a few inches away from the base of the plant for breathing room. Does the same go for straw mulch?


texts: What is this plant with odd-pinnate leaves that's growing under my oak tree in Florida?

texts: I live in Florida, the plant is growing under my live oak tree. The plant is about one foot high.


texts: What is this plant with a a green feathery flower head?

texts: I got this flower in a bouquet, does anyone know what it is?


texts: What is this plant grown from a pack of annual seeds (UK)?

texts: I sowed a pack of annual seeds in the flower patch this summer, but the pack did not name the flowers included and I am wondering if anyone can identify what this plant is:


texts: What grass types would be good for contrasting lawns in Central Europe?

texts:
I've seen a lawn which was composed with different grass types, I'd like to achieve a similar effect. I have a couple of concerns, they should:

grow slowly, at similar rate,
have different colour/tint,
have similar requirements

The number of grass types available is enormous and it seems quite hard and risky to pick two that would fit. Do you know any that would pass the requirements?

edit: I found a similar lawn online (not from Europe though), please have a look:


texts: I have this dumb cane that I bought 6 months ago from a local store. It did not grow much since then, may be 2 leaves. The existing leaves are also turning brown and are curled up. I also saw something like fungus few weeks ago. So I sprayed some water mixed with baking soda. I water it once a week and it is placed near a window (but not too close). I thought it might be overwatering that's causing browning and inhibiting growth. So I repotted it using store bought potting soil. I washed the roots thoroughly before repotting. What else could I do in order to make it a healthy plant.


texts: Can I use red clay bricks for an organic veggie raised bed? What about mortar?

texts: I am trying to find an inexpensive but attractive way to put a raised bed in that will be used for an organic veggie garden.  It sounds as if clay bricks are OK if they haven't been in a fireplace.  What about the mortar?  What do I need to look for?


texts: What are some tight growing ground cover plants as Lawn substitute suitable for SF Bay Area?

texts: I am looking for tight growing (less than 2 inch tall) ground cover plants as Lawn substitute. I live in SF Bay Area (USDA zone: 10, Sunset zone: 17). Full sun (after noon sun, 8 hours). I am considering Leptinella squalida (Platt's Black), Dichondra Repens as well as Elfin Thyme.


texts: Why would one tomato plant be full of tomatoes and the other one be empty?

texts: I planted two tomato plants in my first garden and one has developed about a dozen green tomatoes ranging from marble-sized to 3/4 tennis ball-sized but the other, same exact species, has no tomatoes. There was one marble-sized tomato but I touched it with my finger and it fell right off. Is this a sign of nutrient deficiency or some disease? I do see some yellow flowers forming but they look limp. Interestingly enough, this is the taller of the two plants with no tomatoes.


texts: Why is my mint plant stem turning black?

texts:
I just got a mint plant but half of the stem are black, and some of the leaves are black and shrivelled. Any idea on how to fix this problem, and how to take care of the mint plant?

Thanks!


texts: Can you identify this trailing plant from my old home?

texts:
It was an evergreen climber in our front porch back in the 1990s. We never took photos of it directly, but it has been in the background of our photos (so excuse the low quality image). The plant produced yellow flowers in spring and summer.
Senecio angulatus and Hedera colchica have been my suspects so far. Could be either of the two, or perhaps something else.
The photo was taken in Beirut, Lebanon.


texts: I took a stem with several leaves from a ZZ plant and put it in water, it put out some roots.  Over two years ago I put it in a pot with soil, it died back and produced the single stem you see in the image.  It has stayed this way for at least two years - will it ever grow?


texts:
I just got a pothos to liven up my study/reading area. The amusing pun concept to make a "Pathos (pothos), Ethos, and Logos" themed mini garden struck me and now I can't rest until I know if it's plausible. My Google-fu is failing me on this one.

Can anyone help me identify houseplants with names (scientific or common) that sound close enough? I'll setting for ones with approximately similar translations or lore (Ethos - ethic/character. Logos - logic/literal word).

Absurd yet accurate answers work for me too. This is a pretty absurd request. Finding it possible but impractical is good enough to silence the wordplay weasels in my head.

I got the pothos because I know nothing of plants and needed a low maintenance starter for a medium light area. I'll completely understand if this is considered off topic or too stupid to answer. Thanks for any input.

EDIT:

Marking an answer as accepted because it lead me to an acceptable solution. Sharing my findings for my own future reference and anyone curious. New thoughts are always welcome and will be upvoted if interesting.

My favorites in plants:

Ethos-
Common names: Ethiopian Nightshade and Ethiopian Rattlebox.
Scientific names: Chiropetalum astroplethos (Mexican Silverbush).

Logos-
Common names: Log Fern and Kellogg's Monkeyflower
Scientific names: Logfia depressa (Dwarf Cottonrose)

Unfortunately, making a complete set would appear to require some hunting, and only the Log Fern looked well enough suited for my apartment and skill level.

I was going to dismiss it completely until I accidentally forgot Colin's advice to filter a search by plantae. "Ethologist Fairy Shrimp" jumped out at me (fancy name for brine shrimp). Ethos and Logos in one package, and 50,000 low maintenance colorful pets for $10. Reliable character, simple logical genetic coding, likely unaffected by emotional appeal, and will certainly liven up the area. Mission success.


texts: Basil plants turned completely woody and brown

texts: I grew basil in 2 different containers. I had a huge spider mite problem after I purched Miracle Gro soil in one container. Earlier this year, I harvested all the leaves off completely and leaves grew back. The spider mite problem somehow transferred to the other pot and I did the same, harvested all the leaves and that worked fine but it's been really cold lately in TX, I am not sure if it is bc the basil has flowered before but it's turned woody, completely, as stated in the title. I'm not sure if it's diseased and if I should get start a new batch of seeds now or if there's an oz of home for these growing twigs? It sucks because it was my favorite container of basil too. They were extremely bushy.


texts: Why is my avocado tree dropping its leaves?

texts:
I live in S. Florida (zone 10B). We planted a grafted avocado this past May. All year it's been doing pretty well, and we got a few small fruits a few weeks ago. Shortly after harvest, it started to drop leaves. Now most of the leaves have fallen, and the remaining are mostly wilted.

We're in the annual transition from wet to dry season, so I gave it a little extra water to make sure it wasn't just too dry. I noticed that it had some damage to the bark near the base, so I'm going to protect that and advise the lawn service to be more careful with the weed whackers. I also think it could use just a drop of fertilizer, since it's been in the ground 5 months now.

Anything else I should be checking for or doing?


texts: Is there a good resource for days to maturity for different varieties of garden vegetables?

texts:
I'm aware that many seed packets have "days to maturity" listed on the back. I've heard that this is a vague term because some sellers list days to maturity assuming some indoor growth before a plant is transplanted. Also, the term is used interchangeably with "days to harvest" and the true definition of "days to maturity" should refer to the plant producing viable seed.
It would be nice if there was a resource (internet or book) that clearly defined its use of the term "days to maturity" and that listed the values for vegetables of different varieties.
For example:
Early Girl Tomato - 50 days (from transplant)
Beefsteak tomato - 85 days (from transplant)
(and ideally listed how long the plant start should have been growing before being transplanted)
This would make it easier to plan a garden with a staggered harvest, and also just easier to get  the overall picture of when I can expect to harvest certain vegetables that I planted.
Do you know of good resources other than seed packets? (I might no longer have the packet/ have planted seeds from other sources.)


texts:
I have two Solanum mammosum (nipplefruit) plants next to each other, and the one on the right is starting to wither since a week. The other one is not, what's going on here?

The plants are from seeds, and are in full ground since they were little. They are in the north-west corner of my garden (so facing south-east). They were both doing fine, until last week, the one on the right is having problems, the leafs are withering and browning and hanging. What can be the cause of this?

I live in Amsterdam, we had normal weather the past few weeks, however since last weekend the temperature is going tropical again (30 C or higher). But it started last week before the heat already.

NB. I have two more of these plants several meters to the right, which are doing fine. So it seems only one plant is having these issues.


texts: What are some of the top producing tomato plants for use in sauces?

texts:
I'm getting ready to start some tomato plants. We do a lot of canning and want to get some highly productive plants for making sauces. We live in USDA zone 5. Looking for meaty tomatoes from plants that have high yields.

I have an area about 35 feet long against a fence that is 6 feet tall. It faces directly south, gets full sun and I can tie off the plants to the fence as they grow. Looking for semi determinate to determinate plants so I'm not spending the entire summer making sauce a little at a time.

I had some regular roma's last year along with other varieties. I wasn't happy with the production from the roma's.


texts: Growing oyster mushrooms: Mycelium turning reddish brown? Help!

texts:
I am growing oyster mushrooms. I am a beginner. My first batch. It has been something like 10-11ish days now since I started the batch. It is almost three quarters colonized. Suddenly some brown-red spots appeared.

I used woodchips and oat bran as substrate,

Here are the photos of the spots

I looked at some forums and stuff. Is it like a sign that it is drying out? Can I save it if it is drying out? Is it a contamination? Help!?

I don't want to mist it now because it hasn't colonized yet?

Check out my two other questions about this batch for further info ( Very heavy smell while growing oyster mushrooms

Growing Oyster mushroom: Is my spawn growing healthily?
)


texts: How do you make conventional (non-organic) Okinawan sweet potatoes sprout?

texts:
Organic
I've got no trouble sprouting organic sweet potatoes. Just place them in a cup of water and put them in front of a window sill. Nearly every variety of sweet potato is available as organic for a little extra price.

Conventional
However, I have trouble growing conventional sweet potatoes not labeled as organic. In particular, I have never been able to sprout the Okinawan purple sweet potato, because the only place that sells it in California is 99 Ranch and they don't carry an organic version. I have been told that the conventional sweet potatoes are laced with growth inhibitors to increase shelf life. I have washed the outside of this potato before and it still does not sprout. Is there anything else I can do?
I am aware Whole Foods sells an organic Purple Stokes sweet potato. I have indeed sprouted this one easily, but I don't want this variety. I want to the Okinawan variety which is much sweeter and smoother.


texts: Can I throw a plant that has white flies into the compost pile?

texts: I have a bunch of dead leaves from a plant that has white flies. Can I use them for compost?


texts:
Problem
My new front garden seems to have pools of water on it for a good few hours after rain.

Background
I've just had the front garden redesigned, leaving us with a brand new area for planting and a new driveway. The area where the garden now is is our old driveway. The old tarmac drive was broken up, but left. Underneath the tarmac is solid chalk. Retaining walls have been built around this to effectively create a raised front garden to a height averaging 0.8 - 1.5m deep.

The infill is made up of a lot of rubble from the building works, like tarmac, bricks etc. Then there is some average quality soil, and finally a good 400mm of fresh graded topsoil.

The whole garden is to be used as a bed for planting topiary, shrubs etc - no lawn. We have planted lots of buxus already. 24 hours after watering, the soil still feels very sticky. Is this due to poor drainage? With all that rubble at the bottom, some ungraded soil (200mm perhaps?) and then 300-400mm of topsoil, I thought I would have good drainage.

Photos

Question

Can anyone explain why I would be seeing puddling of water after rain? Is this something I should worry about, or is this just usual for topsoil as it starts to compact down after delivery.

Any help and advise appreciated as I really don't want all this money to go to waste due to a mistake I've made so early on. So would rather try and rectify now if there is anything that needs doing.


texts:
Two questions about winterizing young (1Y) climbing roses:
-would you trim the top of the plant?
-would you cover the stem in burlap or something similar ?

My target is to have them grow to cover a gap in the space above the fence to improve the privacy of the backyard. They are curently under 6' tall and I noticed that other roses which were there when we bought the house lose their stems over winter and you have to cut them down in spring to regenerate

Update: my zone is 6a by the old system, 7a by the new


texts:
Can anyone tell what's wrong with this tomato plant? Is it disease or deficiency? My areas been having issues with late blight the last few years. One spot seems to have a concentric circle around it but otherwise doesn't look like early blight to me. I'm not very good at determining diseases though.

Also noticed a couple of small black bugs on some of the leaves but don't show well in the photo. Look like flea beetles.

The picture isn't great but it shows the yellowing of some of the lower leaves.


texts: Monstera yellowing despite proper watering and no apparent sickness

texts:
I've had this Monstera for about two years now and I've never has this problem, I'm careful not to over/under water, it's thrived until now so I suspect sunlight is not the issue either.
I've recently had a friend's Monstera over because hers was way over watered and she wanted me to try and save it. I couldn't but mine is now starting to exhibit similar symptoms, with yellowing leaves and sort of blurry patches developing on the leaves which leads me to think it might be disease related.
At first I figured it might just be that one leaf but it's now starting to spread and I can't seem to figure out why.
I've read up quite a bit online as to what it might be and I've ruled out the most common ones that are usually linked to either over/under watering as well as those that spread from plant wounds. I've checked for spider mite webs but couldn't seem to find any.
It seem to affect leaf tissue most since some leaves still have rather green veins that can be seen despite the leaf turning yellow.

Can anyone point me to what might be affecting my Monstera so I might try and save it?


texts: Folded leaves on a seemingly healthy lemon sapling

texts:
My 3-month-or-so lemon tree sapling seemed to be doing great, and has been growing quite huge leaves at a fast rate. However, this morning when I looked at it, one of the newest (and biggest) ones was almost entirely folded:

Is it something I should worry about, or is it no big deal? And if the former, why did it happen, and what should I do?

(I try to water my plants often, but not too frequently, roughly every 2-4 days. Could it be a lack of water?)


texts:
I am new to caring for Aloe. I have a plant with a leaf that has brown discoloration. The leaf has started to curl around the spot, almost like it is damaged.

Does anyone know what the likely cause of this is? Do you think I should remove the leaf from the plant?


texts: How can I remove the aggressive weeds growing in my fescue?

texts: I have a fescue lawn that is about 1.5 acres (hand picking weeds is not an option). As spring began, these weeds (see pictures below) have started growing in the fescue. My guess is that the tall thin bamboo looking weeds are crabgrass? No idea what the rounded leaf weeds are. Any advice on how to get rid of them?


texts: How much sulphur should be added to tomatoes?

texts:
My potted tomatoes are developing a very pale leafs at the start of growing tips - typical of sulphur deficiency.

I am interested in how much sulphur should be added to soil? What are typical concentrations of sulphur in soil?

These are the images. They were taken once the progression already took place. At the start, only the growing tips were pale. The other issue that springed to mind is root space. This plant is huge and was cut down periodically to foster lateral growth instead of one apex.


texts: Was my rosemary burnt by nitrogen, or something else?

texts:
I am trying to grow rosemary from starters.

I am based in In California, San Francisco Bay Area.

I dug up an area about what people are recommending on the other rosemary answers here. 30cm x 30cm wide + 30cm down, and combined the area for 6 of them. The soil had some clay about 20cm down or so, but this didn't seem to get in the way too much when I checked the other day. I sprinkled a few quarts of Kellogg organic Amend (.3% Nitrogen, mostly insoluble; .1% potash, .1% phosphor something; 1% calcium. w/gypsum, poultry manure, and compost) and mixed it in pretty well, then planted the starters like a foot apart. It's been about a week, and the rosemary seems to be slowly burning or drying, despite lots of watering.

Did I burn them with too much nitrogen in the additive? Or maybe I didn't break up the root clusters sufficiently and water is just bouncing off them? Could the compost be too old/dried up? We used half of it a couple years ago, and though it's been out of the sun, either in the garage mostly, it does warm up. It was never really moist, but what do I know.


texts: When can I harvest cauliflower leaves for juicing?

texts: Does my cauliflower need all its leaves to reach  maturity? I'd like to harvest some for roasting and juicing.


texts: How can I grow sunflowers that will produce seeds in the shells, for my pet bird?

texts:
I grow sunflower plants where the flower is not pollinated, and they produce empty seed shells.

How do I get the plant to produce seeds shells with a seed inside?


texts: I purchased this plant from a grocery clearance table. It rang up as a fern, but the leaves remind me of some kind of begonia. Any info please?  Thank you!


texts: Should I remove or leave the plastic around the trunk of my new tree?

texts:
This tree arrived today to me via mail: (Click on the pictures for larger view.)

It is wrapped in several layers of plastic.

I plan to plant it in couple of days.

I will remove the plastic packaging around the root ball of course, but should I perhaps leave the packaging plastic around tree's trunk, just until spring? Is plastic an appropriate material that will help the tree overwinter?

The species is Pinus pinea, also known as the stone pine, umbrella pine and parasol pine. It's actually a Mediterranean plant, and I am concerned about the possible negative impact of a harsh first winter to this beautiful plant.

I live in European zone 8, where the lower range is approximately −12.2 °C (10 °F).

The weather forecast for the whole winter this year is mild, but you never know.


texts:
Earlier this afternoon I took delivery of a 170cm Areca Palm, via an online purchase from a reputable horitcultural company. It was relieved to be taken out of the box and plastic wrapper and positioned in the warm sunlit lounge. Naturally it was quite expensive so I've given it a good inspection to make sure there is nothing wrong with it. Unfortunately it does seem that there is something not quite right that concerns me enough to write here for some expert advice.

Photo 1 below shows you the complete plant. Overall I would say it looks very healthy:

The first things that struck me as odd was the black marks all over the stems. I've been able to gently wipe quite a lot of them off by using one of those green scrims dipped in water, plus running my finger nail up and down also proved to be effective. After quite a work out it now looks much better but many of the black spots won't come off. I've since read on this forum that there is nothing to worry about, so I guess I'm OK with this, but thought I'd mention it nevertheless. Photo 2 and 3 below shows this:

Another slight concern is regarding the shield-like leaves that wrap around the thicker, presumably older stems. Are these meant to be yellow and crispy with dark patches on them? I'm hoping the answer is yes. Photo 4 below shows this:

OK so now my main concern. At the foot of the plant are what look like some new little stems with leaves on them. On a couple of them all of the leaves are crinkled in the middle of their length. Photo 5 shows this. This is nothing though, compared to the mutant stem that I found toward the centre of the base of the plant - covered in dry completely frazzled leaves. Photo 6! What an earth has happened here? Is this a magnesium deficiency? Clearly there is something very wrong with this little chap. What should I do?

Should I keep the plant or send it back?

Edit > I wrote to the supplier who replied with the following:

The crinkled leaves etc is not something to worry about. We see this often on new growth and the leaves straighten out as they develop. It can also occur where the palm is getting ready to split and divide.

Likewise on larger mature Areca the stems are usually speckled with black. Again it is not a cause for concern, it is natural. I am rather more concerned that you may have stressed the plant if you scrubbed at its stems. I would advise that you leave the plant to acclimatise in its new home before re-potting it. Also, please do not feed or over-water the palm. Feed should only be applied during the warmer, growing months.

We do carefully check our plants before shipping them and would not have sent it out if we had any concerns.

We also only work with top rated growers and suppliers from across the various continents, we do not offer sub-standard plants for sale. Please therefore be assured that you palm is healthy and will flourish with the proper care.

Thanks for reading,

Giles