texts:
My pilea dark mystery is really drooping. I haven’t a clue why because I’ve watered when the soil is dry- ie: about once a week. I haven’t had it for long. Only thing I can think of is I re-potted it twice in a short time because it was in the plastic nursery pot and then I put it in a pot that was too small so I decided to put it in the one it’s in now.

I’m so confused because the leaves aren’t dry and crispy so I don’t think it’s a humidity issue. But I really don’t know. I love love this plant so I’d really like to salvage it.


texts: Stop bougainvillea from generating shoots from the stock?

texts: I have a large bougainvillea that I've trained to climb onto an 8ft arbor.  From there it runs horizontal.  The 8ft stock running up to the top of the arbor is bare (no leaves or shoots).  My question is, is there a way prevent the bougainvillea from growing new shoots from the base and stock?


texts: Identifying the fruit or the seed of a tree

texts:
I took this picture of a fruit when visiting an arboretum in zone 6b. I remember the guide talking about an invasive species, but I can't remember if it was related to the fruit or if it was about some other tree.
I have used Google images to find the name of the tree, but it didn't work.
I have the option of waiting until next november to make another visit and to ask the guide, but I hope it won't be the case.
The location of this is Parcul Dendrologic, Simeria Romania.


texts: Part of the citrus leaves are dull and dark graying

texts: I did look up different diseases online but I'm having a hard time finding a match for these symptoms, the leaves with the dull color feel drier and not as smooth the the touch as regular normal leaves. Could someone identify the problem here please.


texts: Are bananas male/female and which ones will contain seed?

texts:
My mum told me that there are female and male bananas (the fruit, not the tree), and only female bananas contain seed. Is it true?

She said the little black things commonly seen inside banana are not seeds, and the seeds are very hard to chew and few bananas will contain them.

Do you know something about this? Have you ever opened up a banana and found obvious seeds inside?

Can the black dots or any obvious seeds be grown?


texts: What is the cause of the blackening of leaves?

texts:
My plant leaf seems to have diseased. It's leaf seems blacken on edge and cut on middle.

Even new leaf is getting this problem.

Could anyone please help me?

Thanks in advance.


texts: We moved into this house in winter and now it is summer our garden is absolutely full of this stuff, so what is it and it isn't by any chance edible is it?


texts: Should I prune a basil plant as it's growing?

texts: I have a few basil plants that I am growing in pots.  They look healthy so far and I have not harvested any leaves from the basil.  I am wondering if it is recommended to pluck some leaves on a regular basis to promote growth or leave it alone and consume the entire plant at some point (not sure when that would be).


texts: What are the best conditions for Peperomia caperata?

texts:
This is the plant, Peperomia caperata that I like for my bedroom and living room.

Rooms have windows but receive only some daylight and no sunlight. We have to use tubelight for these rooms, all the time.

The country is India, and region is Delhi. There is 2.6 years old active toddler in the house. At night in summers we may use air conditioners.

What is the life expectancy of this plant?
Will it be better if I get the seeds and start from scratch or should I buy a grown up plant?
What do I need to know and do to ensure the long life of that plant?


texts: Fruit bearing plants in shade of northern wall?

texts:
Are there any fruit bearing bushes (preferably) or similar fruit bearing plants or small trees which can be grown on northern side of the house which is typically covered by shadow more hours than other places? We are in Central Europe, hardiness zone 7a. The place for plants is more than 10 meters long and 0.6 meters wide (to keep another 0.6 meters for width of path. Of course, in case of small trees, their tops can be wider, up to 2 meters, reaching over the fence.) In our area, prevalent winds blow from the north, directly against this wall.

We are looking to utilize that narrow strip and we want to avoid vegetables or flowers there as this is zone frequently visited by our dog.


texts: What mixture of liquid soap to water should I use for soil with high silicon content?

texts: I want to use my Miracle-Gro spray attachment for spraying a soap solution on my lawn and plants since I have very high silicon in my soil.  we used Naiad wetting agents on the golf course where I used to work, but that is on a much grander scale. Any ideas for a good mixture?


texts: What is this succulent plant bought from a botanical garden?

texts:
Does anybody know what this plant is?

When we bought it, it was very small, brown and closed up. With decent watering and light it's grown into what you can see here: several low-lying rosettes of long thin leaves and a single straggling stem with the same leaves whorled around it.


texts: If my lawn has started growing, should I start cutting it?

texts: Normal recommendations would say it is too early to begin cutting in northern England, but my small ornamental lawn has started to grow already. Is it reasonable to take this as a sign I should begin mowing on a very long height, or let it grow?


texts: How do I keep my indoor plants warm without spending any money

texts: So I have three totes with little rows of lettuce/Swiss chard/salad mix in each one. They're only about a week and a half old, so they're still fragile but have cotyledon  and are working on the first true leaves. BUT it got colder than I was expecting and I don't really have a place to warm up the plants AND get them access to warmth. How do I heat my plants where they are by spending the least money possible?


texts: Will creating a sandbox at the base of a fir tree damage it?

texts:
We have recently moved into a home with several large old growth fir trees on the property.

Will creating a sandbox at the base of a fir tree cause any damage to the tree?


texts: Why are the leaves on my kiwiberry curling?

texts:
I've had this kiwiberry for about 1 year now, it's been potted the whole time.

I used regular compost potting mix, along with a handful of Osmocote fertiliser when I potted it. I water in the mornings and evenings, about 1-2 litres each time.

I also apply some Seasol once every month

I'm in Melbourne, Australia, could the dryness and heat be causing this? Am I not fertilising enough?

Thanks


texts: My Lawn has a Hard Spot where Grass doesn't Grow

texts:
Theres a spot in my front yard where the ground is extremely hard, everywhere else is soft and spongy. This spot is roughly 1 to 1.5' in diameter. No grass grows here.

What's the best way for a novice gardener to fix this?


texts: Philodandron is slowly yellowing/browning and losing leaves

texts:
Hi fellow plant lovers.

A month ago I got a philodandron and it started losing leaves. It hasn't stopped since then and I'm afraid it's going to die :/

Environment: tropical climate (25C to 28C indoors), fans on and once a day maybe 1h of AC.

It started close to a window, I thought it was yellowing for too much light. I changed it and now it's been 10 days away from the window with artificial light the whole day now.

Evolution:
21st march:

4th April (the day I moved it because it wasn't looking good)

20th April (really not looking great)

Can anyone give me some tips on how to care for it so it recovers? I'm afraid it's going to die...


texts: Combining drip irrigation with small shrub/lawn sprinklers

texts:
I am planning an above-ground system for a very small lot. I am trying ot do most of it with drip irigation, but I also have small lawn to the side, and I was wondering if I could combine the drip and lawn irrigation in one zone.

For instance, I have a section of the yard along the porch that has a 0.5 m strip of shrubs, vines, flowers, ground cover, and small decorative trees, and also about 3 m (10 feet) narrow section of lawn that is maybe 5 or 6 m long. I could theoretically run two lines alongside each other — one for drip, another for the lawn, but that would mean twice the tubing, twice the timers, filters etc., and twice the clutter.

I’ve found the stakes that work with standard 1/2" (13 mm) drip irrigation main, that has 1/2" threaded outlet, on which any regular sprinkler can be attached, either directly or via the riser:

And so I could run my drip main along the edge of the lawn, interrupted by few of these stakes. And I could use those small 180° sprinkler heads, such as shrub sprinklers which are the same heads that are used in small pop-up lawn sprinklers for narrow lawns. But my two major concerns are water pressure and flow, and watering time.

For instance, those pop/up shrub sprinkler heads are recommended by the manufacturer to be used at four per zone at 30 psi (~207 kPa) based on the “average” rate of flow of 1.6 U.S. gallons per minute (6L/min) in a larger main pipe (such as 3/4"). At the same time, drip irrigation, as I understand, runs in 1/2" pipe at 25 psi (~172 kPa), and I am not sure it would produce enough flow for those shrub heads. That said, I am going to run them at the low end of their range, so that might help.

As for watering time, I wonder if they would saturate the lawn too fast (ideally, I am thinking in investing in moisture sensor to cut them off when it’s good enough, or to delay the watering after the rain), and it would cut the watering time too short for some full-size grape vines or decorative small trees, such as Japanese maple. At the same time the lawn is possibly the one part of the garden that receives a lot of sun most of the day (the rest is covered by catalpa, peach and cherry trees), so it would need longer watering as well.

So I need recommendation as to whether my idea is feasible (pending accurate flow measurement), or to direct me towards possible alternatives, keeping in mind budget constraints and water conservation.


texts:
I have some patchy weird grass or weeds growing on my lawn. You can see in a few places in the images below:

Picture 1: you can see the longer wider grass blades scattered here. What is this? A broadleaf weed or a grass that I just don't want? How do I get rid of it?

Picture 2: it looks like I have some fine fescue (right?) with some similar wide blade grass/weeds? How do I get rid of the larger grass/weeds? It's ugly and undesirable.

Picture 3: you can see it a bit better here. I think my desirable lawn here is a bit of fine fescue and maybe some KBG (the slightly discolored + green blades at the bottom of the picture?). Does that seem right? What about that nasty ugly clump near the top of the picture? Broadleaf weed or undesirable grass? Is it the same as pictures 1 + 2? I think so. How do I get rid of these?


texts: How can I divide a long planter into two gardens?

texts:
The decking between my property and my neighbours is divided by a very large concrete planter box. It is very roughly 4x1x1 metres (13x3x3 feet) internally. Over the top of the planter, down the middle is a wooden fence dividing our properties. So each of our gardens shares the same soil.
Due to waterproofing issues, the existing soil is currently being removed to repair the concrete, giving me an opportunity to improve the set up.
A knowledgeable friend has warned me that sharing the soil in the planter with the neighbours is a recipe for trouble - if we have different plants with different needs for water, fertiliser, etc., it will be difficult to maintain. There may also be difficulties preventing weeds and enthusiastic plantings from taking over the other side's garden.
She recommends I put some sort of divider between the two halves so we can maintain our own soils separately.
My question is in two parts:

Is this good advice?
What sort of product (thin plastic lining? thicker plastic? wooden sheets? weed mats?) should I be looking for to put in the planter box before it is filled with new soil?

I tried asking at nursery, but the assistant looked confused about the request and had no suggestions.


texts: Should I account for seasons when growing inside only?

texts:
My indoor plants are fairly disconnected from the outside: the temperature and humidity are controlled and they are under strong artificial lights 18h/day.

Should in any way care about seasons? For instance, my fertilizer says to apply twice per month during the growth season. Do I have a perpetual growth season or do plants take a break by themselves anyway? (Alternatively, do they need one?)

In case it matters, I'm growing right now: basil, chives, mint, sage, mango (1' high), avocado (1' high), a few houseplants, tomatoes (seedling), lavender (seedling), cosmos (seedling).


texts:
First off, I'm new here so not exactly sure if I'm adding pictures or adding the description correctly. Some of the leaves on my tomato plants look like they're starting to turn yellow. The back of the leaves look fine to me. This is not affecting all of my leaves just a few on every one of my tomato plants. These plants are planted separately in  5 gallon fabric plant pots. They were initially started indoors but put outside about 1 1/2 months ago. I live in NH and the weather has been rainy without much sun, although they are on my balcony with a roof.
Thank you in advance.


texts:
I recently found this bug underneath the leaves of my wisteria.

There were a few of them and they seem pretty attached to the plant (i.e., stayed put when I moved the leaves). They have also laid eggs underneath the leaves, which have hatched. I sprayed them all away. I have tried to identify this insect but it doesn’t seem to fit the description of any of the common pests on wisteria (e.g., aphids, mealybugs, scales, white flies).

Can anybody please tell me what they are and if I should be worried for my wisteria? Thanks!


texts: Do legumes provide nitrogen to their companions?

texts:
It's common knowledge that legumes (clover, beans, etc) can (with the help of Rhizobium bacteria) fix nitrogen from the air and hold it in the soil.

Much is made of this fact -- advice that we should plant clover in our lawn to give the grass a boost, "three sisters" plantings of beans with corn so the beans can provide the corn with nitrogen, etc.

But I've seen a couple of mentions that the nitrogen that legumes fix from the air is "locked up" on the roots of the plant until it dies. Thus they don't help their companions while they're alive -- so while clovers in a lawn have other benefits, they do not provide any nitrogen to the grasses. According to this contrary advice, the only nitrogen benefit these plants provide is to a following crop -- e.g. a soybean crop or clover cover crop will provide nitrogen to whatever follows.

Which advice is correct? Does it depend on the legume type? (I.e. are there some legume types that fix extra nitrogen that would become available for companions?)


texts: Best Resources for a new DIY'er Getting Started?

texts:
My wife & I recently purchased a new house and while the backyard isn't a total mess, it needs some work.  Both because the prior owner was elderly with limited abilities, but also because we want to make it a space we really enjoy.

Some of the major things:

The lawn is very uneven.
The yard is a mix of grass & clover.
There are various pockets of shrubbery that's overgrown, in particular one area we'd like to return to simple grass (so we could use it for socializing, grilling, etc.)

I know one option is to hire a landscape architect, but for now we'd rather keep it simple & do it ourselves.  (Learning would be part of the fun, enable us to tweak it, and if we do get an architect, we'd have a better sense of what we want.)

The thing is, where to start!

Any experienced hands have suggestions on must-read books, websites or any resources we should avail ourselves off?  (I know planning will be an important step.)


texts: This plant is in Melbourne, Australia. Thought it was a lilac but not quite.


texts: Plausible explanation for abrupt total disappearance of balsam?

texts:
Impatiens glandulifera Himalayan balsam is considered a nuisance by some (eg a "prohibited noxious weed" under the Alberta Weed Control Act 2010) but it is colourful and the explosive pods are quite fun, ejecting seeds up to 7 metres (23 feet)† . Wikipedia mentions:

  ordinary people could buy them for the cost of a packet of seeds to rival the expensive orchids grown in the greenhouses of the rich.

A specimen was introduced half a century ago to a river bank in a temperate climate where it established itself quite thoroughly in a few years, thrived for about a decade, grew rampant for a decade or so and then disappeared quite abruptly, a decade or two back.

Image courtesy Mick Lobb

During its most prolific spell it was also rampant a few miles downstream but disappeared from there at about the same time. While there may have been attempts to eradicate it downstream no such efforts were made in the location where it was introduced.

I gather flooding is likely to kill it off, though I happen to doubt that was the 'solution' even downstream (The seedbank lasts for approximately 18 months, so two years’ control should eradicate the plant) because I don't recall floods in successive years. It was certainly not the case upstream, where weirs control the water level.

Decrease in eutrophication/hypertrophication has been suggested as a possible control mechanism (ie, reduce nutrients to give local, adapted vegetation a better chance to compete). It seems a possible cause of the demise, as the stream flows through agricultural land and there had been some sewage leakage into it around the time of the rampant phase. However I am not aware of water quality tests from that time and the water is too well churned and aerated to show telltale signs of phytoplankton.

There is also 'the usual suspect', global warming. With its origin in the Himalayas perhaps the climate has warmed enough in half a century that temperatures no longer suit the plant. I doubt this however as the climate in Cornwall for example is likely warmer and growth there has been vigorous.

The Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International has released rust fungus in some areas, to control "policeman's helmet". I don't know how to detect whether that is present but have not noticed any indication.

I am not planning to reintroduce a specimen but am wondering what happened. Are there possibilities I have not considered (maybe a couple of successive very cold winters?) or does any one of those I have mentioned seem the most plausible culprit?

† May be seen doing so on Wikipedia.


texts:
Seeking all the experts out there.
Just while I was going out to water my basil plant just now, I realised that some leaves have developed dark spots as shown in the pictures. I have immediately trimmed the black leaves off, but does anyone know why that has happened and any possible solutions? I hope it doesn't develop to the rest of the plant...
This is my first basil plant, so please give any comments in case I am doing anything incorrectly

Thanks in advance.
Ryan


texts:
I would like to grow plants in an indoor garden on fleece mats like used in this video: Aero Farms indoor growing . Where can I find these "reusable cloth"? They should be suitable form multiple growing periodes.

When I looked this up online, I could only find products that prevent plants from growing thrue. Does anyone have experience with this and can give me some tips?


texts:
There are a line of pine trees in my development, and two of them seem to have a disease. I was hoping someone could identify what is wrong with them. They seem to both have the same problem (part of the branches are dead and there is something wrong with the trunks).

First tree:

Second tree:

Here is an album of both of the trees (shows the branches):
https://imgur.com/a/iki3F


texts: what happened to my Acer tree leaf? It's about 3 years old and planted in normal soil. The weather in England is now spring.


texts:
I am attempting to grow okra around Portland, Oregon area, USDA hardiness zone 8b.

I am growing them in a makeshift greenhouse make of some clear plastic tarp over a raised garden bed. This was closed most of the time but I have left it open for the last few weeks due to high temperatures 80-90F+ I am using miracle grow raised bed soil and have mixed in some chicken manure compost

I have two plants that are around 6-8 months old (estimate). They appear to healthy however have failed to produce any pods. What happens is: a flower will appear and open, the flower will close and drop off, a small green "nub" will be left behind, then this nub and the stem that is attached to will dry up and turn brown and then fall off the plant.

I found some information about growing orka in my area which says that the night temperatures should be above 55F.
I have measured soil temperatures with a temperature logger and the minimum temperature at night it 67F, max temperature during the day has been around 90F recently.

I found a person with what appears to be the same problem in this comment and the responses seem to indicate that there is some problem will pollination? Here is a video showing manual pollination of an okra flower with a q-tip. I attempted this, however I get almost no pollen to stick to the q-tip, so my guess is that the flowers are not producing pollen for some reason.

Here are some more pictures of the plant showing the dying pods
flower (not fully open here, but I have seen them fully open)
and my failed attempts at hand pollination note that there really is no powdery pollen as seen in the linked video above.

Screencap from video:

If anyone has any idea what could be causing the plant to not produce pods and/or pollen or has any experience with okra I would appreciate any advice as to what to try next. I was thinking at this point I may want to try some soil/pH testing, but I have no experience with this.

Update tried to remove most of the soil from around the plants and replaced it with soil that I had not added any chicken manure to as I think this would remove some of the nitrogen.
Did soil testing, pH is around 6.5 and nutrient results:

nitrogen    very low
phosphorous medium
potash      high

So, I guess too much nitrogen is definitely not a problem now...because it appears that there is none...oops?

Also, the next few flowers appeared to have a small amount of pollen that I was able to put onto the stigma.
Still pretty pitiful amount, but better than before which was nothing.
Will see if I finally get any pods.

A few days later update: These two flowers with the small amount of pollen appear to be growing pods, finally. However I have observed other flowers blooming after this time that again have no pollen. So there is some problem causing pollen to not be produced.


texts:
I have quite a lot of potting mix and compost, but no unused topsoil or similar.   I do, however, have access to a large quantity of used cocopeat blocks (they were used to grow Courgettes, and before that eggplants)

Is it feasible to mix compost with the cocopeat from the cocopeat blocks and use that as a vegetable mix ?   Should I add some slow release fertilizer granules to it as well ?

Not sure exactly what I want to grow yet, but they will be winter vegetables or leafy greens - which i'm going to throw into a .5m^2 plastic sandpit with holes drilled in the bottom.

(If the above is not feasible, I also have quite a lot of bark chips - I assume that mixing these with compost would not be as good ?)


texts: What is this plant with arrowhead shaped leaves with black splotches?

texts:
I have noticed this plant growing near my fruit bushes and it is spreading. Its leaves are shaped like arrowheads and have black splotches on them.

Is it a weed or friendly plant?


texts: Is this a weed, coming up right next to my vine, and if so what is it?

texts:
I found this shoot growing in northern NJ USA. It seemed to pop up and grow fast, as I don't remember seeing it a couple of days ago. It's already about a foot tall.

It's growing in a partially shaded area right next to a vining plant. The leaves are an odd shape and the stems are dark.


texts:
I was riding bike today and I saw this beautiful tree with red flowers.

So I took a seed pod home because I’d like to plant something like this in my garden.

Can the seeds be planted in a pot? The pot would be in my rooftop.


texts: Do you have to plant the sweet potatoes first and make sprouts, then cut vines off of these       sprouts and put them  in water? Can you just cut your potatoes in half and put them into water and grow slips from these?


texts:
I've seen many people in one of my local forums say that their purple basil turned green a while after planting. There were no proper conclusions to this problem, so could someone please explain?

In my own experience, I planted a purple basil from seed. It started with purple leaves until it was medium sized, and then its leaves started to turn green.


texts:
Just bought a new house and the garden is filled with some kind of flea-like insect. You can't notice them normally but put anything white on the grass and they jump on it instantly.

Here is a video

And some photos:

They're maybe 1mm long and they jump like fleas. The previous owners apparently had two cats, and there are definitely cats still roaming. But they're not in the house at all and they don't bite us.

Anyone have any ideas or know a better place to ask?


texts: How do I grow primitive plants in Water Gels?

texts:
I have fern and horsetail spores. I have some Water Gels too. Can I grow fern and horsetails in Water Gels in a dry climate (not too dry, kind of moderate weather)?

Do I need a special fertilizer or anything?
(Can I grow these out of spores?)


texts:
I am completely new at any kind of gardening and I just wanted to know if it was possible to cross a red rose bush and a white rose bush and have pink roses bloom. I'm not even sure if hybrid or breeding are the correct terms for what I'm asking.

How and when would I transfer and re plant with another rose bush to make hybrid roses?


texts: I planted Early Nantes V earlier in the year and am just starting to harvest them.  Some are orange but some are white.  Why is this?


texts:
I planted red and new potatoes in early May. They were planted 6-8 inches deep. The potatoes were sprouted potatoes from our local hardware store. Our soil is heavy clay but the potatoes were planted in purchased hummus which had been worked into the soil to a depth of about 15 inches. Our climate zone is zone 9B.

As you can see, the potato plants only grew to about 1 ft high. Some of the plants dried up so we started harvesting today (Aug 13).  To our surprise, there were no potatoes at all. We watered the potatoes using a drip system (2 GPH) that was set to 15 minutes once per week. However, the summer here has been very hot and whenever the plants looked wilted, we added an additional watering cycle.


texts: Hi, I have just been in my garden planting some plants and I found these. I don't know if the larvae are the same as the pupae? The larvae are about 16mm long and the pupae about 10mm. The soil was quite damp but not wet as it was close to a pond. They were all about 7 to 10 cm below the surface.


texts: What is wrong with this Jade Plant? (Yellowing Leaves, Spots, White powder)

texts:
I own a jade plant which has been having some trouble recently. Before I start I will tell you that I water the plant once a week or sometimes even every other day if the soil is  dry. The plant sits on a windows sill, it gets lot of light but quite little direct sunlight since it is hidden behind some wooden panes. Around a week ago I decided to repot it into a slightly bigger pot but that didn't seem to help, the new pot has better drainage and some rocks at the bottom.

Now onto the symptoms, The bigger leaves are getting yellow and pale and drooping downwards. The leaves don't look nice, they have spots and other marks on them. I also noticed some white powdery stuff on the leaves and stem.

Here are a bunch of photos since my explanation wasn't too great:

I am begging to think that it has a nutrient deficiency since for the 2-3 years that I have owned it I never fertilized it. But at the same time that wouldn't make sense since I just repotted it.


texts: I live in the San Francisco / Bay Area and have a few raised vegetable beds.  I have tried growing seeds outdoors (recently I sowed carrot, beet and cilantro) but have not had any luck with germination.  I have done this indoors in a heating mat without issues.  What am I doing wrong?


texts: Is this disease or sun damage on my Japanese maple?

texts: There are dark-rimmed grey/white patches on my recently gifted Omurayama Japanese maple.  Is this due to disease, or simply sun damage?  There is the uncommon hole on leaves rimmed with the same grey-white color, as well.


texts: Anyone know what plant this is? It’s some kind of bush / shrub or hedge.


texts:
What is this plant? I saw it in San Francisco.

My mom thought it might be a Hebe, but I haven't seen any online that are very similar.


texts: What is this small insect with a rounded brown head burrowing into my rhododendron?

texts:
I caught this bug burrowing into the trunk of my rhododendron, and I persuaded it to exit its home.

Here's a close up of said worm.

I can't imagine it being other than damaging to my tree. Anyone know what it is?  The location is Wellington, New Zealand.

Edit: the bark had been damaged by my plastic rubbish bin rubbing against it and I believe this is why some beetle laid its egg here. I removed the frass before taking the picture, and I admit I did use a Philips screwdriver to encourage the woodworm to leave its new home in my tree.  The hole is about 4 mm (.15 in) in diameter so I think it's too big for a rhododendron borer which I'm not even sure we have in NZ.  The holes of the two tooth borer are said to be oval but this one seems quite round.


texts: How to get more shoots after pruning Yucca?

texts: I have cut off the top of my Yucca elephantipes, and after a few months a new shoot comes from the stem. My question is, is it possible to get more than one shoot? And if yes, how to do that? How can I stimulate the plant to have more shoots (without pruning the new shoot)?


texts: Pest on Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea Recurvata)

texts:
Today I discovered a pest on my Ponytail Palm.

I noticed that it has been getting dry leaves and losing them since 2 weeks ago.

I hope someone can help me to identify the pest and a possible solution for it.

Thanks a lot for your time!

Here are some photos:


texts: What is a recipe for a long-lasting, fast draining container soil mix with good aeration?

texts: I'm interested in making my own container soil for some potted citrus and figs as well as something that'll work for other house plants.  I've heard of Al's Gritty Mix.  Does anyone have a mix that's worked well for them over a several year period?


texts:
I planted at most three dozen mammoth sunflowers last spring. They are all coming up fine, some even blooming. However, one in particular is a tiny, what I would describe as dwarf, that is less than three feet tall, that has already bloomed with a tiny flower on it. Any idea what happened?

I'll gladly answer any questions. I would like to know what is going on, thanks!

Edit: I live in Pennsylvania, US, and they were planted in about April. They are closer than I wanted, planted in the ground, but the only difference between the normal plant and the dwarf is that this one was grown from the ground. The rest  of the seeds that I did not plant I threw in a hole and nothing grew except this one, I assume.

The plants themselves came from the seeds of one mammoth sunflower last year, which I grew in planters for a few years, then I transplanted them into the ground. It is its own little flower, not connected to any others.

Little flower

Little flower stem


texts:
First of all, I'm not a gardening expert so I don't know the correct terms.

I bought some roses recently and I've put them next to my window. Their leaves are getting dry and their flowers are dropping, and I have used diazinon to kill the aphids (I apply it every week).

Here are some pictures of them (I've taken pics from behind my window so it's a bit dark):


texts:
Ikea has a brand of hydroponic start kits called vaxer. Part of their offering consists of lamps that aid in the cultivation of the plants (example1, example2 and example3). There are other companies offering lamps that should help plants grow.

When I compare the lamps from Ikea as well as others I find it hard to figure out what lamp may be preferable for my hobby projects at home. I recall seeing a documentary where it was suggested that plants prefer red and blue light because that is the colour they themselves do not emit back. This makes me wonder why the Ikea lamps don't have these colors.

I'm new at this field but I may be interested in investing in some lights for some indoor hobbying. When considering this though, what are properties of these growth lights that are important as far as plant growth goes?

In my particular situation I am not concerned with heat but more the correct type of light and the costs of electricity.


texts: Do coffee grounds in gardens deter cats?

texts:
There are several sites that suggest using coffee grounds in the garden, to keep out cats. I haven't tried it, but there are some beds on my property which could do without cats digging around and occasionally attacking plants (beats me why they do that). I guess the best way to find out is to try it myself, but before I go around sprinkling coffee grounds on the beds, does anyone here know:

Are coffee grounds really effective at deterring cats from living in garden beds?


texts: Can someone help me identify this dried tree?

texts:
Can someone help me to identify the dried tree on the following image?
Any info where I can get it would be helpful.


texts: What is this plant? What is the white stuff on it?

texts:
I've had this plant for a long time, and for most of that time it was outdoors, in a shared area with other plants and heavy sun. It didn't do well, so I dug it out and put in it's own pot, with a little less sun, and it seemed to thrive- it tripled in size and even put out, occasionally, tiny red flowers.

But lately I noticed that it has a layer of an icky white substance on it, and it isn't doing so good- dropping leaves and no new flowers.

What is it? What can I do about this?

Click photo for full size

Here's a picture from up close:

Click photo for full size


texts: Orange sponge-like mold growing on mulch - what is it and is it harmful?

texts:
There is a mold that looks sponge-like that is growing in various spots on my mulch. It seems to appear very quickly (it seems like overnight but that's probably because I'm not observing daily), and I notice the following life cycle:

The mold is a moderately rich orange color that looks neither dry nor moist.
The mold seems to rise (like baking bread) and expand in diameter and turn a more pale orange (like in the first image below).
The mold "pops open" and exposes black spores (like in the second image below).

I can poke the mold at steps #1 or #2 above to make it "pop" and have the black spore exposed.

The mulch was made from some trees that I had cut down on my property, one fir and one white birch.

I am wondering a) what is this mold and b) is it benign or could it be harmful to plants?


texts: Can Anyone Identify This Small Blue-Flowered Shrubby Plant?

texts:
I have a small, blue-flowered, something growing under the Japonica in my garden in north Cymru and I need to know if anyone here can identify it.

The plant is low-growing and, left alone, will grow into a green, bushy, mound a foot or two high, happily spreading wherever it can. The flowers are a lovely deep blue and are popular with pollinators, eg: bees. Outside of that, it is hairy all over and fairly fragile with slender fibrous stems and glossy green, lanceolate, leaves and appears to like shady, damp, locations.

This may not be much to go on, but hopefully someone will be able to identify it, and you have my thanks in advance to all who try to.


texts: What is causing the weird bubbles on my pepper seedling's stem?

texts:
Any recommendations you have would be appreciated.

I'm assuming this is bad and will kill the plant? :(

The pepper seedlings have been indoors their entire lives (a few weeks). Not all of them have these bubbles on them, and some aren't nearly as covered as this one. Is there anything that can be done for this or any of them? If not, how do I prevent this in the future? Would less water help?

Click photo for full size


texts: Is there any way to save delayed tomato plants before temperature gets too low?

texts:
We are entering fall, with rainy conditions and daily temperatures below 20 °C, and my tomatoes, though (or because…) tall and robusts, are just starting flowering.  Even if next weeks are more clement, I don't expect fruits to get ripe before first frosts.

Is there something I can do to save them ?  I don't have greehouse.

I was thinking of maybe cutting flowered parts and transplants them into potting soil or maybe compost and get them indoor, would that help, and if yes how to optimize it (where to cut, when to transplant, water-only first or direct soil, or even pure compost, etc.) and get tasty fruits ?

PS : I know I could harvest green fruits for some recipes, but that's not the point of this question, and actually I don't see many fruits yet.


texts:
I have an old house (built in the 50s) on a large lot (~ 1/2 acre) that was previously owned by some older folks that didn't keep up with the landscaping very well.

I've been slowly trying to get it in order, and while I have a ways to go, my current issue is with a monstrous pyracantha hedge. The back of the lot slopes down quite a ways to a street about 20 ft below.

The pyracantha covers most of that hillside. It's grown significantly in to the back yard area as well.

What are some effective ways of trimming this beast back? I've used loppers, sheers, and a hedge trimmer.

The loppers and sheers works alright, if a bit slow. The hedge trimmer wasn't that effective as many of the branches are a bit too thick. Any advice on understanding how far back I can go?

I'm OK with sacrificing the look of the hedge as I'm guessing this thing has encroached quite a bit in to the yard space (At least a few feet, probably 6+).

Also, any good advice on how to dispose of all this material? I have a chipper, which I have used in the past, but it's even slower than cutting because of how hard it is to handle the branches. For those unaware, pyracantha is also known as firethorn, and for good reason. It has huge needle like thorns that go through just about everything. I've found that using rose gauntlets and going slow I can mostly avoid getting stuck. Mostly.


texts: should water going through compost come out sudsy (like soap suds)?

texts: I have a composting chamber (similar to a miracle grow container but goes in 1 side and out the other) be sending out water that seems a little sudsy on the output side?


texts: Can I eradicate blackspot on roses with a winter pruning?

texts:
In mid-winter, I pruned my standard roses back harshly.  Black-spot can be a problem on these roses.  The pruning is such that they have hardly any leaves.  The remaining leaves do not have any black-spot.

Should I spray now to remove any remaining fungus on the plants?  Will this keep black-spot from the new foilage that will grow as spring starts?  Or will the fungus spread through the air to the new foilage in any case?


texts: Why does my tomato plant have tightly shrivelled green leaves?

texts:
I have a Tomato Grafted Stargold F1 (Yellow Cherry) growing in my greenhouse.  It has been in there for several weeks and it seems to have grown taller but all the leaves are very tightly curled in.

What could have caused this tomato plant leaves to wither so, and get not discolour?

What could I do to improve the tomato plant's health?

The neighbouring tomato and pepper plant seems healthy.  The plants are in the greenhouse soil which is fresh garden soil and well-rotted horse manure.  I have not started feeing the tomatoes yet, as they do have any flower or fruit started yet.

I had not pruned any of the plants yet.  This morning I pinched out the extra shoots.  I would estimate it like the other tomato plants are twice the height they were.


texts: Does fenugreek need a lot of water and sun?

texts:
As I am failing my third attempt to grow fenugreek I wonder what went wrong.
I grow them indoors in a yogurt-container-turned-planter with potting mix and artificial lighting. The first two times around they grew to about 2 inches tall with sparse leaves and then just wilted away. This time around about 1 inch tall they are already dying three weeks after they sprouted. If I could put my finger on a turning point, it's probably last week when I watered too much. There are small holes at the bottom of the yogurt container but don't always let out all extra liquid. I later poured out a cup of liquid from the container.


texts:
My hydrangeas were looking beautiful until a couple weeks ago. Then I started noticing that some of their leaves had these gray powdery looing spots on them, their blooms started having brown spots and their new leaves have some yellow ones.
I searched online and I think it's powdery mildew, but I don't know if that is the problem for all of them because some don't have that powdery texture on their leaves.
How should I treat them?


texts:
I am planning for a landscape project.  I wish to start construction in 9 months.  In this project I plan to remove many 20-foot-tall trees.  They are badly sited, and becoming a serious problem.  I am trying to decide when to remove them.

One choice is to remove them soon after landscape design starts but before other construction begins.  Perhaps this will give the architect a chance to design around some of them.  However, this seems unlikely.  These trees were planted along a fence with 4 feet spacing between trees, as if making a spite fence.

Another choice is to remove them soon.  The reason is to give the designer a blank slate, a better view of his/her work area, more accurate lighting.  And I suspect this choice will help the new plants too by ensuring the existing trees' root network are completely inactive in 9 months.

Which choice is better?  Please provide your reasons too.  Thanks.


texts: What's the correct lilac plant for my growing conditions?

texts:
I want to get one lilac and I wasn't aware that there are different kinds.
I live in New Jersey, the soil is clay and acidic. I want to place it in front of my house where it gets half day full on sun.

Also, my main concern is, I'm highly allergic to bee stings, so if it attracts bees I'll need alternative plants, one that smells nice but doesn't attract bees.

See attached pictures of the plants I'm interested in getting.


texts: What is the deficiency in my Thailand ginger plant?

texts: My gala Thailand ginger is 3 months old, but the leaves are very pale yellow and the growth seems to be stunted. Please let me know if there is any deficiency.


texts: How do I manage different water flows with a drip irrigation system in my vegetable garden?

texts:
A year ago, we redid our yard and put in a nice vegetable garden. It's got two raised beds about 3 x 8 and a bunch of pots. I bought my wife a drip irrigation system so that watering would be easier and so that the garden can live through our frequent summer vacations. We're totally overwhelmed by the drip system though, and it's been in the box for a year now. We're getting tired of asking the neighbors to water the veggies (as are they, I'm sure), so it's time to get this thing in!

The biggest issue we're running in to is not knowing how to design for different water flow. We've got all sorts of attachments so that different plants can get different amounts of water at different heights, etc. I don't understand which types are best for what kind of plants. And even then, we plant different plants all year long and then rotate the plants from year to year. How do you design this so that the irrigation system isn't out of date as soon as the season changes or the next one year rolls around?


texts: Can anyone help identify this grapevine?

texts: A bit of background, this is a vine growing in my garden in Surrey in the UK. I'm not sure of the variety and have tried to identify it through looking at photos online and the closest to the leaf I can see is zinfandel. I would appreciate any suggestions or help from anyone who knows these plants better than me! Many thanks, Rob.


texts: Turning my existing lawn into something more presentable. Will tilling kill everything so I can start from scratch or do I need herbicide?

texts:
I'm in Eastern PA and as it's just the start of April - I would like to turn my poor excuse for a lawn into a nice, level, uniform grassy green lawn. It's currently very uneven with high spots, low spots and rocks - I'm working on leveling everything by getting rid of the rocks, eliminating high spots and adding new top soil in low spots. This part seems pretty straightforward. I'm not sure how much of the lawn is actual grass and how much is unwanted stuff like moss and weeds. Considering I'm going to be doing this now (first week of April) - will tilling the whole lawn kill everything that's there now? Or would I need to treat it all with herbicide first? Here's the process I had in mind - I'm looking for some critique if I'm doing anything wrong:

Remove excess rocks & high spots
Fill in low spots with fill / top soil
Till everything, mixing in some new top soil to get a consistent soil
Level everything with a homemade drag level
Spread grass seed
Add an additional thin layer of top soil
Use a lawn roller to compact everything
Water & wait

This is what it looks like today (April 2019):

This is what the yard looked like last summer (July 2018):


texts: Leaving succulents in the sun for 2 weeks without watering

texts:
I'm about to leave for 2 weeks and the days are just stating to become sunny. I have a few succulents on a windowsill (on a south-facing window), and I'm wondering how they'll cope with this.

I watered them within the last 4 weeks, but I'm wondering if I should water them again just before leaving. I'm also asking myself if I should move them away from the direct sun. I have a feeling this might just be apprehension on my part, however, since the plants would be in the sun either way when I'm here.

Two of these succulents are Euphorbia, the rest are cacti, and there are a few aloe. Should I take special care for any of these?

Here's a picture:


texts:
How long will it take for three-cornered jacks to break down on their own?
To be clear, I’m referring to the actual prickles and not the weed.
I’m asking because I’m getting on top of our weed problem at one of our properties but already have some prickles lying around and am wondering if I don’t go to the effort of actually picking them up, will they break down on their own? It’s just vacant land and won’t be used for a few more years so no problem with people walking on them.


texts: What is the cause of this tomato plant leaf curl?

texts:
I have never experienced leaf curl to this extreme before. Started from seed,  these plants were perfect in 4 inch pots. After transplanting to a large pot, the leaf curling started within several days. The pot lacked good drainage, being a self watering pot. The pot is outside, and I drilled some drainage holes over a week ago. The leaf curling had continued to get worse.

Could the overly wet soil caused this?  Could the Tomato Tone and Kelp meal caused this?   No signs of bugs.

UPDATE:

I have planted in a raised bed for a decade and have only had issues with aphids and septorium leaf spot.  Mulch has pretty much eradicated the spot fungus.  I have a green thumb and rarely have to deal with failure.  I have always been gentle, but firm with transplanting.

The soil in the pot was taken from my neighbor's "compost pile"; which is really just old flower potting soil dumped yearly.  I am suspecting that a disease was present.  The photos were taken about 2 weeks after transplanting and they were not rootbound in the 4 inch pots.


texts: What is this small plant with bunches of small white flowers that look like roses

texts:
I am in souther ontario and was told this is a perennial plant.

What are care instructions?

Here is a picture with my finger right next to a full sized flower:


texts: What is the proper technique for using a flame weeder?

texts: How do I use a propane flame weeder in my garden? I want to use it to keep weeds under control but I do not want to harm my vegetables.


texts: Should I remove a secondary tree that sprouted from a dwarf apple tree?

texts:
Last year I planted a dwarf apple tree, and this year after returning from vacation it has a secondary tree that's sprouted up from around the base.  Here's a photo showing what I mean:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/RttcFKz1BewiGFdq5

A little hard to tell from the photo, but the secondary tree diverges from the main tree somewhere below the mulch/soil level.  It went from nothing to what you see in the photo in the span of about 3 weeks.

Mainly I'm not sure if this is an issue, or what I should do about it if it is.  Is it fine to just let the secondary tree do its thing, or is it better to take some action against it.  And would that action be pruning it?  Uprooting?  Something else?


texts: Is it worth keeping indoor pepper plants alive over the winter?

texts:
It's not quite time yet1, but I'm wondering if it will be worthwhile keeping my indoor peppers plants alive over the winter. What I've stumbled across so far seems to indicate they will probably just stop producing fruit when conditions are not good enough (lack of sun and/or low temperature). Is this accurate or can I expect further problems?

They won't be exposed to frost, but will probably be exposed to "cold" temperatures overnight and they will obviously get less sunlight (I won't be specifically heating/lighting the plants and I don't heat my home overnight).

If I keep them alive over the winter will they just start to produce fruit again in the spring?
Will next year's fruit be of similar quality, size and quantity?
Will having fully grown plants already mean they start producing fruit earlier?
Will having fully grown plants expose me to other problems (eg, them becoming pot bound sooner)?

1. My side-motive here is to find out if I should re-pot my pot bound plant now to save it ready for next year, or if doing so will ultimately be a waste of time.  But I'd like to know what I should do with these plants generally as I've another three to work out at some point, so may as well get them covered now!


texts:
We have a Kentucky coffee tree that we planted in April 2019. Last fall we had an early hard freeze that damaged many of the trees around here, and appears to have completely killed the coffee tree. This spring it's sending up a strong sucker from the base of the trunk, which I would like to just let go and see if it grows into a strong tree.

Is there anything special I should do to take care of the sucker? Currently I have it bungee corded to the trunk of the main tree for support. Should I cut the main tree down as soon as possible (and then stake the sucker) to give the sucker room to grow? Can I leave the trunk there for now, as it provides a good support? Anything else I should do?


texts:
I have two maples trees, both put in about twelve months ago (I believe they were ten years old at purchase). It’s autumn here in Melbourne, Australia, so leaves are changing color. Note that my soil is clay based.

Both trees are looking a bit rough. Any advice? Is his what I should expect after a year in the ground? I recall them at purchase, and they looked much better.  Note that our weather has been hotter than expected, possibly confusing the trees about autumn.

To


texts: Cactus Identification: miniature branching species with reddish areolas

texts:
This is an approximately 10-year-old specimen of mine. I had a wild guess that it was a Frailea, but having looked at all the recognized species of the genus, I didn't find any that looks like it. Does anyone have an idea what this might be?

Update: It has bloomed this spring and the ID can be confirmed. It is indeed Rebutia heliosa. Thank you!


texts: I have 2 navel orange trees that have always maintained a healthy productive yield of oranges every year here in North Florida ar the eastern Jacksonville area more specifically, Nassau county which is Callahan Florida.if looking at the map. This year, as a normal yeild was on it's way, about a month before prime picking time they started disappearing. They were disappearing randomly in no particular pattern or order and no specific depth or height of the tree and now I am down to about only 8 oranges between both trees. Well the easy answer would be a 2 legged pest however, I am in a very rural area and the only accessible ways to access this part of my property (by human access that is) is covered by trail cameras that have shown no people and of course there is access through the thick woods however I would without a question be able to tell if a human came through any other way. The cameras are not on the trees, just on the access point to that part of my property but the idea of it being a person is a very very far stretch.  Otherwise, it looks as if they were picked just like anyone would pick an orange with the exception of it appears that the same limb the orange picked off of seems to have leaves missing a little further up the same branch (like you would put your fist around the leaves and pull them off). The other catch is, absolutely no sign of anything eating them right there. No peelings or anything on the ground at all that would be expected from an animal. I have raccoons, deer, domestic horses (horses do not have access to the trees), possums, foxes, coyotes and just about any other typical wildlife. As crazy as it is for me to ask, is there a wild animal that could be guilty of picking my oranges and taking off without leaving any evidence? Thanks for any input as I am lost.


texts:
I have some plants on my balcony, and some of them show more or less strangled stems. The strangling happens at the point where the plants come out of the earth. The stem is weakened, but the plants seem to survive. It happens on several kind of plants, like Tomatos, Peppers and nasturtium. When I plant them deeper, some of them develop the same defect on the new border.

They grew on different types of substrate, and I didn't see any bugs there.

What could have caused this defect to arise?


texts: What is this tree I found in Mississippi?

texts: I moved to northeastern Mississippi and found this tree in my backyard. What is it?


texts: How do companies produce seeds for hybrid plants?

texts: I understand that if a person uses seed from a hybrid plant that they raised and plant these, that the resulting plant will very likely not be the same as the hybrid.  I would like to know how the hybrid plant seeds were produced that we buy at the store that are able to create the desired hybrid plant.  Said another way, how do seed companies get the perfect hybrid seed if it is true that planting the seed from a hybrid plant won't result in getting the same hybrid?


texts: What is the white, powdery, substance on my hibiscus?

texts:
We live in Southwest Florida. About a month ago, or maybe a little longer, I trimmed back our hibiscus plants. Today, I just noticed this mass of white, almost powdery, substance on the branches and leaves of one of the plants.

What is this, and more importantly, what can I do about it?


texts: Why are my mango tree leaves drying out before growing?

texts:
I grew a mango tree from seed five months ago. At first, it grew normally, but when other leaves were about to grow, they just dried out, got really hard and fell off. They had cca five millimeters. Now every time new leaves start growing, I have to slightly water them - just the little growing leaves - at least 10 times a day for them not to dry. And I really have no idea why is this happening, even though I live in Czech republic. My sister doesn't have problems with mango leaves at all... I started growing another mango tree and it did exactly the same thing, which you can see in the picture.
By the way, I'm sorry for my bad english.


texts:
We live in Charlotte, NC and are trying to grow fescue in our front yard.  We tilled/scraped the entire front yard a couple of springs ago, and had a company (Top Turf) seed it and start recurring fertilizer treatments ever since, but we can't seem to get the front-right half of the yard to stay green. Its on a hill, downhill from 3 very large pine trees, and we do know there are some superficial tree roots in that area, but it started off green after the first year and so we're hoping that it can get back to green somehow.

Any ideas on how to correct or at least assess this situation? tia


texts: I have two very young zuchinnis that are starting to grow flowers, they barely have 4 or 5 little leaves so I think they're very small to allow them to have fruits. Should I prune the flowers?


texts: Which flowers are there in this white/blue/purple wedding bouquet?

texts: My fiancée is in love with the bouquet bellow, but we have no clue about the flowers species used in it. Could someone help us? Any help is really appreciated.


texts: We’ve got a tree stump in our yard, an old oak tree that was struck by lightning and partially cut down by the original owners of our house before we moved in. It’s about 4 feet tall. It’s not in the way or anything, so we don’t want to have it removed but it’s an eyesore.  Does anyone have any ideas on how we could make it look a bit better?


texts: What is this pest on an indoor mint plant, and how can I stop it coming back?

texts:
I recently planted a mint plant purchased from a supermarket in some houseplant potting soil. It's been on a windowsill in the kitchen. In the last week it's acquired some sort of pest which I've tried to take photos of (below).

I have no problem throwing it away and starting again since the plant was very cheap, but I'd like this not to recur. Hence:

Can anyone identify what this is likely to be?
If I were to ignore it, what would be likely to happen (for example, would it go away, kill the plant, spread to other plants in my flat...)?
What precautions should I take to avoid this happening to its replacement?


texts: Is it 'too late' for our christmas tree (picea abies I think) when the needles start falling off?

texts:
So we got a christmas tree in a pot this year.
As far as I can work out it is a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picea_abies.
I know it won't have been grown in the pot, and the roots are probably not in very good shape and all and chances are generally not so good for this tree. ;)

Anyway, my question is specifically about what it means when the needles start falling off for this kind of tree.

I understand they don't like it in dry indoor conditions, you're ideally supposed to spray them and water the pot, and they will be happier outside.

If you let them dry out, the needles start falling off (or fall off more quickly), and it gets so the needles are kind of hanging on by a thread, and whenever you disturb a branch you get a shower of needles.

My question is then, when it gets to that point, is it already 'too late' for these needles?
Or, if it is put outside, and misted with a bit of water, is it possible for these same needles to 'firm up' again and the branches survive?

By implication, then, is it worth while treating it very delicately, and trying to avoid knocking the branches when the needles are all ready to fall off?


texts: How soon should I replant a grocery store rose

texts: Brought this guy home. Is there guidelines on when best to repot if I want this to live inside, on a southern facing Midwestern window sill.


texts: What would be good for aquaponics containers to keep prices low, that can sit on the ground (not in the ground)?

texts: I'm working on setting up a prototype aquaponics demonstration environment, and was wondering what I could use for a cheap priced demonstration of an aquaponics research plant? The part I'm stuck on specifically is the tanks.


texts: Can I fix my metabo hedge trimmer myself?

texts:
I use an electric metabo hedge trimmer. Both hands need to be on separate switches for it to run. When I let go of both switches simultaneously, the blades stop immediately. However, when I only let go of one of the switches, the blades stop gradually. My father has the same model and his does not have the same behaviour.

Can I easily fix this myself or should I let someone service it?


texts:
We have a  30 year old Little leaf linden (Tilia cordata) on the north side of the property.  Although it is apparently healthy every year it gets galls on the leaves and aphids.
The aphids secrete a sticky sap which covers the car from June through September and attracts wasps and flies.
A few years I have tried a dormant oil spray in late winter to try and control the aphid eggs which are probably in the bark of the tree.  My results were mixed as my hand sprayer will not reach to the top of the tree which is now around 30 feet (10 M) tall.
Are there any other methods to control or reduce the aphid population on the tree?
Edit: The situation got worse every year. Yellow jackets were attracted to the sap or the aphids.  They established a nest in the siding of the house.  There were so many they were flying into the car or the house when the doors were opened. An exterminator got rid of the wasps but new ones moved in to feed on the sap.
Solution:  we had the tree removed and stumped.  The rooms were brighter, I don't have to clean out the gutters every year and other shrubs and flowers are doing much better.


texts: Is it possible to regrow the roots of any plant?

texts:
I know that you can get these small powder bottles from stores like Home Depot or Lowe's.

So here's my problem:

  My mom got a rose bush from a neighbor. However, somehow, all the roots were ripped off by accident. So, my mom uses this powder and places the rose bush in a large pot. A month or so later, the roots did not grow, and my mom just threw away the plant.

Is this because the powder cannot work for all types of plants or is it possible that some other factors messed up the process?

UPDATE: Neighbor did NOT give plant for keeping. My mom is well-known in my neighborhood for planting/gardening, and I just learned that the neighbor gave it to my mom to try to resuscitate it!


texts: Fixing a stainless steel garden hose connector?

texts:
The picture below will describe this better than I can, but our 100 ft hose just blew apart at the faucet connection and it seems some piece that would go on the inside (maybe a rubber or plastic gasket?) fell out or inside the hose. I figured this should be an easy part to replace but have no idea what part/size I should be looking for. Don’t want to throw out a relatively new 100’ hose just for one small part!

UPDATE:
See Polypipe Wrangler's answer below... And here's a picture that shows what he's talking about. I was able to use a wire to pull this out and will try to find a way to secure it better so it doesn't blow out again.


texts: Have I butchered this apple tree or It was just the right thing to do?

texts:
I have seen some video Tutorials on apple tree pruning and I pruned this tree from what I have learned. But everyone in my family says You have butchered It. Is this the right thing to do or I went too far?

and this is another tree. I cut one of It's main branches. Was it a right cut?


texts:
I have a home garden with tomatoes and peppers.  The peppers grow great every year, but often the tomatoes end up discolored with dried out leaves.

I recently did a Manutec pH test on the soil and it came up as 8, so I added some sulfur to the soil around the tomatoes.  If this is the issue, how long would it take the sulfur to take effect?  Does anyone have other ideas about what the problem could be?

I am in Australia (Southern hemisphere), so it is the middle of summer and the tomatoes should be ready for picking in February.


texts: It is about 4 ft tall and I have no idea what it is can anyone help me?


texts: What is the best time to water a house plant?

texts: Is there an ideal time of day to water the average house plant? Does it depend purely on the plant, or are there times of the day (evening for example) when you should avoid watering them?


texts: What bulbs will do well planted in containers in the fall in Dallas, and how should I take care of them?

texts:
I'm a total and complete novice when it comes to gardening...

I'd like to plant some bulbs this fall in large containers on my back patio.  I live near Dallas, Texas.

What bulbs would you recommend?  And how should I care for them?


texts:
A friend just gave me this aloe. It has grown a lot since she had it and has two pups now. however, I'm noticing aloe online looks like it grows up whereas the large leaves at the base of my aloe are growing out.

Is my aloe healthy?!


texts: What is afflicting this sick Bay Laurel (Laurus Nobilis) -- and how do I fix it?

texts:
I brought in my bay laurel (aka sweet bay, laurus nobilis) to clean it, and noticed an infestation of tiny "bug sacks" underneath the leaves, along the veins. What are they? I don't see any actual insects crawling around, (with my bare eyes).

I can get them off the leaf easily by exerting a tiny amount of pressure with a wiping rag. Is there a household product I can use, such as acetic acid, or some concoction of tea tree oil, that would remove them? I wish for them to magically fall off and disappear.

Climate: This plant lives in Vancouver, BC  (wikipedia: Climate of Vancouver). It is not hot during the day, and it could not be any rainier. The pot sits on the north side of the building. Sits rarely in direct sunlight, since it is cloudy all the time and a nearby large conifer casts shadows. It stands on a covered patio most of the time

Topside (full res)
Underside warning: rated 18+ horror (full res)
Underside closeup (full res)


texts: Wanting to find out if these palm trees are alive or they dead and what are they

texts: Are they pygmy palms and are they alive or they dead?


texts: This one week-old leaf looks really odd. It came out with two cracks near the top of mid vein and the tip is separated from the rest of the leaf. It's gotten a deep curve on the top that seems too delicate (it looks like it'll break if i mess with it.) I wanted to know if this leaf will continue to remain the same and how I can make sure the new leaves don't come out this way? The plant stays in bright indirect sunlight and is watered when soil is dry, which is about once in 3-4days.


texts: What Other Type Berries are growing with my Blackberries?

texts: I am shocked to say the least. I was outdoors last night weeding my flowerbeds and some shrubs and I noticed the strangest thing. Our blackberry plants had something I'd never in my life seen. It's also got another berry of a different species growing on the exact same plant. Can someone, anyone answer this question?


texts: How can I best get an alert if overnight frost is predicted?

texts:
What's the best way to get warned if there's going to be a frost? Is there website or online service which will email me?

My priority would be a service which emails only in the event of frost warnings but I guess a year round daily email with min/max forecasted temperatures for my postcode would be fine.

I'm in the UK. I did sign up with one UK frost alert service before last winter (sorry, can't remember which one) but never received any emails.


texts: What's the difference between fluorescent and LED "grow lamps"?

texts:
I've been studying a bit on how to take care of my Ming Aralia inside my office, and some sources mainly mention fluorescent lamps and how they should be placed very near to the leaves, almost touching. I didn't find similar instructions on grow lights (the red+blue lamps).

What's the difference between them and how they should be handled? Inside the fluorescent group, is there a difference between cold and warm lamps? What about lamp distance from the plant?


texts: Part of my bamboo is dying & Small bumps near the branch growing from the node

texts:
I have noticed over the past few months that one of my 3 bamboo stocks is turning brown, but strangely only part of it is brown while there is a small sliver on green that remains. Is there anything i could do to stop this?

I have also noticed that on all of my stocks, in the same place that there have been small tan/brownish bumps that are hard to the touch in the area where the branch connects to the node. What are these bumps? Is it scale or some other disease? Or is it new growth?


texts: What plant is this? Leaves are very small. How should I care for it?


texts: What are the effects of planting potatoes as a 'cover crop' in newly forming soil as a pile of decaying wood chips?

texts:
Related to How do I plant potatoes that sprouted in my pantry?

In a field I'm forming soil as mounds of wood chips with finished compost, muck, and soil mixed in, like small windrow planting beds. I intend to grow trees in these beds, from seeds to 1 or 2 years old before bare root transplanting.

What are the effects of planting sprouted potatoes in these mounds? Are they "biomass accumulators" for the soil?

Would that produce any edible food for me? Even if not, I may do this to improve the soil-building mounds, as a cover crop intercropping with tree seedlings.


texts: Why are my morning glories stunted/deformed?

texts:
I planted some morning glory vines (Ipomea sp.) outdoors in a box about 10 weeks ago (mid-March, I'm in Zone 8) and they've been underperforming the whole time -- the vines are not even a meter long, and many of the new leaves have been small, pale, and twisted, while the older leaves are irregularly-discolored and sort of raggedy-looking.

Their planter contains a loose, acidic, slightly sandy topsoil, to which I've added a variety of liquid fertilizers over the past several weeks (see below) in a largely unsuccessful attempt to remedy these symptoms  The vines receive about 7-8 hours of full sun per day, and get watered regularly.

The morning glories share the planter with some of the most exuberantly healthy-looking nasturtiums I've ever seen, which suggests that these conditions are not generally inhospitable to plant life.

I suspected some kind of nutrient deficiency (though nothing in particular quite seemed to fit the symptoms) and at roughly weekly intervals I have tried liberally fertilizing with one of the following:

Miracle-Gro (12-4-8)
Epsom salt solution
Chelated iron
Calcium phosphate suspension

So I'm assuming the plants aren't deficient in N, P, K, S, Ca, Mg, or Fe, at least.

Sadly, none of the above seems to have helped much.  If I had over-fertilized the container, I might expect to see some problems with the nasturtiums, but those just keep accelerating.  Moreover, the slow growth and pale-twisted leaves on the morning glories preceded the addition of any liquid fertilizers.

Does this look like some kind of disease?  A virus, maybe?  I don't see any pests on the vines, with the possible exception of an occasional red mite.  I have a microscope, in case examining the leaf tissue at higher magnification could be diagnostic.  I'd appreciate any suggestions, I'm running out of ideas.

UPDATE: Found some aphids hiding down by the dirt in the lowest leaves of the morning glories.  Maybe they came for the nasturtiums and stayed for the morning glories?  The worst-affected leaves are not the ones that currently have aphids on them though, and I've never seen aphids on the upper leaves.

UPDATE 2:  Grabbed this little bugger off one the worst-affected leaves -- looks like a thrip.  Maybe that's my problem.


texts: How do I provide support to a growing sunflower?

texts: I am growing sunflowers and they grow quite high, sometimes toppling over. What kind of support can I give to them in this case?


texts: What is this red-flowered bulb with red fruits?

texts: I took the picture a few days ago in a botanical garden in Spain. Which species is it?


texts:
I want an acorn tree I do not have to wait till I'm dead to see it produce acorns. I have been disgusted talking with nurseries all day long. I am 56 and I want to have an acorn tree. Below are some I want. Tell me how long these trees take to produce. I am not liking what I am hearing.

One nursery said 20+ years and they have a 7 gallon size.

Another nursery told me 18-20+ years if I buy a large one 5+ feet.

Here is what the "real" people say:

  Most species of oaks begin producing acorns at about 20 years old. Peak production occurs from about 50 to 80 years, and then acorn production tapers off after 80 years. Certain trees typically produce more acorns than others – a phenomenon that deer hunters are keen on following.
  How Do Acorns Develop? - University of Tennessee Extension


texts: I have an amanogawa cherry tree which I planted a year ago.  It's been under attack from aphids and ants and we have been having some extremely hot weather.   A couple of its branches are extremely floppy when this type of tree is supposed to have an upright growing habit.  Do you think this is because the tree has been under stress or do I need to prune?  When is the best time to do this?


texts: How do you properly winterize a potted climbing rose?

texts:
Earlier this year I planted two Tess of the D’urbervilles climbing roses in 20" pots in my garden.  These roses grew to about 3' high this year and began wrapping around the trellis that I had setup for them.  Winter is now fast approaching, and although they are rated for zone 5, and I live at the border of 6a/6b (zip 15317), being in pots I worry for their safety.  Especially since the last 2 years we had extended periods of subzero temperatures.

Most articles I find online recommend various methods of winterizing that seem impractical.  As they are potted I can't realistically pile mulch around them.  As they are climbers and attached to the trellis I cannot move them inside (nor would I have room anyway).

I had considered using some of the same methods I use on my Windmill Palms (enclose them in plastic sheeting, wrap Christmas lights around them or lay a warming pad on them to run during the night), but I thought it made sense to see what the 'standard of care' was before committing to any of that.

How do others winterize potted roses that cannot be moved?  Also, is it even necessary with this variety in my area?


texts:
How does tree sap go up very tall trees?

I would guess capillarity probably plays an important role; I read online that the production of sap generates CO2 which helps building pressure, but I would like to find a detailed explanation.

My girlfriend is reading a book by Peter Wohlleben called The Hidden Life of Trees.
This books claims that we do not understand that mechanism, which is something I have a hard time to believe.


texts: ~1 Year old Avocado tree drooping leaves after repotting

texts:
Hi recently I decided to move my avocado tree to a different pot because it suddenly stopped growing new leaves and the leaf tips had started to brown a bit.  I believe I had watered a little too much as there was excess water at the bottom even though there were drain holes so that was one problem that I tried to solve.  I rinsed the roots and tried to remove all of the bad roots as well as tossed the old soil.  I did lose half of the avocado seed during this process.. not sure if that affects anything.

But after I moved it to the new pot with new soil, the very next morning the leaves suddenly drooped and I noticed I definitely didn't water enough as a good portion of the soil was dry.  So I have thoroughly watered it and believe there isn't too much water in the new pot.  The only problem now is that the leaves are still drooping (it has been ~2 days since) and I am worried that I may have killed my avocado tree.

Can someone help take a look?  Here are some pictures of the avocado tree currently...

Thank you!


texts: Pomegranate bonsai looks ill (reddish brown leaves and leaf curl)

texts:
I live in coastal Virginia zone 7b and have had a small pomegranate bonsai for 6 years now. Unfortunately last spring it started to show signs of stress or nutritional deficiency. The leaves started coming out in spring but suffering extreme curling, but they were still green. Not wishing to remove them and leave the tree to gain strength I left it alone. News leaves would come in but most would curl.

About a month ago my area had 60-70 weather and I left the pom outside (usually it's on a North West facing windowsill that gets plenty of sunshine from noon to sunset) to gain some warmth.

However I neglected it and then allowed it to spend 2-3 days of sudden cold spells in the 20s and when I realized my error brought it in.

Signs of life for the pom came back within two weeks with buds erupting and showing new growth but some would emerge and then curl into a spindle, other buds tried to emerge and then appeared to get stunted and die.

The soil I use is a bonsai mix with great drainage but figured it might be malnourished and need some potting soil (I would water ever 2-3 weeks and allow it to dry out). Changing the soil with a 50% mix of bonsai and potting soil with a little bio-tone starter plus I repotted and left the pom to enjoy sun and air.

There are no bugs but the poms new growth continues to stunt and fail. Very few of the leaves do emerge and those that do survive seem to not curl, but it's a very few amount.

I notice some of the original leaves from its healthier days are now a reddish brown mix with dark green and seem ready to drop off.

I scratched the bark and see it still alive but fear that if the new growth continues to fail I'll lose it.

Any help is appreciated. Thank you

Link to google photos of Pom


texts: Help in identifying this weed with toothed leaves, tiny white flowers, found under snow cover - FOUND: ID - Thlaspi arvense

texts:
I found this weed on my lawn under melting snow cover. It has toothed leaves hugging the stems; tiny white flowers in bunches; older and rounder leaves surrounding the flower bunches:

Does anyone know what it is?
Thank you!


texts: I was reading that ants will kill worms off, so this got me wondering is there such a thing as ant castings since I've found that a type of stinging ants love to move into wood chip piles.


texts: I just started composting. In addition to putting lawn clippings, kitchen waste and dry leaves what else can I put in?  Is it okay to put branches of trees (fruit, olive, etc) in the compost?


texts: With a lawn mower rated for up to 2 acres, what's the risk of going beyond?

texts: I have about 3 acres to mow, and all that I can afford is the one that's rated up to 2 acres. It's a John Deere ZTR 355R. This may seem like a stupid question, but you see on everything, take 2, and Grandma says 4 is fine. Terrible example I know... but realistically, what stress/risk am I placing on a mower by pushing it beyond it's "rated" specs? I inquired with Deere but they stuck to the book.


texts: How can I restore foliage in a Chinese Elm bonsai?

texts:
My Chinese Elm bonsai lost its foliage from the time of purchase (June) until now (November):

Roots seem fine (i.e. not rotten):

Is there something I can do (e.g. re-potting, pruning, feeding, wiring, etc.) to bring back its foliage? The loss of foliage could have been my fault (please see my other question).

How I cared for it so far:

Initially watered it every second day; since last week, I've been using the chopstick method and have not watered it since. I'm waiting for the chopstick to come out completely dry.
I fed it with a 4-6-6 feed every fortnight until last month; I haven't fed it for a month and I was planning to feed it monthly from now on.
I pruned it twice during summer. After it lost most leaves, I realised the thiner branches are quite fragile. This week I removed all branches that had no leaves or only 1 or 2 leaves on the tip.
It's still in the same pot it came in.

About the bonsai:
7 years old (according to retailer (Amazon)); now it takes about 1 week to re-water (the necessary time for a chopstick to come out completely dry); it stays by a well lit window in my kitchen, where it's constantly 20C; humidity in the flat stays around 60%. I'm in Scotland, so days are getting shorter quickly.


texts: Should I prune apple/ pear/ nashi tree runners in early summer?

texts:
We have a 50 year old apple tree and two 5 year old espaliered pear/ nashi trees on our property.

The beginning of summer has been alternating between sunny with rainy days so everything in our garden is growing vigorously.

The pip fruit trees have all put up "runners" - large amounts of long thin branches coming off existing branches at right angles.

Is it okay to prune these runners back at this time of the year?

I'm in Nelson, New Zealand so we're currently at the beginning of summer. Historical weather data is below:


texts:
I know my sweet basil plants are infested with white creepy crawlies. Are these whiteflies? (Click on the photo to zoom in)

Where do these creepy crawlies come from? I am growing the basil on the balcony of my sixth-floor apartment. Do you think it might be because of a small compost pot that I have on the balcony too?

I am not sure I can save any of my plants. The other ones show fewer of these white creepy crawlies but I am sure more are hidden. The question I have is for future batches of sweet basil, what can I do to prevent these infestation. I am thinking of growing these under a fine insect-proof mesh or moving it completely indoors into one the bedrooms which still get a bit of light.


texts: Should I do a soil test before or after amending soil?

texts:
I want to plant blackberries, raspberries, and a vegetable garden in the heavy clay soil in my backyard. So, I plan to heavily amend it by spreading 3" expanded shale and 6" of compost and working that 12" or more down by double digging.

Since I don't know this soil's history, I think a soil test is a good idea so I can learn what other deficiencies I need to correct via fertilizer or pH adjustments. Should I send in soil samples before or after I amend the soil? And if after, how long do I need to wait after mixing all the soil up?

I don't think it matters for this question, but I live in a suburban house around Dallas. Zone 8a.


texts: What are these nodules growing on my miniature lilac?

texts:
Does anyone know what is growing on my miniature lilac? The nodules are all over the stems and first appeared in the late spring. I have tried searching the internet for an answer but the common problems listed for Lilacs don't mention this.  The plant is about 5 years old and has been healthy up until this year. It is surviving but hasn't had the show of flowers it usually has. Should I cut it right back, and if so, is now a good time, or should I wait until the spring?

I live in the Midlands region of the UK.


texts:
Check out what I found today on my 2 year old tree.
It's about 2 to 3 inches in length not including those massive wings.

glorious full size picture

full size #2

The tree is a Texas Mountain Laurel and this is central Texas.


texts: Thin Pachysandra = Volutella Blight? How can I fix these areas?

texts:
I live in zone 6a (Ohio) and just purchased my first house April 2017.  We have had problems with the Pachysandra in the landscaping around the home.  It seems to be thinned out and weak in some of the property.

I believe it's Volutella Blight.

Front Yard:

This area is going to be enclosed a lot closer to the thicker areas of Pachysandra and grass will be planted in the bare areas. You can see the thinness around the Maple tree. Last year I supplemented the front with a few inches of organic compost and fertilizer. We also transplanted a few stray Pachysandra plants from the back to the front. The transplants didn't do great and the area really hasn't improved overall.

Back Yard:

Aside from some tulips going stray, you can see the thin areas again.

Theory:

Here's my theory as to why it's Volutella Blight. I read an article called Pachysandra in Peril about summer droughts in 2015/2016 causing strain on landscaping. I bought this house in 2017 from an elderly woman going to a nursing home, where her husband died 2 years prior.  He was the one who meticulously took care of the yard according to my neighbors. It was apparent that the yard wasn't taken care of for a couple years because it was overgrown and we cleaned out about 70 yard bags of leaves when we moved in.

Yard from Google Maps (July 2013):

You can even see him working in the yard as the Google car goes by. I'm going to make the front yard look more like this photo.

I believe the Pachysandra wasn't watered during the 2 years of drought after he passed (2015/2016) and the maple soaked up all of the water and caused strain on the Pachysandra.

Area away from tree:

Here's a spot that's not around a tree.  You can see that the Pachysandra is thick and looks great! I believe this is because it didn't have to compete with a tree for water.

More Photos:

My plan so far:

I'm having Sweet Peet delivered today, where I plan to add a couple inches for better moisture retention. Additionally, I plan on watering the areas regularly with a soaker. Other than that, I'm not entirely sure what to do.

So do you think this is Volutella Blight? What can I do to restore these areas to their former glory?


texts: Can I plant my maple seedling in the fall months?

texts: I have a maple seedling about a foot tall. It has not been planted in the ground yet, but it has changed color to its fall colours. It's is in a small pot. Since I may have missed the window to plant it in he ground, can you tell me what is the best way to save tree.. ? Can I plant it now, if so, what are musts.. And if I cannot, what is best way to keep it healthy?


texts: Very heavy smell while growing oyster mushrooms

texts:
I started growing oyster mushrooms. A really small batch really. One bucket with almost 3 gallons of substrate and spawn. I bought my spawn online and stored it in the fridge, sealed in its container. I pasteurized my substrate of sawdust, woodchips and oat bran with very hot, almost boiling water. I sprayed my surfaces with 95% isopropyl alcohol. Also sprayed alcohol on my working area, mixing bucket and growing area. I have drilled holes in a 4-gallon bucket with few inches of space and also sterilized that bucket. I had put my substrate in with sterilized gloves and drained excess water. It has been about a week now and the spawn is spreading however there was spawn left uncovered at the top which started growing to the upper side of the bucket which looks kinda spongy and weird but I don't think that's an issue as it looks like a mushroom spawn. The issue is there is a heavy mushroomy, spawny smell but my concern is that is very heavy and I am doing this indoors. What may cause a heavy smell? Is it normal and Do I have to bear with it until mushrooms grow?

Any further information can be given if you request.


texts: What type of soil should I use for a galvanized steel planter for growing veggies?

texts: I am not sure whether I should use potting soil or raised bed soil. This would have a bottom so the roots would not be going down to the actual soil (going to be putting it on concrete anyways).


texts: Can I use this brand of bleach with some other ingredients to sterilise seed trays?

texts: Where I live in Delhi, India, there is no pure bleach available. The only similar option is something called Rin Ala, which is a laundry liquid bleach with 4 percent Sodium Hypochlorite (bleach), 1 percent Sodium Hydroxide and an amine which I don't remember. Can I use this in a water based solution to bleach seed trays and pots? Or should I order Clorox from Amazon here which will take time and has complaints of leakage?


texts: Is there a camera that I can use to search through gopher holes?

texts: Gophers are a serious problem in my neighborhood. I've looked at and tried a lot of solutions, but it seems like there's far too little actually known of these tunnels in the yard. I'd like to use what an environmental scientist would use to study these things as I consider the best solution for myself.


texts: The Lateral branch on a Red Clapp's Pear 3 tier espalier tree broke at the graft. How can I replace it?

texts:
I reconnected and taped the original branch back in place but it eventually died.
There is a healthy matching branch on the other side of the trunk.
Can I cut it in 1/2 and graft the cutting onto the now empty side, or will cutting the still healthy branch in 1/2 ruin it? Any thoughts/ suggestions?
Thank
Scott


texts: Is it safe to change the entire soil surrounding the roots?

texts:
Usually when you buy plants from the store, the soil type might not be suitable to them. Is it safe to change the soil completely? I mean to remove all the soil around most of the roots, then put it into a pot with new soil. I can think of 2 disadvantages:

The roots cannot hold on to new soil
The roots wouldn't have adapted to new environment.

Would it help if I only changed the soil away from the roots? Are there certain plants more tolerant to such changes and others that aren't?


texts:
I have some short tulips 12" tall and something or some animal seems to eat off the flower head

Do you know what it was and how to prevent it?

Thanks


texts: Identify striped bug on plants: safe or suspect?

texts:
New to gardening, many species are unknown to me. This one (and many of its friends) with nice metallic colored stripes just apppear on my lavender, rosemary and slightly less on honeysuckle.

What is its name? It looks (to me) like a Rosemary beetle, or Chrysolina americana.
Is it harmless to the plants?
If not, what actions should I take (preferably without heavy chemicals): handpicking? I sometimes use black soap spray on ants for instance.


texts: Do purple leafs of tomato return to normal state?

texts:
I've got few tomato plants in the glassy room with lots of light. The temepartures dropped significantly over the last weeks from 25°C to -5. The room T where I kept the tomatoes could fall below 15°C, but I am pretty sure if was above 10. Tomatoes had a little purple dots on the leaves. That dots got substantially larger over the last 2 weeks, although the room T is above 15° all the time. Also the leaves have purple veins and the stems are also purple. So I added a fertilizer containing phosphorus.

Does the purple leaves, veins and stems ever return to normal green color? How bad do you think is the condition of my plant?

This one was taken 10 days ago:


texts: Do plants need to be re-hardened after being brought back inside?

texts:
I have ~2 month old bell pepper and heirloom tomato plants that have been spending the last month outdoors in full sun. Unfortunately I'm leaving on a 10-day trip, and will be keeping them watered with Blumat watering stakes. Since the soil likely dries out too quickly outdoors for the Blumats to keep up, I plan to temporariliy bring them back inside under a skylight while I'm gone to reduce evaporation. (They're in fabric pots which are pretty easy to move around)

When I get back home and take them back outside, will they need to go through a re-hardening process after getting used to indoor conditions? Or do plants, once hardened, stay that way?


texts: What flower will grow from this long narrow seed?

texts:
I see this flower a lot in Eastern Europe.
I have no picture of the flower but I have a seed!
The flower looks like an Aster. It has long stalks (80cm-1m tall). The flowers have widely differing colors.

One unique thing that might help: somewhere around September, the flower disappears and leaves a cluster of 20-30 seeds. The seeds are thin and long. The seeds have no "parachute." Here is a picture of the seed:

I am trying to find out more about this flower because I want to plant the seed. It is an emotionally significant flower for me.


texts:
Found these on the leaves of my Brussels sprouts. Just wondering if I should remove them or leave them be.

Yes, snail damage present as well so I need to remove from under the leaves.


texts: My flat leaf parsley has stunted growth and pale red leaves. What could be wrong?

texts: My flat leaf parsley is not looking very healthy; the growth seems stunted, and the leaves are starting to turn a pale red. What should I do to revive it?


texts: Which direction should I face my garden?

texts:
This isn't a question that's really occurred to me before now, but I feel it will make a fairly big impact on my yield. For the most part, I don't have anything really tall in my garden, with tomatoes being the largest. I was thinking of trying some corn, this year and planting beans to grow up it. This would cause quite a bit of shade. I will also have squash, tomatoes, peppers, herbs, etc... I'm sure they'll be getting light, because I'll be spacing them apart, but if I was going to plant with the smaller ones at the front and the larger at the back, which direction should I face it to get the best sunlight? I hear a lot of people saying that if you have to choose between early morning and late afternoon sun, that plants tend to like early morning, so should it be facing east?

I live in the South-East in zone 8, I believe. Thanks.


texts: What is this orange-flowering bush, with oddly-shaped leaves?

texts:
My partner found this beautiful flowering plant while walking around a nearby neighbourhood (East coast of Australia, South of Sydney):

She said it had long thin branches, and was less than a metre off the ground, but believed it to be quite young/new.
I originally thought it might be a species of Banksia or Bottlebrush, but the leaves are unlike any I've seen for those species.
What sort of plant is this? Is it a bush or tree? Is it an Australian native?


texts: Does the trench or hill method work better?

texts: I was watching the video on amaranth, and was wondering if trenching or hilling plants work better.


texts:
I have a taste problem this year with my greenhouse tomatoes. I've grown a mix of varieties (moneymaker plus a couple of others) indoors and they've all come out nothing like as tasty as in previous years.

Now my cherry tomatoes grown outdoors taste superb. Tasting the cherries with their "burst" of flavour, then the indoor ones is a reminder of how poorly the latter have done.

Don't get me wrong, they don't taste of "nothing" like supermarket tomatoes. They're slightly better than that. They just taste a bit dry, a bit mealy/floury. Certainly they're not very juicy.

They're OK to look at (click for larger photo)

What could I have done wrong? The following all apply:

I haven't watered them as reliably and consistently as the perfect gardener might
I haven't fed them at all (but they do sit in bags of fat juicy horse manure)
They're possibly a bit crowded
They're not blemish free (but they look OK), and there's the odd hole

But before you jump all over those "errors" all of the above have applied in previous years and yet I've had superb tasting crops nevertheless up till now.

The only thing slightly worse than normal this year, is I've noticed a greater than normal amount of leaf curl but this question & answer seem to say that this isn't a great concern.


texts: I got given a strange plant a few days ago that I have never seen around this area, does anyone know what it is?

texts: this is a pretty strange plant for northern canada. I need help identify this plant.


texts:
Last summer, a plant has been offered to me, supposedly unkillable.

However, I am not one to back away from a challenge, and a winter later, it looks quite dead to me.

However, there seem to be a sliver a green left, so I wonder if I can try and save it.

Is it possible to save it? If so, how should I tackle this?


texts: Should trees be staked when they are planted?

texts:
Horticultural practices do change and research can be a driving force.  It wasn't too long ago that standard practice to stake a new tree was a six foot T bar and and a strand of wire.

Should all trees be staked when they are planted?
How should they be staked, and for how long?

I am looking for answers that quote references from universities, professional journals or government agencies.


texts: What are some herbs that are perennials, i.e. they return and grow the next season? I'd like to keep a garden of herbs around for cooking.


texts: What are the curled darkened areas on maple leaves?

texts:
My trident maple bonsai went into dormancy entering winter. I repotted It, carefully removing some large roots and pruning for radial roots.

Bonsai soil mix of peat, leca, stone, bark. Extremely well draining. The pot is currently taking 4 days to dry out. Temperatures are 18-21 Celsius and not much wind. Its outside under a shade cloth area. I would say it's a little darker than it should be.

I pruned a few branches back.

After a few weeks, as I saw some life emerge, I fertilized with 5 3 1 and treated it with systemic as there were signs of aphids on my willows a few feet away.

Spring arrived and it pushed out leaves very quickly. However I have 30% of the leaves are curled and not flat and open. They have dark spots in the recesses of the leaves.
Have I overwatered, fertilized or is there a known condition I could try treat?
Also should I remove these leaves or leave them on the tree?


texts: What is this furry, prickly leafed plant, found in the UK?

texts:
I've just moved into a new house and these weeds are dominating the garden.

Any idea what they are or the best way to control them?


texts: Fungus and splitting or rotting on palm trees

texts: There's some fungus growing on my palm trees as well as some splitting / rot. What is going on and how do I resolve this? I am in central Florida.