texts: What if the seeds sown outdoors are covered by a transparent cover in the initial stage?

texts:
I recently started Echinacea angustifolia from seeds indoors, and I noticed an incredible speed and reliability of germination achieved just by covering the seed tray with transparent plastic sheet (the seedlings appeared in just 5 days, germination rate 70%-80%). The cover was removed after 5 days, when seedlings appeared en masse.

Can a similar method be applied if the seeds are sown outdoors, directly in the garden? I mean, covering the area where the seeds are sown with some transparent cover for few days, or until germination? Or perhaps I don't see some bad side effects of doing that?


texts: Does heat affect spathiphyllum blossoming?

texts:
I have two Spathiphyllums I keep in my flat, more or less similar (about the same age, pot size is similar, general plant size also similar), except for the conditions I keep them: one is in my bedroom, next to a north-facing window that never receives direct sunlight, resting directly on top of an active radiator. The other is in my living room, next to a south-facing very big window: plenty of light, although actual direct sunlight is limited, far from radiators and in a generally good-tempered environment.

The second plant grows fantastically, but didn't produce any flowers yet. The first plant has a slower growth (due to the low light condition, I guess), but ever since I put it on top of the radiator it's blossoming like I've never see before (see pic below). The "ever since I put it there" is kind of key too: the plant used to be next to the window, but not on the radiator, and it never bloomed before.

I've read nurseries use a special hormone to stimulate spath blossoming, but does temperature also play a part? I read spathiphyllum blooms mostly in spring, but the blooming of the one in my room started in December, with very low daylight, could it be I "tricked" the plant into thinking it's spring by the warmth alone?


texts: Can you bleach human poop to use as fertilizer?

texts: I was thinking about how in The Martian the astronaut used the crew members poop to fertilize the soil and grow potatoes and decided to learn more about that. I read, though, that unprocessed human waste has pathogens that make it risky to use. The only way I saw to make it safe is to let it sit for a year and then compost it but to only use it on non edible plants. Instead of doing all that, couldn’t you just soak the poop in bleach and then let the bleach evaporate to kill all the pathogens? Then you know it would be safe to use for edible plants.


texts: Is it too late to plant potatoes in Dorset, UK in Mid -september?

texts: Is it too late to plant potatoes in Dorset, UK now (Mid-September) ?


texts: Is there a close relative to citrus trees, which can grow in the northeast US?

texts: I am interested in knowing what is a known close relative to citrus, that is known to grow in the northeast US, such as western New York. Does anyone have any recommendations?


texts: Will growing dipladenia or any other vine damage my fence?

texts:
I have a wooden fencing surrounding my yard. My yard is long and narrow so I have lot of vertical space. I'm thinking of growing the beautiful looking Dipladenia against part of my fence to beautify it.

Is it going to damage my fence?


texts:
Hoping for a little help here. My peace lilly, lovely healthy plant up until a week ago, when it went through shock and then over watering.
The plant was upended and hen repotted. 2 weeks.later it was over watered. I realised as the leaves drooped after watering and didnt come back up. I changed the soil but nothings changed. I'm trying to keep the soil a.little drier but moist. The leaves have really wilted and some yellow.
I had another one, a baby propagated from the plant, that I over watered much earlier. Same issue with the wilted leaves. I trimmed all the leaves but there has been no.extra growth. The root is still alive.
What would be best? Trim off all the leaves? Leave them but trim only damaged and yellow.ones leaving the wilted leaves hopi g they will revive, although this seems highly unlikely. The other baby overwatered one had wilted leaves for 2 months and no change.
What is the best way to tackle this? And what do I do in future if I over water again?
All pots have stones at the bottom.
Have had the plant for 4 years with no incidence but suddenly I seem heavy handed with the watering can :/


texts: What should I do about squiggly white lines on my artichoke leaves?

texts:
I have an artichoke planted in a raised bed in southern California, USA.

The new leaves at the core look healthy and happy, but the biggest, oldest, outermost leaves develop white squiggly lines. At first it's just a few, but eventually the leaf becomes covered with them, dies, dries out, and falls down to lay in the dirt.

The lines are not deposits on the surface of the leaf. They appear to be dead spots within the leaf, visible from both sides. It looks almost like something has been crawling on or inside the leaves and scraping them, but I never find any visible pests on the plant.

What is causing these lines and what can I do about it?


texts: Will butternut squash ripen if taken off the vine?

texts: The vine is dying for some reason and there are a lot of squash on it. Will they ripen if taken off the dying vine or should I just leave them on the vine to lay in the sun on the dying vine?


texts: Testing hydration for watering - what depth?

texts: I have a water meter like below and I also use my finger to check how wet the soil is for pots. The question is, what depth should I be measuring at? The soil might be dry at an inch but soaking wet at 6 inches.


texts:
I am looking for soil sensors to be used for agriculture crops. Can you please guide me on what all available soil sensors commercially available and how their properties can be used in suggesting what to be grown.

Regards

Vinay


texts: What kind of orange tree disease (or not) is this?

texts:
There's a white discoloration on the leaves of my satsuma orange tree:
Photos: https://imgur.com/a/uekS1kU

I'm uncertain if this is something that needs to be treated, or if it's just residue from a spray at the nursery. It came like this in the mail and does not appear to be spreading.


texts: How to care for columbines before winter (Zone 5-6)?

texts:
I just moved to a new house and I have noticed a nice patch of columbines. I love columbines so I would love to have them back next spring. I live in Toronto (Zone 5-6).

I was wondering what should I do with them before winter. Should I cut them down to the ground or should I leave the foliage as it is? I know they strive in the wild so probably they don't need to be protected like roses. Are they perennials or do they just reseed? If they just reseed then I rather cut them right to the ground because they have leaf miners.


texts:
I started out by having some apple seeds, Golden Delicious (eco/bio), in the fridge in order to germinate them. Since September (about 2 months ago ) they have been growing in smaller pots with a compost from the local store. They have grown healthy up until now and I start to see brown spots on the leaves. It seems like 2 out of 3 pots have the same thing, NOT the third one. I've spotted tiny white bugs walking around on the leaves (aphids?) so I removed them by washing them off in the sink, leaf by leaf. All three plants have stopped growing.

What could be the cause of these brown spots?

Also, it is November here in France so I didn't expect them to grow very much during winter. The plants are all indoors. Will they continue to grow? Or is this just gonna get worse so that the plants will eventually die?


texts:
I bought this lemon plant about 1 year ago, and placed it in my rooftop, where it received very harsh sun. The plant's never been super healthy, but Lately it's been looking worse. I replanted it to a clean pot with fresh potting soil, and moved it to my balcony, where it gets more shade.

Still, I've noticed it hasn't improved. It looks like it's dying. I'm including pictures.

What can the issue be? We're in the Caribbean.


texts:
We live in Oklahoma and planted some autumn blaze maple trees last fall.  They seemed to come out of dormancy fine and the leaves were nice and green.  We planted them in an area that stays pretty soaked most of the time, and I'm wondering if that's why the leaves are starting to turn red.  Is the leaves turning red a sign of over watering, or could it be some other problem I need to deal with?  Below are some pics:

UPDATE: I think I might have multiple problems.  I dug a small hole around the tree and the entire soil profile resembled loose mud.  The hole quickly filled up with water.  Also, for two of these trees, the tree can easily be moved around in the soil (you can see the root ball moving back and forth).  I think I've seen this mentioned as a crowbar problem.  I went ahead and staked the trees to prevent them from coming all the way out of the ground.  Are these trees just doomed if they live in such a wet area?


texts: What plants are suited for a shallow pot?

texts:
I've recently acquired a beautiful plant container that is wider than it is deep. There is no drainage hole. What sort of plants are suited for this type of container?

The pot is 8 inches in diameter and 4.5 inches deep. The plants I have available and may acquire in the future are mostly houseplants like pothos, marantas, peace lilies.

Below is a photo of the pot in question, it seems to be made of some sort of ceramic.


texts: Does anyone know which plant this is (5 purple leaves with green border)? {see picture}

texts: I found it on a trek to Pushpagiri mountains in Karnataka, India. These were growing close to the ground in abundance at the mountain peak.


texts: i have been groving pineapples planted from suckers. Two of three have been growing fine, but now are developing brovn soft areas on the leaves, but not at the tip or the base. They were planted in potting soil with some ceramsite on the bottom of the pot for drainage. I water them them when the soil gets dry. Two weeks ago i started watering them with added fluid hoseplant fertilyser. I add the fertilizer according to yhe instructions. They are places next to a window facing east-south side (living in Denmark) . I don't see any mealy bugs ar any other pests. Maybe I over water them?


texts:
I live in the UK and I have a very large maple tree in my garden and just noticed it has white spots on the trunk and some branches.

Any idea what it could be and what I can use to cure it?

Thanks!


texts: Free movement of worms vs siloed containment

texts:
Is there a benefit to free range worms over battery worms?  i.e. At present my worms live inside a couple of bins (one inside the other, with small holes for aeration and drainage, whilst keeping the worms sealed inside to do their work / as there's no contact with the soil in the location we had available for them.
We're about to move somewhere where I have the option to put my wormery in contact with the ground, so worms can come up when attracted to the food source, or freely leave when conditions aren't to their liking.
Is there a significant benefit to either of these approaches (e.g. does allowing them to vote with their feet (setae?) lead to healthier worms, or does concentrating them in one location help to focus their efforts)?
The worms are a mix of Tiger Worms, Dendrobaena and Brandlings. We're based in the UK, if that's a factor.


texts: What happen to my hydroponic lettuce leaves

texts:
What may cause my lettuce leaves to look like in these pictures?
I don't find any literature in my language (Bahasa Indonesia) that explain this phenomenon or find any similar images on the internet. The room temperature is about 25 degrees Celcius and the relative humidity around 55 - 65% during cultivation. The light was 24 hours straight.
I actually have two hydroponic systems that have the same lighting system. The first one I planted with lettuce that I planted on 7 September 2020 and the second one was on 3 September 2020. The picture I post was the lettuce that planted on 3 September 2020.
I don't find any problems with the younger lettuce. Their leaves are fine. But the older ones all look like in these pictures.
I thought its variety not suitable for these growing conditions, but I don't really know the variety because it's in Korean, but my supervisor called it "Bun". I attached the seed pack if you want to know. I have planted red rapid lettuce and also get this condition, but not as worse as Bun variety. Other lettuce have different problem but let's not focus on that.
I thought the lettuce bolts because they get 24 hours of light. One of the reasons for lettuce bolts because of the light duration not suitable for growth. Or because there is sometimes the water system not work well and causes the root system dry.
Can anyone shed any light on whether my assumptions are correct or not, and is there any way to not make my plant turned like this again?
The lettuce variety

Bun Lettuce with white LED light

Bun Lettuce in White LED light

Bun Lettuce in Grow Light


texts: Identify Malaysian shrub with five-petaled white flowers and waxy lanceolate leaves

texts: I need to identify the name of this plant for my school project. The photo was  taken in Malaysia. Any ideas?


texts: I misread the application instruction on the Scotts Fertilizer bag and set the rotary spreader to 7 3/4 instead of 3.  Is there anything I can do to prevent fertilizer burn?  I applied the fertilizer this afternoon so it hasn't had a chance to sink into the soil, yet.


texts: Leaves dropping from young variegated lemon tree

texts:
I have a young, indoor, variegated lemon tree that I purchased in November 2020.
This is my first tree and I live in PA. I understand that the climate here is not optimal for this type of tree. Leaf drop in winter is understandable but my new tree is dropping healthy looking leaves constantly. The roots are growing like crazy however.
My tree is in full Eastern sunlight and the sits in a window where I can close the curtains at night to provide more warmth in the winter. I admit that I have over-watered this tree out of concern for it’s well being.
Would anyone have suggestions to care for this tree? I find it very odd to have excessive root growth AND excessive leaf drop. I’m thinking it could be due to the soil I used to repot the tree. Please respond if you have any thoughts. Thank you :)


texts:
I was recently given some decorative "lucky bamboo". It came with four shoots approximately 6-8 inches tall and 1/4' thick. They sit in a glass jar with a diameter of 4' and a height of 6'. The jar looks to be filled 3/4 with sand and 1/4 with rocks.

Just curious how much water I should be giving my lucky bamboo?


texts: What is the name of this plant? and how do I take care of it?

texts: I only just got this plant and would like to know its name, also is it some sort of a bonsai?


texts: What is the following houseplant with thin stem and wrinkled leaves?


texts: The silver birch has leaves falling, which have some spotting on them. I’m wondering if the tree has some sort of infestation?


texts:
Spotted 3 of theses on one 2x2 in my veggie garden. I didn't notice them until recently so the insect may have left long ago.

I'm in Seattle Washington.


texts: Only top leaves left on Euphorbia pulcherrima

texts:
Most leaves on my Euphorbia pulcherrima falled down, there are only left on the top of plant. It now looks a bit odd

I'd like to ask what to do with it. Can I cut the top (will the top grow if I plant it?)? If I can cut it, where / when?
Thank you for your help.


texts: How should I cut an Aloe vera plant for extracting juice?

texts:
I am about to buy an Aloe vera plant for extracting its juice. I have heard that a leaf needs to be cut so that juice can be extracted from it.

My questions are:

How should I cut the leaf without too much damage to the plant?
How much leaf is needed for 1 tablespoon of juice?
How frequently can I cut the leaves?
How long will the plant be able to survive if I go on like this?

I wish to keep this Aloe vera plant alive permanently (for a long time) in my house so that I can extract juice as needed.


texts:
I didn't water at all my palm tree (bought at Homebase) for a couple weeks, and before that I neglected it. See it below. What should I do to make it look healthy again?

Should I put in outside or inside near a window? How frequently should I water it and how much?


texts: Carolina Reaper and Scorpion pepper leaves yellow and spotty?

texts:
So I planted a couple of Carolina Reaper(bottom two pictures) and scorpion pepper (top picture) plants in my garden this year. I transplanted them outdoors around a month ago today. I'm not super familiar with them as it is my first year growing them myself. I know the older leaves tend to turn yellow and you can pick them off but, in this case, the whole plant looks yellow in color. I also noticed some gray and black spots on the leaves. I haven't really seen something like that before.

I don't believe it is an under-watering issue. I don't believe it is nutrient deficient either because I have several other pepper plants growing two to three feet over with nice dark green leaves. (But I suppose it still could be?) I am in Zone 7 and we haven't had any frost since March (before they were outdoors).

I've included some pictures below. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


texts: What is causing a white rash to appear on the leaves of Pedilanthus tithymaloides?

texts:
My Lightning Bamboo Green (Pedilanthus tithymaloides, also called Euphorbia tithymaloides) feels well at my home; he already has a sprout.

So I can't explain what the white rash on the leaves are. It looks like white dots, but made of powder. I've already removed such leaves two days ago, but now other leaves have the same rash.

Do you know what could be causing the white rash on the leaves?


texts: How do I know when hydroponic lettuce is ready to be harvested?

texts:
I will be growing lettuce hydroponically using an NFT system and HO 54w T5 6500k lights. I will be using an organic nutrient solution (AN Iguana Grow) as well.

I have ordered some certified organic seeds, and on the website it listed the maturity days.

For instance, the Gandhi Butterhead lettuce says "Matures in 70 days. (open pollinated seeds)"

Is that 70 days from seed to finish?
How much time should I knock off for growing hydroponically over soil?
How do I know when it is ready for harvest?

Thanks!


texts: How to move trees on a highway using a pickup truck?

texts:
From time to time I want to move trees anywhere from 5-500 miles to either a new nursery location or permanent planting location. Usually these trees are potted, sometimes they're bare root, rarely are they ball & burlap.

How should one move trees using a pickup truck? When possible, I just put potted trees in the cab. Trees larger than a few feet need to go in the bed however. With bushes I've transported them standing up but this seems very risky with wind damage. The best way I found so far was to actually lay the trees gently on their side, root-end against the cab and crown toward the tailgate (or even hanging over the tailgate with a ribbon tied to their top if they're longer than the bed). I then tied the root/pot against the cab/down against the bed to keep the tree from sliding away from the cab, potentially damaging its crown. Then I covered it using a tonneau cover (which only worked because I only had a couple of potted trees at that time - if I had to stack many pots of trees that way I'd probably need an agricultural fabric or a truck bed canopy).

How do experts (e.g. nursery workers) move many/long trees in pickup trucks? If using a trailer, what kind and how?


texts: What kind of tree is in my yard with red stems, ribbed oval leaves, and white flowers?

texts: This tree is in my yard with red stems, ribbed oval leaves, and white flowers


texts: So I didn't realize that some bromeliads have a natural white substance on them until after I had wiped it down and done some research. ♀The leaves look a little wonky (it's been 24 hours since the wipe down). Have I started the process of killing it unintentionally?


texts:
In my area, we get municipal composting. In the winter, we can leave a bin (around 5L) out, and once a week, they pick it up and compost it in their giant compost bins.

The problem is now that our temperatures dropped; anywhere from -2C to -25C. Even if I leave the compost bin out early morning the day of (although I usually do it the night before), the compost freezes solid. I'm not sure why; I suspect it's water from the denaturing organic material (greens).

I tried leaving the bin in the sunlit areas in higher temperatures (-2C), but to no avail. I tried leaving it in the garage, but that's also ice-cold. I intended to salt it, but I think that will destroy the compost value of it.

Is there any way to thaw/defrost the compost, other than leaving it in our house? It will stink. Right now, the bin is 50% full with a solid, frozen block of material.


texts: What are these yellow bugs and should I be worried?

texts:
I took a close look at one of my plants, and saw all these tiny yellow bugs.

They don't seem to be hurting the plant, but I thought I'd ask to make sure.

If it helps, this is in the San Francisco Bay Area.


texts:
I am a little torn over Miracle grows fertilizer that they sell. Example of what I am talking about here. I have known this stuff to be good because it can supply 24-8-16 (NPK) to plants, so it takes little to help the plant.

But now I am hearing that it leaves behind salt, which will, of course, build over time. I got this from my Master gardener meeting last night.

With the little am I now aware of with Miracle grow, I am not sure if this is more harmful than it is good over-time. I would love to know of any and all cons of this product.


texts: I very recently bought two Marigold plants and transplanted them into a large ceramic pot with no drainage plug. Its a really large basin, I put potting mix and soil. Made sure I watered prior to planting and its looks like it dying. The leaves have a seaweed texture and after I read that they need drainage I stopped watering too much. I have also a lavender plant with the marigolds that looks healthy. Will it be okay if I plucked it out and replanted again in a new pot? The one plant has blooms that haven't bloomed yet but the main flower head wilted in a day. I don't want to shock it too much. HELP!


texts: What is this ornamental plant with leaves similar to corn?

texts:
I saw this plant in a park in Silistra (Bulgaria) and I don't know what it is. There were people nearby but I don't speak their language, so I couldn't ask. I tried to take a more detailed picture of the flowers, but they were all starting to wilt and not looking well on close-ups.

My mother says her parents had a plant similar to this one. The roots were taken out from soil during winter and stored inside, otherwise they wouldn't have survived the local temperature of -15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit).

The pictures were taken in late September (beginning of autumn).


texts: Never touched this olive tree for 10 years. How to get fruit out of it?

texts:
I have found this olive tree in my father’s garden absolutely untouched for I believe at least 10 years.
It produces no fruit. Is there any way to save it? I have almost zero experience in gardening so wanted to ask here.
Would appreciate any help


texts: Can I cut the top off my Lace Aloe plant?

texts: It is having trouble supporting its own weight, and I am hoping that cutting off the top (where it starts to droop) would let it grow more full, rather than just tall. Would that work? Does it work with all plants?? I have a few that seem to have this issue.


texts:
I have a potted Rosemary bush, purchased in the current pot a little over a year ago. It did well over last summer & this past winter, producing new growth after being pruned for kitchen use. As the weather transitioned from cool (zone 10a San Francisco bay area) to hotter summer temps in the 80s I failed to step up my watering schedule adequately (now watering 1 to 2 times a week as needed over the past couple of weeks). I am currently assuming that lack of water is the cause of the rather poor state of the plant, but there may be other factors involved.

Other points to note:

I do not have the ability to plant it in the ground
I fertilize it every 3 months or so with a sprinkling of 4-6-3
I occasionally spray my clusters of potted plants with a Neem oil solution to fend off white flies, I've noted no other pests present at this time
It is in a sheltered location & gets ample mid-day to afternoon sun

My thinking is that I could prune it back severely to induce new healthy growth & that with appropriate watering, I can get it to make a recovery. Am I on the right track here?


texts: This yellow flower was growing in my yard in St Petersburg, Florida. It did not survive my xeriscaping.


texts: Looks like some kind of leaf miner, but I've never seen it before. What is it, and is there an "organic" way to treat it?


texts:
I was very keen to grow some fennel this year (doesn't it smell incredible?), but wasn't able to plant anything until quite late in the year, and so my plants are now only 10-20cm high and still in small pots.

Is there any way to over-winter them to give myself a head start next year, or should I just make some tea with what I've got / chuck it on the compost heap, and make sure I start earlier next year? I'm in the UK, Zone 8

If it's worth trying, should I bring the pots inside, or would the plants naturally die back and re-grow from their root stock if I just left them outside?

Any fennel growing tips would be appreciated, I'd love to have a good stock of them next year.


texts:
I just realized I did this today. I usually wear gloves but today I was starting a lasagna garden (at least the base of it) and i got some bagged compost to spread over cardboard and I just spread it around with my hands.

I did promptly wash them off with soap and water when I was done....but afterwards I was like "oh crap" (It was some of that miracle gro natures care stuff).

Anyways Im just a bit worried...I didn't have any cuts on my hands that I know of...but still.

is this something to worry about?


texts: What is the name of this pink flower wirh spatulate shape leaves and bulb root?

texts:
Dark green Spatulate entire leaves, 5 petals light pink and darkening to deep pink at the edges. The petals fan outward.

My cousin bought the bulb and had no idea what it would look like until it flowered. She still has no idea. It's a beautiful flower. The leaves look hardy. I'd like to know the name, variety and origin.


texts:
We had a cactus named eddy and he died, he had a stretched body with a sphere on top as a head and two little spheres attached to it like eyes. He looked like Echinocereus triglochidiatus but with more smaller spines. Not taller then 25cm with a diameter of about 6cm.

We just found him with his body, the stretched bottom part all dried out. He was just fine two days ago. We watered him once a week with about 25cl. He did not get that much sun light since he was pretty far away from any windows.

We are very sad our eddy has left us but we would like to know the cause of death.


texts: Is it better to plant many seeds in one hole or few?

texts:
I don't quite understand why so many tutorials, photos and videos show people planting a bunch of seeds together in one hole. Is there some benefit to this?

I have very little experience with gardening, but common sense tells me that planting just one seed per hole is the efficient thing to do. Somewhere I heard that plants grow better in distance from other plants because they get more water, sun and minerals from earth that way, which totally makes sense.

I can totally understand the desire to ensure that at least one seed grows into a healthy plant from a hole by putting multiple seeds in it, but that doesn't seem like a rational use of seeds.

Are there any other benefits to putting multiple seeds in a hole besides that?


texts: Can you please help me identify this tree is it a spruce?

texts: We are looking at putting in an offer on a house, however it has a large tree in the back garden and we are looking to see how hard it would be to care for it over the years. We dont have a clue as to what type of tree it is so if you would be able to help us with this and any hints on upkeep that would be amazing thanks.


texts: What is this flower with purple and white petals that roll up to form a tube?

texts: I found this very cool looking flower but have not been able to identify it.  If you know what it is called please post your answer.  Thanks.


texts: Can a large-ish Elaeagnus be transplanted?

texts:
I have eight or so Elaeagnus growing in front of my house.  They're five years old and growing quite well; I have to trim them several times a year to keep them under four feet.  I just don't think they're sized correctly for the front of my house.  I'd like to move them to my back yard where they would make an excellent privacy hedge.

My question is, can an Elaeagnus of this size be transplanted?


texts: What are these weird lumps on this spruce tree?

texts:
There's a spruce tree growing in a park near my house. It has lumps like this on a lot of the branches.

After a while, some of the lumps look like this:

Is this a disease, or just a part of the tree?


texts: What do when your flowering plants shoots its growth?

texts:
I live in south India. Right now the it's summer here  transitioning to occasional rainfall. So the temperature is much controlled than previous week.

Problem : Over the years I have noticed, my flowering plants(ex:Geranium) tend to grow very tall without many leaves at the bottom and few leaves crowded at the top. And  these do not flower also. Eventually they break in the off season like winter and would not grow back.

Why does this happen?
What should I do with the plants which are growing as tall as 2 ft?
Apart from feeding nitrogen fertilizer, am I missing anything?


texts: I live in central Texas and have a serious infestation of this weed... I'd like to know what it is so I can buy the right kind of herbicide... I tried searching google images with this, but nothing similar came up...


texts: Is there anything special I can do to promote fruiting in a tomato cutting?

texts:
Due to an unfortunate incident with a batting tee and a softball, I now have a cutting of a tomato plant growing in pot on my porch. As a pure experiment I started it in a 4" pot and it quickly became root bound. I have moved it into a much larger 14" pot and am wondering if there is anything I need to do to promote fruiting in the plant. It seems to be thriving rather nicely.

Blossoms appear to be beginning to form, but I am wondering if there is anything special I need to do to encourage fruit or have I done everything I need to do?


texts: What are the names of the parts of leaves?

texts:
When trying to identify or describe plants, it's helpful to be able to give specific details about the leaves. I know some of the basic shapes, but would like to learn what to call the different parts.

I'm hoping for a comprehensive description of each feature, including common and botanical terminology. Illustrations or links to pictures would be great too!


texts: What kind of bug is this and is it harmful?

texts:
My wife noticed this bug in our raised garden beds.  I know it's hard to see scale, but they were about the size of a very very small pebble, or a large grain of sand.

Is this bug a problem?  Any ideas what type of bug this is?  Thanks!


texts: I am looking to harvest the seeds from a patch of these Rocky Mountain Bee Plants for replanting. I have never seen them before in 30 years in my area hence why I am interested. Based on this photo when would be the ideal time to pick these pods. Should all the flowers be gone and should the pods be dry?


texts: Will forest floor mulch work well for fungal dominated wood chip compost?

texts:
I'm in a bind to find fungal dominated wood chip compost (yes, even the crops extension line at the local university gives me the stumped response) in the Minneapolis/St Paul area, and was wondering if I rake up a lot of material from the forest floor to use in my garden bed the stuff I get would be good enough for improving the transfer of nutrients to the plants, or I should do something else to grow fungus in the soil.

How should I scrape up the inoculation?


texts:
I bought 2 blueberry bushes mid spring and planted them in my yard. They now have this new growth I have never seen on any of my other blueberry plants. The new growth limbs are long and thin with lots of small branches. The ends of the branches have pod like things on them that have purple and white flowers on them. But the pods are breaking open and they have fluffy white seeds in them, that look like the seeds of a dandelion.( the kind that blow away with the wind).  What is going on with these plants? I'm completely baffled. (Yes I know I need more nitrates also lol)!
I'm trying one more time with new pics.. They all come off of one main trunk. The limbs actually go from bb bush to this thing which does look like the plant someone mentioned below in the comments. So idk..   enter image description here


texts: How to get rid of these insects from my home

texts:
I need urgent help. I woke up this morning to find out that there are about 2 dozen honey bees or wasps flying around in my apartment's gallery. 20 minutes later they settled down like so:

One of them got inside and stung me. Please identify what I am dealing with and more importantly, how to get rid of them.


texts: I bought 2 little sago palms in a small pot with glued stones around it.  I try to water it but can't tell if the soil is dry or wet because of the stones glued around them.  What should I do?


texts: My nehpew is growing watermelons but lately their leaves started yellowing as shown in the photo..do you know what causes this?


texts:
my lovely Areca palm is not very happy.
It has silver patches on its leaves and is drying out and dying. There is no sign of bugs just silver on the leaves that does not wipe off.
Any idea what it is or what I can do please? Thank you.


texts: Should I prune old dead sections of my rose bush while new growth is appearing at the base?

texts:
My daughter gave me this rose bush last Mother's Day, which was exactly a year ago. It was planted in a large pot and purchased from a nursery. It's called Fragrant Plum, from this company. It grew nicely, and produced flowers in a beautiful combination of blue and purple I'd never seen before.

I trimmed the flowers throughout the summer, but never pruned the plant. Any areas that look like branches have been cut off came that way.

The plant appeared to have died during the winter, so I had given up on it, but I just found new growth way down at the base. Now I'm hoping I can save it.

The long branches that bore flowers last year appear dead. They're stiff, have no thorns, and, although one is partly green, neither shows any sign of life.

The very dark branches attached to the base do have thorns. There's even a little bit of new growth at another area where one of those branches meets the base (which I called junctions for lack of a better word), that wasn't visible when I took this picture last week, so I'm optimistic.

I think in general we're not supposed to prune shrubs during budding season, but I'm wondering if this plant is using energy to try and support the dead sections that would be better spent on the actual part that's growing.

Should I prune it now? If so, exactly where should I cut? If not now, should I prune it after blooming season, or wait until the fall when the weather turns cold?

Update: After receiving Bamboo's excellent advice, I tried twice to approach it to prune the dead growth. Each time I got close to it I acquired ticks, so I gave up! We've been watering and taking care of it as we always did. I just checked it today, June 3, 2017. Sadly, all signs of the life at the base, and everywhere else, are gone. Even the small area on the one of the branches which had been green, is now black.

Click on pictures for larger view.


texts: White spot on cactus? Can someone help identify and find a fix?

texts: I’ve had this problem for a little while, maybe a month? I haven’t noticed any spraying but I am worried about his health over all. He’s indoor and was in natural light when this began and is now under a plant light.


texts: Is sunlight from my window enough to grow cherry tomato seedlings indoors?

texts: It is my first time planting anything from seeds, and certainly my first time with cherry tomatoes. I've watched many tutorials and read many articles, so I have a fair knowledge about the subject. What I'm not sure of is whether or not the sunlight from my window will be strong enough for the seedlings to grow. Here's a picture of the window where the plants will be.


texts: Stimulate lower stem regrowth of pepper plant

texts:
I've got an indoor pepper plant that has already been through one harvest of 8 peppers. Nearing the end of the first harvest, many of the leaves on the lower stems died off. This may have been due to insufficient nutrients.

I'm fairly sure it has a vibrant root system as I have visibility underneath the grow bag it's currently in. The bag has been penetrated all over with root stems (maybe a sign of insufficient watering - working on that)

In any case, it's now part-way into a second grow cycle and I've reduced the pepper load to 4 max (I'll be clipping extras) in the hopes that the plant won't get over-encumbered.

I cut back a number of stems that the majority of leaves had died on as well as some of the more extended branches and am now left with a plant that's lower 50% or so is pretty much leafless stems (plenty of sunlight) and the upper sections (3 main ones) that have fresh leaf growth and peppers.

I noticed that many of the lower stem nodes have what appear to be new shoots of stems/leaves coming out (maybe 10 or so) however they aren't exactly growing.

It would be awesome if the lower section could be rejuvenated. Is this possible? How can I encourage lower section regrowth?

This is all within a climate regulated environment so time/seasonal changes aren't a limitation.


texts:
So last time I was here I had bought some mint from Home Depot which started dying on me after a week of having it. I tried moving it outside like everyone suggested but I probably should have mentioned how hot it is out here cause it died after a day in the heat (Triple digits). The cuttings were no good either, they also shriveled up and died after a few days.

This time I bought a mint plant from Trader Joe's and well the original plant died but the new growth is thriving (especially now that the temperature's going down).
I'm currently trying out making Terrariums so I've decided to make more mint through cuttings. I'd like to know some tips and things to make sure everything goes right.
I also have a basil in the cup to see how that goes.


texts:
I have had this fiddle leaf fig tree (ficus lyrata) for about a year and it has grown a lot of new leaves along three of its branches, but not on any others. In fact, many small, dry leaves have fallen off of the other branches.

The three branches are getting a bit long now so I was planning on chopping them back about half way to the trunk. Will the tree cope with this? Is there a good time of year to attempt it?

Ideally, I'd like to encourage a few other branches to grow, but they look rather dead. Is there any way to get other branches to grow, particularly to grow upwards rather than sideways?

Thanks for any advice! :)


texts:
My neighbor's landscaper planted this groundcover (in southern California) which she told me was a thyme.  It spreads like wildfire and has a tiny white flower with a raised purple center, but it neither looks nor smells like any thyme I have ever seen.  Any idea what it actually is?  It is evergreen, with jagged edged leaves roughly half an inch long.
[groundcover leaf with jagged edges


texts: How to grow a passionfruit vine from seed

texts:
I'd like to try growing a passionfruit vine from seed. My best guess on a good way to do it would be to dry the seed out well first, then soak it for a day or two to help it germinate, then put it under the some soil in a seed tray.

Is there a better technique?


texts: I planted tulip. hyacinths, and daffodils bulbs in a 12 ft x 4 ft. garden. I have clay soil. I dug this out 12 in. deep. I replaced the soil with 3 in of garden sand and the rest with cow manure with humus for good drainage. My daffodils didn't come up at all. Some of my tulips bloomed perfect, some came up but died back before blooming and some didn't come up at all. My hyacinths came up and bloomed. Most came up and bloomed then looks like the flowers started to rot. What am I doing wrong?


texts:
I have a bunch of tomatoes I planted (black krim, cherokee purple, some beefsteak) which are now pretty huge (at least 10 feet tall).

They have tons of flowers which appear to set: the flower portion dries up and falls off leaving a small baby tomato inside.  Normally if the pollination is poor I notice that these will just fall off.  But, mine are staying on the plant ... but not growing.  It has been over a month now that this has been happening: no tomatoes are growing larger.

All the while the plant grows bigger and bigger.  The temperature is pretty severe: 100+ weather almost every day for the last month (we live in Austin).  The tomato plants are not wilting at all and seem to be pretty robust.

I think this might have to do with the heat; although I can't find any other anecdotal or reference to this particular problem, and was hoping to rule out some nutrient issues.  I check them pretty frequently and there are always pollinators about.

As you can see in the pictures, all of the tomatoes are doing this.  Anyone seen this before?


texts: Fall planting of blueberries in Madison, Wisconsin?

texts:
I have three potted blueberry plants, about 2 feet tall, that I'd like to put in the ground. I've prepared a bed with reasonable soil acidity (we're in limestone clay here, so this was basically "build a mound out of peat and compost"), but I'm wondering when I should transplant.

I could wait until after the plants go dormant but before the ground freezes, I could do it now, or I could overwinter them in pots and plant in the spring.  We have probably 4-6 weeks until first frost; the ground will probably freeze in early December.

Thoughts?


texts: Worms appearing in potted Yucca after watering

texts:
I'm a gardening noob and bought my very first small indoor tree less than one month ago.

It's a yucca elephantipes that looks very healthy: all the leaves are green and no insects/bite marks. I watered it for the first time this morning with 2 cups of water.

When checking on it this afternoon, I noticed that a lot of dead worms/larvae came out :(
After examining around the tree, it looks like some are still alive and crawling around it in the earth.

Here's an image of the worms:

Does anyone know what they are and how I can remove them? I'm really scared of bugs and don't want them even if they're not harmful for the plant X_X

Thanks in advance for your help!

Also including an image of the Yucca to show it's looking normal...


texts: How do electric tillers compare with gas powered ones?

texts: I have 6 raised beds filled with topsoil and compost, and am looking for a tiller. They total about 200 sq.ft. I see a lot of electric tillers on the market and wonder how they perform compared to gas tillers? They seem to be very inexpensive which I like but will they do the job?


texts: What care does yucca need outdoors in New Hampshire?

texts: I live in New Hampshire and have a nice group of yucca plants on a hill. I am wondering how often they bloom and do I need to do anything special for it? It has bloomed twice but not last year. Do I need to provide more care?


texts: Rats have transferred poison into my compost. Is the compost usable on vegetables?

texts:
Delighted to observe that the rat poison we put down was disappearing.

Less delighted to find some weeks later that they had moved it all to a larder in the compost. The poison is Slaymore (as far as I understand it is a standard household rat poison). It comes in the form of blue pellets.

Does this render the compost dangerous to use on a kitchen garden (ie. with all kinds of vegetables)?


texts: What is this purple mushroom growing in my pot?

texts:
I found these purple mushrooms growing in one of my pots. I've been removing them and throwing them away.

I have no idea what to google to identify them.

Mostly I want to know if this will harm the plant.


texts: identifing a plant with oval cut edge leaves and purple spotted green stems

texts: I have a plant that has oval shaped leaves that are thickish and have hair. The edges are jagged cut when the leaves are small and grow less so as the leaf gets bigger. The stem is purple spotted and green. The stem on the two foot stems look like veins instead of spots.


texts: How to identify epigeic worms for composting?

texts:
I have read that there are thousands of species of earthworms and the ones that are best suited for composting are epigeic worms. Ideally, I would use Eisenia fetida but it's difficult to find them locally. So I have started experimenting by using worms from bait shops. I have prepared an environment for them with cardboard bedding and apple cores and potato peels. I added a handful of soil as well. Every time I open the worm bin, I will see a couple of them right at the top. Are these epigeic worms? Also I noticed that there are soil tracks on the potato peels that have just been added. It probably means that the worms have crawled on top of it. Is this a behaviorial pattern that is unique to epigeic worms? Are there other things that only epigeic worms do?

ADDITIONAL CLARIFICATION: I living in South East Asia and trying to do vermicomposting in an apartment.


texts: Can I compost around a mature live oak tree?

texts: I have a mature live oak tree in Florida that is much taller than my two story house. I have a small yard and would like to compost around it if possible. I've read here on stackechange that this can be bad for trees, but I'm not sure if that warning is relative to size. For such a large oak tree, would a 5 foot ring of composting around the trunk be harmful?


texts: What is this plant with a flower that looks a bit like a snowdrop?

texts: Any idea what this plant is and how to care for it? I was given it free at an indoor-plant shop because they didn't know what it was - neither did their supplier. Thanks!


texts: How to stop grass growing through landscape pebbles?

texts:
I have an area in my front yard where I have a row of dwarf Buxus surround by a strip of decorative pebbles.

I layed down a sheet of lining to prevent the grass from growing through the pebbles, but this hasn't stopped it. Within six months the grass has taken over.

The grass can't be easily pulled up by hand. I've tried this, but it is futile. Say the area is about the equivalent of 1m2, it takes about a week to pull up a third of the grass and that still doesn't get the roots. This type of grass grows like a vine, not in clumps. A section easily breaks if you pull it and the roots and other sections are left in the ground.

How can I kill the grass without poisoning the plants?


texts: Will diatomaceous earth hurt the earthworms in my garden

texts: I have an organic garden, and use diatomaceous earth to discourage slugs from eating my plants. Lately I have worried that the diatomaceous earth might hurt the earthworms in my soil. Does diatomaceous earth have any detrimental effect on earthworms?


texts:
I purchased below indoor plant but i forgot the name of theis plant + what is the best watering cycle for it

Click photo for full size

Image source


texts: Does urinating at the base of a tree help it grow?

texts: I've been reading about tree fertilizers and urea constantly comes up as a good source of nitrogen for trees. Let's say your dogs always pick the same tree to urinate on every day. Would that tree be healthier, grow faster etc. as a result?


texts: Why is the base of my pineapple plant so thin?

texts:
I've recently discovered that the base of my pineapple plant is very thin (see the attached pictures). It almost seems that if it grows bigger, it will just snap!

How can I help it not break under its own pressure?


texts: Because of its composition, this fertiliser is attractive to rodents. I find that a topical application often results in the soil in pots being tossed about - as they search for the meat/carcase which the smell of the fertiliser makes them believe is there. Any ideas as tho what to use instead ? Pelleted chicken manure also has a strong odour so might cause the same issue. Does Growmore 7-7-7 [UK product] have the same issues ?


texts: Correlation between hotter peppers and further ripening

texts:
I have read that the more red a hot pepper is, the hotter the pepper. Drying also increases the heat. However my momma says that the more red a hot pepper is, the fruiter it is which suggests that since I like very few kinds of hot peppers(only a lot or a few banana peppers and only a few jalapenos) that if I do grow hot peppers, I should let them completely ripen.

But is this correlation between the color of the pepper and the heat of the pepper true that the redder the pepper, the hotter the pepper? Or is my momma right on that the redder peppers are fruitier regardless of whether they are sweet peppers or hot peppers?


texts: Any idea what is happening here and how do I fix it???


texts: What is this north London garden evergreen tree called?

texts:
Can anyone tell me what this is? It's in a front garden in North London. Seems to survive with little care from what I've seen.

enter image description here


texts: Is this seedling a Black Pine which I can use to grow a Black Pine Bonsai tree?

texts:
I am trying to grow a Black Pine Bonsai tree. I noticed that there were a number of seeds that looked different in the bag of the Black Pine seeds that I got, but I put them in the soil anyway with the Black Pine seeds.

I attached a photo of the seedling and the seed that it grew from. Can you help me identify whether this seedling is a Black Pine, and if it isn’t, what are the other seeds that I found?

EDIT:
I now realize that the seedling is not a Black Pine, but can you help me identify what it really is?


texts: What is the name of this pinkish flower?

texts:
I am wondering what the name of this flower is.

What is the name of the flower?


texts: Monstera Thai - Is it rust fungus? Thrips? Me being a hypochondriac?

texts:
I got this beauty about 2 weeks ago and ever since she came home she has had those bumps under 3 of her leaves. This is the leaf that is the most affected. I have been googling day in and night and I cant figure out if its rust fungus, thrips or maybe it is totally normal and I am just freaking out for nothing. Ive never seen the above mentioned conditions in my life so I cant know for sure. I wasn't able to spot any bugs so far. The spots don't seem to be growing and there is nothing on the top of the leaves. Otherwise, the plant looks healthy and is growing new leaves.
Does anyone know what those bumps and discoloration are? Thank you in advance!


texts: What is causing white spots and wilting on my Black Naga leaves?

texts:
I have some chili plants which are two and a half months old. Most of them seem fine except one. A few days ago, one of my Black Naga plants started having these weird white spots on a few leaves (not all of them), and one of them started to wilt.

What is causing this and how do I cure it?

Edit (2015/06/02):

These are today's photos of two leaves.

And here are two more leaves that are starting to get affected.

As you can see this is progressing. A guy on another forum suggested that these could be two different problems. He said that white spots may be due to overfeeding (don't know about that, I'm only using granulated fertilizer NPK 15-15-15 and other plants don't seem to matter) and that the wilt is caused by some bacteria or fungus. That site is down at the moment, so I can't be more precise.

Edit (2015/06/05):

Okay, I think I've found what started causing this mess. White flies. There were a few under the leaves that I didn't notice before, which I sprayed with a mixture of liquid soap, rubbing alcohol and water. Naga plant seems to be recovering. Even that wilting leaf started to be strong again and even though it looks pretty ugly now, it seems it'll be fine. I've noticed there are some of this disgusting creatures on some of the other plants also and tried the same method. Even though it does seem to be having some effect I still see now and then some of those white pests. I read that these things are pretty nasty and hard to kill, so I'm willing to keep chasing them around, but now the main problem is that some Cayenne plants aren't responding very well.

So, I'm not sure if I hurt them with this soap-alcohol thing or is it some disease spread by the pests. I already had (few weeks ago) some problems with green aphids which I killed easily with an acetamiprid based insecticide. I think I have already used a lot of chemicals on these poor chilies, I'm afraid I'm gonna kill them if I keep spraying them all over again with all this stuff. Which way to go now..:/

P.S. Some ants started running around on the balcony in recent days, but I'm not sure if it has to do anything with these flies and chilies since I have some grapevine around the balcony fence and I'm used to seeing some of those fellas around every year when it gets hot.


texts:
Found this glued to my door. Curious what this might mean.
The leaf is colored dark green btw, pink is bug from my camera.


texts:
I got a lemon tree 3 months ago, and moved it to a bigger pot (outdoors) and applied fertilizer.
Within a month, it lost all the leaves (while still green).
Since then, many new leaves appeared (lighter in color and has no spots) and drop within couple of weeks. I noticed leaves with few spots as shown in the photo.
I live in a very hot area where the temperature now reaches 45°C. I moved the plant into a relatively shady place where it gets about 3 hours of sun.
Does anyone have a solution to this problem? Thank you.


texts:
In my workplace we have a competition on who can grow their basil plant the tallest in 9 weeks. I know next to nothing about gardening, so I would appreciate tips. The plants are store bought, so already "grown up" (mine is 14 cm).

Here are my questions and musings so far:

The pot it came in is quite small. Could I benefit from replanting it in a larger pot?
Should I put a lamp over it and cover the sides in something dark, forcing it upwards?
Do I need a special lamp or is any lamp ok, including LED?
I suppose I should tie it up to a stick to help it stabilize?
Should I use fertilizer or some nutrition other than just water?
Could I benefit from hanging it upside-down, with a lamp underneath, to make gravity stretch it?
I read about someone growing marijuana saying that you can make a plant grow larger by pruning the lower leaves. Is this true?
Can I stretch the plant somehow? Perhaps if I combine hanging it upside down and tying a small weight to it? (I like this idea :)

And also the basics:

How much should I water it? (I think basil should be watered from below)
How much sun and warmth does it need?
If I use a lamp, should I turn it off X hours each day?
How strong should the lamp be?


texts: How do you overwinter a container plant?

texts: What are the basics for overwintering a plant?  Where is a good place in a house/apartment to overwinter a plant?  In general, does this require special supplements/artificial lighting?


texts:
One of my chili seedlings has very narrow leaves. The picture below shows it in front of a normal seedling.

Question: If I wanted to propagate the plant because of this particular feature - what would I have to do? How would I establish my narrow leaf chili variety and get its seeds?

The plant is indeed a narrow leafed specimen and it is about to produce flowers. I am wondering what the fruit will look like.


texts:
I don't if this is rot where several large branches meet. It is soft and dark colored matter, almost like compost. I was able to peel off a patch (see circled area in the first picture). Prompted by this, I poked into the lichen at a different branching point and underneath it I found the same black rot (2nd pic). A different location some weeds are even growing from such matter (3rd pic).
Should I be worried and is there anything I should do to mitigate the problem?
 large
 large
 large


texts: I have a small space in front of my townhouse that I would like to put a paver patio.. There is a great tree that I would like to keep there. I would like to fill the whole area with pavers, but dont know if i need to keep a certain distance from the tree, or if there will be enough water and oxygen getting through the base rock and leveling sand. Can I still do this project without killing the tree?


texts: Does seed spacing in aquaponic systems differ from soil systems?

texts:
I am planning on starting a small, vertically-stacked aquaponic planter, with two beds and a small aquarium. Because my climate experiences periods of drought and near-freezing lows during winter, I am doing this indoors, which means I'm very space limited. As a result, I am planning a small system, with a ~12-gallon aquarium and two beds, one with ~3' of vertical clearance to the growing lights and the other with ~15".

I'm currently limited to maximum planter dimensions of 16x8", which I understand is quite small. If essential, I could expand to 16x12", but no further.

My question is: Do plant spacing guidelines change for aquaponic systems?

If I find guidelines suggesting 5" spacing (for basil, as an example), does that recommendation change for an aquaponic system, or does the fact that it's an aquaponic system not matter?


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: I am gardening for the first time, and so far so good! We have planted a few spinach plants, and have harvest three times from them in the last month. How long will the spinach continue to grow and produce in a climate of 80-90 degrees during the day, full sun, and the plants being well watered?


texts: How do I diagnose patches of dead grass?

texts:
I have small, miscellaneous patches of dead grass, even though we have had a very wet spring, and I want to figure out why the grass is dying in random locations.

The dead patches are sometimes in streaks that are mixed in with healthy green lawn, and other times they are circular and about 3-6 inches in diameter. In general, the lawn looks good and is very healthy.

I understand that one possible cause is insects eating the roots. To investigate this do I just dig a square of turf, say 10" x 10", then lift it up and see what bugs are there or is there more to it than that? What is the basic diagonostic procedure for my problem?


texts: Do ground sown seeds need to harden off?

texts:
It is common knowledge that seedlings grown indoors need to harden off when transitioning outdoors. You need to gradually introduce it to more sun or else it will get fried.
I can't seem to find information on seeds that you sow directly outdoors. Should these type of seeds need to harden off too? I have a feeling that since they are born into full sun, they are somehow already accustomed to the intense light.


texts: What can I do to stop my Avocado from losing leaves?

texts:
My Avocado plant's leaves are all turning brown from the tips and a good amount has fallen off. The browning has been progressing throughout the winter (and maybe also before that). I usually water it when the soil is (almost) completely dry, but the dirt is a few years old and quite compacted now (is that bad?). Some new (and fully green) leaves have formed in the last few weeks (the sun is shining more now). I also fertilised it with a more or less appropriate long-term fertiliser about two months ago. As you can see, it lives inside and in a probably too small pot, but it's about 2m tall now.
What caused this? What can I do to prevent the new leaves from turning brown too?


texts: Keeping up the chili pepper ripening process while suffering from drastic climate change

texts:
With the frost approaching rapidly in my area, I brought inside a few potted chili pepper plants for overwintering. Some of the plants, however, still have lots of unripe peppers on them (hundreds in some cases), so before chopping up my plants for overwinter preparation, I would like to wait a bit for the peppers to ripen.
I however do NOT have great conditions for them (no sunny window), so they basically transition drastically from sunny days to low-medium lighting basement.

I am wondering what is the best and fastest way to achieve this, assuming I do not want the plants to produce new flowers, and that I’m going to chop it up a bit. I figured that topping the branches that have close to no peppers on them would be a good idea, but I have yet to find any information that confirms or deny it.

Also, what could be the downsides of this? Will the peppers degrade in quality? Or will it take ages for them to ripen? I mean, I could harvest them unripe and I’ll be pretty happy too, but I prefer ripe. If however it is not worth the effort, I’ll just harvest as it is and start the overwinter process.

Info: The plants are hot chili peppers ranging from mild to super-hot, in case that matters.


texts: Why is my chili plant drying out when the soil is moist?

texts:
What is happening to my chili plant? The soil is moist but the leaves are drying out. I have the plant in a pot in the bathroom with plenty of light from the skylight.

There are plenty of flowers but no chili have appeared.


texts: Why are these tree branches growing downward?

texts:
The trees on my property tend to grow their branches downward, like this:

It looks to me like they're just crowded and reaching for some sunlight, but I'm starting to worry about their health and ours (e.g., if that massive oak branch falls on someone). So:

Assuming the downward branches are an attempt to find sunlight, how much can I prune them back without harming the tree?

What can I do to promote the long-term health of my trees generally?

If I'm wrong about the downward branches, then what is actually going on?


texts: Okay to build garden fence with pressure treated wood?

texts:
I'm aware it is generally recommended to avoid pressure treated wood for raised beds.

I have some in ground beds which I'd like to fence to provide a visual barrier to my dog so she doesn't trample through plants.

I have an idea I believe would look nice but since I rent I don't want to drop the money for cedar posts. Is there any serious concern for having pressure treated 1x1 or 2x2 every 6-8ft at the edge of my garden?


texts: How viable will 5 year old or 25 year old bush bean seeds be?

texts:
My Grandfather bred a bush bean for my Grandma.  They've been gone for years, but I would like to try and keep the breed alive for heirloom purposes.  I've got two sources of seeds, 1 source is about 5-8 years old, and the other source is 25+.

What are my chances of getting any of these seeds to sprout?  I assume the 25+ year old seeds will be less than 1%, but I'm hoping the 5+ year old seeds I might get closer to 50% or better.  Any ideas?


texts: Hi I was wondering if someone could help me. I discovered root rot on my plant. I removed the rotten leafs. But I want to know if I can keep the roots.


texts: Are there some plant-based erosion control ground cover options for Pacific Northwest US?

texts:
Our driveway cuts through the side of a hill. The 'uphill' side in parts is at a perhaps 65 degree angle so steep, and there's a bit of erosion... enough to expose some tree roots.

Ideally we'd use some physical retaining wall solution (stone walls or gabion/reno mattresses) but given that we're broke at the moment, I thought I could at least maybe plant something to hold the soil together until we can afford bigger/better options.

The catch is that it's entirely shaded.

We're in the Pacific Northwest coastal climates.

Is there any sort of spreading non-invasive ground control that we could get to take hole on the hill? Or should we just figure that mechanical retaining walls are the solution?


texts: Preparing ground for reforestation / grass clippings for mulch

texts:
I'm at the earliest stages of toying with planting a food forest or reforesting part of my property (in rural Auckland - Zone 9a I think). The ground is mainly unmaintained grass and weeds sitting on clay soil - luckily on ground that is not overly steep.
My goals are to offset some of my carbon footprint and hopefully grow stuff I can eat - but this needs to be low maintenance.    Importantly, once established I never want to need to take my lawn mower or weed wacker into the area.
I also have a large grass lawn (which I will retain as its between my property and a pond) which generates a lot of grass clippings.   Possibly because I don't mow the lawn often enough, but there is way to much to mulch back into the soil.
Questions:
Can I use these grass clippings as a kind of weed-mat (mulch?  I'm not sure I fully understand that term) for the area I am planning to start reforesting?   If so, is it just a matter of dumping the clippings and spreading them over the area? Can I make these as thick as I can, assuming that I will not be planting anything from seeds?  (ie I will grow/buy seedlings/saplings or, in the unlikely event I do grow from seed I will build raised beds on top)
How do I prepare the ground (I have some time).  Can I just mow the area and apply multiple layers of grass clippings to it)?   Would it be beneficial to first spray the area with Glyphosate?  (I don't use a lot of the stuff, but I am not adverse to using it and I've satisfied myself that its environmental impact is not that great)


texts:
My -so far- trusted gardena T1030d water timer has sprung a leak and I am at a bit of a loss.
I contacted the official service and they gave me advice but I am unable to reach the spot they indicated and I am also afraid to be a bit rough on the thing.
Anyway, I want to unscrew #7 to reach #8 but I cannot unscrew it.

I am at this stage and #7, the grey thing is just revolving and not getting unscrewed with any kind of combination I tried (pulling & turning, pushing and turning etc..). I suspect I would may have to remove the little bolts (#9) but I am not sure if it is neccessary, or even how to do it. Any advice? THanks a lot


texts:
What can I do with this broken branch in my potted begonia?

Can I plant it in a small pot?


texts:
I started to see the end of my dracaena's leafs becoming burned, then later the other leafs started to became brown-ish. See the photo below.

I put some organic fertiliser and later left it outside, where it got some light rain and sun for 2 days. Temperature was around 10°C.
Today, I saw its condition has became worse, so I put it in my house again, but now I don't know what to do.
What to do next to save it?


texts: What is this bulb with pink and white globular flowers?

texts:
I had this bulb given to me as "Mayflower" or "Morning Glory". My Internet search leads me to believe that the flower is not either of the above.

It flowers annually in May-June. It has a pink and white flower.

Could someone please identify this flowering bulb?


texts: Pruning a Lilac in November (South East, UK)

texts:
The leaves are falling off the 6'x6'x10' beast of a lilac I inherited from the previous homeowners, and I'm wondering whether now is an appropriate time to start reducing the height.

The plan was to take the front 1/3 or 1/4 of the canopy away this year, leaving the rest to flower, look pretty, and shade my pond through the next season; then repeat each year until it is a manageable size.

So I have two questions:

Is pruning at this time of year likely to cause problems, and if so,
when would be a best time to prune?
Am I correct in assuming that the pruned section would likely produce leaf and/or flower (pond cover) within a year?

Thanks,
James

Addenda from the responses so far:

Image from mid July (pointing roughly north).  The main bush hasn't changed much, but I've thinned out the front (below that sandstone slab), excavated a waterfall  and created an alpine rockery:
Why:  It's a bit unweildy so needs reining in, blocking late afternoon sun down half of the garden.
Health:  Seems quite happy.  We did not have the house when it was in bloom, but there is evidence it put out a fair number of flowers.


texts: Monstera (Swiss cheese plant) brown patches on leaves

texts:
I've gone through some of the previous posts for Monstera but couldn't quite find anything like this. I bought a new Monstera about a week ago and it seemed to be adapting well. New leaves were unfurling, it seemed strong. But some of the leaves have started drooping a bit and I've noticed some brown spots on some of the leaves.
Some information:

I haven't watered it since bringing it home since the soil was a
little damp. The top seems dry so maybe it's time to water.
I'm wondering if the room it is in is too cold. Possible?
Because of the little shiny patches, I thought it might be a scale infestation and I did find a little cottony string (just one) on one of the leaves, but I cannot find any scale insects. I've never had them before so I might just not be seeing them.

Anyone have any thoughts?
UPDATE: Added photos of the outer roots.
Pictures:

Thank you!


texts: I have a fig tree but it hasn't had any fruits on it yet. I don't know which variety it is, I got it when it was only a few inches high. It's planted on a West facing wall of my bungalow,  but like I said has never had any fruit on it, not even any sign that they are going to form. I have seen plenty of other fig trees. It's over 7 feet tall and growing very healthy.


texts: My potted cucumber plants appear to have mosaic virus.  How is an insect barrier created?


texts: My courgette plants are growing well and started to have flower buds. However the buds did not bloom and instead the tips turn brown and they drop off.


texts: I've had this plant for about 9 months now. At first it was doing fine, with a few baby plants growing on the sides of the main stem. Then the leaves started drying out and falling, bottom to top, firstly on the main stem, later even on the smaller ones. There are also brown spots on the leaves - I don't think they are pests. Is there anything that can be done? Thanks!


texts:
I live in an apartment with a balcony in Auburn Hills, Mi (read: cold & suburban). Our family produces a lot of fruit and vegetable scraps, and I hate putting it into the dumpster - I wish I could magically turn it to compost.

However, composting seems fairly involved - everything that I read about composting has a focus on composting quickly with a lot of ratios, turning, adding stuff, etc.  As I don't garden, I don't really care if it takes months or years to compost. I'd like to just throw it into a bin a couple times per week, and empty it out as compost after a few years in the woods near my house. I have a feeling that this request is tantamount to sacrilegious for those who are really into composting, and for that I am sorry. I just want to reduce out family waste.

Is there a way to compost with almost no effort?


texts: Is spruce bark equivalent to pine bark in potting mixes?

texts:
Composted pine bark is a standard ingredient in potting mixes.  Most of the local forestry is spruce.  Is there any reason to not use spruce bark?
I know that generally barks need to be composted at least 90 days, and preferably a year to get rid of volatiles (terpenes?) but I'm not sure of the chemical differences between the two genuses.
So:  Does spruce bark work?


texts: Are these spots on cucumber plant leaves from insects?

texts:
Some of my cucumber plants have small spots on the lower leaves.

The affected leaves have small white/yellow spots on their edges, and a few spots on the leaves are dead. The dead spot had a yellow "halo".

Right now I just see this on a couple of leaves, but since I had to throw out all my cucumber plants last year I'm very much keeping a sharp eye on them.

When I google this, the most best matchin terms of how these spots look is Downey Mildew - but that on the other hand is described as mostly affecting late harvest.

This is indoors, and I have not seen a single insect.


texts: How can I speed up decomposition of fruit pits and the like?

texts:
I use a compost tumbler and often times I end up with a lot of fruit pits including avocado pits. I usually sift these out and leave them in a compost pile (which is enclosed by chicken wire) along with small twigs.

What can I do to speed up the decomposition of this pile?

I was even considering a wood chipper that could handle fruit pits and the like if I can find one under $250, but that doesn't seem to exist.


texts: thorn bush with yellow fuit/seed in central florida. could this be Ximenia americana?

texts:
What is this thorn bush that produces seeds in late spring early fall.  This picture was taken in april 25, but the seeds grow much bigger and rounder - i suspect need another month.
I found this in Lake Placid Florida in very sandy soil.  Branches are very prickly and stiff. grows outward.
Seems like great security bush and i want to propagate. tried cuttings with no luck, would like to try planting seeds .
could this be Ximenia americana?

This was taken Sept 15th... tried to plant cuttings but did not work. planted seed but seems did not germinate.


texts: Brown spots around the veins on a hot pepper plant's leaves

texts:
I noticed this on some on my Carolina Reaper plants. A lot of the leaves have this kind of spots surrounding the midrib and the veins.

The plants grow indoors in 5l pots but I kept them in the garden for a period of about half a year when the temperatures were higher.

Some of the spots can be seen on the underside of the leaf as well.

Here's a picture showing the distribution of the spots on a leaf's upper surface.

What am I dealing with here? Some kind of pest? A disease? Or maybe the plants are lacking something?

Bacterial leaf spot comes to mind but I;ve never actually seen it and the pictures I can find online look somewhat different.


texts:
I have a 990l pond, and a Rockways 3-step formed waterfall that recommends a 4,000l/hour flow rate.

I need my pump to output 4,000l/hour. Do I need a filter that specifically supports such a flow rate? The pond is small, so do I need a 'big' filter that support the high flow rate of the pump, or do can I get away with a filter designed for smaller ponds (and thus built to expect a lower flow rate)?

Many thanks in advance!


texts: How long should the soil for succulents stay moist?

texts:
How long should the soil for succulent plants stay moist?

I know you are only supposed to water the succulents once the soil is dry, and that succulent roots can rot if they are too wet, but how long is ideal for the soil to stay moist?

I'm asking because I just planted a lot of succulents in larger pots using "G&B ORGANICS PALM, CACTUS & CITRUS For In-Ground & Container Planter" soil but even being outside (san jose CA) with 6hrs of direct sun the soil still feels quite moist 5 days after watering.

I'm ok letting it go until it is completely dry but I feel like this is a really long time and I don't want the roots to rot.


texts: What is this white, 6 petaled, spike flower?

texts: I found this while hiking a trail passing through an old homestead near Hillsborough, NC. It was abundant in a wooded area.  It blooms in April. It is about ten inches tall with a spike flower, grassy leaves and the flower is about 1.5 -2 inches in diameter. It is not native to North Carolina and is probably a bulb.


texts: How to avoid damaging waterlogged lawn in winter?

texts:
We have quite a long lawn with my woodworking workshop at the end. In winter the lawn —like the rest of the UK— becomes quite wet. I still need to get to the workshop. However it's slippery and walking on it, any amount, damages the grass.

In previous years this has resulted in a dead, muddy trodden pathway. As soon as it's visible, our dog also follows this path up and down the garden, adding to the damage. I usually end up reseeding while I'm overseeing in spring and this eventually takes but it's an expensive and boring task.

Short of sticking a physical barrier up and moving it around over Winter —to prevent wearing one particular area— is there anything I can do to improve the prognosis of the lawn?


texts: Fast growing green ground cover. ID please

texts: I think this came from my bird feeder. I like it because it’s growing in bare spots my lawn won’t. It looks nice and is soft on the feet. I’d like to find more to finish the other bare spots. It holds up well under my two dogs big feet


texts: Hi is it safe  to start my rider mower inside a shed with the doors wide open in order to drive it out?  Rather than push it out to the lawn  manually and then start.


texts: Recommended plants for a 10 cm diameter by 10 cm depth hole in a log

texts: I have recently planted up a fernery in my garden and have put in a few old logs for character. A larger log/stump I chiseled in some holes to plant with something such as a small fern, an orchid perhaps?  A recommendation for what would grow well in such a space. It's shaded by an oak tree too.


texts: What kind of tree is this and what should I do with it?

texts:
A tree in my yard looks like it's dying.  A friend said that I can simply cut off the side that is dying and see if the rest of it lives.  However, some of the branches on the "living" side seem to be dying, but there are some portions that look like new growth.  Almost all of the bark has come off of the dead side.  The bark doesn't appear to be coming off anywhere else except where some of the branches have died on the living side.

I live in the United States, Omaha, Nebraska. The pictures below were taken 11/1/2017.  It's fall here and the leaves are falling off the trees fast.  I did my best to take a picture of the full tree, the bark and the leaves. Let me know if I can provide any other information.

What kind of tree is this and what should I do about it?  Is it time to cut it down, or is there a chance of it still living if the dead part is removed?


texts: Is this orange-yellowish-flowered plant a wildflower or a weed?

texts:
Can you please id this flower that grows here and there in my garden:

The zone is 7. All photos are of separate plants.


texts: How much fertilizer do I need for my vegetable garden?

texts:
Today I received the results for my garden soil test, which show that I have only 5 ppm of nitrogen.

So my research (here, and elsewhere) has suggested that the best way to (organically) raise the nitrogen level is to add some blood meal.  But how much blood meal do I need?  The "Fertilizer recommendations" that came with my test results says:

  You should apply your nitrogen at a rate of ¼ lb N per 100 sq. ft. You can divide this amount in half and apply half at planting and half a month later during the summer.

Then later it says:

  To Calculate the Amount of Fertilizer to Use:
  ( % of nutrient in fertilizer ÷ 100) = Pounds fertilizer per 100 sq. ft.

But using that formula, if I had a theoretical fertilizer with 100% nitrogen, I would apply 1 lb per 100 sq. ft., or 4x the recommended amount above.

What is an accurate formula to use to determine how much (organic) nitrogen fertilizer I need to apply?

EDIT
I live in Central Kansas, and will be growing a variety of vegetables.


texts: found this mint like plant in my back yard, help?

texts: This mint like plant is growing up against a stone wall. The stem is square and the leaves are opposite. There are small flower buds at every section of leaves, white in color. Very minimal mint smell, more musty. The leaves are variegated with a grey spot in the middle. Idk how to put pics on so plz help.


texts: Our daughter has stabbed the aloe plant about three different times on each stem with a pen.. will it heal itself ? I don’t know how she got the time or what she was thinking but each stem has little holes in it & I need to know if there is something I can do to save it or not


texts: Mystery plant misidentified as dragonfruit

texts:
Is it even a house plant? It was labeled as "florist" on the price tag so the staff weren't so sure about its' origins and suggested that it might be a dragonfruit or similarly related plant.

-I did prick it to see if it bled white sap like some Euphorbias, but it didn't bleed at all.


texts: What is the difference in plants rated to 1 zone warmer than where they grow?

texts: I keep hearing about things I want to grow being cold hardy to zone 5, but I live in zone 4, will I still be able to grow those plants?


texts: Size and growth of chilles (repotting needed?)

texts: I have chilli plants in 3 pots.  Each pot has about 6-7 plants.  Each pot is about 3 to 5 litres. Is it more than the capacity? Shall i repot them? If I repot them will I get more yield?( now I get about 3-4 chillies every month from each pot) How shall I repot them without damaging the roots? The plants are 1.5 feet.  Will they grow more if I repot them?  Please help.


texts:
I have a fairly well established fern which recently started drying out regardless of frequent watering, to the point where there was nothing green left on it.
I went away for a week and when I came back a new frond had come out fully green and healthy looking, with another not far behind.
Now the new growth seems to be wilting pretty badly again.
It has been pretty hot but I'd think it's still getting enough water.


texts: Will a snowball viburnum thrive in the San Francisco bay area (Fremont)?

texts: I'm thinking of gifting someone with a snowball viburnum for Christmas. Will it live alright in the bay area (specifically, Fremont)? I heard that the soil may cause some issues.


texts: What is an accurate method to measure the C:N ratio of Bokashi pickled/composted kitchen waste?

texts:
In a container gardening situation without soil to bury Bokashi pickled/composted kitchen waste, it seems viable to add to a tumble composter.

What is an accurate method to compute C:N of Bokashi?

Assume for this question that the Bokashi method is Commercial off-the-shelf style anaerobic indoor bucket-system, with the bucket processed through until completion of the Bokashi pickling/composting anaerobic process.

Assume if answering C:N rather that computation method:
1) Mixed high protein (meat/dairy) and normal vegetation kitchen scraps
2) Normal vegetation kitchen scraps only
3) High protein (meat/dairy) only


texts: What should I do with my horrible plastic-rocks-and-weeds front yard?

texts:
The front yard of my northern New Mexico house (zone 7a) is horrible. It consists of rocks and dirt with Tribulus Terrestris weeds growing in the dirt and between the rocks. Below that is a layer of black plastic. Below that is more rocks and dirt, and finally more black plastic. Two layers of each! I have to assume that what happened was that multiple previous homeowners decided to start over by covering the existing yard with plastic and rocks, but then proceeded to neglect it and let weeds grow as dust and dirt got blown between the rocks.

I can't really grow much due to the multiple layers of plastic and rocks. There's practically no soil; just enough for Tribulus Terrestris weeds, apparently. By this point there are literally millions of their spiky seedpods between the rocks.

Digging through and removing enough of the rocks to plant anything is agonizingly difficult. And the whole yard looks awful. I'm considering hiring someone to remove the top three inches or so and just start over from scratch, and then planting some low-water-use groundcover like purslane or blue grama grass. Do I have any better options?


texts: My potting soil is being overrun by soil insects. How do I get rid of them?

texts: I am having a hard time getting rid of insects in my potting soil. My plants are droopy. I have applied a good amount of diatomaceous earth to all of them, even to the roots, but these insects don't seem to want to leave. They are white and very tiny. What can I do?


texts: What is this beautiful pest that affects my garden?

texts: I noticed this butterfly in my garden recently. She loves to rest on gauras. At the same time, my Cornus sanguinea have been almost destroyed this spring by an unknown pest. Could it be that this butterfly caused this in her previous incarnation? Can you please id this butterfly to remove all suspictions? What is she doing on my gauras?


texts: Are there bulbs that produce only leaves?

texts:
Are there plants with bulbs that only produce leaves, no flowers? If I wanted to look up such plants, what should I search for? e.g. botanical term, name of plant family - whatever makes sense.

Background: I found some bulbs in my garden that i didn't think I'd seen flower. I put them in a pot to keep an eye on them and see what they are but they have gone through two years without producing any stalk or flower. They produce a lot of lush leaves so I thought they might be grown for foliage, but then what is the reproduction strategy of the plant?


texts: Will garlic that sprouted on the shelf produce new cloves?

texts: At a farm market this Spring I saw a display of garlic (hard-neck, if it matters) for sale that had started to sprout. The leaf-blades were at least an inch past the ends of the tip of the cloves and I wondered, would it still be possible to plant them and get any kind of harvest? It's still early Spring here with at least a few weeks of mostly cold days left, including a few freezing nights.


texts: I have a 5 year old macadamia tree. So far I used to water it daily using a watering computer. But I was not at home for two months and the computer battery went off. When I came back, I saw that all leaves were completely brown and dry. I immediately watered it again and removed the branches with dry leaves. Is the tree dead, or can it be saved somehow?


texts: Damaged Lily leaves: Brown, yellow and cut. What to do?

texts:
Damaged Peace Lily: shall I cut leave encircled in red?

What about the yellow-brown on the back right of the encircled one?

This occurred after the plant had not been watered for too long. But others already had brown elongated spots on the edge of the leave. Is this a sign of something wrong?

Thanks in advance.


texts: Can you please identify this houseplant that has long floppy leaves?

texts: Long green, floppy leaves with spotty undersides.


texts: Why are there so many dead branches on my fringe tree?

texts:
Here's a picture of my 3-year-old fringe tree. It's in Albemarle County, Virginia. I'm concerned that so many branches are dead. Does the tree have a useful future, or should I pull it out?

.


texts:
I live in Massachusetts and I'm trying to get my grass greener. My grass has many spots that are thin and light green. Also, there are some spots about the size of a basketball that are just a big empty spot with nothing growing. Other spots are thicker and also a deeper green color which is what I want. In some spots I can see visibly a line of where different grasses are. Maybe the type of grass is different or it was seeded at a differne time with different seeds. I'm not sure. How can I get my spots that don't grow thick to grow thicker and greener? I've already applied Scotts® Turf Builder® Halts Crabgrass Preventer with Lawn Food about 3 weeks ago on about 11,000 square feet of lawn. I also dethatched before that. Do I need to just keep waiting and do my normal watering and mowing? Do I need to overseed? I read on the Scotts website in the reviews that there is only a 2% chance that overseeding on existing grass will do anything. Do I need to target specific seeds? So I need to apply a grub preventer? Most of my lawn faces east and gets a lot of light. Some of the lawn faces south as well and gets a lot of light too. The opposite side on the north does not and have a lot of spots of dark thick green grass and tons of moss. I'm asking because I moved into this new house so I have not cared for this lawn before.

(click images below for larger size)


texts: Geotechnical Engineering Classification and Percolation

texts:
I plan a project that is 4’ below ground and it’s a safe diy, I plan to place 2500lb limestone blocks for seating and don’t want them to sink or flood in the 10x10x4 hole..
Our soil classification is Blackland Prairie and the Edwards Plateau. Edwards Plateau soils are mostly shallow, stony, or gravelly, dark alkaline clays, and clay loams underlain by limestone.. and seem to have a low percolation rate, like very low it rained last week and water is still in the hole, I plan on placeing a few hidden 5’ holes back filled with gravel or a deep channel drain or such, and need engineering advice for the “base?” and drainage.
as you can tell it’s been raining so it’s filled up about 1 1/2, so the blue is where I plan to place a addition 4’ deep gravel filled hole or a dry well.
The soil looks like it’s just trash backfilled from the sub division selling the good stuff, so I plan to place 6” of 1 1/2 base to also help hide water overflow and stabilize the heavy blocks, and behind the blocks like a anti erosion retaining wall behind as well.
!
!


texts: Why are squirrels pruning new bayberries?

texts: Our crew has witness squirrels cutting the tops off recently planted bayberries on a number of occasions. The animals don't seem to do anything with the bark or cut tops. Why are they doing this and what could be done to prevent it (short of culling the scurry)?


texts:
I recently planted a regular avocado seed on a 4" pot and it's growing nicely, but I know it will continue growing and growing.

Since it's a regular avocado bought at a supermarket, can can these grow in a pot (even if it's a big pot)? Will it produce fruit being in a pot?

I live in the Caribbean.


texts: My umbrella plant suddenly started drooping. The leaves at the bottom drooped first and then the ones at the top. Now the whole plant has drooped. Is there any way I can bring back the plant? What has caused this?


texts: How can I determine which trees are unsafe in strong winds?

texts:
We had some fairly extreme weather in the UK, enough wind to blow over a tree. Luckily nobody was hurt as the trunk rested larger branches, narrowly missing the neighbours fence. The trunk  and branches have been cut in several places as it can be seen below:

Two of the same mature pine trees are planted either side of this tree which concern me as well as a few other trees in our garden. How can I tell which trees are expected to fall and what can I do about them?


texts: How should I take care of this succulent?

texts:
Please guide me in how to take care of the succulent shown in image below.  I took this picture when I got it.

It was dead in a few days, so I got a new one of the same kind. It also died. I gave it water once in a while once I observed it starting to die. I kept it in sun light, but in the next days it was completely dead.  I got another new one of the same kind but no luck in saving that plant either.

Is there anything wrong that I did, or do I need to change the soil completely and try again?  Please guide me. I really want to take care when purchasing another of the same kind.

Pictures of a dead plant are in the link below. It was died similar to the first plant but this time I haven't kept it in sun light. It was under normal room temperature. The bottom to top leaves slowly dried off in approximately 25 days.

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


texts: Any benefit to watering whole plant (leaves and all) instead of just the soil/roots?

texts: A question I often wonder about when watering outdoor pots in the dead heat of summer. Should I just make sure the soil in the bed/pot is watered sufficiently, or is it necessary/advisable to also water the leaves and stem? My naivete makes me think that hitting the above ground plant will keep the plant cooler and reflects more of what happens when it rains, but I may be wrong.


texts: I bought house in central Oklahoma 4 years ago. It has a plum tree that sits alone in front yard. 2 years ago it produced the best plums I've ever had but none since. I've tried to find out why which brings me here, as I'm hoping to get help identifying it. It's approx 15 feet tall with green leaves, brownish red bark that's got spots and vein-like lines. The leaf stalk is light green. Also the leaves are simple, ovate, with toothed margins not overly sharp.


texts: What plant is it? It's dying and I don't know why!


texts: What garden plants will help in waterlogged garden

texts:
I have a small square garden space 4x4 meters, where I just took of pavement slabs and stones to reveal a mixture of aggregate, pebbles and clay under a 20-25 cm of soil, not the best grade, though. I need to improve drainage, as I'm preparing to lay turf. I've dug the 30cm of the material that was there and waiting for Horticultural grit, composted manure and high grade top soil (it will be raised compared to old slabs level). The plan is to shape the slope in a way that follows natural hill (left to right downwards, for this context) and at the right end create a bedding that will host some water hungry plants to help get the moisture out.
Here is my question, is this right approach, given excavation, drainage and any heavy labour are out of question.
I'm located in North West England, we have a mix of good sunny weather, but also a fair bit of rainfall.
If the weather is good the end of the slope I'm planning to use for natural, plant based drainage gets sun blasting from 8am to 3pm March to September. We usually don't get winter temperatures below 0'C, but it rains a lot.
If so, what garden plants would allow me to drag water from shallow ground and disperse it in air (dry the ground out, basically)?


texts: Aloe plant is yellowing slightly at the tips

texts:
I have had this aloe plant for about a year and up until now it's been thriving. Now it's beginning to turn yellow at the tips, like so:

I also think whatever's wrong with my aloe has already killed this part.

I water this thing about every 1-2 weeks, it gets plenty of sunlight, and it's in a warm environment. Does know what's happening to my aloe and how I can keep it from killing the plant?


texts: Is this a wild Muscadie/Scupernine Vine?

texts:
Can anyone tell if this is a wild muscadine or scupernine vine? I live in SC and there are plenty wild on the property, but when I see those vines blooming, I also see vines and leaves that look very similar that don't have fruit on them. I don't know whether its a difference in sun, water, etc... or if one is just a different kind of vine.

I'm adding pictures of a vine that's growing very close to where I saw another one that has had fruit in a previous year. The are the wild ones and they're a dark burgundy/black fruit. Thanks.


texts:
Here is an album

https://imgur.com/a/5zJEU4G

It does not seem to be doing so well, so I would like to identify it and take steps to take care of it.


texts: How to prepare urea for orchard composting?

texts:
I've been told to follow up an infestation of apple scab by composting any leaf litter on the orchard floor to destroy spores. I plan to haul away most of the leaves to my garden composter but a 5% urea solution is indicated for the orchard floor. How much should I need per mature tree (10 ft diameter drip line) and are there any safety concerns with preparing the solution in a sprayer tank?

I figure 5% urea solution is about 2 lbs (pounds) urea in 5 gallons. It comes from my coop in 50 lb bags of prills.


texts: My Vinca plants are dying in my pots at home. Please suggest some measures to prevent further or possible cause for it.


texts: Can somebody let me know the name of this plant? My office desk has inherited it and I would like to keep him alive :)


texts: What is a proper container to preserve seeds?

texts: I received seeds from various produces as a gift. They are in sealed paper bags, but they occupy a lot of space and I was thinking about opening the bags and putting the seeds into small transparent plastic containers. Is this a good way to store and not compromise them? If not, what is the preferred alternative?


texts: How to fix my indoor potted avocado plant?

texts:
MY plant history:

Tree planted 2 years ago.
Once I cut the tip, so that plant branched.
Some time later I cut those two branches again.
New stems appeared, but after some time, something happened to the leaves (see pictures).
I see some new leaves are going out now, but there is some issue with tips of those new ones too.

Plant is grown in a pot, only indoor. Pot is 28cm in diameter, and 30cm high. I would like to keep the plant relatively small, as it is grown indoor, so frequent trimming is a must. I live in Poland, in Europe, and now heating season is already started, but issue started before.

What to do to save the plant?
Is it possible to grow it like a bonsai, with frequent pruning?


texts: Finding the right pollinator for "Ferragnes" almond

texts:
I have two "Ferragnes" almonds, but "Ferragnes" is, like most almond cultivars, not self-fertile. It needs another almond cultivar that flowers at approximately same time, and perhaps there are some additional requirements.
Another practical (and limiting) problem is availability of cultivars at nurseries.
Now, I found the following data:

"Texas" almond is a good pollinator for "Marcone" almond.
"Texas" almond is a good pollinator for "Ferragnes" almond.

does that mean that:

"Marcone" almond is a good pollinator for "Ferragnes" almond.

?
(Needless to say, "Marcone" is available in my area, but "Texas" is not.)