texts: How to get a Kalanchoe to flower in bunch

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I have two questions regarding Kalanchoes.

I bought 3 Kalanchoes from IKEA for almost one year. The funny thing is that one of them has lots of flowers, the second one, only one flower, and the third one NONE ! Although they have received the same treatment and sit at the same window. Can anyone tell why are they having different flowering intensity ?
Because they got too big, I pruned them for two weeks and propagated the cuttings. The cuttings have grown now some roots, so i now moved them to normal potting soil (The first one had rooting hormone). My question is, when and how can I get them to flower? Should i fertilize them? how to get the maximum of the flowers such as in the nursery where we see a bunch of flowers in the middle and the leaves all around?


texts: Should I remove rhododendron buds which didn't open before the winter?

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I live in Massachusetts, zone 6a, and have ten large rhododendrons which bloomed profusely last spring. In September, numerous buds appeared on each bush, but the winter came before they had a chance to open. I left them, thinking they might open in the spring, but they feel frozen and brittle and now I'm wondering if the plants would be healthier without them. Should I cut them off or let them be?

Update as of 10/20/15: This is an update for anyone who has the same question. We had one of the harshest, longest, winters on record, and still my rhododendrons and azaleas bloomed beautifully! As we're going again into fall, then winter, I'm confident that leaving the buds alone is the best thing for me to do. Here are some pictures of various shrubs in bloom last spring. Click on them for full size.


texts: Advice on deterring ants from living in an indoor plant's soil

texts: I have a potted Pachypodium in the windowsill with an ant nest in its soil. A couple of months ago I left it in water for a week and thought I had got rid of them, but a new batch must have hatched or returned. When I soak the soil both normal looking ants carrying eggs and apparently flightless ants with wings emerge. What should I do to convince them the plant is not a good place to live?


texts: What is with the rocks in succulent plants?

texts: I notice that people generally plant succulents in rocks why do they do this? Are my succulents better if I use rocks? What type of rock is best for them?


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I have a tom thumb/dwarf strawflower growing in a gallon plastic pot. It's not supposed to get higher than 15 inches and the plant next to it came from the same packet.
It only has a few flowers on it, is long and lanky compared to the healthy, shorter, bushier plant next to it with more flowers overall.

The Strawflower's leaves are curling and droopy, and it's a bit  bowed over. I'm keeping them inside until it warms up since i started them a bit earlier than i should have.

Some known problems are: Not enough sunlight, and ethylene from the furnace. However, these dont seem to be affecting my other otherwise healthy plant that is right next to it, watered about the same, if not a bit more since it takes in water quicker.

What is wrong with it, and how can i fix it?


texts: How should I propagate a serpentina plant?

texts: I have this serpentina plant from the Philippines. I'd like to use it to grow some more. How do I propagate it? Do I need cuttings or does it have seeds? If it has seeds, how do I find them?


texts: Is it normal for a newly grown fig foliage to hang down like this?

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This particular foilage just grew out pretty fast. But it's hanging down. It's soft; as they all are when they first start growing, but I don't remember if I've ever seen them hanging down. The stalk at the bottom is very strong and where the hanging foiliage is; is soft. I'm assuming that it's still growing. Also, how can I add another fig to the pot? Can I cut off any part of the fig and pot it inside the pot? Can this plant handle a humidifier? I keep it under a humidifier from time to time. Any help?

UPDATE I've changed the pot to a ceramic pot and also changed the dirt. Now for some reason, my fig is dropping. I've had it in the sun; when the sun comes out. Hoping my plant isn't in the process of dying. I've attached a picture of how it currently looks now.

UPDATE #2Starting from the 5th picture, this is now how it is looking. Seems to me like its dying.


texts: I'm new to gardening, and I'm slightly confused by something.  How can I tell what seeds / plants should be planted in a certain season?  For example, I'm having trouble telling if there are general rules like vegetables should be planted at certain seasons?  Could someone fill me in on the different seasons & which seeds should be planted then?


texts: Dirt cheap way to create Polytunnel foundation

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I'm wanting to experiment with a quick-and-dirty Polytunnel (6m x 3m).  I expect this experiment to last for 1-2 seasons only (and then I expect to build a properly constructed hothouse)

I've managed to more-or-less clear a space for it, however the ground is very loose.  I'm wondering if anyone has a low-cost way to compress the ground - Is it worth buying a second hand Lawn Compactor (ie is it heavy enough when filled with water), do I need to hire a plate compactor [ which is stupidly expensive relative to its value - about US$80 for a day ] or some other equipment, or is there an obvious way to do this without purchasing any machinery which I've not thought of.


texts: What is this bushy, lemony, red-flowering herb?

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Can you help me identify this plant?

It is about a foot tall.

It has a slightly lemony smell. I don't think it's a mint.


texts: Tomato seedlings drooping after being placed outside

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I don’t know what happened to my tomato seedlings. I just left them outside the balcony and when I checked them after 1 hour, they were all drooping.
I already moved them inside my room. Please help me, I’m a first timer and I am really clueless.


texts: My garden is still mud, and it's 2 weeks after the normal last frost, should I plant seeds yet?

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I've read that I should plant seeds 2 weeks after the last expected frost date, but my garden is sill drenched, should I plant them right away, or wait for high water levels to fall (should be by May 1st)?

The only reason why I ask is because I've read to plant beans 2 weeks after the last expected frost, but due to my garden location it's heavily dependent on when my water level isn't high, since the creek it's next to always has water in it.


texts: Encouraging fig or similar into canopy: what to do with site of severed limbs?

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This is a fig tree which has been pruned with a chainsaw down low and with normal secateurs up high. Down the bottom on the left you can see the nodule where a limb about 13cm (5 inches) in diameter has been severed.

The idea here is to encourage this fig into a canopy which can provide shade in summer and not be all prickly with when you venture under the tree. The shape of the tree is more important to us than abundance of fruit

What should I do to the sites of the severed limbs to discourage any resprouting from them. Are there any tricks to this or should I just leave it alone?
The other thing is, given the explicit aim here, should I cut off the far left and far right limbs that are still on it to emphasise upward growth rather than bushiness?

NB: Acknowledging preexisting question about pruning a fig that doesn't cover my question here: What is the proper way to prune a Fig Tree?

Update: I don't know if this is the right way to describe it, but do I need to "cauterise" the large cut sites by painting something on them to protect against infections and "seal the wound". (I really don't know what I'm talking about, feel free to edit this!)


texts: What is this extremely large brown fungus with white edges?

texts: This is a huge fungus specimen I found along the Obsidian Trail near Bend, Oregon. I come across this type of fungus all the time in the Western Cascades mountain area, but this is by far the largest specimen I have ever seen.  It is really huge, perhaps as large as 1.5 feet wide. What species exactly is this?  Is it tinder conk?


texts: Do potatoes produce seeds that you can store and/or replant?

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Do potatoes produce seeds (specifically La Ratte potato) and how do you harvest them? Although I don't fully understand, I am aware that "seed potatoes" are a thing and can be used to grow a new potato plant. I'm looking for a long term storage solution and the ability to plant many additional potato plants from a single parent, preferably by using a actual seed. I'm very new to farming, and I know basically nothing, so if my understanding of any of this is completely wrong then please correct me.
UPDATE
Wow! Thank you all so very much for your very generous and informative comments. I honestly didn't expect this much feedback from such a simple question lol but it is DEEPLY appreciated. Thank you thank you thank you all.
Based on this incredible feedback I would like to add further details about my situation to see if anyone has any further recommendations or would like to add mention anything else based on their previous comments.
I'm a DevOps engineer by trade who's volunteering at a local nonprofit. I saw an opportunity to use my skills to create a fully autonomous and highly scalable aeroponics garden for feeding the needy. We want to grow and distribute fresh and very high quality food to the needy and eventually sell the same crops commercially with all of the proceeds being used to expand our food donation programs.
Is there anything I should be aware of when growing La Ratte potatoes using aeroponics? Also @HagenvonEitzen had mentioned potential "licensing issues" for growing crops commercially. Would purchasing seeds from Seed Savers, Burpee, Arbico Organics and Ferry-Morse be a problem legally speaking and not just for potatoes but for seeds in general? Our goal is to only donate/sale produce that is USDA Non GMO organic (which I believe is the highest grade please correct me if I'm wrong). Does anyone have any recommendations for reputable and low cost seed distributors that offer USDA Non GMO seeds that can be sold commercially? And finally, would growing and distributing food to the needy that was produced from "patented" seeds be a legal issue? Thanks in advance for you feedback!


texts:
I'm not sure if this is the correct place to ask, but -

My wife recently got some of our trees (heavily) pruned, and it has fallen to me to handle the wood.

I am in two minds - I'm contemplating purchasing a 9kw petrol Chipper/Shredder (about US$800), or I could cut the branches smaller and throw them into the creek area at the back of my house.

I seem to recall the hardware store selling apple chips (for bbq'ing or smoking, not eating) at about $10 per kg).   My wife wants to BBQ, but does not know how. I've never smoked anything.

Does anyone know if it would be practical to use a chipper to make my own bbq chips, and if so, what I need to do in terms of prep?  (Do I let the wood sit around until the leave dry up, can I shred it with the leaves on?  Does it need to be dry - which is an ask in my climate).

If I just throw the wood into the creek, how long will it take to decompose (months, years, bad idea altogether?)


texts: I bought a Forsythia branch at my local market 5 days ago. I have it in a tall vase with room temperature water but it has already started to dry out and all the flowers and leaves have all fell off! Why did this happen and can I revive it? :-(


texts: What are some recommended perennials to grow under large spruce trees in an area of about 350 sq. feet?

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I have a small area which I would like to fill with (hopefully perennial) foliage plants, to green it up. I was thinking a variety of different hostas would fit the bill. If this was your  bed, what do you think would look best?

Here are some of the conditions in the bed:

Lots of roots from the trees
A pH of about 5.8
Less than 1 hour of direct sun each day, but plenty of light (except for under the steps)
About 8" of good topsoil, over a hard clay base
I can irrigate
During a heavy rain, I would expect some overpouring from the gutter
Possible chemical content from cleaning the deck

I would like recommendations from as many people as possible. The more input I get the better. I'll post back eventually what I end up doing. If you had this in front of your house, what would you plant?

Note: I'm mainly looking for plant recommendations. If you want to give an opinion on improving the conditions, etc. that's fine, but please do not make that the main part of your answer.

Below are pictures of the area:

Update: Would it be possible to grow a vine (on a support of course) like climbing hydrangea up the non too attractive deck support posts?


texts: I picked all my Rhubarb in JULY, can I restart the plant to grow more leaves this year or will this kill the plant..?


texts: How do I turn a plastic stock tank into a vermicomposter?

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We have a Rubbermaid, plastic stock-tank.

It has an unfixable crack in it and we've been saving it incase we could find a future use for it. I've just started getting into composting and I plan to do that, but I thought this might make a good vermicomposter for getting worm castings.

My question is what do I need to do to turn this into a vermicomposter and would it even make a good one? I plan to put it in a shaded area and put a board or some other cover over the top. I'll remove the plug for drainage purposes. I think that I could just prop the cover up for enough air flow, but should I also run some pvc with holes drilled through it into the bed to increase oxygen. It'll be almost impossible to turn the mixture once it starts filling up.

I've never made a vermicomposter before, so I don't know how to make one correctly, but it seems like I could start the mixture out shallow and as that breaks down, I keep adding matter on top of the composted material till it's almost full. Thanks.


texts: What are some small deciduous shrubs that can grow in USDA zone 4?

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A particular site in our garden (USDA zone 4) has dry, sandy soil over heavy clay and gets full sun. There is excellent drainage due to the retaining wall on one side that has a drainage pipe situated below two feet below grade.

What are some good, small shrubs with the following characteristics that will grow well under the above conditions?

preferably native to North America
tolerates dry full sun conditions
height of two to six feet, width of three feet
flowers can occur in spring or summer
berries or some fruit that hang on, red colour preferred
excellent fall colour
should not sucker, tolerate pruning if over 4 feet

What I've looked at so far is

Aronia melanocarpa "Brilliantissima": However, I understand it suckers and can grow eight to ten feet wide.
Euonomyus elatus compacta: In our area, good fall colour is not guaranteed with this cultivar.
Ribes aureum: There is a dwarf white pine very closeby and as the Ribes is susceptible to white pine blister rust, this doesn't seem promising.

Does anyone have any other suggestions?


texts: Why is transplant shock worse during the day

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I notice that after transplanting vegetables, they're wilted and shocked during the day, but they relax and look healthy in the evening. Why?

I know the roots get disrupted by the transplanting, and that's why they can't support the previous amount of foliage. But do the effects differ based on light/ time of day?


texts: How many varieties of fruit trees should I attempt to grow as a newbie orchardist?

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I know just about nothing about growing fruit trees, but recently bought a house with enough land to start a home orchard. I'm tempted to buy many kinds of fruit trees at once, because they take ~5 years to mature and if I can just keep them healthy and alive, I'll have a nice orchard in the shortest time period.
I'm on the line of zone 5 and zone 4 and hoping cold-tolerant fruit trees would survive. I'm on gently sloping, almost flat soil that's clay-ey. It has a tendency to hold water in spring and fall but not summer. It's full sun.
I'm looking at Contender peach, Moorpark apricot, Fuji apple, Yellow Delicious apple, Methley plum, and Bartlett pear. I'm trying to pair down my selection as, again, I know nothing about growing fruit trees and may kill a chunk of these expensive saplings. I'm thinking a minimum of 3 of whatever varieties I choose, and two varieties of apples for pollination purposes. I do already have an old, mature orchard of ~8 apple trees on the land. Not sure if this would aid apple pollination.
I would like to grow the trees as naturally/organically as possible.
Veteran fruit tree growers - am I taking on way too much for my first attempt at growing fruit trees? Will fruit trees have a chance in zone 5/4? Advice (and book recommendations) appreciated.


texts: Do different cultivars of a species have different growing conditions?

texts:
I am a novice at growing plants and want to grow bulls blood beet to harvest as a micro green. I shall be doing this in a greenhouse, but I want to know if growing different cultivars(variaties? ) of a species requries different conditions?

I read a post on this SE about growing conditions for Sugar beets, and was going to simply use those recommended conditions, but I would like to cover my bases so to speak.


texts: What's this "climbing" plant with small yellow flowers?

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The plant has a small yellow flower. The flowers look similar (seems there is no male/female). I was thinking it is cucumber but it seems it's not!

The weather where this plant is growing is very hot and very dry!


texts: Yellow flower in bush, from the South of France


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We're slowly losing our fight against Aegopodium (snow on the mountains). The specific name is Aegopodium podagraria, though we think of it as Aegopodium obnoxiosio. Tilling the bejabbers out of it only breaks up the roots and leads to a vigorous regrowth. Burning it out only wastes propane. In desperation, we tried herbicides on a test patch, but it seems to treat Roundup as fertilizer. Covering it with a plastic barrier doesn't seem to work, at least for two years of coverage. We don't have access to nuclear weapons, so that's out (and probably wouldn't work anyway). I suppose we could overplant it with kudzu, but that just trades one problem for another.

Sorry for the rant, but does anyone have a suggestion we've missed? I can't believe people actually recommend it as a groundcover.


texts: What plant is this? It is a new weed in my field!

texts: A suculent plant resistant to the herbicides?


texts:
I have a small decomposition box made out of improvised plastic machine oil tubs. I have been adding kitchen wastes to it for the past couple weeks along with dry leaves.

Recently I added okara to it and while turning the compost, I noticed grubs growing specifically in the okara. There are grubs in multiple sizes, so I am not sure if this is the only species either.

What is this grub?
Is this grub harmful for my compost bin?
In general, are grubs helpful in composting?


texts:
I have dried leaves, tons of dirt (seriously), and dead grass. How do I make compost?

I have tried to decompose the dry grass clippings and the leaves, but that did not work. I also researched this afterwards and apparently, you need to use some dirt.


texts: Is there an almond that grows inside a peach?

texts:
I see that Luther Burbank wrote a book on the subject around a hundred years ago. But I don't have access to that book. Was he, or anyone else, successful?

I thought that I had seen something like that for sale in a catalog long ago, but I can't seem to find any reference to it with a Google search. I can't even seem to find anyone talking about it, besides Burbank.

Here's the Google Books link to the page of the preview that looks most relevant.

Additionally, does any edible nut in an edible fruit exist? That is, what did I probably actually see in a fruit and nut tree catalog if almond in a peach doesn't exist?


texts: Do wild asters cross with domestic ones?

texts: I would like to save seeds from my double lavender asters, I would like them to be pure, but I do not know if they will pollinate with wild ones. The nearest wild patch is about 100' from the plant. Bees go to all of the flowers. Do they cross pollinate too much to make seed saving worthwhile?


texts: What are these tall green plants that started growing in my garden

texts: Please help me identify these tall green plants they are now 3 ft high


texts: How to remove unwanted Plants from the garden easily

texts: My garden was full of unwanted plants which takes nutrition of my plants. Its growing again and again even after I removing from the garden. Is there anyway I can easily remove the Plants from my garden. So My plants will grow nutritionally.


texts: What's the best way to utilise chicken manure?

texts:
We have a few chickens. They produce a small but steady supply of manure. As I understand it chicken manure is an excellent fertiliser. What's the optimum way to utilise it in the garden?

Is it best to add the chicken manure to our general compost or is there a particular part of the garden where its application is especially valuable in concentrated form?


texts: Is rubbing alcohol poisonous to shiitake mushrooms?

texts: Within 24 hours my shiitake log got covered with a lot of green mold from a manufacturer, and feel I should douse the log with alcohol to try to save it. would this be a good idea?


texts: Anyone have a clue as to what these are called?

texts: My mom has noticed these growing near her flower beds, and we've never seen anything like them.  Any ideas?


texts:
Is this succulent coppertone?
Please help with identification.


texts: Vitex negundo - Unintentional Pruning of tree

texts:
I have been growing Vitex negundo at my home near to the road, and due to its medicinal values, i see that people often tend to break its branches or leaves , leaving the tree devoid of leaves.

I am really worried that it would affect the tree's growth. Also, i am not sure, how this unintentional pruning would affect a species like Vitex negundo.


texts: Resource for plant anatomy/lifecycle vocabulary

texts:
I've been curious about a lot of vocabulary words in the world of botany. I've had quite a bit of trouble finding somewhere online to help me out, but I'm having some trouble finding a resource like that.

Optimally, I'm looking for something with diagrams of plant anatomy over the course of time, maybe some photo examples, and some sort of dictionary to accompany. Is there anything like this, online or offline that anyone knows about?


texts: My Chinese Evergreen is getting brown spots on the leaves. I have cut a few leaves off but do not know what is causing it. It is in indirect light. I put it in the bathroom on the tub where there is a skylight over it. This has been happening in different places in the house in indirect light and it does it everywhere I put it. I thought maybe it was something in the water so I used bottle water when watering it. It doesn’t make a difference. What do you think it is. I have had many Chinese Evergreens but it never happened before.I thought maybe the soil it is in isn’t right for the plant.


texts: Any leafy plant which can be grown "inside" the house and doesn't need much moving around for sunlight?

texts: I know about creeper "Money plant". Any other beautiful plants/creepers other than this which satisfy my conditions?


texts:
I have a total of 7 fruit trees in my back yard.  3 are multi grafted varieties (Pear, Plum, Apple) which l was told that they will self pollinate each other to produce fruit.  I have added three additional apple trees and one cherry tree as well.

My questions are

Will the single trees get pollinated from the multi grafted trees?
will the three different varieties of single apple trees pollinate each other as well?
Is it possible for the cherry tree to be pollinated by these other 6 trees or do I need to plant another cherry tree?


texts: Is it safe to use vegetables which have experienced several frosts?

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Most people are aware that once you've had foods out of the freezer and allowed them to thaw, you shouldn't put them back in your freezer.

But what about frost hardy plants like leeks?  I've just harvested some old onions, leeks and carrots and who knows how many times they've been frozen in the ground, then thawed out.

Is this OK?


texts: What was this large yellow-green fruit I ate in Ethiopia?

texts:
This summer I was eating a strange type of fruit in Ethiopia and I'm still curious to know what it actually was.

The taste is similar to citrus fruits (little bit acid like a lemon and bitter like a grapefruit or eating the peel of a lime). It's a local citrus.
Unlike citrus fruits, it is very dry to eat and has a very dry, melon texture
It was big, between 15 and 25 cm large and its shape was somehow similar to that of a long papaya.
It's color was yellow(-green) outside and white inside
It had a thick and rough, orange-like peel
Local people called it TURUNGU
I don't remember well the tree it was growing on but anyway it was not something like a palm or papaya tree, but a 'normal' branched tree with medium sized leaves

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of it.


texts:
Why manure is considered bad or risky for potted plants while they are considered good for plants on ground?

If they are risky or bad, why do the nursery sell them?


texts: Kiwi Actinidia arguta Issai black spots / patches on younger leaves

texts:
I bought 2 mini kiwi plants (Actinidia arguta Issai) online. It was delivered from Netherlands in case that matters. They are growing well except for black spots that seem to be spreading a little lately.

It doesn't really look like fungus and I can't find any other mention of this type of symptom. It has been unusually dry and warm for the last few weeks here in Ireland so fungus seem particularly unlikely. Unlike fungus the black areas aren't really spots but rather small section of the leave between small veins. It affect mostly smaller but not the smallest leaves.

One plant is still in a pot and one is in the ground with different soils and even uncomposted waste buried beneath. They both have the same issue. I see no pests except for a few small shield bugs or at least something that looks like it. Could shields bugs cause this? What else could it be?


texts: My cacti look very ill, and I don’t understand what I am doing wrong and what’s going on. Could someone please help me with advice of what to do?


texts: What is causing this sedum's leaves to curl and etiolate?

texts:
A few months ago I took a sedum from a soil plot where they were being used as a ground cover. I think it was Sedum ewersii, Sedum sieboldii, Sedum cauticola or a species very closely related. I potted the sedum in cactus potting soil with some perlite and put it on a shelf underneath my grow lights.

A few weeks ago I noticed a few of the leaves were dramatically curled over. Then shoots and more leaves began to grow. These new growths appear curled, elongated, and a few branches almost look etiolated. All of these symptoms are captured in the first image below and can be compared to the plant's original appearance after transplanting in the second.

As side notes:

Notice the longest axillary branch on the left. I cut off the leaf that shared this branch's node because of how curled it looked, thinking the leaf was releasing some sort of hormone. I don't know if this is the case though.
I originally thought the shoot at the base of the plant in the first image was a basal shoot but it just appears to be an axillary branch (just from speculation, though).

What is wrong with my sedum?


texts:
I have planted Castanea chestnut seeds which have grown to seedlings. However, some of the seedlings have more than one stem, like this one:

This one even has 3, all growing from the same seed:

Should I plant them in the ground as they are or should I prune the extra stems and leave only one?


texts: what fruit tree rootstocks can grow in very shallow soil?

texts:
I own some property close to Owen Sound, Ontario, in Canada plant hardiness Zone 5b.

The land is mostly a hardwood forest with rocky soil and maple, paper birch and some other hardwood trees grow there.

There is a cleared section in the middle that I would like to grow some fruit trees if possible, but unfortunately, in many places there is no soil (rock is exposed) and the deepest I could dig anywhere was about 1 foot.

are there any fruit trees I can grow in such a shallow soil?
If I decide to make a say, 24 inches raised bed over the stone, will any fruit tree grow there?

In local climate the temperature can drop to -30 - -40 deg Celcius.

Thanks

EDIT:
as promised I am giving a couple more pictures of the hard  bedrock exposed. I went there digging with a pickaxe but I could not dig more than 12 inches before hitting bedrock anywhere.

My next plan of attack would be to go the raised bed route.


texts: What is this small potted plant with a thick trunk and palmate clusters of 5 leaves?

texts:
I received this pot plant as a gift, but I don't know what it is, and consequently, how to properly care for it. The size is approximately 20 cm from the base of the pot to the top of the plant. It's from, and presumably native to, southeastern China.

These pictures were taken in a relatively poorly lit room with the camera flash, so the colour is a little washed out.

These pictures were taken without the camera flash. Sadly, my camera seems to have difficulty focusing without it for some reason.


texts:
The other day I asked a question about keeping Japanese squash plants. Just now I discovered some bugs in the pot where I keep the squash plants. I saw maybe 10 of them creeping on or just below the surface soil in the pot. They are not large in size. Are they squash bugs?

My plants are all indoors and with winter in full swing all the windows have stayed shut, so the bugs must have come with the soil. I used half potting mix and half outside soil from a tiny park downstairs. They seem to be afraid of light, always trying to hide under something.

Should I worry about these bugs? Since just like my plants they are in my living room, should I worry about my furniture?


texts: Why are cut roses doing so much better in a ceramic vase than a crystal vase?

texts:
I have two dozen cut roses, one dozen in a crystal vase, and one dozen in a Lenox ceramic vase. We're in a dry (70°F) heated house in the middle of winter, and the roses in the ceramic vase are far happier (less wilting) than their crystal counterparts, despite their identical light exposure and watering.

Is this a property of the material of the vase? Should I only put these roses in ceramic from now on?

These were purchased as two-dozen, and were mixed prior to cutting: The roses are identical in every way I can imagine, except for their vase.

[EDIT]: Some pictures!

To wit, the diameters of the openings (and the water levels) are the same in both containers.


texts: To water or not to water a plant right before near frost temps in mid-Spring?

texts:
Is a plant, whether in the ground or in a pot outside, more resistant to frost damage when it's soil is drier or freshly watered?

context: mid-Spring right as hardwood trees are budding. I'm mainly interested in potted young deciduous trees but would also appreciate learning what's best for other kinds of plants. It's raining a lot around this time so I figure the trees on the ground can handle a night of near freezing temps after being freshly watered. What's best for the potted trees though, to be watered or not to be watered (and dry from having minimal watering) right before a 0dC night?


texts: Is there any indoor plant to help with mold in the room?

texts:
The house I live sits on the rock and I guess there would some problem with isolation and maybe some other issue as well. I have to clean the room time to time with vinegar.

Is there any indoor plant that would help me with mold in the room?


texts: How to get rid of insects on basil while leaving the leaves safe to eat?

texts:
With reference to this question: Insect infestation on my pepper plant, what do I do?

I have these insects in my indoor "kitchen window sill" basil and they do seem to be chewing it fast enough to slow new growth, which is annoying.

The first suggested solution to getting rid of the insects is to spray them off the plant outside and then submerge the plant for long enough to drown any remaining. If I did this to my basil, wouldn't it drown the basil too? As I understand it, basil doesn't like wet feet.

What is the best solution to getting rid of such insects and still being able to use the leaves in food without hassle? Maybe the water spraying and drowning as suggested in related question is still the best?

ADDITION: The insects I'm dealing with are definitely not white fly, which is why I posted a separate question from this: How do I get rid of white flies on my basil?

UPDATE (9/Aug): I tried the detergent spray twice (per GardeningDirections user) without any apparent effect by the next morning. I then tried drowning the bastards last night (per Mikey) and hopefully it has been more effective, but I still saw two which I squashed this morning. I'll whether I can just kill off the remaining ones by hand. Any other suggestions at this point before I try to figure out what to do to close the question?

UPDATE (24/Aug): I have taken the whole planter container outside and picked off the individual larvae from the underside of the leaves in bright sunlight so none would be missed. Now I am hoping the insects' natural predators will keep them down for long enough for the basil to recover and then I'll bring the plant back inside. I still haven't ruled out trying pyrethrum spray but that's a last resort.

UPDATE (15/Sep): I have used a pyrethrum-based spray to kill perhaps 90% of the bugs while the planter box was outside but it also knocked the basil plants themselves so I did not respray. Now I notice there are still one or two insects left which have laid new larvae all over the undersides of the leaves... and I've also put these creatures through an evolutionary bottleneck so no doubt they'll be tougher to kill than ever! So I officially give up. These basil plants will be transferred to the garden outside, to survive or not. I will get new plants for my indoor planter box.

UPDATE (19/Oct): Transplanted outdoors a month ago the basil is still surviving, even thriving and the insects formerly dominating them are clearly being eaten by proper predators, which hints to me that the best possible way to control the insects would perhaps be to introduce a few friendly predators into the kitchen!


texts: How do I prevent my berry leaves from getting scorched in the sun?

texts:
Raspberries are plants that require good exposure to sun. However, my black-raspberry plant has been getting scorched of late. Typical signs of sun-scorching are when the older leaves start drying out (see photo), turning brown and papery (crumbles if you press). The new leaves are unaffected though.

I live in San Diego, and the weather here over the past two months has been between 65 and 75 F (and will remain the same until December). The plants get about 8-10 hours of sun everyday. In short, it's heaven for humans, but not for my raspberry plant.

Firstly, am I even right in diagnosing this as sun-scorching? If so, how can I prevent it? The obvious option would be to move it to a place with more shade. However, I'd rather wait till Jan-Feb when it'll be dormant, to move the plant. An alternate would be to cover it with a black netting that cuts the sunlight, yet allows it to breathe. However, I don't have much experience with these. What are my options given the constraints?


texts: A single large sunflower among herbs - a good or a bad idea?

texts:
My idea is to start no less than a giant sunflower ('Titan', I plan just a single plant) on the northern border of my small herb garden with thyme, salvia, arugula, parsley and such.

The reason is to attract polinators, and add some vertical accent in that area. Also, to tease the curiousity of neighbors ;) haha.

Sun light will not be a problem! The sunflower's shade will be on the opposite side, which is a path and a wall anyway. I could also cut some sunflower's leaves that are too low. But what about underground? Can all the roots coexist? I have a feeling that something is wrong with this idea. What do you think?


texts:
(Link to album showing the state it's in in more detail : imgur link)

Hello there,

My aloe isn't feeling so well. It stayed in a really small pot for too long and was slowly dying out, so I transplanted it about a week ago, and since then it's almost as if I made everything worse. The leaves are slowly emptying, it seems like it needs more water even if the soil still is a bit moist, and I don't know what to do. Any help would be a godsend, I really love this plant to bits and it pains me to imagine it's not gonna last.

Cheers


texts: What is grass-fertilizer-fluid sprayed on soil?

texts:
In Southern Texas, I have seen a cyan-colored, viscous, sticky fluid sprayed from a huge tank track on freshly compacted ground. I later realized that this fluid most probably contained grass seeds and fertilizer as within days the Texas-typical broad-leaved gras started to germinate.
What exactly is that mixture? Is really glue inside? Is that available to hobby gardners in Europe?


texts: Will the concrete in post holes restrict root development for climber?

texts: I want to grow a honeysuckle up this post. Will it be able to grow fine or will the concrete supporting the pole cause problems for the roots? I ask cause we made the mistake of digging the post holes too big. It's a foot long from all ends of the post where as it should have been only 6 inches wide.


texts: What relevance does fungal dominance have to a vegetable garden?

texts:
I'm mainly attempting to grow vegetables for my family so basically Brassicaceae, Umbelliferae, Asparagaceae, and Solanaceae.  I'm certainly not attempting to establish an old forest or even a food forest in the backyard.

I gather Brassicaceae prefer a bacterial dominant soil but I'm not certain of the others. Do I need to try and encourage fungal soil elements for any of the common vegetables as listed above, or for any I've omitted?  I have certainly lots of wood from native bush that I can bury in the soil if it might help to obtain the right soil profile.

Growth from ramial wood chips:


texts:
Last year I bought my girlfriend some snowdrops, they didn't like repotting very good and promptly fell over and died. Or so I thought at first, turns out they have an onion that makes new snowdrops, next year.
Now it is next year, I had left the snowdrop pot in my cellar since then for around 8 months and what did I see sticking out from the middle? A snowdrop sprouting! This was two weeks ago, now there are like 10 of them making their way through the dirt, that's more than I originally bought.
Since then I brought the pot back in the apartment, set it on the window and have watered it a bit every day, maybe around 20ml per day. The apartment is hot, its around 30C indoors, because girlfriend. I live pretty far up north so right now we get around 3 hours of "sunlight" per day.
Over the last few days I've noticed a white mold appearing on the surface of the soil, I've removed it gently with a spoon twice but it keeps coming back. It looks exactly what the internet describes as harmless saprophytic fungus, they also say it happens when the soil is too wet.
Am I overwatering the snowdrops? The pot is 16cm in diameter, 20cm high, has a hole at the bottom and a little pan. When I do the watering, the top of the soil is left slightly moist, no water ever reaches through the bottom.


texts: Does anyone care to tell me what is going on to my young Ginkgo tree?(The leaves) The soil is quiet sandy if that helps you. I planted it this past April. It sits a little high for drainage purposes, and I thought I dug a good size round hole for it then. ...Thank you all.


texts: Citrus saplings in need of some help wants to grow! Please help!

texts:
I have been trying to grow a pair of lemon saplings (from seed) with much care as to not over water. I previously tried to grow some from seeds and several unfortunately did not survive (due to my novice green thumbs overwatering) and 2 more were given away. I have looked all over the internet and have not had very much luck. My previous deceased plants died of root rot so I have become somewhat familiar to its unfortunate signs and symptoms.

These 2 saplings have grown from your run-of-the-mill generic miracle-gro potting soil, as I live in a very small town and was all I could find. I recently purchased a water/ph/light meter to help me with watering etc. as well as a fertilizer (Jobe's Organics Fruit & Citrus Tree Granular Fertilizer 3-5-5) I ordered online, which recieved and mixed into soil yesterday. They currently live in their own 12" plastic pot and i water them every about 10-14 days. Since doing more research online I have found that the conditions I am providing may not be sufficient. I currently live in south texas where usually we get heat of up to 100-105Fº (38-41ºC), because of this I usually leave them indoors by a window which seemed to do them well as leaves seemed to be coming in and looked perky. We have recently been having cold and gloomy days for weeks on end(light drizzle with temperature from 45-60 ºF or 7-15 ºC) and have not moved them from their spots; Today I saw online wrapping pot to help keep warmth could help in these cold conditions so I wrapped the pots in a few shirts each.

This week I have noticed about 50% of one saplings leaf fall, without any warning, and at first glance fallen leaves show no signs of distress. The other sapling has only dropped a single leaf in the same fashion. Most recently have begun to notice what looks like burn spots on a number of leaves on both.

Can someone please point me in the right direction on how to save and help make these 2 saplings thrive. The more detail the better please, I just don't want my ignorance and lack of experience to be the cause of death of these precious lemon saplings. I have looked into possible changing potting soil to cactus/citrus potting soil something like this possibly but also found that other things should be mixed in like sand, mulch, worm castings etc. and honestly it just goes right over my head:

https://www.amazon.com/Espoma-CA4-4-Quart-Organic-Cactus/dp/B002Y0CFNY/ref=sr_1_16?crid=14E8NRL02GH3W&keywords=citrus+potting+soil&qid=1582255426&s=lawn-garden&sprefix=citrus+pott%2Cprime-instant-video%2C257&sr=1-16

I am trying to grow them because my parents have just moved and sold the childhood home where I was raised and where the original lemon tree resided. So many great memories came with that tree so in a way being able to grow and plant these at my future home will allow me to keep having great memories and quite possibly share some with my future family.


texts:
What are my options if I have to give up the aesthetics of the garden(currently with a little sod and a loads of weed) to control kill weed.

One option I'm considering is the following:

Mow the area to lowest height,
Use Sod cutter/Bobcat remove the top 1-2"
Water thoroughly for the seeds to germinate couple of days
Cover the place with transparent plastic for 4-10 weeks to bake in sun
Install landscape fabric
Add 1-2" of mulch

Plants I'm trying to get rid of (the ones I can find the names of):

Thistle
Black Medic
Crabgrass
Carolina Geranium
Yellow Woodsorrel
Prickly lettuce
Flatweed  (cat's ear)

How many times would I be expecting regrowth? How long do I have to wait, before I can reinstall new sod or plant shrubs?


texts: Avocado leaves dying: is it the fungus or the fungicide?

texts:
My 18-month-old avocado tree has had a fungus a couple times, which I have successfully treated with a generic fungicide spray for ornamental plants (Penconazole, Dodine).  It lives indoors year-round near a south-west facing window, and gets watered every 9 days.

I'm not sure if its most recent infection was a fungus or something else, but I thoroughly sprayed with the fungicide because about half the leaves were dying.  Now ALL of the leaves are dying, and I'm wondering if the problem was the fungicide, or if it simply didn't work at all.

The first picture is an infected leaf before I sprayed, is this a fungus?  The second picture is of one the last still-attached leaves two weeks after I sprayed, is this still a fungus, or did I cause the problem with my spray (or something else)?

I have a new batch of tiny leaves now growing, so I want to nurse them to health and avoid the same mistakes.

Update: here are some of the new baby leaves, that are already clearly unhealthy.  Is this fungus, or something else?  Some batches of new leaves look very healthy, but some are already half-brown like these.

Thanks in advance for any tips on how to nurse my tree back to health!


texts: What are the black spots on my basil's leaves?

texts:
I have a basil plant growing and I have noticed on a few of the leaves -- only on this one type of basil plant -- I am getting these faded black spots. I tried looking online to see if I could find anything that looked like the spot but the closes thing I could find was "Cercospora Arachidicola" but that looks a little darker than the one I have.

Click image for full size

Any ideas?


texts: Can self-pollinating plants cross-pollinate?

texts: I recently purchased a top hat blueberry shrub. According to the leaflet it came with, it is self-pollinating. Does this mean that it can self-pollinate, or that it only self-pollinates? Would getting another 2-3 shrubs be beneficial at all?


texts:
I have owned the depicted Agave attenuata since about half a year. It was outside until early November when local temperatures became too cold. Now it resides in in a light, moderately heated room. (Unfortunately I cannot provide it with a cooler one.) I am concerned about the newly yellow leafs that have been and are emerging and especially about the by now sad state of the offshoot.

How can I better care of this plant and help it over the winter season?


texts: Should I kill off one of the plants from a polyembryonic citrus seed to let the other grow?

texts:
I am growing some indoor citrus trees from seeds and found the seeds to mostly all sprout two plants. They are all about 1.5 inches tall right now and for each pair of plants one is clearly larger and taller than the other. I am worried that having two growing so close to each other will end up hurting both.

I was thinking of just cutting the smaller one off at ground level to let the larger one grow freely. Is this a good idea?

Is there even a problem at all or should I just leave them be?


texts: Composting pineapple crowns, corn sheath and kernel

texts: Do these take a long time to compost, if so is there some way to speed up the process. Or should I leave them out of the compost bin altogether?


texts: Can I successfully over-seed a lawn in the Spring in Colorado?

texts:
My lawn is old and in desperate need of over-seeding. Many people in my area (Denver, Colorado) say to do it in the Fall. My thinking is that in the Fall the lawn areas are very dry and that aerating the hard, predominantly clay soil will be almost impossible. Also, the trees are full of leaves in the Fall and the lawn gets very little sun. Finally, the conditions are not very good for growing anything due to the approaching Winter.

These arguments suggest early Spring is the best time. What do you think?


texts: How do I deal with variable head in a gravity drip system?

texts:
I am planning a gravity drip irrigation system fed from a large cistern that is 55 inches tall from the faucet to the overflow tube.

This will yield a significant variation in water pressure between empty and full. For example, one bed is 63 inches below the faucet, yielding 2.3 psi when empty and 4.3 when full; another is 125 inches below, for 4.5–6.5 psi.

How can one deal with variable head of this scale in a gravity drip system? I want to be able to water roughly the same amount without too much hassle whether the cistern is full or nearly empty.

I am aware of pressure regulators and pressure compensating emitters but have not been able to locate any that work at the low pressures from gravity. I have found multiple options for non-compensating emitters and drip line at these pressures.


texts: Please help! Something bad is happening to my Monstrea Deliciosa

texts:
I have an urgent situation with my Monstrea Deliciosa.
Yellowish stains appeared on the leaves last night. I watch the plant every day and I am sure they were not there yesterday. About half  of the leaves seem to be affected.
I think that the plant has a good drainage. I reported it two weeks ago, and I watered it only once since then. The outer roots seemed to be OK. Does anyone know what is the problem with my Monstrea? Is it serious? I'm quite panicked right now. Thank you in advance for your help.


texts:
My cat palm seems to be dropping quite a bit. Is this normal? Is it meant to droop so much?
I also see some brown on the roots.
I’m very new to indoor plants hence asking because I don’t want it to die.
Any advice would be amazing on how to repot and if these pots it is sitting in is good for it or not?
I have attached 2 photos for you to have a look at.

Cat palm full
Cat palm stems


texts:
I have had this succulent for the last year. Bought it a farmers market. It has always been inside at a north facing window.

I have repotted and it seemed to do better. But it now has these white spots. I am able to clean with a wet tissue, scrape them off. It has never really flourished, but it does have new growth. Does it need more sun? What are the spots and what should I do to treat it? I searched online and could not find anything. One video hinted it could be mineral deposits?

enter image description here
Thanks


texts: What is this houseplant with thin palmate leaves?

texts:
What plant is this, and how should I care for it.

I got it in India, just bought it because it looked cute to me, and now I don't know it's name or how to care for it.


texts: Help identify blue flowers that look like Hydrangea

texts:
Here is the bouquet with this beautiful flowers.

Side:

I found similar flowers in internet, but nothing about their name.

It looks like Hydrangea but has noticable differences, so I'm still searching.

Hydrangea:


texts:
So, as a first-time gardener, I of course made tons of mistakes planning my flower beds. Terrible locations, didn't think things through right, etc. The worst is probably a hibiscus near the front of the bed (among low-growers) that has gotten around 6 feet tall. It dominates the entire bed and needs to be moved to an edge of the yard, say along a fence, where it can be part of the backdrop instead of a visual obstruction.

But I don't want to kill it. It's doing really, really well where it is.

I'm worried that: (1) it's roots are probably enormous, and trying to move it may kill the plant outright; (2) if moved now, it may not have enough time to re-settle its roots before winter hits, and might just die out before spring.

(I'm in TN, Zone 7, and we typically get a little snow. Got down to 0 degrees F last winter, averaged around 20-30.)

So when's the best time to uproot and move plants? Is there anything in particular I should know before going in? Should I intentionally trim it down to give it less plant to try and "feed" in the new spot, or would that make things worse?

Total newbie here.


texts:
We are planting a garden at our preschool, including a rain barrel painted by the kids. The downspouts on the school are 6 inches by 6 inches. All of the rain barrel diverters I have found are designed for 2x3 or 3x4 downspouts.

Does a diverter for a 6x6 downspout exist? If not, any suggestions on how to make one?


texts: Rust color spots on Tomato Leaves, and Caterpillars

texts: I am getting these spots on tomatoes in my green house.  I am in North Carolina so it is really hot.  Caterpillars also have been eating the leaves.  They mostly like the kale leaves though.  How can I keep them from eating the leaves and what is causing the spots and what can I do to treat it.


texts: Can I use lawn clippings to mulch my vegetable garden?

texts:
Our lawn grows crazy-fast and if I'm too slow between mowings, I leave a thick trail of grass clippings on the lawn.  So two questions:

Can I use these to mulch my vegetable garden?
Are there any particular things to consider?

I've seen cautions about pesticides, etc - that isn't a problem here.  I've also heard of people drying clippings first; is that necessary?  Are there any nuances to be aware of?


texts: I have greenfly on my clematis. Rose Clear worked well on my roses, but will it harm a clematis? The clematis has only just been planted into the ground this year, in case that makes a difference.


texts:
I have a red Acer tree (about six years old)up the trunk there are signs of white power with brown spots. I have brushed them off and my tree appears to be healthy.
What could this be?


texts: Is it good to add probiotics to your fermented plant juice?

texts: I'm just wondering if adding some sort of bacteria like the ones you get in your probiotics supplements, can be good for your fermented plant juice?


texts: Kalanchoe's stems becoming red and roots growing on them

texts: What are these red stems and the things that look like roots? Do they damage the plant and how should I take care of it?


texts:
I planted some beetroot last year and obviously should have harvested it before winter but as I didn't have a use for all of it at the time I left some of it to grow. Now it's May (Spring) and I've got mature plants... Should they just go on the compost heap or are they still good to eat? Or perhaps, am I better off waiting until later in the year?

What are my options?


texts: Can we root prickly pear pads that are sold in grocery stores as a vegetable?

texts:
Can I root prickly pear pads that I buy (presumably for food) in the grocery store? It seems like it would be a great way to get some thornless prickly pear cacti growing. If I were to do it, I would want to grow them as houseplants (or else overwinter them in the winters).

Edit: I wouldn't try this now, whether or not I would have when I asked the question. There's too much risk of patents and breaking crop laws when you attempt to grow stuff from grocery store produce (e.g. growing grocery store garlic in Idaho carries a potentially hefty penalty). I know prickly pears probably aren't the world's most patented vegetables, but I still like to avoid grocery store produce. I didn't actually try it. Plus, those pads probably aren't very cold hardy; I'd rather buy some from coldhardycactus.com, or some such.


texts: I saw a strange white insect on my lemon plant. Have not seen it earlier. Any idea what it could be? It also has a greenish tinge on its head.


texts: Fastest way to move dirt using only an excavator?

texts:
While watching the neighbor go at a huge pile of loose dirt (500 tons+) with a mini excavator (2.7tonne) I got to pondering whether it's faster to drag the dirt (pile it round the excavator) move the excavator back, drag again.. or whether it's faster to take a bucket full, slew 180, dump it, repeat essentially moving the pile by whatever the max distance is between a full arm extent at 0 degrees and a full arm extent at 180?

Personally I've always dragged the pile because I find the slew action much slower than the arm and dragging can move more dirt in one hit than a grading bucket can hold but the neighbor has more driving experience and he's using the slew 180 method. The aim of the exercise is to move the dirt from A to B then spread it out, so it's not too much of a worry if the ground in between gets messed up

I'm wondering if there are industry pros on here with thoughts on which technique (or even another technique) is more effective?

Of course the best way is to get a large dump truck and it a bigger excavator, but if you could only get the excavator, what would you do?


texts: Is my lucky bamboo dying and what can I do about it?

texts:
Recently I've noticed my lucky bamboo houseplant had been withering from the top down. I've had it for over a year now and I'm wondering why it is dying.

The plant is in a glass bottle of water (changed once when it dried out last summer).

Here are some more recent photos.

What can I do about this? Has it aged too much?


texts: Can a plant that grows back from the roots each year be considered a perennial?

texts: I have a pot with mint plants growing in it. These plants die off in the winter and resurface from the ground in spring each year. Does that make the mint plants perennial? If not, is there a special term for these types of plants instead?


texts: Lowering Soil pH with Diluted Sulphuric Acid

texts: I want to lower my soil pH from 7 to 4.5 with dilute sulphuric acid. It's time to buy potted blueberry plants here in El Dorado County, CA (Zone 9A) so I would like to adjust the pH quickly rather than waiting for elemental sulphur to convert to sulphuric acid in the soil over several months.  My soil is a 50-50 mix of clay soil and rich compost with perlite added, and no commercial potting soil.  I will be growing my blueberries in 20 in dia containers shaped like half barrels.  I would appreciate a recommendation on the level of dilution for 93% sulphuric acid (I'm thinking 3 tablespoons of acid to a gallon of distilled water) and the application rate.  Should the application rate be based on the surface area or the volume of soil in the container? After obtaining the desired pH, perhaps after several applications as determined by monitor pH, how long should I wait before adding 2 potted blueberry plants to the container?


texts: What Disease is on my Mango Plant? Are there any remedies to cure it?

texts:
I'm growing a mango tree and discovered a few days ago some oily dots on the top of a lot of the leaves and on the back of those specific leaves were black patches scattered around. A few isolated cases have arose with a white patch and another black patch right next to it shown on the top of the leaf.

My mango sapling is currently in a sandy soil I made for it with 2 parts "Miracle Grow Soil for Trees, Bushes, and Shrubs" and 1 part coarse sand. I've consistently stuck to my schedule of watering it every 4 days. It has been only in temperatures of 68F - 75F (20C - 24C) ever since germination. it gets 10 hours of light under my 2000W grow light in a 4ft by 4ft grow tent (the space is not occupied with any other plants except 2 avocados in cups of water that I'm trying to germinate) with two oscillating ground fans and has responded great to it.

From the research I've done, it looks like it could be an early formation of powdery mildew or anthronose, maybe both or something else too? What is my mango tree infected with? What can I do to treat/cure my tree so it can recover?


texts: What is wrong with my strawberry plants? Nutrient deficiencies? Should I let them flower?

texts:
On some plants, the ends of new leaves are brown and dry and keep the new leaves from unfolding. On older leaves, there are purple areas, and some edges are dry.

A few weeks ago, I started supplementing the
once a day drip water (ph balanced to 6) with nutrient water,
with approx 20 ml (4 teaspoons) per plant, a day, general hydroponics grow, micro, bloom 3:2:1
because some new leaves were more yellow in the flesh than green in the veins, and there were some purple areas. And I found http://landresources.montana.edu/soilfertility/nutrientdeficiencies.html

The new leaves having brown dry tips is new since I started the nutrient.

I have been cutting off older leaves as they get really dry or brown.

I have been cutting off the runners and flowers as they start, in an attempt to establish the roots and leaves better first. But now I'm worried I might be missing out on my opportunity to grow berries.

I got these seascape everbearing strawberry as bare root plants via the mail around Nov 15 2018
They grow inside in sterile soil enriched with worm casings, mixed 2 parts soil and 1 part sand.

1

2

3

4

5

6


texts:
I live in zone 3, central Alberta.  Temperatures are well below freezing for 4-6 months of the year, with cold snaps lasting weeks between -20 and -35 C.

I have noticed that some conifers go quite yellow in winter.  One cause of this:  Once water transport has shut down, the tree cannot repair the damage when chlorophyll is split by UV.

If this were the only cause, then I would expect it to be most prominent in thin needled trees such as eastern white pine, bristlecone pine, and swiss stone pine, and less prominent in the much thicker needles of the two needle pines.

Overall the worst yellowing occurs in Scots, Lodgepole, and jack pines.
The least in mountain, ponderosa and korean pine.

Balsam fir and concolor fir seem unaffected.

Among the spruce, colorado (both green and blue) are not affected much, while white is the worst.  Meyer's and Black Hills and black spruce are intermediate.

Is there a way to reduce or eliminate the amount of yellowing of conifers in cold climates.  I am looking at either a fertilizer/watering regime and/or a spray to reduce UV damage.


texts: What is a safe mix of diesel and petrol/gasoline to start a burn?

texts:
Today I tried mixing gas and diesel to pour over some garden waste that was damp. Even after several dilutions with more diesel, every test I did led to a classic petrol 'whumph' with a huge gout of flames that quickly died out. The only thing the diesel send to do was make it harder to light... Once it did same result.

What is a safe ratio to be flammable but not inflammable, and are the two liquids hard to mix...I wondered if this might be the issue?


texts:
I used to have these plants growing in my dorm room. I needed to add some more herbs to my collection, so I dug up most of the previous plants, took the soil from the pots, and mixed it with home depot potting soil. I watered them like normal and found this white stuff growing all over the top of the soil and on the pots. I'm guessing mold but I have no experience with plants so I figured I'd ask first.

I'm wondering what this white stuff is, if there's a way to get rid of it, and what's the best way to prevent it from growing again?


texts:
Why is my Aloe Vera leaning to one side? I tried to pull it straight and it seems like it's working for the upper part like you can see in the photo.
Can I just cut it's bottom leaves and fill the pot with soil?


texts: How to ensure survival and growth of broken cactus

texts:
For a while now the top of my cactus had been dislodged from the rest of it, the dislodged area is brown and dead, but since the accident the area below it has also stopped growing. After 2 years of no growth I have decided to take the dead part off from the top, this has left the 'new top' area exposed and (I imagine) susceptible to various kinds of damage.

Please can someone provide information on the best course of action to ensure it continues to grow ?

This is the part I have removed.

Here in an image of the cactus.

Here is a slightly better quality image of the full cacti, for identification purposes.

Any help is very much appreciated, iv had this nipper for around 14 years. Thank you.


texts: I am planning on planting vegetables and the old bed has decayed mulch which looks reddish and grounded. Do I need to dig out a few inches of this and replace it with soil? Is there a way to find out if this was organic or one of the treated mulches? This mulch was laid by previous owners so there's no way of knowing.


texts:
I've been loosing more zucchini than have been ripening, and I'm trying to figure out why.  This is what I've been noticing:

Many fruits wither and die when they are just buds - before they fully blossom
Many more fruits turn yellow and begin to rot at ~2 in. in length

(they usually start to rot on the blossom end, away from the plant)

The ones that don't die off grow to a nice full length and look great
There are many striped cucumber beetles in the blossoms and around the plant
The plant itself seems very healthy (so far anyway)

Any idea what the problem is, or how to address it?  The beetles seem less common this week, but the zucchini aren't doing any better yet.


texts: How do you use potassium bicarbonate to control powdery mildew?

texts:
This post describes using potassium bicarbonate to control powdery mildew, but doesn't give any more info.

So I'm looking for the following:

Efficacy?
Mixing rate?
Application rate?
Application frequency?

And finally, are there different types of potassium bicarbonate and, if so, can they all be used for this purpose?


texts: How do I improve my success rate at growing scallions in bottles of water from onion heads

texts:
When I was younger, my family would grow scallions by taking an old glass bottle, filling it with water to the brim, and putting a regular onion head on the bottle so its bottom would touch water. It would grow roots and start growing little scallions.

I tried doing that again, and met with varied success. Some onion heads produced scallions after a week or two. Some took 2-3 months. Some never did.

Is that a good way to grow scallions, and if so what can I do to improve the success rate? Buy specific kinds of onions? Add something to the water? Anything else?


texts: What is this hemispherical red berry with many drupelets?

texts:
Here are two pictures of this berry.

What is the name of it?


texts: What flowers and shrubs will grow without outside help?

texts: I would like to plant some shrubs and/or flowers in a mostly wooded area behind my house (in NE Oklahoma). What are some good candidates that are (1) cheap, (2) perennial, and (3) hardy enough to survive without any assistance from me? (This is just for fun -- nothing serious, so I don't really mind if 3/4 of them don't survive.) Invasive species are fine, poison ivy is not.


texts: Infestation of Locust borers on Black locust tree. Too late for it?

texts:
Over this season I've narrowed down my black locust tree to having possible locust borer problems.  I used an insecticide tree and shrub drench in June after seeing the tale tell signs, with a ring of wood dust on the ground.

There are little holes sporadically through the tree trunk and branches, and a few small limbs broke from the damage caused. They gave way after some stronger winds, which would have normally held up okay.

This weekend I noticed them crawling all over the the tree (Which seems common for this species in late August and September). Is it better to cut this tree down in November, or spray it with Sevin and try to save it? Will Sevin 500 work? I read Carbaryl is effective and there is a Sevin with Carbaryl in it, but only available for purchase over Amazon or online. No local hardware stores carry it, just the Sevin 500 series. Carbaryl seems to have some possible harmful side effects to humans (more than most chemicals used in insecticides) so I am thinking that's why Sevin with Carbaryl isn't readily available in my local hardware stores, like the Sevin 500.

I've had a previous question for more details earlier in the season:
Tree not getting leaves in one section


texts:
What is this ground-hugging dense flowering plant?

What appears as a sort of stair in the photo is actually a concrete container for this plant (which is invisible, entirely covered by the plant), and the plant seems to have escaped the container, and continues to spread and progress slowly...


texts: Do I use grass seed or just weed and feed for dead lawn spot?

texts:
So I sprayed some weed killer and now my lawn has yellow dead spots all over. Maybe I made a mistake

If I know it looks like this, I wouldn't even try.

So how do I fix this now?

Option A:

Rake off the dead grasses, put compost down
Few weeks later, put grass seeds over the top

Option B:

Just put weed and feed over it --> I expect the grasses will grow back and cover the dead ones (not sure).

Option C:

Basically option A but no compost, just grass seeds. Someone told me compost would burn the seeds (??!)

Thought?

UPDATE 1

I am in Pacific Northwest


texts: As far as I'm aware, the majority of plants require good drainage and don't like sitting in water. So what is the purpose of and what do I do with a pot that has no drainage holes in the bottom?


texts:
Can anyone help me identify this house plant?

Some of the leaves have gone yellow, I think due to under watering and this seems to be improving now. Should these be trimmed?

Any other care tips appreciated.

Thanks.


texts: What are these brown dot on my palm stems

texts:
Hi my palm has developed these small brown spots on the stem any ideas what it is?

The edges of the fronds are also browning /turning yellow

Thanks


texts:
Hoping to save the two lavender plants I have left. Any tips?
They were planted from seed last year in the fall. I actually thought they weren’t going to come in because I didn’t see anything for quite some time.
But they did sprout! and I had maybe five plants up until recently. I went on vacation two separate times, when heat waves came through, and my plant-sitter didn’t give them enough water. Three plants were small so they dried out and died; these two were significantly bigger and made it through, and hanging on.
I’m home all the time now so I’ve tried to stay on top of watering regularly and giving them a little extra (I water deeply when the top 1/2” of soil is dry; they get direct SoCal sun all day except for a couple later morning hours). However, it seems like they’re still drying out slowly. I’d really like to save these last two plants. Am I watering too much? Too little? Should I fertilize?


texts:
I have 3 palants of peace lily,

Placed more or less 6 feets away form windows(2windows),
,
I never over water them, I wait for my plants to give me signs of thirst(wilt a little bit),each pot has several drainage holes..
Also the soil is very vell drained..
.in addition I use water from a tubewell, means no chloride, no chlorine,  no fluoride,
Nither I have ever used any fertilizer since I brought the home..
Humidity levels are also doing fine at 60%. ..
But still their tips are getting brown,
..
Can some one please tell me, what mistake I am making?
Please help this black thumb,


texts: Concerned about wintering a potted banana tree

texts:
I have been growing this Musa Basjoo plant from a small pup for about three years. It is now 6 feet. This was the first year that I will not be able to bring it inside the house for the winter.

It is just too large. I have been told that these plants will grow back if the trunk is cut, but I don't have the heart to do that UNLESS I HAVE TO. Any advice on how to care for the plant in zone 6 usa, where the winters can be very harsh, even with hardy bananas as the musa basjoo? I have seen trees that are cut return, but never plants in pots. I do not know what to do with this lovely happy plant during the cold months. Should I cut it?


texts: Is it too late to start outdoor aquaponics?

texts: Is it too late to add edible fish for an aquaponics project in zone 7A?  It looks like I may be too late for fingerling tilapia.


texts: My tree is contaminated with scale and I am in the midst of cutting all the leaves/branches.  The tree trunk appear to be infected minimally.  Can I use Insect pest killer with 20 g/l petroleum oil, 0.3 g/l pyrethrins, 1.2 g/l poiperonyl butoxide to spray the denude tree trunk and branches?  Thanks


texts:
We built our house last fall, and I've already found one wasp next in a corner of the eaves.  I know that one of our neighbors has a huge problem with wasps, and has a large amount of exterior exposed wood (multiple decks, wood trim, a large backyard fence) which tend to encourage wasp nests.

I'm looking for ideas to prevent wasps from migrating to our house.  I'm still very early in landscaping, and can plan for yard structures to be different materials.  I am also very happy to add plants with repellant properties, or at least minimize plants which wasps like.

Hopefully there's a good, organic solution.  I'm fine with pollinators, and the occasional wasp or two visiting.  I just want to avoid being the new home for multiple large colonies.

Edit to respond to questions:  I've no idea what kind of wasps, and am not even sure how to identify wasps.  They look black and yellow, and sting.  The nest looks similar to this paper wasp colony picture from Wikipedia, but I'm just using this pic for descriptive purposes, not fact.


texts:
I understand that once a tree/shrub has reached maturity, flower buds are apical buds that have morphed from vegetative ones. Yet, not every apical bud morphs into being a flower bud and that fraction that do seems to vary – why?

I’d like to know how I can maximize the flower buds on my flowering trees, rhododendrons, and the like. Conversely, I’d like to know how to suppress flower buds forming. In bonsai practice, for example, it is believed that flower buds ‘waste energy’ that could otherwise go into vegetative growth. Once the bonsai is developed, however, flowers are highly prized.

What are the factors that anyone might control to turn on/off formation of flower buds?


texts: This is in a domestic garden, in Cornwall, UK. What is it?


texts:
For father's day, my two sons gave me sprouted oak seedlings. One seedling is 7 inches tall with four leaves, the other is 5 inches tall with four leaves. The containers are small pots, about six inches tall and four inches across. We live in south central Iowa.

What can we do to give the seedlings the best chance of survival?


texts: Why did the leaves on my Plumeria alba develop black spots and fall off?

texts:
I got a small Plumeria alba tree in my office, right next to a very sunny window.

At first, it was growing brand new leaves and looked great. Over time, however, the leaves got black dots and fell off and the entire plant looks "sad".

Any idea what is going on?

Click photo for full size


texts: The color variations of Mirabilis Jalapa flowers

texts: I have few Mirabilis Jalapa plants on the side of  my yard. The colors of their flowers are pink, white,yellow, and orange. But,only the plant with the orange flowers grow well, while the others seem to dying no matter I do. Maybe because of too much watering or the lack of sunshine and wind nowadays. Is there a solution for these ?. O yes, back to the original topic. Could I make a multicolor flower (in a single flower) by using these single-colored flower plants ? Is it true that a single mirabilis jalapa flower could contain 4 or 5 distinct colors ?


texts:
I have been poking a little at the flowers but they are not what I am used to. I've hand pollinated many other plants with success but this flower structure is more closed off and I can't seem to locate the pollen.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_quitoense


texts: What's wrong with my weak cantaloupe plants?

texts: This plant is a few months old.  I'm in zone 10A.  Although the vines continue to spread, it has always looked sickly like this with curled up leaves.


texts:
Some background: I’m a beginner gardener (and that’s being generous) with a rooftop and a balcony, so everything I grow, if it survives, is in planters and pots. But I know almost nothing about gardening.

With that said, Ive read that I can use kitchen waste (coffee grounds, rice, peanut shells, banana peels, etc) for my plants by using it in compost.

I do not have the tools, the space, or the knowledge to make compost. Obviously, I cannot just throw the peanut shells in the plant like it’s a garbage bin.

My question: how can someone in my situation use kitchen waste to help my plants?

I was thinking of grinding it all up in my kitchen grinder and then adding it to the plants.


texts: Can quick lawn grass seed be used for overseeding?

texts:
I want to overseed my lawn to thicken it up.

I have a lot of quicklawn grass seed, which is designed for new lawns grown from scratch.

It seems to me that, in the most part, a seed is a seed and this stuff will do just fine.
My question is, is there anything wrong with using this seed for over seeding, rather than a 'designed for purpose' overseeding seed pack?


texts:
This came up in conversation yesterday at dinner, so I don't have specific details.  It seems in our area at least one of the hawthorns dip sap (probably more specifically honeydew) onto cars.  Folks were saying that it very difficult to get off of the cars that are parked under the trees.

Any advice?


texts:
I would like to know if there's a way to ensure every sample has the same initial conditions when performing soil experiments. The samples are going to be enclosed in containers of 13 cm height and 18 cm width.

Is there a soil sieving and packing procedure to ensure equal moisture distribution?


texts:
How can a tree be made to grow bigger and faster constantly over 100 years?
Could a full grown tree be given a constant trickle of water and a time-released nutrient pack, like huge miracle grow stick or tree steroids, would boost the tree into growing bigger?


texts:
I've bought this Areca palm in Ikea about a month ago. It was doing fine for a week or so, and then, suddenly, leaves started turning yellow, then black. At first I thought it was normal, since only the bottom leaves were drying, but now the top leaves and the middle ones are also turning yellow - brown - black. Also, if you notice, the plant is not straight anymore, like all the leaves are falling down. I would like to know what am I missing here, I've been watering it once a week, everytime the soil is dried out. Also, I've been sprinkling it with water every couple of days. The temperature of the room is about 25 degrees Celsius, it is near the window.I haven't noticed any spots on the bottom side of the leaves. I would like to know what to do next, since I love this plant very much and i hate to see it dying this way :'(

These are the photos of it when i bought it:

https://ibb.co/KjWz7Ys

https://ibb.co/563fhp8

This is the plant now:

https://ibb.co/9V1J5CN

https://ibb.co/rp6JvDq

https://ibb.co/Zz2hWpf

https://ibb.co/rwtFvN5

https://ibb.co/7nbkwxs

https://ibb.co/gDbjKsq


texts: Is it safe to use bleach around the yard?

texts: I would like to prepare an old deck for staining.  Scrubbing with a bleach solution seems a popular technique.  Will the bleach solution harm nearby plants?  What about if I use soap instead?


texts:
I posted a question a few weeks ago asking if my aloe was going to bloom. Does Aloe Vera bloom?

I have now flowers that look like they have seeds in them but I'm not sure about it.
So I was wondering if anyone can tell are they seeds and if they are how should I plant them


texts: Can a Japanese Maple Tree be Tapped for Sap to be Used in Syrup?

texts: I have a large Japanese Maple tree (about twenty feet tall) in my yard and am wondering if it can be tapped for sap to be made into syrup.  Is this possible or would it just be a waste or taste bad?  If it is possible, can you please provide any pointers that could help me get a good yield and not permanently damage the tree?


texts: Advice on planting potatoes with long sprouts

texts:
We have a bunch of potatoes with long sprouts from their eyes.  (Actually, we just planted them, but I'll ask the questions I had right before planting.)

Should I leave a 12-inch sprout from the eye, or break some of it off?  On average, the remaining potato chunk is small (<1"), so I imagine it doesn't have too much energy left.
Should I plant the sprouts up or down?  (We actually planted them sideways because we weren't sure.)


texts: What kind of black and yellow insect has a zebra like pattern?

texts:
Can anyone help me identify a insect with the following features:

black and yellow
long feelers
body is tapered toward the back
zebra like pattern on the shell
about 1.5 inches long
found in central Texas

Here's what it looks like:


texts: What is the best way to grow lowbush blueberries from seed?

texts:
I have lots and lots of wild blueberries this year and was wondering if they would do well in a rock garden planted from seed. I know how to extract the seeds but I would like to know if anyone has any experience with growing such berries from seed

They also were taken off the slope of a mountain, very close to the top


texts: Indoor lemon tree has yellowing and falling leaves

texts:
My indoor lemon tree was doing just fine and had a beautiful bout of growth, some branches developing huge leaves and up to 10in in new growth. I've had it for about a year.

However, several leaves (~10) started yellowing and falling off. I'm attaching some pictures below of what the fallen leaves look like.

I don't think I over-watered it. I always wait until the soil is very dry and never water more than once a week, more like every 10 or 15 days. The water drains out nicely and fills the saucer.
I don't think I over-fertilized it. I gave it some general-purpose fertilizer 4 and 6 weeks ago respectively (new growth was picking up) and haven't fertilized it throughout the winter or after that.

Two topics of concern:

cleaning underneath the pot revealed a yellow fungus spread, but it didn't seem to enter through the watering hole
spider mites, which I've been battling with spraying soapy water on the leaves.

What are your thoughts? Does this seem like something caused by spider mites? By a fungus? Or something else I'm not thinking of?

Thanks,

Jonathan


texts: I am going to plant cilantro this year and I am not sure if it will come back every year. I know a lot of herbs do, but I have never planted cilantro or parsley. I have looked for a answer to this question and I can't seem to find a plane and simple answer. I live in Idaho so we don't get really cold or hot weather but it can be very unpredictable. I always start my herbs in containers, and then I replant them in the garden. So does any one know if they are perennials?


texts: My basil stems are cracking and turning brown

texts:
I'm growing Basil indoors hydroponically. Most of my plants look fine (other than them tipping over because I used too small net cups and/or didn't pin them in), but some of the stems appear to be cracking and turning brown (picture below).

Is this because of some particular stress/infection? Should I do something particular to care for it? Is it normal?


texts: Started from seed from store bought mango about 3 months ago. Quickly growed to this stage and then stuck. Seems to be getting worse last 2 weeks. No idea what is wrong. Temps was 20-30c during that period.


texts:
I have a rhododendron that's been living in a pot for a couple of years. Beyond the general advice I've found regarding care for it, I'd like to determine what specific variety it is, as there may be more specific requirements that I can adhere to so as to best maintain it.

It's currently (mid-May) flowering, in the UK on the same latitude as London in a reasonably sheltered South-West facing garden. Some pictures of the flowers and density of flowers are at the end of the post.

Three points that may help with identifying the specific variety:

The flowers are a more vibrant yellow "in person"; unfortunately the camera doesn't really do the colour justice
The flowers start off (sort of!) red, as can be seen at the bottom of the photo that shows the flowers in close-up
It's evergreen
It also flowered (some 5 to 10 flowers) again this year in early September 2019

I've looked at the list of cultivars on the RHS website (link) but none of the listed mid-season flowering ones seem to be good matches


texts:
We live in the desert. The previous house owner had the back yard landscaped with a plastic layer on top of levelled sand and then 2-3 inches of rock on top. Rock size 1-2 inches across. The wind blows the sand onto the rocks and weeds often break through the plastic, or even just grow in small pockets of sand on top of the plastic. I've no idea why proper weed barrier wasn't used.

My question is how to get rid of at least some of the sand? We've something like 5000 sqft to deal with so sieving by hand is going to be backbreaking (dig, pile onto a small aperture chicken wire mesh, replace).

I wondered about a leaf blower that has a vacuum and bag. I've never even used a leaf blower, let alone tried it with sand - picking up the sand while leaving rocks.

Any other solutions welcomed. Ultimately it'll be a major plant hire and done properly but we can't afford that right now.


texts: Are there benefits to changing the direction you mow a lawn?

texts:
This is one of those ancient bits of "wisdom" I vaguely recall from my childhood; and now that I have a lawn which seems quite happily established, I'm looking into keeping it that way.  So, I want to know if there's any truth to it.

Supposedly, each time you mow your lawn, you should change the direction you mow.  For example, travel north/south one mowing, then east/west the next mowing.

It's obvious if you look at a freshly mown lawn which direction the mower traveled, which I think lends this idea its believability.  But I can't honestly think of any benefit to the plants.  After a day or two they're all still happily growing "up" after all.  And with a motorized spinning blade, I don't see how you could say that a blade of grass was cut "this way," anyway.

So, is there something I'm missing?  Is there some benefit to the plants?  Or is there some quirk of reel mowers which made it true in the past; and if so, is it still true?


texts: I see several dirt mounds in my backyard. These are usually around 6 inches in diameter with no obvious hole caused by an animal. Can you please help me identify what is causing it and also how to stop it?


texts: Can I improve clay-like soil with little stones?

texts:
I have these stones (formerly from a garden center and on top of weed-suppressing fabric in a flower bed for 10 years) and I'm wondering if I can just fork them into this soil. The soil currently looks to bereft of stones presently.

Good idea or bad idea?

Stones:

Soil:


texts: Identify this long leaved plant having big orange flowers

texts:
Please Identify this plant:

Location: Mumbai, India
Height: About 1 meter
Fragrance in Flower: No


texts: Does a eucalyptus tree cause damage to a building foundation?

texts:
I planted a eucalyptus tree about 6 - 7 meters (20 - 22 feet) from my house.

Does this tree have an effect on my building foundation?


texts: Tillandsia (air plants) Turning Black and Dying After Watering

texts:
I live in a northeast Connecticut boarding school, and have ten tillandsias on the windowsill of my dormitory room. I cannot collect rain water for them because I have no tools to do so, so the water I use to water them was the water from the drinking fountains.

After coming to the school, I began watering them by soaking them upside-down in plastic containers, just like I used to do back at home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I dried them up by placing them upside-down on paper towels. When I performed this process back in Pittsburgh, they grew quite well (the only difference was that I used rainwater then). I've watered them twice after coming here, but they only turned black on their bottom leaves and didn't look healthy at all.

So I have refrained from watering them for an incredible three months now, and I know you will blame me for doing this, but I was quite sure they would all turn black and die if I kept watering them. Now, all of them have dried up considerably, but they all still have healthy leaves in the middle and their leaves have stopped turning black. I really want to resume watering them, but I don't know how.

I have several varieties of tillandsias, but they all seemed to exhibit the same symptoms.

I would like to know why their bottom leaves turned black and shriveled after watering, and how I can change my practices to better care for them.

I have not been able to find answers online about tillandsias' leaves turning black after watering, so I hope this site will be able to help.

Edit

I read somewhere that spring water is good for Tillandsias. Do you recommend using it? If so, what counts as spring water and where can I obtain it?

Also, does Brita water filter work for removing chlorine as well as softening the water? (If that's the case, I will just buy a Brita jug to fix the water problems.)


texts: What is this tall houseplant with thin, gold-speckled leaves?

texts:
My friend had this plant and when he moved, I brought it to my house. I want to know what kind of plant it is.

Click on photo for full size


texts: What are these bugs infesting my jade plant and what to do about them?

texts:
I started putting my jade plant outside (fire escape) every morning because I live in an apartment and was trying to maximize sunlight. But then I noticed my jade plants were shriveling and turning pale yellow, and I was pretty sure it wasn't due to light or watering. Then I noticed these tiny bugs on the saucer. When I uprooted the plant, I found these cotton-like webs in the soil. The damage is fairly extensive. What are these things—they don't look like mealybugs or spider mites to me, but I'm not an expert—and what can I do about them?
Also, should I be concerned about my other house plants? Not sure how much these things move around.


texts: My avocado trees are having a really hard time

texts:
I am growing 3 avocado trees. They are about 2 years old and they were doing really well, they have spent winters indoors and summer out side. They are currently inside and I will be moving them outside soon.

I have noticed the youngest leaves are drying or dying out. They aren't going brown. I am not sure what the problem is.

Please can some one give me a little advice on this problem?!


texts: Lucky Bamboo stem sags but seems healthy, how do I fix this?

texts:
I've had this Lucky Bamboo plant for almost 4 years. It has got two shoots coming out of the main stem, the longer of which is now unable to support itself.

We had a very dry winter and I had a hard time with a lot of my plants; it got really bad when I had to go away for a week. I came back and my bamboo was yellowing and the branch bent over and sagging. This bamboo seems to be healthy now, but that large shoot continues to sag.

Its been this way for a couple months now. I have to keep it next to something to support the shoot. I can tell that if I support the base of the shoot (about an inch above the main stem) with my fingers, the whole shoot stands up fine - so I guess it's the base of the shoot that is the problem.

Is there a way to get the shoot to support its own weight? Or is there some thing I should put in the shoot to help it do so?


texts: Highest branch thickness for a hedge trimmer

texts: I've got something very close to this trimmer, same brand. Some branches I want to cut are 3-3.5cm thick. Will it cut those?


texts: yellowing leaves and black leaf parts on alocasia

texts:
info

alocasia plant
bought from a nursery
placed in a well-lit corner of the room, without direct sunlight
plant is not over-watered, only watered when soil dries
got it for about 3 weeks now

issues - day 21

some of the plant leaves are getting yellow: big ones and small, old ones and new.
some leaved suffer from a black spot / spec (similar to this). it's not over-watered, so i suspect a bacteria of some sort, but the black part is at the edge of the lead and doesn't look like bacterial spots (for example). i had another leaf that got lower for some reason, touched the floor, and had the same black symptom (and later was cut off).

issues - day 22

overnight the disease / virus infected the leaf. now it looks like a fungus / virus. my guess is black spot disease (also seen here), a severe case of Rust Fungus (as seen here) or Early Blight (also seen here, section 11).
this only infects some leaves - note that all others look healthy.
though stated before (because it's the first thing that comes to mind), i find it hard to believe that it was over-watered. i still consider the possibility - but the plant was only watered once (when put into current pot), and sprayed with water (just plain water) once.
i did notice in the first two weeks the plant was "sweating", meaning it was soaking water from the ground and expressing it out of his leaves. it always looked like there was rain just now.

any idea on what can be the issue?


texts: Can I use lava rock as a substitute for sponge rock for my Hawaii's Anthurium?

texts: I have a Hawaii's Anthurium, and the instructions say to plant it in a pot with 1 part peat moss and 2 parts perlite or sponge rock. I have lava rock. Would it be ok for me to plan the Hawaii's Anthurium in 1 part peat moss and 2 parts lava rock?


texts: A firm believer in 3-year crop rotation, I sow my runner beans in a different plot every year. After they crop, I dig their stems and roots into the soil, to replenish it with their captured nitrogen; I then dismantle the bamboo support frame and reconstruct it elsewhere. To avoid this hassle, several of my gardener friends dig in plenty of manure and use the same plot year after year - and their plants thrive and crop well (sometimes better than mine!). If their long-term failure to ‘sow by the rules’ has depleted the soil of certain nutrients, it certainly isn’t apparent. Is it really necessary to rotate runner beans?


texts:
I carefully transferred this tomato from a pot because some of the leaves are starting to dry out and the stem is turning brown, and it did not seem to make a difference. So I was wondering if this is normal or is this tomato plant starting to die out?

EDIT: Updated with better image.


texts: What is the difference between light and dark moonflower seeds?

texts: I have seen light tan, medium tan, and darkish brown moonflower (Ipomoea Alba) seeds. Is there any difference? Does one plant only make one color of seed? My packet this year only came with light tan ones, so I do not have a picture of the different colors. In the past, my packets have come with a mix of seed colors.


texts: What is this succulent with spined leaves with a triangular cross-section?

texts:
A few weeks ago I got this plant from someone:

Sadly it looks like it is dying. What kind of plant is this? I have been watering it twice a week, keeping the soil moist. What did I do wrong and how can I save it?


texts: Train young Desert Museum Palo Verde for better symmetry?

texts:
We had a landscaper plant a Desert Museum Palo Verde tree in our garden. However, the one they chose is lop-sided in that all the branches are on or bent towards one side.
Would it be possible to train the branches to bend the other way so the tree is more symmetrical?  (We currently have two stakes to hold it straight up, more or less.)


texts: Should I water before or after a tomato feed?

texts:
I'm just back from a few days away and my tomatoes need to be watered (they were watered almost daily by friends while I was away, but it hasn't rained in awhile so they need watering).  I also want to give them a tomato feed as they are still producing new fruit.

Does it matter if I water before or after I put the tomato feed? Will watering after feeding dilute the feed?


texts: How do I go about renting a house as a hardcore gardener?

texts:
I am asking this question here because it really is a question only a gardener can understand.

My wife and I are avid gardeners, but I find that when we search for a house to rent to call our home. The realtor or owner showing us the place, may start to wax poetic about mowing the lawn and I look at them like the RCA dog looking at the phonograph like "who said I was going to be mowing a lawn", I plan to have a vegetable garden here. Then the individual looks at me with a face like his blood pressure just went up. What makes someone react negatively to the idea of a garden and positive to the idea of a grassy desert is beyond my understanding.

So my question is, for anyone who is a renter and a hardcore gardener, how do you go about renting a house? Meaning how do you have that conversation or don't have that conversation that you will be doing some hardcore gardening, not keeping someone else's lawn for them?

To be clear, I am just talking about several raised-beds that will be gone the day we move, which could be a year or 6 six later. The precious grass will still be there and it does grow back. I am perplexed by this lack of understanding of how grass works.


texts: Diagnosis - plumeria leaves are yellowing and falling off

texts:
My plumeria, grown from a cutting, is starting to lose leaves. The leaves slowly turn yellow and brown over the course of 2-3 weeks. They start off green, then have a few white spots, then turn fully yellow and fall off. This is happening primarily with the older bottom leaves. The top of the plant continues to grow new green leaves, though they are much smaller and slightly curlier than the original old leaves.

The plumeria is in a 2-gallon pot and I’ve just repotted from a 1 gallon. Its roots were grown to the walls of the 1-gallon, so I think the repotting might do good for it, but I wanted to make sure it’s not diseased or infested with something. Thanks for your help everyone!


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I have a friend who left a Redwood (Sequoiadendron giganteum) sapling out in the cold and snow a few months ago. It's still alive- it has some green needles still- but it's slowly getting browner and browner. What can be done to revitalize it?

It's about 8 inches tall, and under 6 months old. It's been in its current pot for about 2 months.

Here's a picture of the tree. It looks like it's planted in sand, which would be bad, but it's an even mixture of sand, potting soil, and mulch. The soil and mulch has just been washed below the sand.


texts: Transplanting indoor vegetable starts outside

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Last year, I tried to start most of my vegetable garden inside while it was still cool outside.  This included peas, corn, peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, pumpkins, and zucchini.

Once it warmed up, I took them all outside and planted them.  Within a few days almost all of them died, or got really unhealthy and didn't grow big or produce much.

Did I do something wrong, or is it better just to start the plants outside to begin with?