texts: Problem on stem base of tomatoes and peppers

texts:
I'm a beginner gardener growing tomatoes and peppers from seed for the first time. I need some help diagnosing a problem on the base of the stem of most of my plants.
I've been watering my plants once a day during the last month and a half.
I started watering on top and then switch to bottom watering (I provably over did it).

I've checked the root systems on one that recently snapped and it just looks really healthy so doesn't seem to be root rot.
To my newbie eye it seems I have some brown fungus on top of the soil and it's just eating the stem.
Any ideas of what I may be facing here?
Thanks!


texts: I just acquired a new plant, but the guy I bought it from had no idea about its name. So can you help me out?


texts: Potential problem (root girdling) with citrus tree planting?

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I live in Sacramento, CA area. In April 2018, I purchased two dwarf citrus trees (navel orange, meyer lemon) for planting from our local nursery (5 gal containers). I decided to put the orange tree in the ground and the lemon tree in a planter box. The soil in the ground is 90% rock (the house is situated on a plot which was carved/flattened from the side of a small hill.

For planting the orange tree, I followed most of the basic instructions of planting a new tree. Dug a hole 2-3 times the width of rootball diameter and rootball depth, removed all the rock and replaced with garden soil/compost (50%/50%) mixture, exposed the root flare just slightly above ground level (I think), and kept the mulch a good 1 feet away from the trunk. I have been watering/fertilizing regularly, and the tree looks healthy. Plenty of young fruit which I picked off early to get the tree to concentrate on root/trunk development.

However, I have a concern about the root growth. I notice a root going around the small trunk and what looks like a potential root girdling? I'm attaching some pictures. Is there cause of concern or is this root growth normal? If problem, should I just cut the root that is going out and then back in? Will it kill the young tree? The tree is growing actively so I am not sure.

I'm also attaching pics for the lemon tree and that looks OK. The roots are fanning out in all directions which looks good.  Thanks for any opinions.

Pictures are on on this Citrus Tree Pictures


texts: Can I use dawn liquid detergent in place of castile soap as a tomato blight remedy?

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I have a recipe that calls for 2 tablespoons baking soda, 5 tablespoons vegetable oil, and 1 teaspoon Castile soap. Mix with 2 gallons of water. Spray on tomato plants to control blight.

Can I use the same recipe with Dawn Liquid Detergent instead of Castile Soap?


texts: Should I turn soil upside down when cultivating?

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Should the soil be turned upside down when cultivating?

For example,  this machine will turn the soil upside down. I've heard from my relative that you shouldn't do that because it severely disrupts the microorganisms. Some prefer to be closer to the top, others lower or something like that. Instead you should just "flip" the soil so that portions of it remain at the same height.

What do you think about this?


texts: Why does my ghost chilli plant look this way? All help is appreciated

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The leaves are quite curled and compared to my other peppers, the leaves are a bit yellow as well. I’ve read online that it could be due calcium deficiency but at the moment I’m not entirely sure. I’ve put bits of eggshell in the soil as the label said to use a calcium based fertilizer or eggshells but that hasn’t done anything, at least as of yet. Would calcium nitrate work? The soil is moist, so I don’t think it’s over watering nor is it too dry. I’m quite new to this as well + I’ve heard that ghost chillies are difficult to grow. Thanks.
(https://i.stack.imgur.com/t0lqM.jpg)

Image of soil-(https://i.stack.imgur.com/FFEEz.jpg)


texts: What are these tiny reddish brown insects on basil leaves?

texts:
I have a basil plant. White tiny spots have started to appear on its leaves. On top of the leaves, there are also small reddish moving dots that appear to me as insects.

Does anyone know what are these tiny reddish brown insects? Are these really insects?  They have super tiny legs and looks like they can form weblike white thing on the leaves.


texts: Is condensation on my seed tray an issue?

texts: I'm growing some seedlings in a tray that has a plastic lid. The sun causes moisture to condense on the lid. I was wondering: is this counter-productive, as the condensation then blocks the sun?


texts: Chrysanthemums and double orange blossom

texts: I have a chrysanthemum with a second bloom emerging from within a bloom . I also have a double orange blossom grown from a cutting , which has both single and double blossoms , are one or both unusual ?


texts: How can I get rid of rabbits in my yard?

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I have rabbits that routinely build nests in my yard. How can I get rid of the rabbits legally? I don't want some officer from the DNR knocking on my door because I improperly hunted or poisoned them.

The rabbits cause several problems:

Our dog goes absolutely nuts barking at them through the window, chases them when she can in the back yard, and gently removes the young from their nest to play with (or tend to as a mother) when she finds a nest.
The nests are basically a hole in the ground about the size of a softball. They're easily big enough to cause a twisted ankle when stepped in while walking in the yard.
I'd like to start planting tomatoes and other vegetables, but I'm fearful the rabbits will have their way with my crops.

I've recently started using Liquid Fence, but it's hard to say if that's had much of an effect. I've certainly still had some rabbits, but maybe not as often.

What's the best course of action for me?


texts: My backyard has a turf since 2 years ago, when this model home has been built. However, I think the lawn has not been rolled, as when I walk around the soil is very loose, which I think has led to a very improper growth of the lawn. Do I need to roll it now in the spring and does it work after 2 years? If so, does a 200lb hand roller work? any more idea?


texts: How do I change the soil on already planted plants (not in pots)

texts: So my plants arent growing too well in my garden (as compared to my friends with the same plants I gave them) and was wondering how do I give my plants better soil? I've already mulched the surrounding areas. Can I just dump new soil at the base of the plant? I assume no since that doesnt reach the roots. Fertilizer perhaps? New to gardening and never used that either.


texts:
Live in Southern Ontario:

Planting beet, carrot, green bean, and pea seeds directly into raised garden beds. I've seen in a few places a recommendation to soak the seeds for 12-24 hours in water beforehand.

what are your thoughts and experiences with this? If it makes a difference I'm pretty diligent with watering and upkeep.


texts: How can I effectively grow strawberries in my borders without weeds suffocating them?

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Even if I remove all weeds around my strawberries a month's growth has them smothered in grasses, clover and other weeds. Is there anything I can put down that will help, or do I just need to manually weed all the time?

(I want to eat the strawberries, so don't want to use weedkillers)


texts: I live in Colorado Springs, CO. My Autumn Fire Maples have not leafed out yet,as of 5/26/21. Anyone else noticed this?


texts: Will prickly pear thrive under the eaves on the west side of my house?

texts:
The front of my house faces due west, with about a 2' overhang underneath the eaves. There is a 12' section between the northwest corner and the walkway leading to my door that has proven very difficult for me to establish any plants in because it doesn't get much rain, and it can get very hot there from heat reflected off my concrete porch. Currently, I have a few volunteer Rose Campions (Silene coronaria) growing there, and some mint popping up until I pull it out.

I have been thinking of growing some prickly pears in that spot, with the hope of also getting some fruit to eat (I'm not a huge fan of the leaves). With the overhang and shade from a magnolia tree at the southwest corner of my house, they would be in shade until early afternoon, then a brief period of partial shade, followed by full sun for the remainder of afternoon and evening; perhaps six hours of direct sunlight per day near the summer solstice.

I live in Portland, Oregon (USDA zone 8b) where summers are typically warm and sunny, and the other seasons mild and wet.

Would that be enough sunlight for them? Is there a species or cultivar of prickly pear that would do well in that spot?


texts: Indoor Majesty Palm has yellowing leaves that also have brown tinges - too much water or not enough?

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Help!! My majesty palm now has 20% of its large leaves being mostly yellow... There are brown tinges on many of the leaves, including the green ones.
I am not sure if this is too much or too little water? (Just misted it. It's usually in the bathroom, indirect sunlight.)
Does it need more sun or less?
I just repotted it 2 days ago to a larger pot with wheels and a watering system that's from the base. Hope that gets water straight to the root ball while keeping the upper soil more dry.


texts: Succulents that are heat tolerant and frost hardy

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I wanna create a low maintenace succulent border that's  6ft by 6ft with plants that are both heat and frost tolerant but so far, everything that I've come across either cant stand the full sun or would die in the winters. I have this varigated agave (1st photo) that i wanna use as the center piece and have other succulents planted all around. I had bought alot of kolanchoes for the purpose but only to find out later that they arnt hardy enough. Recently, i had bought these (2nd photo) and would like to know if weather any of these would work since i have no experience with succulents apart from the one with the dark foliage. I had it outside all winter and it did very well.
I have a semi arid climate where summers are hot and dry and winters are cold and really wet.


texts:
Hi all,

I recently moved into a rental with this mature, potted prickly pear out front. While it didn’t look great at move in, it has definitely gotten worse in the last couple of weeks, with more and more arm drooping (though no pads have fallen off yet).

Based on the appearance I would guess it’s under watered, but we’ve received a healthy amount of rain recently, so perhaps it’s over watered? Or could it be a fungus/pest?

I’m a total newbie here (this site and cactus maintenance generally), and any advice would be greatly appreciated!


texts: What are these black spots on my tree trunk?

texts: I had some deer damage on a sweet bay magnolia tree.  After a week or so of covering the damage with the pictured white tree guard I noticed all these black spots underneath.  What are these spots and should I apply something to remove them?


texts: How do I fix an area of grass that was ruined using a vinegar/salt treatment of dandelions?

texts:
Following some advice from the web, I boiled vinegar and salt and applied it to some dandelions in our lawn. I probably should have used less of it though - I poured 2-3 tablespoons on the dandelions. Now the grass has yellowed around each dandelion - about a 3-inch radius.

Will the grass come back in the future? Have I permanently ruined these spots? What's the best way to fix them up?


texts: What plants are best for attracting butterflies to a small garden?

texts:
How can I attract butterflies to my small garden? What flower plants are ideal for attracting them?

Details:

Garden is in a fenced backyard, faces North-East.
Not shaded, gets sunlight from about 10 am to 2 pm.
Roughly a 200 square foot place.
Region: Pune, Maharashtra, India.
Normal weather: 32-34o C, humidity around 55-60%.


texts:
I moved my pepper plants indoors to overwinter them and one has recently developed some small white beads on the leaves that I am unfamiliar with. Which pest am I dealing with and how best can I handle them to keep my peppers healthy?

Located in Denver, CO. The pepper plants are MadHatter and NuMex Suave.


texts: How can I prevent squirrels (or other small mammals) from eating my tomatoes?

texts:
Something has been eating my tomatoes just as they begin to ripen. Each day I've been finding one or more tomatoes half-eaten but still attached to the vine. On a couple of days I've also found bits of tomato skin scattered around a wooden chair a few feet away from the tomato plants.

I haven't seen the critter(s) in the act. I'm guessing it's a squirrel, as we have lots of them in the neighborhood, but it could be some other small mammal.

I've grown tomatoes in the Sacramento region for years and this is the first time I've had this problem. Does anyone have any ideas on whether it's likely to be a squirrel or some other animal? More importantly, is there anything I can do to keep the critters away?

Update: I've selected a "best" answer, but please feel free to add your suggestions if you have a better idea. I'd love to find a way to deter the tomato-eating critters without going to the trouble of enclosing my tomato garden in a net.


texts: I found these two plants growing wild on a mound of earth left over from building my house. Can anyone help me identify it? Is it worth keeping or is it a weed? I live in Ireland if that makes any difference.


texts: Which tomatoes grow the best in high temperatures?

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Which tomato varieties have the most heat tolerance?

I live in a dry area (a steppe climate, or a Bsk climate with very hot summers), where the daytime highs are usually 89° F. or above in summer (up to about 116° F. at the most; temperatures that high are infrequent, but it's not uncommon for it to be over 100° F. for extended periods), and occasionally (such as now), the highs are a little cooler than 89° F. We're starting to get tomatoes on more plants, now. The night-time lows are usually 30+° F. cooler than the daytime highs.

Many new tomato varieties I'm using this year don't seem to set fruit during certain parts of the year, although I had thought the ones I formerly used from local stores were typical of tomatoes (apparently, most of them have some heat tolerance, it seems).

So, I was wondering: Which tomatoes tend to be the most heat-tolerant?

Also, I'm having the same problem with eggplant, although I'm only growing two varieties (I'm growing about 30 varieties of tomatoes). Feel free to comment there, too.

It should be noted that I'm only asking this question to answer it, because I just made a long list of reportedly heat-tolerant tomatoes, and I wanted to share it with the community. Nevertheless, if you have an answer, please feel free to give it. :) Please excuse the fact that I refer to myself as if I were someone else in my answer. I know there are other lists online, but most of them only list a few heat-tolerant varieties (and often the same ones as many of the other sites).


texts: What is causing dark spots on my tomato leaves?

texts:
I have a couple of matchless determinate variety tomatoes in grow bags. I am from Chennai, India (hot, humid and it's monsoon time now). It's been raining the past week. I applied Monopotassium phosphate (0:52:32) for the first time one day back and it rained out of nowhere in the evening.

Now there are a few black spots beginning to occur in the leaves. I also have these plants that are wilting, and I'm not able to conclusively identify the problem.

Timeline:

Sprayed with Neem oil 2 weeks ago
Sprayed with NPK 19:19:19 2 weeks ago
Rained for 3-4 days this week
Sprayed with MKP 0:52:32 yesterday
Rained heavily

Plants started setting fruit last month.

I searched "sudden outbreak of yellow leaves on tomato and other plants" and found a link about septoria leaf spot. I looked at that, will probably follow the tips next time onwards.

Soil Medium and fertilizer I am using:
Cocopeat (30%), Red Sand (30%), Cow Dung Manure (20%) & Vermicompost (20%) and some gypsum. Been using balanced NPK once each 3 weeks.


texts: How do I get rid of this white stuff on my pumpkin leaves?

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The leaves on my pumpkin plants have what looks like a white mold growing on them.

What is this?

If it is harmful, how do I treat it?


texts: I have this very unhappy kalanchoe (freedom bells) I was looking to propagate it by getting cuttings fro the stems and then putting putting them in water, but I noticed it was growing these white things from near the top of the stem, are these roots? can I cut of the top of the stem and put it into soil?


texts: Peace Lily leaves turning yellow and brown

texts: After 2 years of health, some of the leaves on my peace lily started turning yellow towards brown on the edges. I water it with the same frequency, have a constant temperature and have it outside of direct sunlight. Can I save it and is there a specific reason why this started happening?


texts: Is it normal for an Aloe vera to become spidery after blooming?

texts: My Aloe vera plant has bloomed.  It has gotten very "spidery", hanging out over the edges of the pot.  Some of the leaves down near the base have begun to dry up.  Someone told me they usually die after blooming.  Is there any truth in that? Is this spidery growth normal, can it be prevented or does it just happen in older Aloe vera plants?


texts: What is this plant with palmate leaves and purple flower spikes?

texts: Can you help me identify this plant? It has palmate leaves with 12 or more leaflets and flower spikes with whorled purple flowers.


texts:
Can anyone help me identify the following tree?

Any help would be gratefully received.

Note: I do not have further images available for this tree, hopefully it can be identified from the images below.

Thanks!


texts: Why do compost piles warm from the outside in during the springtime?

texts:
I started moving my composting wood chips this spring, and noticed that the middle of the pile is still frozen, but the outside is workable, why is that?

I can tell you that when we had no snow on the ground we had a -30F/-34C degree day.


texts:
I saw this plant on the street. It’s growing where weeds are supposed to grow, but it has big green leaves so I’m wondering what it is. I’ve never seen a plant like this grow on a sidewalk ledge.

I live in the Caribbean, so this gets tons of sun, it grows in a space where weeds grow, and it only receives rainwater.

Can it grow in a pot on a rooftop?


texts: Red Cordyline (Ti Plant) Curling Leaves, Spotted & browing- issue?

texts:
I bought a Red Cordyline (Ti Plant) from the store - it was indoors. I have since placed it outdoors. I live in southern CA in hardiness zone 10a. I am not sure what's happening with the plant - I have followed watering instructions (assure soil does not get dry below finger). I haven't repotted or changed the soil or added any fertilizer.
Symptoms are:

Curled, breaking leaves at all levels of the plant
Leaf tips have brown/yellowish spots and are fraying, dying, and brown
Spots and cracks throughout leaves in the plant
Tiny small browning on new growths; new leaves looking pale

My first thought was bugs, I have since treated with an all-natural insecticide and have sprayed with soapy water as well to no avail.
Is it bugs? Is it getting too much sun? I have in a spot that gets direct sun for maybe 2 or 3 hours tops - is any direct sun too much?

I seem to have a bit of a black thumb so any help would be appreciated. I can't seem to figure out what the source of this mixture of symptoms is. I don't remember there being any damage when I took the plant home, but then again I didn't thoroughly check. Thanks!

Pictures: (the white stuff on the leaves is flour I dusted on there because I read that that constipates aphids and I think that may be what I have)


texts: Now what is the matter with my rose stems?

texts: So, about 2 or so weeks ago, I decided to put what I read from here to action. I picked up a couple of rose stems(green part of course) and planted them. Just the other day, I notice that some of the stems were all brown so I picked those out of the tray and closed back up with humidity done. But today, I went to see them and the situation seems to have gotten worse. What the heck is wrong with them now???


texts: What is this succulent with pointy leaves that seeds constantly fall from?

texts:
I'm trying to identify this succulent I got from a friend. It spreads in two ways:
- Sometimes a stalk will tip to the side, and then sprout roots downward to creep along. One of the photos below documents this.
- More often, though, seeds form along the edge of the leaf, drop to the ground, and start new plants.

From my findings so far, the best I can figure is that it's some sort of kalanchoe - but I'm not entirely sure about that.

Other info:
- Leaf parings alternate: one pair will be front and back, and the next will be left and right
- the leaf edges are serrated, and bear a thin red line along them
- I'm growing it inside, in a pot. It loves direct sunlight most of the day, and is thriving near windows
- I water it weekly, allowing it to completely dry between waterings. It seems quite happy with this arrangement.


texts:
My very small patch of corn grew lots of large suckers with cobs mixed in with tassels which I thought was odd since corn is monecious.

Anyway, I wonder if there's any reason I should not use these ears to grab seeds from for next year, or will I be encouraging a strain that produces suckers.

Edit: while I expect that answers will say that I should select the largest cob to save the seeds from, I expect the kernels from the sucker cobs to have almost the same genetic material packaged into smaller seeds. Each kernel will be different depending on which other plant fertilised it. And seed size only provides an advantage with higher carbohydrate reserves when growing initially. But I will be growing into grow bags, and not broadcasting.


texts: Should I wait more, or cut this useless stem?

texts:
Plant - Dracaena reflexa (Song of India)

Condition - One stem is budding while the other isn't. I Had to remove the top growth.

What should I do: Cut the right stem completely off, or wait for some more time?

Left stem with two buds:

Right stem with no activity:


texts: Units of nutrient uptake rate in hydroponics?

texts: I'm studying the nutrient uptake by plants in hydroponics. I found that in many literatures, the uptake rate was expressed as xx (mg m-2 hour-1). Does anyone know what does that per square meter mean? Is it per leaf area or per root area? You can find similar expression in this paper link, in Table 1., the uptake was expressed as xx mol m-2 s-1


texts: Why is my lilac tree leaves turning brown already?

texts: I have never seen my lilac bush do this before. It's a very old lilac and Bloom the color I've never seen before. I have lived at this home for 11 years and I've never seen the bush but this bad.


texts: Can someone please tell me what kind of flower this is?


texts:
would like to save as much of the main trunk as possible, i already cut off about 12 various sized branches from the base ....

this is where i’m considering to stop. does it look healthy enough?

thanks so much,
a guilty feeling plant mama


texts:
Earlier on in the year (February I believe) I found a pine cone on the path. On the off chance that it might have a viable seed in it I took it home. I recovered just one seed and planted it in a small 4" pot.
It germinated and started to grow. This picture was taken on the 1st June.

Now (28th August) it is still the same size. It doesn't seem to be doing anything, although it appears to be alive.
Is this normal for pines to only grow such a small amount in the first year? Or is there something I can do to encourage more growth?
It's placed in an area where it gets afternoon direct light and indirect shaded light in the morning. I'm in the south of England.


texts: I noticed some tiny white bugs on my Calathea, could they be responsible for this?

texts:
Recently I acquired a new Calathea and upon bringing it home I gave the plant a wipe down. I found there are what looks like tiny tiny specks of dust on the underside of the leafs so I wiped them off but as I was cleaning, I also noticed TINY TINY WHITE BUGS crawling on the stems of the plant, there wasn't many of them and they're quite small (didn't look like cottony mealy bugs, nor did they have webs so that should rule out spider mites) but I have a feeling that it could be aphids, because I checked the leafs and they had these type of markings on them, which doesn't seem normal for the plant. I had asked the previous owner and she told me that she's never had a bug problem in her home, but it seems maybe they're just too small and were missed.
Any ideas of what they may be? My bets are these are done by perhaps Aphids?


texts: What is this fungus or weed growing in my flower bed?

texts:
I came home today and noticed two patches of this stuff in my flower bed.  I recently put down new mulch and I just started watering my lawn again. I live in Texas.

1) Is this a fungus?
2) Is it harmful?
3) How do I get rid of it?


texts:
First spring in our new home and I noticed some suspicious looking beasties out there.  Last year I had a terrible case of poison ivy so now I'm disturbingly aware of things that appear like poison ivy.

There's two areas that have something that looks suspicious to me.  One, I think/hope, are raspberry or blackberry etc bushes.  They are near the edge of a copse of trees and there are bent runners nearby with similar leave patterns on 2nd year looking woody branches with small prickers.

The second area though is very concerning and I'm staying right away from it for now.  It's a viny looking plant attached to my maple tree and has a lot of the characteristics of poison ivy.  I'm hoping it's not but I've already told my four year old to stay away.

If they are - what is the best way to have this removed - having recently had such a fierce reaction I'm nervous about getting it all over again in the process of eradicating this unwelcomed invader.


texts:
I wasn't paying close enough attention to my artichoke this past week, and it flowered on me before I could get a chance to harvest the bud. Disappointing that I didn't get to eat it, but at least I get the consolation prize of a really neat looking flower.

So I'm wondering now do I cut it off (and if so how far down from the flower) or do I just let it go? Not sure if the flowering is eating up resources that could be put towards vegetative growth, or if its good to let it go to help further develop the main stalk?


texts: Is peat moss nutritious enough for tomato seedlings?

texts: I have a seed starter kit with a wicking system.  The kit came with a peat moss mix and I have purchased some new peat moss pellets for starting seeds.  I know that peat does not really contain any nutrients for the plants.  If I am simply using a typical liquid plant food as fertilizer, is that good enough for a month or two of growing?  Do I need to transplant quicker to larger pots with more nutrient rich medium?  Would using a hydroponic fertilizer, which contains much more trace elements/minerals, be a better option?


texts: How Should I Take Care of These Two Phalaenopsis Orchids with Different Behaviors?

texts:
I bought a pot of Phalaenopsis Orchid while its flower was almost dead a few months ago. Several weeks later I bought another pot with no flowers on it. I've been keeping both pots in the sitting room at a North-facing window with not a lot of sun, and appropriate humidity. The manual says to water once a week, I followed it when I first bought it, assing the orchid food drops into water, but as I live in a very humid area, I increased watering intervals to twice a month or so.

Question about pot #1:

The first pot's only flower fell off a couple of weeks ago, and afterwards started blooming/blossoming. It looks very fresh and happy and the flowers are coming, and there's a new step growing as well.

It's not growing vertically, so shall I hook it up to the support stand thing to keep it straight or is there a chance I may damage it?

Questions about pot #2:

The leaves of the second pot are getting more and more withered and one of them is turning yellow. The roots don't seem to be in a good condition, either. and the whole plant can come off easily from the pot, as if it's not well settled in it.

What should I do to maintain the roots and the flower's health?

I searched before posting, and I read the answer to this question: My orchid has one yellowing leaf. What's gone wrong? but I think mine is slightly different, as I have one other pot at the same condition doing pretty well.

P.S. Both pots are kept in the bigger ceramic/porcelain pots.


texts: Something is killing my snakegourd plants

texts: My plant's leaves are developing yellow, black, and dry spots all over. The flowers are also drying up before becoming the vegetable itself. There are ants nearby but I don't think ants do this type of damage. Could this be fungal?


texts: How do I take over a previous owners raised beds?

texts:
My fiancee and I just bought our first home and I'd like to start my journey of vegetable gardening.  The previous homeowners have 3 raised beds on the South side of the house.  We haven't moved in yet so I'm not able to verify the amount of sunlight they get, but I'm going to assume (for now) that it's in an adequate spot.

How should I take over their raised beds?  I have no idea how good of condition their soil is in (i.e. maybe they haven't touched the garden in years or perhaps they take great care of it).

Should I do a soil test when we move in?  Or should I assume the soil is lackluster and instead put in a mixture of compost and topsoil?  Or should I do something entirely different?


texts: Should I separate the cilantro plant stalks? I bought a plant from walmart

texts:
I am growing the cilantro indoors. I bought a cilantro plant from Walmart(it was already a half-grown plant in a small container like a seedling container) on the 20th of Jan and today I transferred it to a bigger pot.

As you can see in the picture:

The stalks are clumped together and the root system has grown in that small shape of the container and the roots of some stalks are sort of a little outside the soil's top layer. Should I separate the stalks because to do so I will have to cut through the roots, or will my planting work (I put it in the center of the pot as in the picture).

Also, as you can see the plant is drooping and I am assuming it is because of underwatering. The conditions - the pot is in the living area against the patio doors and they receive sunlight from around noon to evening, I live in Fairfax, VA (I am not sure about the zone thing). Should I reduce the sunlight?

I am also growing basil which is growing pretty well, that is the main reason I am confused about the drooping of the cilantro and thought maybe they are starving each other by being so close. Also, I have pruned and harvested the plant today that is the reason there are so few leaves. If any more information is required I am happy to provide it.

Thank you in advance.


texts: What is this plant with serrated leaves?


texts: Why are the leaves of my peace lily plant turning yellow?

texts:
My peace lily plant was very robust and had lots of flowers. However, its leaves started turning yellow and now it looks like I am going to lose it.

What can I do?


texts: What kind of shrub or bush is this, black berries, elongated leaves?

texts: There are a couple of these bushes next to my house. I tried to identify them, but can't find them. Leaves are elongated, alternating and unlobed. They are ever so slightly serrated. You can see that a little in the second picture. The berries are almost black when ripe, or red when not. The shrub is located in Germany.


texts: What is causing these spots on my shamrock plant?

texts: We have had this shamrock at home (inside) for the last 4 months and about 1 month ago these spots started appearing. Any idea what it is and if we can fix it?


texts: In May, I took some greenwood forsythia cuttings, dipped them in a hormone rooting powder and planted them in rooting mix. The mix was kept moist all year. I had thought they had rooted because they began to grow rapidly and the new shoots hardened off. In October the plants dropped their leaves, and by November they were dead. I dug them up and they had not rooted. There wasn't even a trace of root. What caused it to do this and how do I prevent it?


texts:
I know that with things that bear fruit (e.g. Apples) a plant grown from the parent plants seed may not bear fruit that are the same as those of the parent, which leads me to ask the question:

I have a planter which had some purchased Fuschias in them last summer (I think they're ones with unusually large flowers for what it's worth). As well as the parent plants having survived over winter, there are what appear to be a large number of baby plants which are presumably from seeds set by the parent plants. Are these likely to produce flowers comparable to those of the parent / are they worth keeping?


texts: Extracting stubborn plants from styroblocks

texts:
At times you invert the pot and tap, and it pops out.  Other times, it can be stubborn.
I grow a lot of trees in styroblocks. (https://bpgrower.com/styroblockcontainers)  Typically they spend 2 years in the block then get transplanted to a bigger pot.  Sometimes they are unwilling to come out.  Roots have gotten between the granules in the block.

First method.   Grab stem and pull.  Sometimes this wrecks the tree, when the bark slips, sometimes it tree leaves half it's roots and most of the dirt in the block.
Second method.  Push with finger on the root ball.  This only can be done with the 1 liter blocks. This is really hard on the finger after a dozen or two.
Third method:  Cut a scrap of plywood about 2" square and 1/2" thick.  Drill a hole 3/4" in diameter.  Screw this onto a Gardena hand nozzle that has garden hose threads on the output of the nozzle.
Turn the tap on to a quarter flow. You want a flow of about a half cup per second wide open.  Not enough: waiting...  Too much: hard to control.
Press this firm against the drainage hole. Squeeze trigger.
This method will frequently get you soaked. Sometimes it will only move the root ball enough for the water to go around the root, but leave it stuck.
Fourth method: Destroy the block.  Blocks cost about $4.50 each, or about 30 cents per tree. Normal use is about 10 years.

New methods I've not tried yet:

Replace water with air.  While this will keep me drier, I suspect that it will have more problems with air escaping around the root plug.
This is basically an improved mechanical finger. Take a toggle bolt drywall anchor (Hillman group).  Reverse the toggle.  Put a handle on the bolt.  Now insert into drainage hole and push.  The bolt wings expabd pushing against more of the root plug.
Shape a sheet metal tool to match the curve of the plug.  Use this to cut the roots by plunging down the sides of the root ball from the top.  This is much like using a dinner knife to loosen the edges of the loaf when extracting banana nut bread from the pan.

There are manual pin extractors that purport to do this.  On stubborn trees, the pins just sink into the root ball.  (See https://plugpopper.com)
Other ideas that may be easier/faster.


texts: Can I cut the top off a drooping aloe plant?

texts: I inherited this horrible aloe plant from an old roommate. It was living in a tall, skinny Tupperware in a dark corner of the kitchen, where it got knocked over and stepped on more than once. From reading around, I gather it grew tall like this because of low light? I put it in a bigger pot, transplanted one of its several babies, and put it in a sunny windowsill. I've read that it's possible to cut the top off a plant like this and propagate it. My question is this: what would happen to the bottom part if I did that? Would it survive? Would it grow to not be horrifically ugly?


texts: Are these elephant ear bulbs worth planting

texts: My neighbor moved and said I could dig up her elephant ear bulb. It was huge when I dug it up I left it outside and it rained for 3 days and even frosted before I could do anything with it The little pieces in the picture are I guess little bulbs that came off of the big one Will any of these live???


texts: Anyone know what plant this is? (pink flowers, stalks)

texts:
This plant is growing in my flowerbeds out front of my house. I haven't been at the house as it's a second home, but I'm not sure what this is. Honestly, I don't even know if it's really a plant/flower or just a weed. Any information would be greatly appreciated!
It initially looks like a bush, but it's actually stalks, as can be seen in one of the pictures.
Thank you in advance!


texts: I'm in my second year of trying a vegetable garden, and last year I started planting way too late.  This year, I want to start some plants indoors so that I can transplant them outdoors earlier.  I've saved some styrofoam egg cartons and read a bunch on how to start the seeds in them.  But now I'm reading that a lot of people only start them in egg cartons until they sprout leaves, and then move them to bigger indoor containers before moving them outdoors.  We're getting close to outdoor planting season here. Do I really need to move them multiple times, or can I just start them in the egg cartons and them move them out into the garden?


texts: How can I make sure my seedlings don't die in summer?

texts:
I did a bad thing: I planted several punnets of seedlings in mid-summer.

It's been 5 days and many look like they're already dead. They are (or were) a small daisy-like ground cover. It's been hot this last week, as high as 36C (97F).

What can I do to make sure they survive?


texts: How much soil is needed for turf to survive?

texts:
Our garden currently has a small gravel border all the way around.
When removed it leaves a few inches before it reaches the foundations for the wall.

If we were to turf the lawn, after filling the border with soil, would the turf grow in such a short depth?

I suppose what i am asking is can turf survive with just a few inches of soil beneath it.


texts: I have a bronze loquat in my front yard and noticed some dark brown spots (see pictures) on the leaves. I need help identifying what the plant disease is and what I can do to get rid of it.


texts: How to save a newly cut dracaena without leaves

texts:
I tried to get a cut from my dracaena and propagate it before travelling. Unfortunately when we arrived the cut was damaged - the leaves were cut off.
Now I'm afraid that it doesn't have any roots yet, neither leaves, so it may not survive.
Is it better to keep it in a pot, or should I instead put it in a glass of water until roots start to appear?
You can find below pictures of the new cut without leaves and the mother plant.


texts: Will grass seeding on an existing lawn help prevent/control weed grasses?

texts: Can I use a grass seed on an existing lawn that has some crabgrass and Bermuda grass problems, to help thicken up the lawn to prevent crab/Bermuda grass from growing?  I live in Sacramento, Ca.


texts: Does somebody else see a fasciation mutation in the main flower of this plant? I suspect because it is too leafy at the top.


texts: What kind of pest is this and how do I deal with it

texts:
My potted cayenne peppers have had problems with pests for about a year and a half. Does any one recognize it and know how to deal with it?

The plants have been standing on a glazed balcony during summer, the older ones have been overwintering indoors.
The soil is a mixture of potting soil and compost.
When I planted them I added some spoons of leftover tomato fertilizer (7-3-10)
I am located in northern scandinavia.

I have so far treated it without success by:

Removing any damaged leaves.
Spraying/washing leaves and stems with dishsoap diluted in water.

Update:
I have sprayed the plants with neem according to stormys answer and have not observed any new damage to the leaves so far.

Update2:
After researching this a bit more I believe the pests may actually be (chilli) thrips, rather than whitefly as the accepted answer says. Compare this image to my closeup photograph. I will leave the answer accepted since the neem seems to be effective against them as well, but I might write up a new answer in spring depending on how it works out.

Mildly damaged leaves:

A closeup of whatever lives on the plants (I estimate 1-2mm in length):

Same image, zoomed out.


texts: celebration bermuda grass from very brown sod

texts:
A landscaper who's done some grading work for me had two palettes of "Bermuda Celebration" sod left over and asked me to take it (he'd installed 450 sq. ft. of St. Augustine in the back yard which took off really well).

However, this sod turned out to be quite brown.  There is green in it, and white roots were poking through the bottom of each sod when I pulled it.

Question is, a) was I a total sucker in taking this and b) what is a good watering routine (as well as fertilizer) to revive this? Note I'm in Central Texas, between zone 8 and 9.


texts: I have this neglected rose bush in my garden. It seems too long and spindly? How and when should I prune it?


texts: Can anybody identify this plant that looks like a Salvia?

texts: Can somebody help me identify this plant? It looks kind of like a salvia plant.


texts: Can bonsai be made from a walnut seedling?

texts: I managed to sprout a nut and now I have a walnut. Can I make a bonsai?


texts:
New planted guava plant soil is always wet due to close by raised bed water leak.
Will it survive with too much water. should i move my guava to different location.
Thank you !


texts: Is there a way to effectively/safely spread new blueberry branches?

texts: I have some blueberry bushes of different varieties that were planted this year, and was wondering if I could effectively/safely spread branches of blueberry bushes so they naturally puff out more in future years.


texts: Okay to use essential oil as cat repellent?

texts: We have a cats coming into our yard and pooping in our plant bed. It's getting pretty gross and the neighbors aren't going to do anything about it. I've read that sprays containing citrus essential oils can work as a deterrent. I was considering making a mixture of water and lemon or citronella oil and spraying it on the ground of the plant bed. Should I be concerned about negative effects on the plants? Maybe making the soil too acidic?


texts: Should slugs and snails be treated the same way?

texts:
I've been reading articles on taking care of plant species such as basil and have noticed that though I've seen precautions for slug infestations, I haven't seen the same for snails. They're both mollusks so I'm wondering if they behave the same or share similar diets that I should be worried about.
anecdote: I was warned about slugs eating my basil leaves, instead i found snails looking like they were eating them. Makes me wonder if I should assume one behaves like the other.


texts: Should I leave early rootstock budding in place?

texts:
I have a male and female pistachio tree. Both are grafted trees. At the base of the tree, on the rootstock, it buds and produces new branches and leaves 6 to 12 weeks ahead of the grafted section of the tree.

I have been allowing the rootstock branches to continue to grow until the grafted section buds. Then I cut it back. I'm not sure if this is the right strategy and perhaps it's delaying the grafts from budding and growing. I've been thinking of the rootstock branches as nurse branches keeping the tree healthy and alive. They may be taking energy that might have allowed the grafts to bud earlier.

What is the correct strategy here? i.e. is there a case when you'd allow the rootstock to grow in this situation?

(A quick aside: I have allowed the rootstock on some apples to grow so that I can cleft graft new varieties onto those branches. With the pistachios above I have no intention of grafting anything new onto them so the rootstock branches aren't needed for this.)


texts: Can I cut off exposed tree roots without harming the tree?

texts: Large trees often have roots protruding out of the ground around the base of the trunk (such as the ones that can push up sidewalks next to the tree). When is it safe to cut those roots (that might be a hazard to people running in the area near the tree), and when should you be worried about that causing damage to the tree?


texts:
I moved to a new apartment recently and the owner left me some of his plants.

Looks like some citrus plant:

2.

This one already started to rot:

It will be great to be able to identify them and to know how to care for them: should I keep them on the sunny side, how often should I pour them?


texts:
I have fairly mature Hebe (albicans, I think) which suffered badly in the late frost this year in the UK. After trimming back all the clearly dead growth, there are some big gaps. All the active growth appears to be just at the tips of the branches. Is the plant ruined, or does it have a chance of recovery?

The other option might be to prune it all back at the end of the season - is this worth trying? There is roughly as much healthy growth as dead (now cut back)


texts: What unit of photometry is used to assess plant growth? Is there a catalog that lists plants and the required light exposure? I'm looking at more detailed indicators than "a lot of light" or "not too much light".


texts: Is it wise to shred leaves and leave them in a corner rather than bag them?

texts:
Rather than bag this pile of leaves and leave it at the curb

I used a tool to collect it and shred it

then dumped it in the corner of the yard.

It will freeze in a few weeks. What will the result of this experiment most likely be? Will I find some nice (and organic, to boot) earth instead of this pile next Spring, or will I just find a lot of rotten leaves with a cornucopia of unpleasant insects that will go around to harm my yard and my two small plots of vegetables?


texts: How effective is cow's blood as a deer deterent?

texts:
In reading this thread I was curious about something I was told a while ago. A friend of mine said he was having issues with deer eating all of his plants. He said he was given advice to utilize dried cow's blood. To just sprinkle it onto the grass and it would deter the deer from coming onto his property. He said it worked well for him. He said a side benefit was that it fertilized his lawn, or at least made the grass very dark green in the process.

My question is, does this really work? If so, how long can you expect it to last? And lastly, is there any known reason for why this works?


texts: Could rain barrels be considered suitable substitutes for rain gardens?

texts:
My county requires rainwater management to be incorporated into lot plans for new construction if a certain percentage of the lot is impervious. This seems a sensible measure.

We are under the impression that rain gardens are the only approved method for managing runoff (if a percolation study determines that the site's soil can support one). Rain gardens benefit the community by reducing erosion and filtering pollutants.

It seems to me that rain barrels can achieve the same benefits. The only significant differences between the mechanisms that I can think of are

the storage capacity and
retention time.

Rain gardens "store" water temporarily and have a much higher capacity; rain barrels store only about 55 gallons but can hold that water indefinitely.

Because I'm an avid gardener, I'd much rather have rainwater available for watering my garden and reduce my reliance on municipal water. There is also some concern that rain garden performance degrades over time unless well-maintained. I don't think there's a similar risk to rain barrels, but if there were I imagine it'd be much easier to rectify a failing rain barrel than a failing rain garden.

Can rain barrels be considered to be suitable substitutes for rain gardens? Why or why not? Under what conditions?


texts: Can the roots of a Redwood tree lift up the foundation of my house?

texts: I have a large (80 years old) Redwood Tree in my front yard, approximately 10 feet from the house.  My house is a ranch style house and I can see the roots of the tree go under the house in the front and come out on the other side.  How much do roots grow in thickness, as opposed to length, and do I need to worry about them lifting up the house at some point?


texts: What is this bush with five-petalled white flowers?

texts:
More importantly, is it poison oak? It has 3 leaves... It's located in Maryland.

Click photo for full size


texts: My Rubber plant lost all its leaves!!! Can it be saved?

texts: Please help! This plant is nearly 15 years old and 6 feet tall. It was thriving until 2 years ago when I moved it close to a window and a heating/cooling vent when it slowly started losing its leaves. From all the reading I've done I realize that little light, drafts and change in temperature are whats caused the plant to lose all its leaves. My question is...can it be saved? and if so HOW? I have already moved it to a place that will have lots of sun and away from any drafts and vents. What, if anything can I do????? Prune it right down the the base and start over??


texts: What's a good height to mount a retractable hose reel?

texts:
How high should I mount a retractable hose reel from the ground?

I want it to be easy to reach (for children too), not damage plants that are nearby, and not be too high or low that it will look strange.

The Holman Industries site says "An ideal height to mount the reel, is to have about 150mm between the bottom of the reel & the ground", but that seems way too low to me.


texts: How much late spring cold have damaged my walnuts

texts:
Unfortunately, last night temperature in my garden in Avenliq. East Azerbaijan of Iran country dropped to -3°C and these are my walnut new sprouts after that.

will these bear any fruit?

should I do something?(for example cutting darkened new growth)


texts: I found some chaga today growing on a birch tree, and want to propagate it at home. How do I propagate chaga on a birch tree?


texts: Found these growing in our vegetable patch. Green leaves with red stems and central veins. We are in mid Michigan. Thank you


texts: Are some varieties of Paulownia sterile?

texts: Is it true that some varieties of Paulownia are sterile? And if so, where are they sold?


texts: Big Max pumpkins are starting to go white after growing some, are they rotting?

texts:
I have a large Big Max pumpkin plant.  It has four pumpkins on it: two large ones that look healthy, and two that are smaller and starting to look bad.  See the photo below: the one on the left is one of the two I'm concerned about (on the right is one of the large healthy ones).
These two small pumpkins looked like they were doing okay up until recently.  My plant goes limp in the afternoon with the heat I have in central New Mexico and the hard surface it is growing on (see Big Max pumpkin leaves shrivel/go limp in hot afternoon, even with frequent waterings; how to stop this?).  These two smaller pumpkins get a bit soft in the afternoon.  This white, seemingly decayed flesh only started appearing recently and it growing day by day.  The bottom part of the pumpkin (what you can't see in the photo) is still normal-looking yellow flesh.
Some details: I often spray the pumpkin plant in the afternoon because of the heat to help the leaves, I have had some concentrated sprays on these pumpkins (only when it's hot outside) to help them survive the heat, and a bunch of even smaller pumpkins I already cut off because they never got very big before going mushy.
What's happening to this pumpkin that looks sickly?  Is it rotting away?  Does it pose a danger to my two pumpkins that are growing well?


texts: Whitening of some leaves of a potted key lime tree

texts:
I have a potted one-year-old-or so lime tree, which has looked quite healthy for the past two months or so (after recovering from a winter where it lost a lot of leaves due to overwatering).

Since the outside was really cold and it's on the ledge of the (closed) window of my office, I let the heater on during one night, in addition to the usual central heating -- so when I cam back the next day, my office was quite warm, maybe 27° C.

Later that day, I noticed that two leaves of the lime tree had edges that were whitening; after a few more days, it does not seem to spread to many leaves, but it currently had 3-4 leaves showng the same sort of whitening:

In terms of watering, I water this tree twice a week, and try not to overdo it; it's on the ledge of a window headed East, in an office in Manhattan (so, recently, it's been rather cold outside, roughly freezing temperatures; but my office stays at 18°-20° C).

Should I be worried? Am I doing something wrong?


texts: Garlic scapes drooping during a cold winter without much snow. Will they survive?

texts:
I live in Massachusetts Zone 6b and I planted garlic in October (First time ever planting garlic!) about 6 inches deep into the soil, with mulch on top of the soil.

The garlic I planted was organic garlic I bought from whole foods.

Since the first part of the winter was relatively mild, I harvested some Scapes for thanksgiving and even had the possibility of a Christmas Day Harvest.

However, It's gotten cold here the past few weeks and there has been very little snow, none of which remained.

Today, I noticed that the scapes were drooping - though still green. Will they still be able to produce anything for the spring?


texts: Roots growing out the top of plant, last attempt?

texts:
Some of my coworkers found a mismanaged plant and gave it to me to rescue.  It was very dry and upon further inspection roots had grown over a small plastic pot, completely covering it. Then someone had put it in another pot. Some larger roots started growing out the top of the plant... Do they do this as a last attempt to find water?

I carefully cut out the inside pot and soaked two of the roots in a glass of water for a few hours until I could get soil and repot it. Did I take the right steps? Any suggestions?


texts: Getting rid of the bugs on the Lotus maculatus

texts:
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and have noticed today that a couple of our Lotus maculatus, aka "Gold Flash", are infested with bugs, as you can see in the picture below. They are in pots, hanging in front of our kitchen window.

Interestingly, there are tons of ants going to those pots. I'm not sure if they are farming those bugs (is that even possible?), somehow feed off the bugs, or if this is completely unrelated. But if they are not going there for the bugs, I'm not sure what else they would find there.

Does anyone know what those bugs are? How would you recommend I approach getting rid of those ants and bugs?


texts:
We have a standard grass lawn and in true British style got a paddling pool out a month too early. The pool got infested with mosquito larvae so we drained it (not into the garden) and got rid of the pool.

When we removed it we found that mould(?) had grown where the pool had been. It's definitely got two different areas of colour. After a couple of days these holes also appeared, I'm assuming it could be from birds. Any idea what this is and what we should do?


texts: How can I grow better shaped yellow squash?

texts: I am growing some early prolific straight neck yellow squash in my raised bed. I am getting a lot of flowers and squashes but they don't seem to be growing to full size. Am I doing something wrong?  See pictures.


texts: Daisies planted last year are not flowering

texts: I planted several daisies last year.  They didn't flower then, but I assumed it was due to stress.  This year they appear quite lush, except that they're still not flowering.  Is there anything specific I should try?


texts: Can I use herbicides in flood conditions without harming good plants?

texts:
In Arizona, USA, it is monsoon season, meaning that our dry, arid, and rainless state suddenly gets a lot of rain over the period of about two months. This sort of flooding is perfect for spreading seeds and germinating weeds.

My yard has horrible drainage, so when it rains, the yard becomes a flood pool two inches deep, including around our fruit trees and non-weed bushes. Optimally, the solution is to hire a landscaper to fix this drainage issue (it isn't good for the house, either), but right now my finances cannot afford it.

Problem: The monsoon is sprouting all the weeds.

Question: What can I do?

I feel like my only solution is to futile hoe the entire yard every week.  I am worried if I put down herbicide spray or pellets, the next rain will make the yard a pool again, diluting the poisons and spreading them to my non-weed plants and trees.

Another way of approaching the question might be "Herbicides are rainproof, but are they flood proof?"


texts: Why is my young fuyu persimmon tree struggling?

texts:
I have a young fuyu persimmon tree that’s struggling quite a bit. It’s watered by a drip system connected to a Rachio controller. I checked the soil, and it doesn’t appear too dry. Am I watering it too little? Too much?

Some additional context that might matter: there used to be another tree near where this one is that we had removed due to oak root fungus. Our local nursery told us that persimmon trees are resistant though.

Also, note that there are some wood chips used as ground cover where this is planted.

I planted this tree late last Fall. It had lots of new growth in the spring, and looked like it was going to have a great summer. Now, it looks like it’s dying. :(


texts: Does Korean Privet (Ligustrum Ovalifolium) thicken in the lower part of the plant?

texts:
This year in March I planted a privet hedge. Most plants were about 80 cm (2.5 feet).

The plants look alright now:

But the bottom half is still mostly bare of leafs and new branches. I noticed some leafs started growing in the lower section of the plant, but  very timidly.

I've heard conflicting facts about this, someone told me the plant should be cut to half the height for it to thicken in the bottom part as well, someone else told me to leave it alone, as it will thicken all over eventually.


texts: I got some walking onion from someone at the community garden, and was wondering if I should take anything into consideration when planting them. There was a little bit of damage to them, and one stem was all present except for a tiny bit holding it together, what should I do?


texts: What Should I look (out) for when purchasing a hydrangea plant?

texts:
I was about to buy a potted hydrangea as a last minute gift. I looked at the stem and it appeared dry, brittle and brown at the base of the plant. It's nice and green and firm near the heads of the flowers. Here is a picture that attempts to capture this difference:

Is this color/texture difference along the stem a problem?

What characteristics should I avoid when buying hydrangea plants?

Most stems are in bloom, colored pink, so from above the plant looks very lively.


texts:
I have buffalo grass for lawn and garden beds around the house. The grass wants to spread into my garden bed. I have a border of concrete curves that looks like this:

But the border is fairly overgrown.

What's the best way to keep lawn out of gardens?

Is there a grass that is recommended? Perhaps a non-invasive variety.

Or should I just maintain the border better?


texts: Can I safely spray copper fungicide for peach leaf curl during summer?

texts:
My family has a peach tree with severe leaf curl which they did not notice; I picked up some copper octanoate (0.08%) fungicide today as soon as I noticed. With about half the leaves damaged, I'm expecting to lose the peaches this year but I'd like to save the tree for next year.
Is it safe to spray the tree now (late June) in terms of avoiding further damage? I recognize that the copper may be harmful to human health, so any fruit that do form will not be eaten.


texts: What is the name of this red flower? And how do I care for it?

texts:
Does anyone have any idea what plant this is?

I got it but it was missing its tag. I looked it up and thought it resembled a flower called Kalanchoe, but of course I cannot be certain at all.

Can I have a second opinion?


texts: Will vegetables grown where tobacco stems were chopped into the soil have any traces of nicotine?

texts: My neighbor, while spreading a thick layer of tobacco stems across his pasture (I have no idea what for), got quite a few into my garden. I tried to remove it, but somehow a good amount has been chopped up with the soil this spring. Will that harm any of my vegetables?


texts: Identification of this branched bush with tiny blue flowers

texts:
I would like to prune this bush in my garden. It wasn't me who planted it, which is why I don't know what it is and before doing any mistakes I'm asking here for help.

With this one I'm especially unsure because it has flowered right into December (down to 0-5 C) and I think the leaves only got brown when it became really cold. Now in spring there are new sprouts and flowers. It could well be that it is an evergreen when conditions aren't to rough. Right now the dimensions are 3m large, 2m wide and 1m high.

(Click on the picture for a larger image).

The whole bush from the side:

The leaves and flowers

A zoom on the flower we can see below the meter in the picture with the meter


texts: Will plants grow faster if I reorganize their roots within pots?

texts: I have a number of random potted plants in my apartment and a few of them are looking to be very tall. Specifically, orange and chili pepper. Once upon a time I replanted some of them and discovered that every plant has its roots concentrated tightly at the very bottom of their pots. It's probably where the most water accumulates, and naturally plants want it and whatever minerals it carries. Then I thought maybe I should raise the "root level" by lifting all the soil and roots from the pot, adding a few centimeters of soil and then putting the plant back in the pot. It should give the roots more space to grow downwards and allow to get more water (increased surface of roots). Does this make sense or will it harm the plant?


texts:
About 2.5 years ago (December 2016) I bare root planted several Crepe Myrtles.  They were all about 6" long and I received them following a donation to the Arbor Day Foundation.

Three of these have survived and interestingly all have displayed completely different growing patterns.  One of which doesn't seem to be adding height.   After 2.5 years its only 1.75 feet high! The other two have already reached 4ft and 5ft. See pictures below.

I know there are a ton of varieties of crepe myrtles. While the Arbor Day Foundation said they'd send me trees, I'm beginning the think the one isn't.  Is there any way to identify if indeed I have a bush variant? Otherwise how much time should I give it before I can safely say its not a tree based on it's growth rate?

If it's going to be a bush, I'd rather relocate to my garden area now and get a tree in there instead.  If it'll help with answers, I live in south Texas. Zone 9a. I've maintained a good watering and fertilization schedule throughout their life. No major issues.

Crepe Myrtle 1 - 1.75ft high. Bush?

Crepe Myrtle 2 - 4ft high. Assuming this is normal tree like growth

Crepe Myrtle 3 - 5ft high. Assuming this is normal tree like growth


texts: How to prevent raspberries from shriveling before they've matured?

texts:
I have a 5 foot tall Fall Gold Raspberry plant. I bought it as a 4 foot plant from the local nursery earlier this year. It has been producing quite a lot of berries. There are perhaps 20 growing on this plant at the moment. The problem is that the fruit shrivels before it reaches mature size. Here is someone else's photo to show what a mature Fall Gold raspberry looks like:

All of my berries start shriveling at half that size. I have eaten them before they've shriveled and they are quite sweet and aromatic. However, I'd prefer to eat larger meatier berries. This is a photo of my my shriveled berries:

This is a photo of the entire plant. It is planted along a southeast fence. It doesn't get sunlight in the morning because the fence blocks the southern sun, but starting at noon, it can start sunbathing. The plant looks green and lush to me. It seems that the few burnt leaves are the ones that receive the most sun. I've been putting a tad bit of cottonseed meal to slightly acidify the soil.

Update
It's now the middle of summer and my Fall Gold is producing its second batch of berries. This time around, the berries have remained green before reaching full size. The previous batch would become gold far too soon. Temperatures have been a tad bit more comfortable - 60 F at night, under 80 F during the day. I still water it every 2 or 3 days.
The lush cane closer to the camera is newer growth. It's producing some big berries. The sickly one in the background is the original cane from the nursery - the same cane that produced the immature shriveled berries. Even though it has become sickly, it's still producing a second batch of berries now. So I'll let it produce before sending it to the grave. As this is my first year gardening, I don't really know what pale and dried up leaves signify. I'm inclined to believe that it's a cane that's reached the end of its lifecycle.


texts:
I have been growing a blueberry bushes and am not sure that I am having much success. The plant doesn't appear to have done much since it was planted and just appears to be slowly loosing leaves and flowers.

Would anyone have any recommendations? maybe the soil is not acidic enough? Maybe the plant is not getting enough water? Is it just not the right time of year? (mid winter to early spring) I also think I might have planted the plant too high up and some of the roots are exposed.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Photos (click to enlarge)

These are photos of the blueberry plant soon after being planted (14th July - Note southern Australian climate):

These are photos of the blueberry plant now (10th September) The first one is an overall shot and the second shows the exposed roots, I understand that this is not ideal, but I don't think that it is the main issue:


texts: What are these white bugs on my tomatoes?

texts: I noticed these things on my tomato plants.  What are they and how can I safely get rid of them?


texts: What are the uptake and decay rates for Spectracide® Weed Stop® for Lawns?

texts:
Once a lawn has been treated with  Spectracide® Weed Stop® for Lawns how long are the active ingredients 'active'?  Do some decay faster then others?

Following the links from the Manufactures site it looks like the active ingredients are

2,4-d, dimethylamine salt
Quinclorac
Dicamba, dimethlyamine salt
Sulfentranzone

This is companion question for related question on Pets.SE


texts: I'm into foraging, and foraging questions don't go with cooking advice, so I was wondering how I can preserve staghorn sumac for winter.


texts: Labeling buried PVC pipes to know which is which

texts: Setting up irrigation and we have 9 zones. In some areas multiple pipes go along the same trench for quite some distance. Later on I may 'T' off one of the pipes and I'm wondering best to label the pipes so I know which is which (especially if I don't know where I'll tee from yet.


texts: What is this fungus in my indoor snake plant's pot, and is it harmful?

texts:
I've had a snake plant growing indoors for about a year. Twice now in the last month I've had to remove some fungus that sprouted over the surface.  The planter is located next to a patio door, which was open (we also have a screen door) for most of the spring, but is kept closed in the summer/winter.

Is this bad? Should I get rid of the plant, or perhaps re-pot it? What kind of fungus is this?


texts:
Recently on a Basque TV channel from Northern Spain I saw a competition between two women scything a meadow against the clock. They were going almost as fast as a modern ride on mower, but were clearly exhausted by the end of the allotted patch.

Is use of the scythe a part of your local tradition in gardening? Do you keep a scythe in your garden shed? What use would it have in a modern garden context? Would you know how to use it? Is it one of those skills that we should make an effort to preserve?


texts: 'Nicoline' and 'Crimson and Gold' - differences?

texts:
I would like to add one or more japanese quinces (in particular, Chaenomeles x superba) to my garden.

There are two interesting cultivars that are available where I live: 'Nicoline' and 'Crimson and Gold'. They are very similar, but I can't figure out what the exact difference is. (I am interested in knowing, let's say, exact flower color, habit, favorite position, attractiveness to birds,... differences) Could you perhaps help me?


texts: Should rain water be allowed to flow directly into greenhouse?

texts:
I see a lot of talk about storing rain for later use in a greenhouse... But what about letting the rain flow into the greenhouse instead of storing it?

If a small 6'x9' greenhouse has gutters, would there be more harm than good if the gutters somehow diverted water inside?
I'm thinking of a pipe or hose that directs water from the gutters and brings it inside and then uses a soak/drip irrigation hose to administer it to the plants.


texts: What bamboos are hardy in USDA zone 4A and can be used to make cloth?

texts:
I'm considering growing clumping bamboo for clothing; what type should I plant in order to make cloth.

It hasn't been colder than -10°F in a few years (Minneapolis, Minnesota).

What types should I look into growing?


texts: How close can dyed mulch be to a vegetable garden raised bed?

texts: I have a raised cedar garden bed, roughly 10 inches high.  In the surrounding area is black dyed mulch.  If I fill the beds with good topsoil should I worry about the dyed mulch leaking into the soil?  Could I even put the garden bed on top of the dyed mulch?  I only plan to plant tomatoes, peppers, etc., no root type vegetables.


texts:
I planted a dozen gai lan plants in a container last year. They did very well and I got a nice harvest of leaves, and then let them go to seed.
It's been a very warm winter here in Portland, OR, and as a result they haven't died off; the plants are still alive in their container.  Can I just trim them, and expect them to re-leaf in the spring, or do I need to pull them up and replant from seed?


texts: How to make a galvanized steel stock tank in to self watering planter?

texts:
We got a galvanized steel stock tank (thanks Pinterest) to use as a planter for a raised flower bed similar in size and weight to this stock tank.

How would we add a self watering tray/container/tube system beneath the soil inside the planter?

What type of platform can we build or buy that's sturdy enough to raise our planter two more feet and support the weight of all the soil inside it?

Unfortunately, my wife nixed using cinder blocks. :(

Update: got this Tarter built John Deere branded stock tank that's 2' by 2' by 4'. It's tall enough so no longer need cinder blocks.


texts: I was wondering what the white thing on my bamboo leaves is. It's near a fountain so I thought maybe it's tesidu from whatever is in the fountain but now I'm wondering if it could be some kind of mold...


texts: do frogs love to go into wood chip gardens?

texts: I have a Back to Eden Garden on the edge of a swampy area, and am wondering if I'll likely get a lot of frogs and toads to do my pest management this year, or I'll have to do other things to aid in the management of the pests as I have a good supply (a choir) of toads, and frogs in the area.


texts: Weed in Massachusetts: underground roots, skunky smell when bruised

texts:
We've had our house for a couple of decades, and every time I neglect the back yard (more often than I should) this weed pops up all over the place:

It has a skunky smell when bruised, grows from a single stem, and can get several feet high (perhaps higher). When I pull it up it's always attached to an underground root system that seems like it's coming from somewhere else. I'm guessing these roots are all over the place, and every time I pull up the plants they regrow from the roots.

Any idea what it is, and how I can permanently remove it and its brethren?

Edit: a closeup of the leaves:

Edit 2: a branch and seed pods from a 70' tree overhanging our back yard, in case anyone's interested (it doesn't particularly smell when bruised):


texts: How can I tell if white comfrey seeds have been fertilised?

texts: I have white comfrey in the front garden with hundreds of flowers.  I want to grow it in the back garden.  My method has been to transfer many fallen flowers to the back garden and plant them there.   Do the flowers need to be fertilised?  How can I tell if a flower is fertilised?


texts: Why is this Japanese Maple growing mutant leaves?

texts: This tree is about 6 years old.  Every year, I have to trim off a couple branches which contain plain green leaves.  It seems to be worse this year.  I was under the impression that these mutant shoots only occur below the grafting and were a result of the root ball plant.  Why am I seeing these shoots higher up in the tree?


texts:
So its been about a month and a week since I got the single rose and the rose itself is dried I think, but on the stem three little baby stems are sprouting new leaves.
I've read up a bit about this topic but I have a question about what to do with the rose itself. I'm planning on leaving the stem in water, but since I got the rose from my school at graduation, I wanted to save it.
Is it possible for the stem to still grow if I cut the rose off?
Also any tips on how to care for it and how to get it to grow roots? I don't do a lot of gardening so suggestions that are simple and cheap would be great!


texts:
I took my eggplant inside for the winter, and it's starting to flower again. But I've noticed a variety of insects on it. I see webs so assume that there are spiders around, I see aphids, and psyllids as well with their characteristic crystals deposited on the leaves.

This guy, about 5 mm long, is one I don't recognise. It has about 6 segments, and some fluffy hair on its tail.

What is it?

I don't know how they survive since I sprayed heavily with pyrethrum yesterday.


texts: How fast does human manure turn into compost?

texts:
I want to try turning human manure (humanure) into compost.

How much time does it take to become compost?
Or how much time it takes the compost to become humus, ready to be used as a fertilizer? Maybe this is a better phrased question.

I live in Spain.

And what's the best carbon material to use? Straw (hay)? Sawdust? Autumn leaves?


texts: Growing patio/dwarf fruit trees to half standard

texts:
Is it possible to grow trees larger than their intended (nursery) size?
My mom accidentally bought a 'patio' cherry tree supposedly it will grow to 1.4meter/4,6ft I was wondering if I could try and select a new leader and slowly encourage it to grow taller? Over several years removing the lower branches to start a new crown a bit higher up.
We do not have a problem with limited space or plan to plant it on a patio


texts: My aloe plants turned grey when I took it outside

texts: I brought my happy green aloe plants outside for sunshine and they all turned a sickly gray color. What happened and can I reverse it?


texts: What are the primary nutrients utilized by plants beyond NPK?

texts: When talking about soil and fertilizers, what are the primary nutrients in addition to NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) that play a major role in plant development?


texts:
I bought these on the street an hour ago but I can't tell if they are just very young trees or genuine bonsai.

The seller said they were several years old. I don't remember exactly but maybe 5-15 years old.

He claimed they were in their definitive pots. That they didn't need to be changed again. I know nothing about bonsai. If that's wrong, it could just be that he didn't know much either.

What do you think and or how can I figure it out?

Don't be afraid to tell me they are not genuine. I already believe they aren't and they didn't cost a fortune.


texts:
I have a peace lily that was attacked by my roommate's cat a few months ago. Somehow the cat survived, despite peace lilies being toxic, but the roommate is gone now so the cat is no longer an issue. However, my poor plant's leaves did take a bit of a beating. Luckily, it does have new growth so it should be okay.

Should I prune the damaged leaves, or let them be?

Here are some photos. Apologies, the combination of night lighting + my cell phone cam makes for less-than-ideal quality. If it is needed, I'll take new photos during the day.


texts: Grass dying where there are mower tire tracks

texts: Why the grass is dying where there are mower tire tracks? Do I have some fungi problem?


texts: I just got eggplants starting to grow, with some flowers too. But I'm not sure if I should put a cage around it, like a small tomato cage.


texts: What are these stacked bulbs taking over my garden?

texts: There are a lot these bulbs so I don't know how I'm going to get them all out to grow anything else. I am in south-east England. Are they weeds or are all bulbous flowers? If it turns out they are flowers, could I just grow other stuff along side them? Or if they are weeds how do I remove them? I'm too impatient to wait to see what they grow into because I want to get planting stuff as soon as possible so any information would be great!


texts: Can I get decent growth from turmeric doing no dig in USDA zone 4a?

texts: I'm thinking about doing no dig turmeric in a wood chip bed that has moisture about 1 foot down, and was wondering if I should be successful growing turmeric growing in a wood chip bed I inoculated with Wine caps to aid in breaking down the wood chips. I've seen it done in clay bead beds, but don't know if I have good enough growing conditions.


texts: What is a suitable age for Good Teak tree?

texts:
I was just thinking of growing 4-5 teak trees in my backyard garden as an investment. Does any one know whats a good age for a teak tree to be cut down to be sold ?

I just figured since we have a big land and good soil, so why not try out a teak tree, rather than any other tree.
My ultimate goal for this would be selling them much later when I get old and use it as a retirement investment.


texts: Laying down Fescue sod in North Carolina in Late October. good idea?

texts:
I just scheduled a pallet of Fescue sod to delivered to my home for Wednesday. The salesman said that Fescue sod is only sod that will grow/root throughout the winter if laid down now. Is this correct? Is fescue the only sod to lay down at this time of year?

Also, he said that I will need to overseed the Fescue grass area next spring. Can I overseed with a variety/mix of grass? Or only Fescue?

Thanks, many.


texts: What is considered a low maintenance lawn for the north east?

texts:
I've been reading a lot about types of lawn seed and lawn maintenance. It seems like KBG, ryegrass, and tall/fine fescue are the most common blends in the north east. It seems some are better for certain conditions over others. For example: full sun, full shade, sun and shade, etc.

What is the actual definition of a low maintenance lawn? Does that mean a lawn that you have to cut less? One that you have to water less? Or one you have to fertilize less? Or, all the the above?

Based on that definition, what is a blend of type of seed that falls into this definition of low maintenance for the northeast? Is it a specific type of seed or a combination blend of two? I am asking regardless of my conditions (sun, shade, or both), I just want to know what a low maintenance lawn means under the conditions that it can thrive correctly so I understand. I have neighbors near me that seem to rarely water and cut their lawns yet they are nice and green, well filled in, and not overgrown. Yet I seem to have lawn that grows fast and needs to be cut more frequently.


texts: How to "correct" uneven trunk widths in a cherry tree?

texts: I have a cherry tree that is about 2 years old. Strangely, the width of its trunk above the grafting joint is much thicker than that of the rootstock (mazzard) below and I have not seen such a variation in any of my other young trees. Should I be concerned that this might be a weak spot as the tree grows bigger? Will this even out eventually or is there something I can do to "correct" it?


texts: What is the difference between the two types of red Aloe Vera?

texts: What is the difference between these two red aloe veras? And what’s unique about them?


texts: How do you adjust watering based on rain in the forecast?

texts: I have a few vegetables growing in containers.  Let's say the soil is starting to dry out, but it's supposed to rain tomorrow.  Would you fully water the plants now? Or just give them a bit of water to hold them over till the rain comes?


texts: Should I cut off the withered parts of my pepper?

texts: I got this little pepper plant recently in now the peppers and some leaves are withering, should I cut those part off?


texts:
I have a well established avocado tree of probably 30-40 years in San Jose, CA 95112. It is about 25 feet tall. I believe this is a Bacon or a Zutano variety (elongated pear shape with green thin skin).

This years crop looks exactly like previous years, however there are beige lumps (about the size of an apple seed) in the avocado meat that are kind of papery. This is similar to the strings that you sometimes get especially in very ripe avocados, but they are not attached to anything. This makes them quite unpleasant to eat.

Any idea what this might be?

Last year I fertilized the plant with citrus/avocado fertilizer like I have done before. Also I didn't water as much as I have in previous years.


texts: What cacti can grow without cold protection in USDA zone 6b in Pennsylvania?

texts:
I'm in USDA hardiness zone 6b. I'm growing eastern prickly pears as outdoor perennials, and would like to grow some other cacti as well. From what I gather, cold hardiness has a lot to do with soil moisture levels, as cacti with a better water supply tend to get more cell wall ruptures, inducing rot and killing the plant.

In a cold, arid climate like North Dakota (zones 4-5), there is very little soil moisture going into the winter months, so there are several cacti that are native to the region.

I live in a far wetter climate, so conditions are harder here. But if I plant in a raised bed of mostly sand and organic matter, the drainage might be good enough for quite a few cactus species.

What cacti will grow well in this type of climate, with little or no care over the winter?


texts: Ficus religiosa leaves turning brown and yellow

texts:
Ficus religiosa leaves are falling off, some by turning yellow, and some by turning brown. I tried treating with fungicide thrice with 3 days gap in between, which is of no use. I use vermicompost as fertiliser, I added vermicompost to top layer soil. Still I notice the leaves turning brown. Kindly help me out.
The plant gets sunlight till 11a.m in the morning. And i water once in two days.
Im from India.


texts:
New here and hoping for some help with my Acer. See the pic in the following link:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zjqzjf7ts55t9gc/Acer_Palm_Dissectum.JPG?dl=0

Some kind of creatures are living randomly on my trunk and I need to know what they are so I can deal with it. The tree is extremely healthy with no obvious signs of any issues but I have never seen this issue before.

Can anyone help me identify what these things are and how I can deal with them   ? ? ?

Extremely Grateful
Paul
Swindon, UK


texts: What is short litter and how is it made?

texts: A book I'm reading on creating hotbeds recommends mixing "short litter" with the fresh manure as the base of the beds. I've also seen websites recommending using grass cuttings or a good short litter as mulch. What materials are short litter in these contexts and is there any preparation required to make them into short litter?


texts: Where can I find a crop calendar for Arizona

texts: I'm starting a community garden but so far all the crop calendars I've been able to find don't seem to have Arizona weather in mind. Anyone know where I can find a local crop calendar?


texts: Why are the leaves of my Mexican flamevine changing color?

texts: I recently got into gardening and one of my favorite plants is Mexican flamevine (Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides). Recently the leaves have been changing color from green to red/brown/black and I don't know what is causing it and how to fix it.  If anyone could give a new gardener some tips, I would greatly appreciate it!


texts: What is causing large white spots on my sweet basil seedling's leaves, and can the plant be saved?

texts:
Several weeks ago, I put soil and sweet basil seeds into part of a plastic water bottle that I cut. I put one seed in each of the water bottles, and made a hole at the bottom of the bottles to allow excess water to flow out of the bottles. Both of the plants have been in the same exact environment since they germinated. They have never been outdoors. After germinating, both seedlings looked pretty similar until a couple of days ago. The leaves on one are becoming withered and contain white spots. It has gotten worse from one day to the next. Fearing that the container was too small for the roots, I transplanted the seedling into a large pot yesterday.

The first image is what it looked like when I was transplanting it. The other two images are what it looked like roughly 18 hours later. The leaves seem to be getting worse.

08/06/2019 Update: I have not had a chance to cut the pale parts of the leaves out, but I was able to take pictures of what the plant looks like now (24 hours after the last two pictures I uploaded) and I took pictures of the other plant that has been exposed to the same exact conditions (same amount of sun, same temperature, same amount of water, and soil from the same bag). I can't really tell if the problem is getting worse or not. Here are today's images of both the unhealthy looking plant, and the healthy looking one:


texts:
It looks it is a weed, but not so bad. I saw it in an urban area in Europe, Hardiness Zone 8a.

Is it poisonous, or nasty in any other way?


texts: What is this pink flower with dark green leaves?


texts: Should the first bin of a 3 bin compost system be bigger than the other two?

texts:
Should the first bin (ie the one you put the fresh stuff in) of a 3 bin be bigger than the second? And similarly should the second bin be bigger than the third, due to the fact that volume will decrease as composting happens?
Any picture I see of compost bin systems have all three the same size - I'm wondering if this is just convenience of building rather than optimal size for when used.
As background for where I'm coming from here - I've got a L shaped 2.6m x 2m area to put a compost heap and a simple "row" of three bins would be a touch small, around 80cm per bin. I've the choice of making bin one bigger, or putting 3 bigger bins in an L shape, which may be better for compost, but will surely be a pain for moving compost in or out of the second "corner bin", even if I build with removable slats between each bin. My only other thought is to make the bins deeper/taller to make up for the lack of ideal width.


texts: How do I prepare rocky soil for planting an avocado tree?

texts:
I would like to plant some avocado trees in my garden. The soil seems very stony (<3cm in diameter stones on average, but a couple of bigger ones) and they go down at least 30 cm.

Do I need to do anything to the soil in preparation for the fruit tree? Will it be okay with the stony soil or should I remove the stones within a certain distance?

The research I have done mainly talks about removing stones from flower beds but not bigger plants like trees.

The tree is about 1m tall and was home-grown by my dad. He lives in another part of the country but there are simmilar soil conditions there. There are other avocado plants in the area. A neighbour has a couple too, I believe. I live in Swellendam, South Africa. This is a map of the soil in the country:

I live in the bottom left province where the soil conditions are mostly red and green:


texts: How do you go about identifying cypresses?

texts:
I'm living in the UK and recently gained an intrest for trees, the broad leafed trees are not that bad, but when it comes to the cypresses I still have no idea. I'm also pretty bad at some of the other conifers but hopefully that will change.

What sort of things do you look out for when it comes to identifying cypresses? Every time I look at them I don't know what I'm looking for, I'll compare different ones as I walk around but never really know if they are the same, different, or just different verietys.

One thing I hear mentioned every so often is smells, such as in the collins tree guide it mentions one smelling like shoe polish, but I can never relally deduce much of a smell from the cypresses, they all to me have a similar sent.

Any tips on identifying cypresses would be helpful.


texts:
I have this plant in my garden, I am looking for the name of the purple, small leaf plant. I like it very much. It is like creeping plant, but I don't know its name, please does someone know what it is?

Note: I am looking for purplish, small leafed plants name.


texts: Is growing bonsai a special case of hydroponics?

texts:
I'm new to bonsai, and one of the many things I wonder about is how coarse bonsai soil is: it looks more like coarse sand or fine gravel. And, in fact, this site points out that that's basically true: bonsai soil isn't really soil at all. So can we consider bonsai to be a specialized form of hydroponics?
(I don't know whether this question has any practical implications, but I'm still curious.)


texts:
I am attempting to grow some herbs in my kitchen and I was wondering how frequently I should water them? Also my kitchen isn't the warmest so I am attempting to keep them near the radiator, is there anything else I can also do, e.g. insulate them or something?

Thanks very much for any help


texts: Why is my mango seed turning green but not sprouting?

texts:
I planted a mango seed six weeks ago, the seed itself turned green and it seems to me I can see a root forming down into the soil.

Yet after all this time there is no sprout coming up.

I'm a bit afraid to take it out of the soil and damaging the seed that way, while still thinking it might already be too late for the seed.

I am in a rather colder climate but the pot is on the radiator.
I have planted it directly in soil, I have kept the soil moist and there is no mold or anything.

Any tips on how to proceed with this or should I just accept the defeat?


texts: What will be the best tree who gives shade and attract birds for boundary wall in Rajasthan's climate

texts: According to the Rajasthan's climate suggest me about the big tree for vast Boundary wall. Shade and birds are priority. Please give scientific and popular name too.


texts:
Last week, I have planted a dry old ginger that has kinda developed buds.. I planted it an inch deep as many guide on the internet has said but this left quite a lot of the rhizome expose which I cover...
But living in a tropical area means, there is rains, a lot of rains and whenever it rained, it wash all the dirt away exposing the rhizome... it is kinda annoying to cover the rhizome only to find it get wash off again the next day because it rained at night.
Is it necessary to always cover ginger rhizome with dirt? should I planted it deeper so the dirt didn't get wash away often?


texts: Newly planted Hydrangeas do not look good

texts: My newly planted hydrangeas went from looking beautiful to dried up after yellowing. I tried to upload a picture but it’s not working. They are watered every other day in the early morning and get sun mid morning to mid afternoon.


texts: How to save a Fern which most leaves have dried out

texts:
I bought a small Fern (Nephrolepis Exaltata) back in January. Within 1-2 weeks all of the leaves, except for 4, became brown and eventually fell.
I believe this happened due to lack of watering/humidity.

I cut off all of the dead fronds and 5 months later the leaves on 4 of the fronds are still there and still green but no new frond has grown.

Is there anything I can do to make it grow back or is it pointless to keep hoping it will ever recover?


texts: How can I identify the gender of Papaya seeds?

texts: Is it possible to identify the gender of Papaya seeds without using DNA analysis?


texts:
This berry has shot up in our strawberry patch - not sure what it is

Anyone have any ideas

Cheers
Chris


texts: What is this square stemmed waxy houseplant?


texts:
I bought some holy basil seeds on the internet and grew them. However, I think the shape of the leaves on my plants are more ruffled than those in the pictures I saw online.

Here are some photos of my plant (click on the image for a larger picture). Is this indeed holy basil?


texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Heeding “use by” dates on seed packets?

I bought some heirlooms for my 2011 garden and ended up not using the seeds, but they are still in the packaging and have been in a cupboard for the past year. Are they still good or am I going to have to buy 30 dollars worth of seeds for my fall 2012 garden?


texts: Looks to be single trunk, self cleaning. The trunk is spotted/mottled and furry. The fronds have jagged leaves. It's not a fishtail, foxtail, rhapis or a kentia(similar)... I am unsure as to the type. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


texts: What is this flower-like succulent with hair on the tips?

texts:
Could you please identify succulent in the following picture? I like its strange symmetry. What is its hardiness zone? Would it survive the coldness of zone 5, if left outdoors in the winter, while keeping it in its current container and arrangement?

This question is based on another (closed) question.

The plant in the question linked to in a comment (that claims that the two questions are duplicates) doesn't look like the plant from this question. They may be the same genus or species, but the point is to discover the exact, or approximate, variant or cultivar.


texts: HI  I got black bugs all over the night jasmine plant and those are going to destroy the plant.i put insect killing(permethrin)powder.i think it wont work or the bugs is so sharp they can fly or move to other branches.any solution for those bugs. best regards


texts: cherry tree not flowering and not leafing out

texts:
I live in North California and my cherry tree is not leafing out and not flowering. Below are the photos of the tree.

All the others trees in my backyard and most trees in my neighbors have already produced leaves. When I scratch a branch, it still shows the green color so I guess it is alive. I am wondering what could prevent a tree from leafing out.

Thanks


texts: Which types of broccoli are cut-and-come-again?

texts:
I grew two types of broccoli this year. One was monaco I think, and the other one I'm not sure about (maybe calabrese?).

We started harvesting the monaco more than a month ago and per this question we have been getting a good crop of secondary heads ever since.

But the other one has given us nothing at all in terms of secondary heads (nothing wrong with its maincrop).

In neither case did they get anywhere close to flowering. Is the difference down to variety? Or is it something to do with how and when we harvested?


texts: Why does my Snowbush have only purple leaves?

texts:
My Snowbush had lovely pink, green and white leaves for several years. Now all I get is purple leaves.

Is this a magnesium or potassium problem? Or, who has a solution?


texts:
In my backyard there is a 20' x 20' sandbox on a slight incline (0' to 1.5') with an approximate volume of 300 cubic feet (11 cubic yards).

The sandbox served as a foundation for an above-ground salt water swimming pool for years (perhaps decades).

I want to remove the sandbox from my yard.

I have put together 100 sandbags, but I have no use for them and no one in the area seems interested in them. As well, for all that work, the sand that went into these sandbags hardly made a dent in the sandbox.

When digging down, it's just the top level that is sand. Beneath the sand is a fine gravel. I don't know the specific type of sand; it is similar to the sand found at the beach.

Is spreading the sand in the yard an option? Would covering in soil and grass (sod or seed) work?

Location: Pacific Northwest, USDA zone 9a


texts: Why has the top half of my Acer Garnet died off

texts: The shrub is approx. 14 years old and has been planted in the garden for about the past 6 years. I have mulched it twice in that time. What have I done wrong? Any advice would be good.


texts: Plants growing between the pavers next to rain drainage

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Plants (and not just weeds) grew between the tiles and pavers of my balcony next to the rain drainage. They may cause damage to the ground (and ceiling of the person living underneath me) so how do I remove them? which tools do I need and what's the easiest way?

They've been there for long and apparently their roots extend deep down. If it is too much hassle,  how can I at least remove the ones appearing on the surface for now and worry about the rest later? Below is a picture .


texts: How do I make a wooden container fit for growing stuff in it?

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I have bought a number of used wooden containers that I would like to grow Thuja trees and various vegetables in:

they are about 1 foot wide, 2 feet long, and 1 foot tall.

Being an amateur in these things, I naively assumed I'd just put the soil in there and the chinks between the planks would drain any excess water. However, I've since learned that you need some sort of isolation to keep the wood from rotting.

How do I create such an isolation while making sure that excess water can still find its way out of the container? I thought of just wrapping the inner area with plastic and putting holes in it for draining, but I guess that would damage the wood as well. Is there a "canonical" way of doing this?