texts:
This was my first time (attempting) to grow courgettes. I used Cucurbita pepo Black Beauty seeds and all seemed ok to start with. I possibly planted them out too early (mid April) as had some unexpected cold spells but I kept them covered at night.

There was very limited growth from then on, although they’ve been in full sun and received diluted nettle tea and some tomato fertiliser over the past few weeks. Leaves on one plant we’re noticeably small, started to curl upwards and turn mottled brown/dead.

Then I noticed it on other plants, which have all stayed small with small leaves that start ok but then cup upwards. About two weeks ago they all suddenly produced flowers but nothing came of them, they just fall off.

I cut off most of the affected leaves however I’ve since noticed new twisted deformed leaves on the worst plant, and a fair few aphids present.

I’ve scoured the internet for clues and am fearing it might be a type of mosaic virus. I don’t want to leave them in any longer if that’s the case, although I don’t want to remove them if I’ve got it wrong!

If anyone could share their thoughts that would be very much appreciated.

Thank you.


texts: What are these weird white spots and black spots on my Monstera?

texts:
I used a microscope on one of those black dots and took a picture.
I also found this insect that looks suspicious.
I don't know if the white spots are related to the black dots.
What can I do?


texts: Can I encourage my roses to produce more flowers and fewer long stems?

texts:
I have standard roses.  As the weather warms, and after feeding with commerically purchased rotted chicken manure they are growing very, very fast.

Is there a way I can get them to produce more flowers rather than growing long stems like the one that goes out of frame in the top right of the picture below?

If I trim the longer stems off to bring it back to shape will that stop it flowering?

The roses pictured has been there longer than I've owned this house - so I guess it is at least eight years old.  I pruned the head of all the roses at the end of winter down to a few sticks.


texts: I'm unclear if this is something that should be done only when a lawn has problems, or as part of normal maintenance every X years? I guess you could even do it every spring but I imagine that's overkill and puts the lawn out of use for a few weeks just as you want to start enjoying it!


texts: Can anyone identify this spreading weed?

texts: This weed is all over my landscape and yard. It spreads like grass. It blends in with my St. Augustine grass and ends up in pots that are setting on the ground. I've tried Roundup and broadleaf weed killers and neither seem to work. I've used MSMA and it seemed to have an affect on it, but not permanent.


texts: Whats wrong with my Aloe Vera plant how do i fix it?

texts: I'm Super new to this planting thing and really dont want my aloe to dye! I got my aloe vera about a week ago and put it in the pot watered it and put it in my window it's now starting to turn brownish yellow at the tips.Before I wrote this it had some fake hey stuff around it that it came with and I watered through that know Im watering it with out it on. Was that the problem can someone please help me-jadyn a very new planter


texts:
A flower grew in my yard which I did not plant. Yesterday it was incredibly beautiful, but today it has already started to wilt.

It has a very long 3-foot stem with the flower at the top of it:


texts: Can I use white aquarium sand to replace the sand on my substrate?

texts:
I want to make a substrate with vermiculite and sand. However, I don't find a small amount of sand to buy where I live. At the market I saw this white sand for aquariums.
Does anyone know if I can use it to replace it?


texts: Would an elderberry tree make a good bonsai

texts:
So Its winter where I am at and I have been wondering a lot about starting bonsai trees from cuttings, that being said there are several red elder trees in the woods near my house and I was wondering if they would root well and if they would make a decent bonsai

I am also considering crampbark, or highbrush cranberry for the same purpose


texts: What gardening terms are common sources of confusion between different cultures or languages?

texts:
Until I read questions such as Square meter gardening Soil Mix, I thought of compost being composted organic material; however, there compost is composed of 50% peat moss, which generally doesn't fall under that definition. Suspecting a difference between American and British English, my question is:

What are common (subtle) differences in gardening terms between languages? Either differing names for the same thing, or the same word meaning different things. This doesn't have to be limited to variants of the English language only; to add to the example above, Kompost in German also means the stuff directly resulting from a composting process.


texts: I've noticed a lot of ants on my zucchini plants and in particular the flowers. Not sure whether this is an issue I should be concerned about and if so what could be done to manage them.


texts: Can I root a 5 ft branch of ficus lyrata?

texts: I have a large (10 ft +) fiddle leaf ficus in a pot; for 8 months it is outside and grows well. So when cold weather comes ( Global Warming is causing record cold in E TX again) I need to prune it to get back into the house . Internet sites show how to root leaves but not branches, I cut off 2 five foot branches this year, is it possible to root them ? I have tried previous years putting them in water and putting them in potting soil but without success.


texts:
Can anyone recommend blueberry varieties for flavor, and also which ones to avoid. I don't like the bland mushy ones that seem to be standard in supermarkets.

Also how do I clone blueberry bushes?


texts:
I am out of ideas. We've just repotted our bonsai tree due to the fact that it became potbound.
We found some beautiful compost and off we went. We previously repotted him a few months after we bought him but he rebounded wonderfully. And it was winter.
Even before repotting him, his leaves started becoming sad sort of, a tad crusty but not all of them. The weirdest thing is that even after being repotted he is still having these yellow spots.
What is so worrying is that his new shoots can grow either yellow or they look super weird, like they are almost parallel to the branches, "sticks" to the branches, or they grow right alongside the branch. Some leaves have maybe one or two brown tiny spots.
We're not overwatering him. He is by a window where he grew up perfectly until August when something started getting out of hand. We thought it was the potbound situation but we're unsure now. Yes, he was pot bound but not anymore. It's been 3 weeks and the situation hasn't improved. And I can find answers absolutely nowhere on this internet.
His bark is green. We've checked last night. Beautiful, lush green.
He never lost his leaves in the winter. He went through being transported in a box from one country to another in March and he was lush and green until Mid August.
Help?!


texts: Is it feasible to compost small amounts of plant matter?

texts:
We live in a townhouse with a "backyard" that is 20ft x 15ft, with raised garden beds along 2 sides of the fence that extend out to 4ft. We grow the typical tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, and a small patch of alpine strawberries. My wife collects the dead plant matter and tosses it in the dumpster which makes me uneasy since I view it as fuel for the garden. We also toss out about half a pound of plant matter per month from cooking or left overs that sat in the fridge too long.

I'm wondering if all the plant matter could be composted in a small bin in the backyard with limited odor. I'm stressing 'plant matter' since any other biological matter might make an odor unpleasant for my family and the neighbors.


texts:
First time growing tomato plants from seed this year, but the seedlings have brown marks on the cotyledons. I've put the affected seedlings aside through fear of blight, but honestly have very little idea what it could be.

From what I've read, I've been keeping the seedlings in a small (think 1.5m high, 1m across) plastic greenhouse to keep the temperature up. I keep the door open during the day for a breeze, but closed at night. It can get very humid in there during the day. I water the ground around the plant, but have noticed water droplets on the leaves from time to time, perhaps condensation...

Any ideas?


texts:
Can anyone identify what is wrong with my clematis?

The leaves are browning and there looks to be a mold or fur growing on it.


texts: French Drain Below or Above Retaining Wall?

texts:
I have water running into my crawl space and part of the reason I believe is from hill run-off above my house. I have 3.5ft high retaining wall all around the uphill side and water comes up underneath and thru it like little fountains and / or over the top of it during rain storms. My soil is very much clay, mixed with odd layers of sand. Various spots have sandstone, which is what my house is built on.

Here is a picture looking down from the uphill side on the problematic area where I've started digging my proposed trench.

Here is a picture looking up at the problem area from down the hill. The hill continues to drop another 12ft of elevation behind me in these tiered railroad tie walls. My proposed trench is on the left and the RR Tie Wall is left of that. Concrete retaining wall sticks out 12ft to the right. The ground here is full of sink holes due to run off / rivers coming over the tiers as well as up and underneath the other side of the concrete wall.

I have a 5 day break from rain. The question is basically as stated - is it ok to put the french drain there at/near the base of the wall where you see I started digging it or am I risking eroding the underneath / base of the wall? And, how deep should my trench be? I was thinking of just encasing perforated pipe in pea gravel a few inches below the surface and finishing off the top with 1-2 inch stone. I guess I'm going to have to dig underneath the tiered walls going down the hill or rip them out in order to get my drain going further down the hill.


texts: chemistry of ripening (tomatoes, and others)

texts:
From reading and inference over the years, I've come to this basic model for 'ripening': (Confidence level is not high.)

Photosynthesis in the leaves produces sugars.  These are available to nearby fruits.  This is good.
There's a process in the fruits that converts sugars to starches.  This is not good for flavor.  Heat and sunlight promote this process.  Ergo, tomatoes should be shielded from the sun.

Is this true/sorta true/bogus?

If (sorta) true, does it apply broadly - say to squash, cantaloupes, peppers, ...?


texts: How far apart should I space Thuja 'Green Giant' evergreen trees?

texts:
If I wanted to plant several Thuja plicata x standishii 'Green Giant', how far apart should they be placed, or does it matter?

Some evergreens seem to like being planted close together (and growing into each other), some seem to like being planted far apart and don't do well together, and some don't seem to care at all. With 'Green Giant', what is the best spacing?


texts: How should I care for this houseplant to prevent wilting?

texts:
Is anyone familiar on the name of this plant?
I seem to have problems with it wilting during the day, with or without sunlight.
I water this regularly during the day and started applying complete fertilizer when I noticed watering it regularly does not help it from wilting down.

Any suggestion on proper caring for this plant?


texts:
A maintenance company planted several plants just besides the river bank, actually in the area that is under the water for a week or several weeks in the spring (sometimes this repeats several times in a year, extending into summer and autumn).

These are photos of the area in question, and unfortunately I can't provide at this moment any better photo:

Just based on these pictures, do you think that these trees and shrubs can survive high spring waters? What are these plants anyway?


texts: What are some organic-approved solvents I can use to make my own liquid agri-mixes?

texts:
I have a few ideas for organic pesticides/fungicides etc. They're intended to be sprayable, and ideally soluble in water.

What are some organic-approved solvents?


texts:
When two agents get together to discuss work that needs to be done in a landscape, inevitably each has a more or less different idea of what the final result will be. When there is a big discrepancy between these ideas there is likely to be friction. It is in the interests of both parties to minimize the difference, but that all involves work which adds to the expense and there is a temptation to enter into informal less detailed agreements.

It could be that "landscaping" is a category of business that is vaguely defined and presents special problems. If I ask a builder to build me a garage on my property he comes and constructs a wonderful building but walks away leaving a complete mess with piles of this soil here and there and sand exposed from the foundation and great swaths of bare soil. The builder calls and asks for the payment, I refuse, the builder says "that's landscaping", the garage is removed and the mess remains. The work was performed as requested and I was in the wrong.

With the garage in place I ask an electrician to lay an underground cable from the house to the garage. A digger (backhoe) is used to create a trench, the cable is laid, it works perfectly, the electrician calls for his check, I refuse since there is a great mound of soil over the trench and it looks ugly, he says "that's landscaping", pulls up the cable and the mess remains.

Are the expectations different when dealing with "landscapers"? How can we minimize the difference in understanding when one agent has a clear vision of the effects of work and the other may not? I don't think there is a clear answer to this question so don't answer if you are looking for 15 points, but do answer if you have experience and light to cast on this situation. I have ideas of my own but will delay on that.


texts:
I have several planting beds along my wooden fence.  A landscape architect told me to simply put a board along the fence side to prevent the fence from rotting.
I did this but now the board settling and is too low..  Do I now need to pull it out and lay class 5 below it?


texts: I was given this rose last year as a potted indoor rose. I then put it in the garden in autumn and it has now grown normal size. It has flowers on individual stems and the flowers are creamy with very faint pink 'kisses'. Any ideas?


texts: Why are squirrels trying to remove my plant blankets?

texts:
For the first time, I wrapped my balcony plant pots in wool/hessian blankets this winter (2020/2021).  We have squirrels living in nearby trees, who often visit the balcony.  Once spring began and the snows had gone, the squirrels started trying to pull the blankets away from the pots.  They can still access the soil in the pots - which they are happily digging in - so I can't understand why they are trying to remove the blankets.  They focus mostly on the hessian blankets (wrapped around the olive tree and lavender), so much so that one blanket now has holes in it.
Can anyone explain why they are doing this?


texts: Why are my Freesias sprouting in the fall?

texts:
I bought some Freesias in the spring last year and planted them in a wooden planter. All spring and summer, I didn't see any signs of life, even though they got watered regularly.  Then in the fall of last year, they started to grow.  They stayed green all winter, probably because (a) I had them on my porch, and (b) it was a mild winter here.  They flowered in the spring this year as expected, then died down.

It's now October and they're sprouting again!

We had cool and wet springs here both years, but the summers were very different: last year stayed cool for most of the summer, while this year was warm and the good weather lasted until early October.

Why would they be doing this?  Is there anything that I can do to get them on a normal "grow in spring" schedule?  And since I can't count on another mild winter, what can I do to protect them (the planter is a bit too big and outdoorsy to be taken indoors)?


texts: Can someone identify this vine? It is growing up and wrapped around the canopy of a tree

texts: It is about the size of my wrist.enter image description here


texts: How often should I water a Skimmia japonica 'Rubella'?


texts: Plants that can live on raw chicken manure

texts: Are there any plants or trees that can live directly on soil that has fresh chicken manure?


texts: Why did the leaves on my Christmas cactus suddenly change texture and colour?

texts:
I've been growing a cloned Christmas Cactus now for a few months, and it has been doing quite well. I moved to university 4 days ago (from Swindon, England to Bristol, England) and today I notice that since yesterday the leaves have mostly changed colour! The leaves were quite light green and suddenly they have adopted a much darker green colour and the leaves appear waxier. Is there anything wrong with it, or is this natural (for instance preparing to flower)? It also isn't absorbing water as fast as it was a few weeks ago.

Here is a picture to highlight the colour difference between a new and old leaf.


texts: Is my Royal Frost Birch dropping leaves because of drought or fungus?

texts: It was an awfully wet Spring here in Ohio, then we hit drought spell.


texts: Did I over fertilize my vegetable garden?

texts: I think I over fertilized my raised vegetable garden. A few days after I fertilized, the leaves are starting to go limp and point downwards. Is this what it looks like? And if so, is there any recovering from this? How can I help my garden get better?


texts: What are the differences that can be apparent between vines and creepers?

texts:
The terms 'vines' and 'creepers' are used frequently in plant descriptions. They both have flexible growth and cannot support themselves in an upright habit.

A simple image search brings almost identical results. (vines and creepers) And from here:

  All creepers are vines, but not all vines are creepers.

Are there any major differences that can be apparent between vines and creepers? What are they?


texts:
The seeds pictured below fall around my neighbourhood every Autumn (Southern Hemisphere - New Zealand). The seeds are blown over quite a vast area and I haven't been able to identify the tree(s) they're coming from (possibly on private property where I can't get near).

I suspect they're either sycamore or maple seeds but Google Images show them to both look very similar. I was hoping someone might be able to give me a more definitive suggestion.

Click photo for full size


texts: Why does my grass have bright green patches?

texts:
My yard is about 6 years old (new house).  When we put the yard in, the seed was equal parts Fescue, Rye, and Kentucky Bluegrass.  We live in NE Ohio.

About 2-3 years ago, we started getting these bright green (almost neon in color) patches all over the yard.  We don't do too much for fertilizer, put down Scott's Winterguard in the fall and the Scott's Spring (yellow bag) in the late spring.  But that's about all we do.

Any idea what this is and how to go about getting rid of them?

UPDATE: Close up pictures to help determine the kind of grass.


texts: What is this feathery reddish/white "weed" that has popped up in a meadow area?

texts: This is another one I've never seen. A meadow mix was seeded in 2 years ago, so it might even be something desirable rather than a weed.


texts: When does red clover (cover crop) go to seed?

texts:
This seems like a silly question, but I'm struggling to find an answer on google.

When does red clover go to seed? I am planting it now, in combination with Italian Rye, as a cover crop.

When do I need to turn it over by to prevent it going to seed, or is it likely to die over winter?


texts: Can i use a bokashi system to make mushroom compost?

texts: Can I use a bokashi system to make mushroom compost? if it is possible, what is the recipe?


texts: Can I grow a Bird of Paradise in Bangladesh?

texts: I love the bird of paradise flower. It's my dream to have it on my balcony. Here in Bangladesh the average temperature in summer is 33 - 36 Celsius. In winter it is 26 Celsius. Can I fulfil my dream?


texts:
I recently bought a vertical hydroponic kit, it comes with a growing media which is  soft sponge like pebbles.

It seems like it crumbles even with water flow, and very fine sand covered the bottom of water tank. The material is also so light, so it is pulled by pump and the filter was clogged.

I tried a couple of things but they just delayed the build up on the filter.

I want to change the entire growing media, what would you recommend as a replacement?


texts: I'm pretty new to gardening and landscaping. Having recently bought a house, one of the things I'd like to be able to do is identify the trees and smaller plants that are on the property so I can learn how to take proper care of them. Rather than post a bunch of pictures here, how do you go about identifying unknown plants and trees? Are there resources (online and free are a bonus!) that you go to?


texts:
It's not as massive as it might seem on this picture. The insect is about 1 to 2 mm in length. The web is very fine, you don't see it if you're standing a meter away and only the upper shoots are affected.

It's located in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany, has direct sun and its neighbours are sage and lavender. They have no signs of infection. Will it hurt them?

What are those insects on my rosemary and how do I make them go away?

A picture of the plaque. The brownish thing is not related to the pest:

I'm sorry for the low quality. This is one of those insects. They currently reside on the underneath of nearly every leave.


texts:
Two leaves from teh same cucumber plant, thinking these are two separate issues (lucky me).

As seen in the photo, the lesions on the left are pale tan and don't really look like they're bounded too strongly by veins - they also appear around the periphery of the leaf.

The lesions on the right are more of a brownish purple and are most prevalent near the central vein.  Nothing super obvious on the undersides of the leaves.

I was thinking maybe anthracnose on the left and downy on the right, but my applications of copper fungicide didn't really seem to put them in check (but maybe I undersprayed...)

Any way to rule out or reinforce my guesses, or is it something else entirely?

Also, for what it's worth, I had two cucumber plants side by side that both had this but a winter squash plant that was touching one of the infected plants never picked up the disease.

Growing the cucumbers in mushroom compost, coco coir, and perlite.


texts: What companion plants will help the growth of young pines?

texts:
I recently planted a 2m (6.5ft) high relatively young Pinus pinea in zone 8a (−12.2 °C, 10 °F). It is going well so far. I tried to find out what plants I should grow in its vicinity that would help the pine be stronger and healthier. I searched the internet, and there is a lot of information on plants that thrive under pines, but not on plants that help pines.

Are there any such plants?


texts: I have a potted tomato plant on my porch. The temperature is starting to drop as we move into fall; will it adapt well to being an indoor plant? My windows don't get a ton of sun I'm afraid. The plant is about four feet tall, of the variety "Watermelon Beefsteak". It's got a few flowers that are just starting to develop fruits; will this be interrupted if I bring it inside? Should I bring it in now or wait until it gets cold properly?


texts: What do sunchokes look like when they're sprouting?

texts: What does a sunchoke look like right after it begins to sprout?


texts:
Grass trimmer cutting line looks pretty much like very thick fishing line. So it looks like if I find fishing line of exactly the same diameter that is accepted by my grass trimmer head it should be okay. Meanwhile the grass trimmer manufacturers only recommend specially crafted cutting line.

Is there any difference? What happens if I use fishing line in a grass trimmer?


texts: I’m thinking of constructing a small pond with a simulated waterfall or cascade - maybe more of a large water feature than a pond - near my house in the woods. I’m surrounded by large hardwood trees. I’m worried that leaf litter will mean unending maintenance. I’d appreciate advice based on other folks’ experience.


texts: What is this plant with purple cherry-shaped fruit?

texts: I came across this beautiful plant in a botanical garden - what could it be?


texts:
This past winter our yard, which is frequented by dogs and pastured poultry, turned to a muddy mess. We're looking for a ground cover, probably grass, to try to keep it a bit cleaner.  We're also at high altitude (5000 ft), in a dry climate, and temperate (5B).

Our primary goal is just something that will withstand the relatively rough conditions rather than asthetics. It like looks like most drought tolerant grasses (buffalo, blue grama) suffer under heavy traffic but heavy traffic grasses (Kentucky bluegrass) can't handle the climate.

What groundcover/grass is best for this situation?


texts: pls kindly advise if these white spots are mold on soil? I am new to planting mint indoors. Thank you.


texts: It was pale pink and very fragrant. Thank you for your help.


texts: I have a friend who recently invited me to his house for dinner. Sometime in between, he had lit up a cigarette whilst we were standing on his balcony where he's kept a lot of potted plants. I noticed that he was throwing the ash off the cigarette onto on of the pots he was standing next to. At first i thought he was just trying to keep it off the floor but upon asking i found that this is something that he does often deliberately believing that it's beneficial for the plants. This is the first time im hearing of this. Is there any actual evidence of this being beneficial? For all i know, if ciggerate smoke is harmful then so would be the ash.


texts: Trees that get energy from foliage vs roots

texts:
I've heard the term that some trees get their energy and strength from roots while others get their energy from foliage. Something to do with deciduous vs conifers
But I've not been able to actually figure out which species of trees get it from where. Secondly, what exactly does that mean when a tree "gets strength" from foliage vs roots.
For example, all trees do photosynthesis from leaves and get nutrients from soil. The sugars are stored in the trunk and branches.

So what's the difference between trees that get strength from leaves and from those that get it from roots?
Do the two types of trees have different physiology?
Lastly, what is the implication on pruning and fertilizing? Does that mean that pruning should be more reserved for trees that get strength from foliage? Likewise, do trees that get strength from foliage require higher nitrogen fertilization?

p.s. There should be a tag for energy/development/etc. I don't have enough reps to add a tag.


texts:
Can anyone tell what is wrong with my petunias?
They get full sun and are watered regularly. I have been fertilizing them once every month with the fertilizer shown below
What should I do to make them healthier?


texts: I suspect that my cherry tomato plant is dying / having issues

texts:
I've been growing my cherry tomato plant from seed for around 2 weeks now and it's now a very tiny plant. I've noticed that its leaves open and close overtime and of course, that's it absorbing sunlight. But yesterday, I noticed that it wasn't opening for the whole day. I'm a little concerned about it.

It only has 2 leaves. And it expands during daylight and closes at night which it stops doing now. It is in a medium sized pot next to my window and the temperature is at around 20-30.


texts: Is it necessary to purchase seed potatoes?

texts:
I recently tried growing potatoes using a method I saw on TV. This is just cutting up potatoes into reasonable sized sections and placing them several inches down. The results have been fantastic.

While doing some research on how to grow potatoes I have read that I should be using seed potatoes, not cuttings from store bought potatoes. The main reason given is disease.

How high is the risk in using cuttings from store bought potatoes? Are there any other reasons that I should use expensive seed potatoes (considering a bag of potatoes is inexpensive and one potato cut up can produce 4 plants)?

Even Yates suggests that it is not entirely necessary:

  It’s best to buy the certified
  disease-free seed potatoes that are
  available at this time of year, but
  you can choose healthy potatoes from
  your vegie drawer


texts: What is the name of the purple flower that opens in the morning and closes in the evening?

texts: I have this in my home. I am interested in getting more information about it, particularly what time it opens in the day and what time it closes. The interesting thing I noticed, it opens up with the daylight and it closes during daylight in the evening. Here is a picture:


texts: When should I transfer my Fiddle Leaf Fig to a bigger pot?

texts: My Fiddle Leaf Fig tree is getting taller. I was wondering if I should change the pot to a bigger pot? I took the picture of my plant next to a standard cereal box so you can have an idea of how tall it is. Unfortunately, I don't have anything to measure it with.


texts: What is causing pale discolored patches on my tomato seedlings' leaves?

texts:
I haven't been able to find a picture on the web that looks exactly like this. Although I am suspicious that it is early blight. Any help is appreciated. I have quarantined it but need to know if I should just chuck it.

I am in Sacramento, CA which is zone 9B. These are plants I started from seed. I used those expanding pellets from Jiffy. I have hand watered and kept them pretty moist.   They are about 5 weeks old and about two weeks ago I transplanted to 4" pots with bagged mulch soil. Kellogg's raised bed mix and gave them their first fertilizer at 1/4 strength. Also of note I just started hardening them off the last couple of days. But this is the only plant affected out of 36.  I did notice it is just around the veins. I hope this picture will suffice. I will post another one that shows what suspect may be a slime trail, so maybe a baby snail came over from the nearby agapanthus.  I had put them on the patio table in full sun for three hours and then put them in the shade, which is 10 feet from the agapanthus until I brought them in around 11pm.

The only leaves affected are the first set of true leaves.   The newer sets, about 4, seem unaffected.  Thank for your very thorough information and interest!


texts: How close can I plant a new climbing rose to an existing mature plant?

texts:
I have a mature climbing rose. It's about 5 years old, so I think it has probably reached its maximum size. It's a little over 6 feet (~2 meters) high and about 2 feet (.6 meters) at its widest point.

I'd like to plant a young rose of the same basic variety next to it, as close as possible. The preferred spot is to the right of the current one as you look at it, in the space before the fence post, which is about a foot away from the widest part of the existing plant. The leaves and flowers can spread as far as that fence post, or a few inches beyond, but the base must end at or before it.

Would that be too close? If so, what's the minimum amount of space I should leave between them? I don't mind if the foliage overlaps. In fact, I'd prefer it that way. I'm just concerned about crowded root space, especially for the younger one, which I haven't purchased yet, but is about 1½ feet (.5 meters) tall, and still quite narrow at the base.

Unfortunately, I don't know the variety of this rose, so I'm hoping the pictures will help. I'd have to go back to the store to check the variety of the new one. I didn't want to buy it without getting some advice, and since it's at a department store, rather than a nursery, I couldn't find someone with good knowledge of its growth habit. Actually, I'd love to cover more of that ugly fence, but assume that means a bushier plant with a bigger root ball, which I didn't think would fit.

Kevinsky's answer made me wonder if the companion plant really has to be a rose at all. I'm open to something else, if it meets the criteria.

The pictures are from before it's in full bloom. It's usually prettier than this, with lots of flowers all the way to the top!! (Yes, I'm aware of the holes in the leaves! I thought I should either ask about those separately, or do some research on the site, where I'm sure I'll find some good diagnostic and treatment information.)


texts: I had a thriving pumpkin plant (it is a bix max, grown to about 20 feet, many pumpkins starting to develop). Today I cut off one of the branches (I have cut off branches before and no problems). A couple of hours later the whole thing started wilting. I hadn't watered more or less. I tried watering a bit more and it didn't help. What happened and how do I fix it??


texts:
I bought some "aji dulce" (peppers) seeds from home depot,and I planted two of them in a pot, but I have no idea if these seeds are growing since they are so small.

Instead of planting them in a pot and waiting for them to grow, is there another way to know if they're growing?

I was wondering if there's a way to "monitor" their growth, so that once I know the seed sprouted, I can move it to a pot with soil.

I was thinking of the technique used with avocados, but for much smaller seeds.


texts: irrigation setup for a newly planted 15 foot cherry tree and 15 foot river birch

texts: I have a newly planted 15 foot cherry tree. I am setting up an irrigation system. How often and how much water should I give the tree? I also have a newly planted 15 foot river birch , same question.


texts: Identifying brown spots with Jade and lemon tree

texts:
I am trying to grow a lemon tree from seed and after circa 1 month tree is almost 5cm tall. However, this weekend it rained roughly and i checked my plants. I found out that my lemon tree has white/brown spots on the leaves. Moreover, one leaf is dead at the bottom of the tree (it is marked with orange circle). Yesterday, I had sprayed some water with garlic (serves as a pesticide). Is this early blight?

Moreover, I have a Jade plant that I have been growing for around 1.5 months from a cutting. This cutting had brown spots on the leaves as you can see in the image. This weekend it had rained roughly and many leaves with the brown spots fall down but not the strong green ones.

Additional details: I use organic pesticides and fungicides such as garlic and baking soda. I haven't sprayed baking soda for the past 2 weeks now and I do not exclude that the brown spots grow on the lemon tree after in the last two weeks. The brown spots on the jade there were even there before I stopped spraying.


texts: What's the best way to care for and feed my strawberry plants?

texts: Now that strawberry season is upon us, I wanted to be proactive to maximize the output of my 7-8 small strawberry plants.  I have had these plants for 4 years now and the results have been mixed in terms of fruit production.  I am wondering if I am doing anything wrong. Any guidance as to what I should or shouldn't with these plants to get good results this season would be appreciated.  I am into organic gardening so organic suggestions only please.


texts: What is this houseplant with oval, shiny, dark green leaves, and how can I care for it?

texts: I got this plant from a yard sale, and have had it for six months. It has many shiny dark green, healthy leaves. New stalks are growing but their leaves are turning yellow and they're dying.  What plant is this and what are your suggestions on how to care for it?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  What is the problem/disease that causes bobbly peach tree leaves?

As I was spraying my peaches, I found this ugly pink puffing on my peach leaves. What is it and how do I get rid of it?


texts: Growing multiple pepper plants in one pot vs just one plant per pot

texts:
I'm a real hot chili lover, and yearly grow about 50 plants from about 10 varieties. I'm used to grow 3 plants (of the same variety) in a single 40 liter pot. While I do get good results, I'm still not sure if it's a good idea to put multiple plants in one pot, or just grow one plant per pot.

Let's assume I can only place 10 pots of each 40 liters for space and maintenance reasons. Cost of seeds and germinating them is negliable as 10 seeds cost just max 3 EUR. Cost of potting soil is quite more expensive however, let' say 8 EUR per 40 liter. Would it be a better idea to only put 10 plants in 10 pots, or place 30 plants in 10 pots? Or would another setup be better? What would give the most return to investment, and why?

... EDIT ...

For illustration purposes, these were my plants last year:

21 may 2017: just placed outside (germinated in februari, first grown indoors as we can get frost until may here)

6 july 2017

A single picking of peppers (unfortunately I don't have any later pictures of the plants)

Close up of 2 satan's kiss and a 'peter' pepper.


texts:
I have had a Drosera for about a month, and in the beginning it was taking care of flies and little insects but for a couple of weeks it has stopped eating them:

This little bug has been here for a little while...

Now it's winter where I live. As you can see, I keep it by the window but the temperature doesn't go below 60°F in winter where I live.

When I bought it the seller told me to make sure that it always has water in the cup, I've made sure of that.

For some reason it's not eating its bugs... Any help would be much appreciated!


texts:
I bought this pomegranate plant a few days back. Plant was healthy but now I see this tiny white things on the plant, these could be aphids I am not sure. I have adde some snaps, can someone confirm this.

I have sprayed the plant with soap solution twice in the last week but the plants still have the infestation. Although the white color has turned to black.

I am planning for a neem spray in day or two.

Can someone guide me in right direction, the plant is losing a lot of leaves.

Images


texts:
I have a big tree in the garden (left in the picture).

On one of its roots, another smaller tree is growing (right in the picture).
It looks odd, almost as if the smaller tree is growing into the root of the bigger one.
The roots of the smaller tree are also embracing those of the bigger one.

Is this smaller tree a parasite?
Does it do any harm to the bigger tree?
Should I remove it?

I'm not sure what type of tree the smaller tree is. Here's a close up of one of its leaves:

  It isn't clear if your big tree - or your little tree - has leaves that look like that. Or is it both?

The smaller tree has leaves like that. The bigger tree is a different species.


texts: What is the name of this hydroponic plant?

texts:
I have this plant at my office, where it is having a lot of children. Every time that I get some leaves from the plant and put them in a bottle with water, the leaves get some roots and don't die after more than a month without soil.

The plant has small flowers that are open very few time and roll over themselves in a spiral. It also has seeds that are directly growing in a bundle of three.


texts: What is the name of this plant with purplish-brown and scented flower?

texts: This was found growing wild in my friend's backyard in western Massachusetts. It's very fragrant.


texts: How to best care for redcurrants that were transplanted last autumn?

texts:
Last autumn I transplanted three, relatively young redcurrants which I had received from a neighbor because they had not prospered in her garden. One of them is now starting to grow green leaves (hurray!) but the other two still look barren. It is early in the season (zone 6 in Central Europe) and I won’t give up to them anytime soon, but I am wondering whether I could do anything special (e.g. in terms of fertilization or pruning) to increase their chances of survival in the new habitat.

Up to now I have been loosening the ground (this spring) and cutting back all but approx. 5 branches on each bush (last autumn). I am somewhat tempted to cut into single branches to check also insides but imagine that this will do more harm than good at a time when natural growth could occur. Is there any better strategy than just "wait and see"?


texts: How long will it take to grow branches back on a Green Giant?

texts: I just had an incompetent Arborist prune my Green Giant.  For some unknown reason he cut 4 branches totally off leaving a huge bald spot front and center of my row a arborvitaes.  They claim it will grow back by next year, but I do not believe this for a minute.  See the picture of the damage they did after I have been growing these for 7 years.  And would anyone out there know why a "professional" would do this to a tree?  I am just furious and cannot wrap my head around it.  I think it was just plain malicious.


texts:
I live in Northern Ontario, where evenings below freezing start in October, and snow begins as early as November.  I'm looking to aerate and seed my lawn.  I've read that Spring and Fall are the best times to do that.

Being in Northern Ontario, is Fall too late in the year to effectively aerate and seed a lawn?  I would imagine that for seeding to be effective, the seeds should have time to germinate before frost.  Should "Fall" really be "End of Summer"?  Would Spring be a better time?


texts: Keeping basil fresh as long as possible....should I remove the plastic?

texts:
I'm wondering how to keep my basil usable for cooking as long as possible.
Bought this today from the shop:

On the label it says "Keep in the light and water daily", but I'm not sure if I should remove that plastic thing, so maybe it could breathe better.
I've read some 'basil storage' posts around the internet like this, but none referred to basil in soil.

I've had another one for like 2-3 weeks, which died in the last couple of days, because I forgot to water it lately. This one:

So, should I remove that foil around it? Will it help prolong its lifetime?


texts: How can I get lemon trees to bear fruit?

texts: I have a couple of  lemon trees (small plants really) in my garden. But they seem to grow at an awfully slow pace.They are about 2 years old & about 3/4 ft in height. I have seen pictures of lemon trees in pots with fruits & all (not bonsai). How can I promote growth & flowering ?


texts:
The leaves of the my Aloysia plant developed brown spots. Initially I thought they were tiny insects, so I washed the leaves and indeed some of the spots were removed, but other spots could not be removed. The brown spots look and feel like dry leaves in the autumn.

I cut all the branches with the leaves with brown spots, and a day or two later, I noticed tiny sprouts of fresh clean leaves starting to grow. Now my questions are:

Are these brown spots only a sign of old age, so that the new leaves will be OK? Or, are they a sign of some illness that might infect the new leaves?
What can I do with all the branches that I cut, with the brown-spotted leaves? After washing them well, can I use them for tea?


texts:
Soon after I moved my avocado tree to a terracotta pot (from IKEA), something like white mold appeared on the outside of the pot and it hasn't gone away for months.

Does anyone know what might be causing this?

Here are photos of the pot and the tree:


texts: I poured straight vinegar on grass, can I save it?

texts: I poured straight vinegar onto some ant holes on my lawn. Yes, I now know my grass will die on those parts. Is there any way I can save it?


texts: How can I pack my potted plants for moving (across the US)?

texts:
I'm faced with moving across the US soon.

As my climate zone will be changing, some of my outdoor potted plants will have to become indoor plants. However, I would like to take as many as possible with me.

How can I best pack plants for travel? I have a mixture of sizes: some are in 6" pots and some over 7' tall (I'm particularly concerned about the latter), with several dozen pots in between. Maybe techniques are different for each.

How can I keep the soil intact and not making a mess of my truck and other belongings? Are there clever techniques for keeping plants from getting crushed? I'll likely have a moving truck and my car.


texts:
We recently moved into a new house with existing rose plants, many of which are diseased. The obvious problems are the orange spots that puff into dust when you touch the plant, and black / brown patches on the leaves.

I tried a compound from Bayer that was said to resolve all problems with roses including the ones I described, but it had no effect. It was pellets that you put onto the soil.

I'm wondering if it's worth trying to save these plants, or if I should simply pull them out and plant new ones.

I have some Daconil fungicide on hand, which I understand can be used to treat some things. That would be my next attempt.

EDIT: Some of the plants have a whitish color on the leaves / stems, wbich I understand is also fungus related.


texts: I live in Denver and have a yard but not the time to work the soil this year. I have some Sorghum seeds, will they grow ok if I do so out of containers? I am growing them for grain/syrup.


texts:
We have one vascular plant (Araucaria heterophylla) which asjed about that it before here.

So according the answer to the question, i have triyed to change it's soil by this kind:

And

And this GIF :

So i like to know is this condition enough for curing this plant? And dose it still alve or not?

Thanks for your attention.


texts: What kind of mower should I get for a ¾-acre lawn?

texts:
I need to mow a 3/4 acre lawn and some minor landscape on a weekly basis (getting someone else to do it is going to be a major cost)

Having never done this, I have started to do some research on tools I need and have found the following:

Lawn mower tractor
Edge Trimmer
Leaf blower

What are the characteristics of a tractor lawn mower that I should seek?


texts: What is this screening tree, growing in South Australia?

texts:
Can anyone identify this screening tree/hedge growing in the Adelaide plains, South Australia? Any family or clade suggestions will help!

I'd like to propagate it next to the fences in our own backyard because it looks hardy and demonstrates excellent foliage density for screening.

(Click on images to enlarge)


texts: The fastest way to produce fruits from trees

texts:
I want to plant a fruit tree orchard, and I am a bit confused between:

Planting trees from seeds and then grafting them
Growing from existing tree cuttings
Cloning branches and transplanting them

What is the fastest way to obtain fruit?
Also, what is the best way?


texts: Tomato plant's leaves have white lines on them

texts:
This is my first time gardening, and I noticed the other day, one of my tomato plant's leave started looking a bit odd. I haven't fertilized any of the plants yet, as this is my first time, and I honestly don't know when the right time to do so is. So just wondering what can be done to get the leaves back to normal.

Thank you so much!
-Pamela enter image description here


texts: How do I keep Azolla (duckweed) alive in a sealed container?

texts:
I would like to  keep Azolla (duckweed) alive for a week in a sealed container. Is there any way to do this?

How can I do this?


texts: What are the challenges of growing Venus' flytraps in India?

texts:
What are the challenges of growing Venus Flytrap in India where temperature is generally above 20 degree Celsius and reaches up to 44 degree Celsius for 2-3 months a year?

Can I grow those plants indoor during this season?

Also can I use wheat grass or dry sugar cane leaves to grow them if I don't get specific moss?


texts:
A few leaves on my orange tree have this.

What is this?
What can I do about it?


texts: Yellowish spots under and above the leaves

texts: What are these yellowish spots under and above the bell pepper plant? And I can see black ants around these spots.


texts: How can I keep bare root blackberries viable for 8 days?

texts:
I ordered some bare root blackberries for myself and a friend. They left the nursery last Friday, but my friend won't be able to pick them up and plant them until Saturday.

What can I do to ensure the plants are still viable on Saturday, presumably 8 or 9 days after they were dug up, or do I even need to worry?

These are just the stem and roots; they weren't packed in a growing medium of any kind.


texts: What is this low growing square-stemmed plant in my lawn?

texts: I have a small, dense, spreading herbaceous perennial plant in my lawn. I don't have anything against it, but I would like to know what it is. It has slightly square stems and rounded leaves. It has small purple flowers sometimes, and looks a lot like a Prunella when in bloom. It tends to grow in poor, rocky soil where the grass gets thin.


texts: What's a good alternative to Incandescent Christmas lights for frost protection?

texts:
I understand that gardeners used to wrap trees in Christmas lights to provide frost protection as incandescent lights gave off quite a bit of heat.

Try as I might, I've been unable to find any outdoor rated incandescent Christmas lights (that will work at 220/240 volts), thanks to the shift to LED's.

Does anyone have any tricks or alternatives to Christmas lights, to provide (active) heating for avocado trees where frost-cloth does not cut quite cut it?


texts: I bought a Fittonia about a week ago. Today, I noticed a couple of its leaves getting less vibrant and almost having the veins fade. Is there anything I may be doing to cause this? Does the overall plant look healthy or is there signs that I should be aware of meaning something?


texts: My six-week old tomato seedlings don't look great. Please help!

texts:
https://imgur.com/a/Hpwv3AM

Hi,

I am growing tomatoes from seed this year for the first time.  My plants are under LED lights and are about 6 weeks old.  The underside of the leaves is purple and some of the leaves are turning yellow.  The leaves are kind of shriveling and just generally not looking great.  Does anyone know what I might be doing wrong?  Am I watering too much or too little?  The temp inside is in the 60s or 70s now.  They're getting about 16 hours of light per day.

I'm going to move them out in a few weeks (live in Central MA) but am worried some might not make it.

Thanks!


texts: Dieffenbachia camilla too large pot: back to smaller pot?

texts:
I have a Dieffenbachia camilla, sometimes called 'Dumb Cane', that I got about two years ago. It seemed like it needed a new pot so I put it in one size larger, and it did very well: it started growing new leaves and looked healthy. Not knowing much about plants, a month or two after I put it in an even larger pot, thinking it would help too. Now that I know more about plants, I know this was a bad idea as it wasn't ready for a larger pot. Some of the leaves started falling off and the leaves look thin and spindly. Also, new leaves grow on fairly slowly, and sometimes before becoming mature they turn yellow and fall off. Also, many mature leaves have also yellowed and have fallen off, making the trunk look a little bare.

  Question. I was thinking that perhaps it's in too large a pot, as it started to decline when it was put in the larger one. It's been in this pot for a year but barely grew, so would it be a good idea to transplant it back to the smaller pot it was in before?


texts: "Plenty of light but no direct sunlight": reflection on walls vs shades diffused sunlight

texts: For many indoor plants I read this instruction regarding light requirements: "Plenty of light but no direct sunlight". How I understand it is that the light has to come from a secondary source of light (meaning from reflection, most likely on walls). I was wondering if direct sunlight going through a cream colored fabric shades (pic below) before hitting the plant was also acceptable as the light is dimmed/diffused by the fabric? Or what are the other ways to avoid direct sun light while having "plenty of light"?


texts:
There is a local store selling chestnut trees for seemingly a good deal (~6ft and ~8ft for $30 and $40).
I'm working on planting a variety of trees in my back yard to create a nature area, wind break...etc. I think it'd be very cool to have a few chestnut trees.
BUT, I've read up a little about chestnut trees, and it seems as though they were wiped out. Is it likely that these trees will make it to adulthood? Or are they still incredibly susceptible?  Any thoughts/suggestions very welcome.


texts: What is this tree from Thailand with medicinal properties?

texts: Please help me identify a tree located near Si Sa Ket Thailand. The bark is used as a medicine. Used by local traditional healers. Unfortunately they do not know the name of the tree. Many things are passed down in a verbal tribal knowledge format. The tree is not common. We travel to a remote area near the Cambodian border to obtain a very small strip of bark. I enclosed a picture of leaves and bark.


texts: What is this plant and how should it be taken care of?

texts:
One of the kids planted a seed in school and this plant grew from it. It’s growing at a pretty fast rate and I’m wondering why it’s growing so tall so quickly when it’s not very strong.
I’m not sure if I should be trimming it shorter to keep it from getting too tall and falling over or maybe it’s some sort of climber.


texts:
Recently some plants have grown in one of my plant pots. I didn't remove them because they looked nice, but I don't know if they are weeds or plants.

Please help me identify them.


texts:
I planted a seedless kishu mandarin at the beginning of the year and it's produced around 20 mandarins. I've just tried a couple and the flesh inside is very dry: desiccated.

The skin still hasn't turned fully orange yet, still some green on it. However, I would have expected it to be juicier inside.

I live in Arizona so it's hot and dry but I've diligently made sure that it's had plenty of water all summer. Edit: I've been giving it about 2 to 5 gallons per day in the summer.

This is my first Kishu tree so not sure what to expect. Is this normal?


texts: what is this plant in my Los Angeles backyard?

texts: What is this plant? context: Los Angeles backyard


texts: Webs, black spots, and dying leaves- what disease is inflicting my plants?

texts:
I'm trying to identify an plant disease that has infested my sage, rosemary, and oregano. The plants have have a few webs on their leaves and there are black dots all over the plant, which don't seem to be moving and don't look like insects from the naked eye. The effects are black spots on the leaves, yellow discoloration, some holes, and eventually death of the leaf. What could this disease be? How can I stop it from spreading and if possible, save the plants that are already affected?

Edit: This is in the Southeastern, USA


texts:
I was given a bag of seeds that are supposed to become "meadow plants", but it wasn't said what plants exactly.

Can you guess what plants some of these seeds originate from? I would like to know the origin for at least couple of them...


texts: What flower is it and why it has leaves only

texts:
I bought the bulbs in Costco 1.5 mo ago and forgot the name. What is it?

It looks tall and big leaves but no flower so far now in July timeframe. I am in Pacific Northwest.
Is it a goner?


texts: How to trim and form a boxwood hedge for a beginner?

texts:
I would like to put my small boxwood hedge into a rectangular form. I never did this before - I need newbie advices.

It is useful to construct a frame/framework to guide? What material do I need to use as a guide? I assume freehand with an electric is not an option for me.

Can I use my electric hedge-cutter for it?

What else do I need to take care of?

See also my related question: When is the right time to trim boxwood?


texts: Young child wants ID for a plant in his school garden

texts:
"B" is 4 years old. That is his hand with the coin for size reference.

Added 2 pics, and info.  Mom said: "The leaves look like grass blades. They're pretty tall and the director said they sprouted up super quickly. They don't smell oniony." They also took a leaf picture, as requested. Thanks all, for your input! :)

My original post:

My friend's young child is wanting an ID on this plant that has sprouted up in his nursery school garden (located in New York City).

His Mom asked me: "Diane can you name that plant? (The one with the white orb with the green shoot sticking out of it) They sprouted up on their own at B's school garden and no one can identify it."

So...I could probably eventually ID this one for him. (I figure that it is in the onion/scallion family.) But, we would rather include the kid in this, for his school project. His Mom can read him your questions, clarification requests, and answers. I will pass on more pictures and info as it is supplied to me. (I am in Virginia, not on location in NY.)

This should be a nice switch for everyone after the difficult ID's that I have asked for in the past. Please play along. Thanks! :D

Garden location NYC, NY. USA

! []3[B's mystery plant]4


texts: I have a rainbird drip system for my raised vegetable bed. Some of the drips are blocking the water to go through to the plant (seems like it is blocked). I replaced the drip and now water goes through. My question is whether I can fix these drips rather than throwing them away.


texts: I basically just planted this plant and let it grow all summer more or less untended. It's become extremely viney, and has a ton of aphids. We live in a very dry area, near Sacramento, and I'm curious what might be the cause of some if not most of the fruit coming out with this splotchy yellow interior


texts:
Bush like flower plant. What is it?
Does this plant require full sun?


texts: What is this very nice looking cactus/succulent?

texts:
I inherited this hardy little succulent and I don't know what it is. It's draught tolerant, healthy, and has survived me raising it so I know it's a real survivor.

Any ideas would be great. Thanks!


texts: What is the treatment done to so-called prepared / treated hyacinth-bulbs for forcing in pots?

texts:
To have hyacinths grow and flower indoors in pots (also known as: to force a bulb) you have to get special bulbs: they are called prepared or treated. I was not able to find out with a simple internet search what this special treatment is?

In my novice mind I would guess it has something to do with freezing or coldness?

Can someone enlighten me? Is it possible to do this "treatment" at home? For example to bulbs from the garden?


texts: When should I plant out a peach sapling?

texts:
When is the best time to plant out a peach sapling?

I have been trying my hand at growing cuttings from peach tree prunings, and eventually(*) have one that is almost big enough to plant out. I'll wait until after the coming winter, but when is the ideal time? Presumably spring?  Should I plant it out before the leaves come out, or after?

(*) Two attempts. First mistake was the wrong time of the year. Also I've tended to use branches that are too thin.


texts:
I have this new Fuchsia plant which until yesterday was pretty good in shape. many buds are there and blooms were also coming

I try to keep this plant moist. For that I use wooden skewers. I put it in soil for 10 minutes and if it is completely dry or well.. almost dry, then I water it. From today morning, one branch of this plant is wilting. Other branches are completely fine… Also, no bugs are there.

I don’t keep them in sun (indoor plant) and for last couple of days the weather is around 12 degrees C and no sun as well. No bugs. I use Perlite soil.

Could anyone please help me to save this plant?

PS: Here is pic of the wilted plant (I took the photo just after watering lightly).

PS: Sorry for the trouble. I just discovered that I broke a branch accidentally while repotting the plant. It was the same branch which is in the image.


texts: What are these small, round, red berries covered with bumps, on low-growing plants in Upstate New York?

texts: I found these bumpy red berries on low-growing plants growing wild in my lawn. They look kind of like wild strawberries, but they are rounder with more pronounced bumps. Do you have any ideas as to the species and edibility? These grew in summer, in Upstate New York State.


texts: Getting rid of strange eggs in houseplant soil

texts:
Help! I have a peace lily which I bought three years ago for almost a nothing as it was almost dead. I nursed it back to health and was doing great, after about a year of having it in it’s nursery pot I repotted it in a bigger pot using normal potting soil for house plants although I do believe it said “compost” so not quite soil. I’m not very experienced in plants and gardening at all but I just wanted to save the plant, I even kept the instructions tag it came with! Three years since (two years since repotting) it has developed a strange green/white mould looking substance and I have no clue what it is or how to get rid of it. I need help! I’ve scoured the internet and I still am unsure. Here’s how it looks.

If anyone could help me I’d be very grateful!

Thanks so much in advance x


texts: How do I grow better Tabasco-type (C.frutescens) peppers?

texts:
Virtually all cultivated peppers are C.annuum, and I've had a lot of success growing these from seed.  (I also usually buy 3-4 plants locally each year but selection is usually very limited)

I soak my seeds using a salt petre solution before sowing. This is recommended particularly for those that are harder to germinate (eg. chiltepins). Here in North Texas I usually get a small crop before the height of summer, and then the main crop September-November. All are grown outside, full afternoon sun. I used to use containers a lot, but I'm finding raised beds produce much bigger plants - probably due to water and root space.

Anyway, this is the second year that I have tried to grow C.frutescens varieties. Last year I tried Tabasco and Twilight. This year just Tabasco. Both years I've had poor germination rates (5 out 50 seeds this year). Plants never grew very big last year. This year they are definitely a lot smaller than the Anchos and Gypsies which were sown on the same day.

How can I improve their growth (with a view to more fruit in Autumn), and how can I improve the germination rate?


texts:
After purchasing a house and clearing the back section and have found soil erosion on a bank beneath some weed matting.

How can I shore up this bank? I really don't want to build a retaining wall if possible so looking for alternatives.

I was looking at https://www.advancelandscape.co.nz/shop/Erosion+Control+Systems/GeoCell.html. Would this do the trick?


texts: What is this bug on my Mint plant and is this harmful?

texts:
today I found these bugs on my Mint plant.
It's kinda just sit there and did nothing, but I haven't seen the bug before on my Mint (or my other plants), but currently only found this on my mint. What kind of bug is this? And is it harmful for the Mint or the other plants?
For the background info, I live in Tropical hot climate. So the temperature is hot all year long. I put the Mint plant on the shadier part to prevent the scorching afternoon sun. I tried to use the insect identifier app, but the result didn't seem really accurate.

THanks!


texts:
We're in the process of moving into our new place and these plants are in our front yard. Can you identify what they are?

Second, are they poisonous to animals (small dogs)? We plan to remove them to give us some more room in the tiny yard. The answer to this will primarily dictate when we remove them.

(click to enlarge images)


texts: Cycad - "Zamia fischeri" - large chunk from caudex

texts:
Advice please on what may have caused this large chunk to be taken from my specimen of Zamia fischeri?

Background
The plant was purchased about six months ago and I recently (three or four weeks ago) repotted it into the current, larger pot. It has settled in well and has begun to produce new leaves from its crown.
Problem
Only today did I notice the large chunk from its caudex.
It’s baffling me, as I am usually quite attentive and would expect to notice this when repotting the plant.
It appears to have “healed” over, so there is no raw or new damage.

Suggestions
Maybe:

as a younger plant, it was grown alongside a post or some other round object;
something has taken a big bite out of the side of the plant (we do have a local bandicoot with a large appetite);
The plant has some form of disease in the caudex.

Research to Date
I have read these articles on the internet:

My Cycad or Sago Palm Is In Trouble! - Sago Palm  & Cycad Care
by Jesse & Phil Bergman;
Gardening With Cycads, Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney.

Any thoughts or advice greatly appreciated.


texts: What is this big caterpillar in my yard?

texts:
Does anyone know what this big caterpillar is? It is bright yellow with kind of geometrical triangular grey strips on the back, and also black points. It is huge for the region: 5 to 7 centimetres long and maybe 1 centimetre large!

I never saw this in the region, for the 40 years I've been living here (East France, 600m altitude, hardiness zone ~7).

I found it at the bottom of a boxwood I had to completely cut. (due to an attack of another newcomer insect, the box tree moth ). Now is that one going to start attack other plants in my yard? I think there ain't many there yet, since I saw it only once last week (end August).

Here's the beast (you can click to enlarge, a little scary).

Google image search is not of much help (yet;):

img1

img2: now a snake??

img3: it went for some sort of cater...


texts: What is the proper way to winterize a lawnmower?

texts: I've heard a lot of anecdotes and shortcuts, but I am still unclear at to how to properly winterize a power push lawnmower. What steps or maintenance tasks should I take in order to keep it in good condition the following year?


texts: My cactus is suddenly becoming white and shrinking

texts:
Can anyone suggest what could be the problem. I am keeping this in under a shed and watering when the top of the soil is dry. Is it a bug or rot root problem ?
!


texts: Can I grow a cherry tree from seed without stratification?

texts:
I'm going to grow a cherry tree from a seed. It's not that easy though and I need some time and patience. I have experience with pine tree and orange, though these are quite easy trees to grow compared to cherry and maple.

At the same time I saw some guys in a YouTube video who advised removing the seed shell for lemon seed to improve germination. They say it works very well and normally you will have at least 4 of 5 seeds germinated.

With cherry it's a bit more complicated. Normally seeds need stratification.
Is it acceptable to treat cherry seeds in this way at all or it will just destroy it? If I remove the shell, do I need to stratify it or can I simply put it in moist and wait?


texts: Do I need to re-test for radon after landscaping?

texts:
We moved to a new house recently and are having some major landscaping work done in the backyard (removing/relocating a number of boulders, flattening out one area of the yard and filling another in, etc.).

Before we moved in, we did a radon test and the results came back very low (I think it was 0.4 pCi/L). However, I've read that the amount of radon in your home is very specific to your individual house (e.g., your neighbor's house could have much higher/lower radon that yours does).

Therefore, I was wondering if big changes to the surrounding landscape could cause the radon levels to change significantly. Should we do another radon test after the landscaping work is complete?


texts: How to handle potted Japanese Maples for fall and winter

texts:
I have several larger potted plants and trees i usually bury in my garden box for the winter.

I root a few clipping from a Japanese maple, got about 6 plants in 6 inch pots. The 2 biggest are near 8 inch tall. Smaller ones are still struggling to grow new stems, but made it thru the summer temps. So they are trying to take hold.

but now fall approaches, with the first freeze coming soon, mid-atlantic.

Should i bring them in for the winter, maybe place near the window with my house plants?
Or bury them in the garden box for the winter?
Or any other ideas?

Thanks


texts:
I have a Japanese Lilac Tree that was fine 2 weeks ago now there is 2 dead branches and 1 that is starting to die.
They are not isolated and are random, with the first near the base of the canopy one one side, then another on the other side. The most recent branch showing symptoms is in the upper 3rd of the canopy.
I can't figure out what to do with this exactly other than remove the branches.
Can someone help me save this one?
Thank you


texts: Do I need to mix rice husk and clay soil?

texts:
Someone gave me 1 sack of rice husk and multiple sacks of clay soil. I've been thinking if just planting in a pure clay soil is enough or do I really need to mix it to rice husk?

If I need to mix it, what are the ratio?
What are the cons and pros of mixing and not mixing it?

Right now I try to put pure clay soil and after watering my plant it looks like mud to me.


texts: Bushes...will these grow back? Did I ruin them?

texts: Did I ruin these bushes? Will they grow back or should I take them out? Thanks


texts: How do I grow multiple generations of lima beans?

texts:
I am working on a school project and was wondering how fast can I grow lima beans indoor? What would be the minimum and maximum water, light and other nutrition I can expose them too? Do they need to grow aligned and how far apart should I plant them?
Once the lima beans grow, can I get the immature beans inside the pod and regrow a second generation and so on? How would I do this?


texts:
This is a Great White plant, planted about 30 days ago. It has yellowing leaves with black spots, all tge leaves are drooping, and there are very few flower buds. I'm afraid I might need to dispose of the whole plant. I planted this about a month ago in tilled soil with compost and bagged manure mixed in, along with a spadeful of organic poultry poop fertilizer, and added another half-spadeful a couple weeks ago. It was doing ok until about a week ago. The leaves are droopy and starting to yellow and get some black spots. Yesterday I found a 3" long tomato hornworm on it which I plucked off. I mulched around the tomato plants with newspaper and straw to deal with a carpet of weeds that had been popping up. Now the soil around the plant seems pretty wet. So, what's going on with this plant? Did the hornworm do all this damage? Did the mulching trap in too much water and make the soil soggy? Is the problem reversible? I have 2 other tomato plants that are doing ok, but without many fruits. I checked all the tomato and pepper plants and plucked off a few more hornworms. Oh yeah, also I put that stake in about a week ago. Could that have pierced and damaged the roots?

UPDATE: Ok as someone requested I'm adding more pictures. I have mulched with straw, and it's pulled away from the base of this plant because I was worried it was keeping the soil too soggy. Also I added a scoop of fertilizer, but that was after this yellowing happened. The plant is about 20-30 inches away from each of the other 2 tomato plants (different varieties). Also, the other two seem to have decent vegetative growth and very few fruits.

It looks like the plant is pretty far gone now.  Should I call it quits before that fungus spreads to the other 2?


texts: What is this white flower with stacked petals?

texts: I can't identify this short-ish plant with one white flower with has stacked petals. It also has green, vaguely-heart-shaped leaves that have a pink-burgundy rim, the stalk is also burgundy. I live in England in the East-Midlands, but I'm not sure if this is a native plant or not.


texts: How to check if a tropical tree has survived a subtropic winter?

texts:
I am currently living in the California Bay Area, a subtropic region. I grow quite a few tropical trees in my backyard. This winter has been the first subtropic winter that these trees have ever experienced. Typically, the nights here were 40-50 fahrenheit and days were 70 fahrenheit. There was only one night that dropped to 39 fahrenheit. I've only been watering my trees sparingly once a week because I heard trees don't need much water in the winter.  None of my tropical trees appear healthy now, so I would like to assess whether they have survived the cold weather or not. Are they dead or not?
This is my Wax Apple. In the summer, it branched vigorously and had tons of huge leaves, bigger than the size of a human hand. It has dropped nearly every leaf. Also, the small outer branches have blackened. The inner bigger trunk is still tan colored. (I strung up a lot of the branches because during one storm the winds bent the branches straight down).

This is my Century Guava. It hasn't lost many leaves. However, they've become a pale yellow-green color and then eventually purple. Its branches appear unchanged - they have a flaky skin as most tropical guava have. (I know mulch isn't supposed to touch the trunk. During the dry times, I keep the mulch as close to, but not touching, the trunk).

Update on April 25, 2015
The wax apple is presumed dead. All leaves were lost during the winter. All my other tropical trees have came back from hibernation except the wax apple. I cut into its trunk to test for any green color. Nope. It was dried to the bone. Farewell, my good friend. I will need to start from ground zero again...


texts: Why are the new leaves of my poly elephant’s ear turning yellow?

texts: I just purchased a Poly Elephant’s Ear from my local nursery. It was in good condition prior to taking it home ( no yellowing of leaves). 3 days later, I noticed two new baby leaves have turned yellow/starting yellow. I position my plant in a corner area on the side of my window, so it gets indirect light. And the past 3 days the baby yellow leaves were facing the wall, while the bigger leaves were facing the light. What are some possible causes of the yellowing? TIA.


texts: Looking for basic info/resources for drip irrigation

texts:
I had my irrigation system installed about 8 years ago.  The guy who did it was a landscaper but did it as a friend on the side, and as such I have no idea what corners he may have cut to save me some money.  He's kind of a bandaid-and-baling wire kinda guy, though I didn't quite realize that until after the fact.  He doesn't respond to email anymore, so now that I'm having some trouble with the system I'm on my own to figure it out.

The system has three zones - sprinklers, drip hose for shrubs, and drip line for planters and hanging baskets.  It's all controlled by a Rainbird timer in the garage.

As far as I know the sprinklers are fine.  We covered over the grass with bark mulch about 4 years ago so I haven't used them since, but they were working then.

The first area to develop a problem was the drip line.  Some of the lines just stopped dripping.  Water would run from the drip head (if that's the right word for it) if I pulled off the line, but when I replaced it with new line, still no water.  That was as far as I went with trying to fix that;  I haven't had baskets for a few years anyway.

The more pressing issue is the drip hose for the shrubs. Our puppy bit a couple of holes in it, or so I suspect, and I need to repair a couple of places.  I have tried that, first with the kind of fittings that you slip inside the hose, and then with compression fittings.  Leaks, leaks everywhere.  I found out from the person I bought the supplies from that what I have is .710 hose made by Fiskars, which is no longer available.  From her I bought some .700 hose and some .710 compression fittings, and attempted to make a repair, but the ends of the fittings with the smaller hose in it always leak.  Not even wrapping the hose with gaffer's tape to make the connection tighter is solving the problem.

She thinks the problem is too much water pressure;  I sent her some pictures of my system and she doesn't see a pressure regulator.  She wants me to cut off the fitting that the hose comes out of to install a pressure regulator.  I may have to do that, but first I want to know more about the system before I start hacking into it.

So, my questions:

what are the right resources to read to learn more about drip irrigation in general?  There's so much info out there but no way of knowing if any of it is correct.
it seems unlikely to me that the system has no pressure regulators already in it - wouldn't the city water pressure have blown out the drip lines long before now?  I sent her this picture, which to me seems to show the three zones - sprinklers with no regulator, two drip zones with regulators - but she didn't seem to think I have any.  Can anyone else give an opinion?  What are those black things if not pressure regulators?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jnt0dwqcc66m2j5/IMG_1067.jpg

one option is to just replace all of the drip hose with the new smaller stuff, but I'm not sure how to hook it into the system.  There's a 1" pipe coming up out of the ground in the shrub bed with an elbow on it, and the other end of the elbow has hose leading to a T. The elbow has a nut-looking attachment which is glued on.  There doesn't seem to be any way to switch from .710 sizing to .700 without running into the same leaking issue I already have. Picture of this:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3i8ctarxvdgpjul/IMG_1073.jpg

This is the fitting she wants me to cut off and add in a pressure regulator, but it's very close to the ground and I don't want to do any cutting (losing more height) until I'm really sure of what I'm doing.

Any advice/insight will be appreciated!

Edit:  one argument against just replacing the hose is that the Fiskars stuff seems to be much studier than the new.  I have a post elsewhere on here about the attempted repair and people were amazed that my hose is still intact at all after 8 years in the PNW - now I understand why.  Every time I tried to pull the new hose out of the compression fitting it tore - the old hose is much thicker and seems much less like it's made from barely-held-together bits of something.


texts: Weed identification in Queensland, Australia. What are these?

texts: What are these weeds and how do I get rid of them? They're thriving in the dry soil while the grass struggles.


texts:
I wanted to propagate my Mostera deliciosa but it went wrong and I cut a simple branch with no leaf node.
I put it in water but it seems like there isn't any roots yet.
Is there any way to make this work? I don't want it to die.


texts: My Dracaena Fragrans Might Be Dying PLEASE help

texts:
2/15, I did this:

I finally built up the nerve to chop my corn plant and propagate it

Here's the damage: https://imgur.com/a/tt4IvDg

I am praying I did this right. I followed a video that showed how one guy did it successfully, and I'm hoping it will go that well for me. I dabbed root hormone on the bottom of the cut-off stalks and placed two in dirt, and the rest are in water (so the root hormone probably doesn't matter, but still). I am hoping at least one of these methods works!

The first pic is the original plant, which I hate to see all cut, but I am hoping it's ok.

Is it in the right light? I am trying to find the best spots for them, whether that be indoor or outdoors I don't know yet. The temperature, as far as I know, is ok.

2/23 UPDATE

The original stalk + a cutting is starting to yellow...PLEASE HELP!!

It might be sun-scorched...I moved it inside for that reason and humidity. Should I spray it with a mister for humidity?

I am so worried...I think I may be overwatering...I will definitely stop & I also will use bottled water in case it's a fluoride issue.

Here's a leaf I pulled off: https://imgur.com/a/lAjfjCh

The other stalk I moved seems fine, but it's also titled as hell. I am so scared I killed it by propagating/cutting it...Help!


texts:
We have several big pots (they're about 2ft wide) and water accumulates in the saucers.

The water in the saucer begins to stink after a while, so we have to pick up every pot, remove the foul-smelling water, and then put the pot back on the saucer.

The issue is that these pots are extremely heavy, so between three of us we do all of this comfortably. But it's impossible for one person to do it safely.

Is there another way of dealing with this situation?


texts: Testing Soil with rapid-test by luster leaf

texts:
For Christmas I got one of those small kits that test the soil using a chemical enclosed in capsules. The one I got does Ph, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash. And today I gave it a spin, and this is my results.

Ph - 7.25

N - 0

P - 0

K* - low

These results were horrible. I did plenty of video watching and review reading to find that this may not be to inaccurate? I want to know if I did something wrong here. And to help people understand what I did I listed the steps below.

1) Gather 15 samples from around my garden (it is large) and mixed it in a ice cream pale

2) Put some directly in the test tube (Ph), added capsule and filled with water to line specified in the directions. Let sit

3) mixed rest of dirt 1:5 (dirt:water) and let settle. Took the clean-ish water at top and added to test tube half way, added capsule and filled rest of the way. Let sit for 10 min

Basically all I did. I did make sure everything got shaken well so I wasn't "testing the surface" of the dirt.

I want to include that my dad added a few years worth of ash from the wood stove to the garden, he stopped 6 yrs ago and am wondering if that is part of the problem.

So to conclude what went wrong? What did I do or are these tests simply to cheap?

*I think this is the letter for potash


texts: What is the maximum yield of apple tree?

texts:
I am in the plan to plant and grow some apple trees in my land in kashmir. I want to know answers for the following questions.

How to plant it in proper manner?
what is the method of weeding it?
What is the yield can i have from apple trees?
When should i water the trees?
How much amount fertilizers i need to apply to the trees?


texts: I have a huge lawn infront and behind my house. I have thought of weed killers but am in Halifax, and there is a law or something about weed killers. It is irritating and I can barely even see the grass anymore. Please am desperately seeking advice, and what I can do, especially now that the cold season is fast approaching. SOS.....


texts: Which of them is the original Menthe Spicata (used for traditional Moroccon tea)?

texts: I am a total newbie in gardening. Visited two shops on different days and bought menthe spicata used for traditional Moroccan tea. At home, I noticed that they are different plants. Made photos, which of them is the real menthe spicata?


texts:
I plant this about two months ago and now it is showing yellow leaves

I think it is due to some powder-like fertilizer I put around the root (5 inches away) and bury in the compost when I planted it.

Is this some burnt effect? If not, what is it?


texts: Hedge trimmer or pole trimmer for ivy overgrown in tree?

texts: What is the best to trim overgrowth of ivy out of a crepe myrtle tree, but just a few of the vines? I can use a ladder and get to trim the vine hanging in the area I want to trim out of the tree. What would be the best to use, a pole trimmer for trimming limbs or a hedge trimming to trim a bunch at one time?


texts: Help me identify this plant that has taken over an abandoned garden

texts:
They've taken over an abandoned garden nearby and look positively alien to me. I've never seen a plant grow this kind of flowers or... fruits, since they look like fruits.

Could anyone help me identify it?


texts: Mango seedling has stem and leaves but no root!

texts:
I've got two problems with my mango seedlings:

Problem #1

I have germinated a mango seed in water, it now has a decent stem and healthy-looking leaves. It is currently still in water, indoors, in the brightest spot in my house getting maximum direct sunlight (I live in the UK).

When the root first germinated (2-3 months ago) I accidentally snapped it off while refilling the water. The root never grew back, however several stems since germinated and it has continued to grow leaves rapidly!!

I am at the point now where I am wanting to plant it into a pot of (ericaceous) compost however there is no root system. There is a bulbous growth, which I assume is acting as a root. I don't think it would survive in soil. Is there any method I could use to force the growth of roots? Would planting it out do this? Or fertilizer (I have only used boiled tap-water up to this point)?

See attached pictures - my plan was to wait for another root to grow but I have been waiting for months!!

Problem #2

I have another mango seedling with the opposite problem. All root and no stem growth!! It germinated in water at a similar time (2-3 months ago) and I have it kept in the same position with maximum sunlight.

The root has grown extensively and seems healthy as far as I can tell (see pictures). There is one small stem which seemed to have leaves sprouting however it hasn't grown in a long time.

Should I keep this seedling in water until the stem and leaves grow? Or hope another stem pops up soon? Or should I plant it out into (ericaceous) compost?

See attached pictures - my plan was to keep it in water until a sturdy stem and leaves were produced before I planted it out.

Any advice much appreciated!
Thanks, Richard

Pictures of seedling #1

Pictures of seedling #2


texts: I have a question about corn, im a first time grower and I made the mistake of putting my baby corn together in one pot thinking only for a moment. well life happened and they had to sit for a week in this one pot and have grown pretty good. but I now need to put them in the ground. I'm just scared the roots are bunched up together,  How would one separate the roots without damage?


texts: Why don't professional lawn scarifiers have moss removal tools?

texts:
Why is it that professional lawn scarifiers don't have these moss removal tools?:

The cheap ones have, but the expensive petrol powered Stihl and AL-KO doesn't. Husqvarna doesn't have a petrol driven to compare with.


texts: What is the best way to remove grass from my ground cover Sedum?

texts:
I have a bed of Improved Golden Sedum that is healthy in every way, but wants to go back to lawn. This is difficult to weed, because the grass has a very dense shallow root system, while the Sedum has soft thin roots. Pulling the grass would take out a large part of the Sedum, and leave holes in the ground. How can I successfully remove this grass while maintaining the Sedum's health?

Here is a picture of how it looks after weeding. It is normally dense and tall.


texts: What temperature will kill camellia plants?

texts: I have many camellia japonicas and sasanquas. In very cold weather I protected  newer smaller plants. But global warming has dealt a bad blow to E TX , we had +7 °F overnight and in the 20's °F for 4 or more days. Of course the blooms are gone (have some flower phots with 2" of snow on the bloom). Meaningful covers on 8' tall 12' long plants is not rational, so I am waiting to see what is left. Literature give references for 32 °F or 20's °F for a few hours, but not 7 °F. Any guesses?


texts: Is there a red or similar-looking moss that will grow on a stone statue?

texts:
I'd like to try growing some moss on a stone statue.  As it's of a dragon (and I'm Welsh) it really like it to be red-ish, at least in parts.

Any advise on a red moss, or some other plant that I could use?


texts: When should Bee Balm bloom in Zone 6 (it did not bloom last year)?

texts:
Two years ago we planted some bee balm. We trimmed it back in early March last year and it never bloomed, though the plant was otherwise healthy and bushy.

We trimmed it back again this year. Is there a deficiency that may have caused the bee balm to not bloom?


texts: I transplanted my lemon tree 2 days ago and I positioned it in the corner without lights. How many days should my tree stay without lights after transplanting?


texts: I'm having a weird problem with almost all of my ground cherry plants. The berry, while still on the plant, ends up poking through the paper. it's hard to describe but it's like the paper doesn't grow with the berry and the berry just pokes through the end. Has anybody else had this happen? Any suggestion?


texts: Brown and yellow spots on Calathea Orbifolia

texts:
I bought my orbifolia in january, and the brown and yellow spots on the big leafs were there when I bought it. But now (i think) the small baby leafs are turning yellow and brown, mostly on the tips but also in the middle of the leaf.. whats wrong?
I mist the plant everyday, the humidity is between 50 and 60, I repotted the plant and it is giving me new big leafs that are perfect. I water it maybe once a week, sometimes every 2 weeks. Depends on how the soil is.


texts: What are those brown / white spots on my cactus?

texts:
There are 3 of this same cactus sharing the pot. Only one of them is getting these spots. What could it be? Fungus? Sun burn?
They are in my balcony, they don't get rain, and they get like 3-4 hours of direct sunlight in the morning. Not 100% but I think that the one with the spots was facing back (ie: facing the window) when it started.
What can I do to treat it?
Extra info:

All cacti are 2 years old
The "infected" one is around 25cm (10in) tall and 6cm (2.5in) in diameter.
I've found the spots about 2 or 3 weeks ago, and I think they are spreading to a larger area of the cactus.

Pictures below:


texts: How does one maintain a crisp lawn edge?

texts:
The wife and I just spent 30 minutes creating an edge for our lawn. We've done one side so far. We used a lawn edge knife and edge shears.

I often see people with crisp edges for their lawns, how do they do it? Do they buy these things? Or is it just a matter of constantly cutting back growth around the edge?
I have done this before, but the grass just grew back and it now looks like this:

How do we go about maintaining the grass edge crisp and clean?


texts: Why do turf winterguard (applied late fall) fertilizers have no “P” (phosphorous)?

texts:
A leading brand's fall food is 32-0-10.

As I understand it “P” helps roots grow.
The fertilizers say they help grow deep roots.

So at first glance seems odd to exclude this macro.

My hypothesis is that phosphorus is mainly helpful at germination and early stages? So if your just feeding your mature lawn no need for this. Plus it's applied generally when temperatures are too low for germination. And we don't want phosphorus to not get absorbed and run into waterways?

Am I correct?


texts: why are my plants all dying? cucumbers, spaghetti squash and flowers?

texts: I just planted them last week, I watered them everyday until I saw that they were starting to die. some of the leaves are crispy, some of them are limp and soft. So I am not sure if I need to water them more or to water them less? I thought maybe they didn't get good oxygen from the soil. I bought the soil from the same nursey that I got the cukes from. did I need to mix the soil with mulch or something? I'm just trying to not kill everything. my flowers are also dying. the second I planted them they all started dying.


texts:
I'm growing several varieties of chili peppers at home. One of my plants seems to like the local climate more than the others and it fruits a lot more often. Thing of, I'm not sure what variety it is. It grew from a seed I took out of a store-bought pepper I used for cooking. At the store, it was just labelled as hot pepper (sic!)

I'm pretty sure it's a cultivar of Capsicum annuum, one of the so-called Cayenne peppers.

The fruits grow downward. They're initially green, then they turn black and finally red as they ripen.

The leaves are a lot narrower than those of my Capsicum chinense varieties, more similar to my Chocolate cherry plant in shape and colour.

Is this the bird's eye chili?


texts: I cant figure out what type of plant this is. Its shell starts to fall around the fall.


texts:
I want to make a bonsai with a ginko tree.

The tree is two years old and has really big leaves that would not give a balanced impression on a bonsai.
Just by googling "ginko bonsai" I can see that the leaves on such a kind of bonsai are generally twice or more times smaller than the ones on my ginko.

How can I induce the tree to make smaller leaves? Is it too soon to begin the conditioning?


texts: What is the name of this pink rose with a button form bloom?

texts: I don't know what variety this rose is.  Can you please tell me?


texts:
This leaf fell off the plant few days ago..

But I've been noticing this leaf one side dried for almost a month before that, is anything wrong with my plant, is it trying to tell me something?

I water about 20oz alternate days, fertilized it with organic fruit fertilizer.

This is the whole plant, the nursery told its about 1.5 years old, grafted (i could notice the cut in the bottom). About 5.5ft tall

Trunk of the plant

Leaf near base of the trunk

Leaf near top of the trunk


texts: How to fix compact soil causing brown spots in lawn?

texts: I have several areas in my yard that are turning brown. After my irrigation system runs the appropriate time, I tried to stick a 6" screw driver into the ground. I had no issues around my lawn, besides these brown areas were I could only get the screwdriver in 2-4". I aerated in the fall and spring this year due to the lawn being so compact, but yet this is still happening. It seems like I can't get the soil to properly moisten 6" down without just letting the hose soak in those areas. My sprinklers seem to be providing proper coverage. That is why I am assuming it is the soil that isn't allowing the water to soak in. Does anyone have any solutions to this problem?


texts: What are those red dots on the leaf stems of my cherry trees?

texts: While inspecting another problem I observed that most of the leaves are having two red dots (or very small bulbs, maybe cocoons) at the stems of their leaves: it is something harmful or even a pest? If so, do I need to do something?


texts:
I have had both these mini cacti for a bit more than a year, and both are having different kinds of brown discoloration at the bottom.
The first cacti has a yellow-brown-greenish discoloration at the base and its green color is becoming less vivid. The discoloration feels hard and it seems there is some kind of cut going from the discoloration into the still green part of the cactus. It has been like this for 2-3 months, and I have tried giving it a bit more or less water. It does not seem to be getting worse rapidly, but it's not getting better. Does anybody know what is going on, if it is bad for the cactus and how to help it?

The second cactus has a very hard pale discoloration at its base. It started with a brown discoloration, but now it does not even look like a part of the cactus anymore if that makes sense? It has been like this for also 2-3 months, and the base has not been growing upwards rapidly but the previously brown discoloration is now this strange hard and pale thing. I have also tried giving it a bit more or less water. Once again, does anyone know what it is, if it is bad for the cactus and how to help?

Thanks a lot in advance!!


texts: Do seeds from fresh tomatoes need to completely dry before they will sprout?

texts:
I have been growing cherry tomatoes for about four years now. My method is hardly scientific. I throw the bad fruit on the ground and let them germinate the next year.

Last year I got some different varieties which I thought I would add to my veggie patch. I don't know the names of the different varieties. I took four tomato fruits and directly planted them in soil in December. It is now February and I've only had a good level of success with one of them. I have about 30 seedlings which I have since separated. One of the other tomatoes has only grown two seedlings so far and it is nearly the end of summer.

I also had four seeds from a tomato that I ate that dried out on my cutting board. I sowed them and each of them sprouted within about a week into a healthy seedling.

I partially dug up one of the non-sprouting tomatoes and noticed that a lot of the flesh was still around the seeds and quite moist after over a month. I know it's a bit late in the year with autumn starting in March but if I can get any of them to sprout I am considering keeping them indoors over winter to stop the few cold days we get from killing them.

Should I have cut the tomatoes open to let the seeds dry out before sowing them? Do tomato seeds need to completely dry before they will sprout? Do some varieties not grow from seed?


texts: Best wavelength mix for an indoor LED grow light used to grow basil

texts:
I want to grow basil. A lot of it.

Unfortunately the winter is coming, and my plants won't be able to survive outdoors. Beeing an electronics engineer, i decided to DIY an indoor growbox, so that in one device i can integrate timers, sensors, an efficient LED driver and so on.

I've started reading papers about mixes of wavelength for basil growth.

While everyone seems to agree that adding some wavelenghts other than the blue and red (from the absorption peaks of Chlorophyll) can be beneficial for the plant, nobody seems able to agree on the extra wavelengths.

Somebody says green, other papers say yellow, or far red/near infrared, or UV, some others mention the white LEDs (even though the spectrum of white LEDs is not very white).

So i'm left with some questions:
Is the light mix dependent on the specific plant i'm trying to grow, or can i just look for generic information?

Does anybody have more meaningful informations on the wavelength mix or some reputable sources where i can look?

My sources for now:

https://www.growing-basil.org/artificial-lighting-for-growing-basil/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5007804/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304423815302892

http://www.hortorumcultus.actapol.net/pub/13_2_3.pdf