texts: Need help on basics for growing herbs and vegetables in pots

texts:
I haven't bought the pots as yet, but I wanted to know how should I plant oregano, basil, parsley, mint, (maybe some other herbs) and cherry tomato, chili peppers and garlic.  Should I have a small pot per plant or should I group them in a large pot?  My balcony is facing south (I'm on the south hemisphere) so it has sun all day on its border and shadow closer to the wall.

I was thinking about having something like a vertical garden (2 of them one against the wall and other against the border, maybe? Also maybe stepped so they don't overlap each other, IDK)

Edit: also, what material do I need for the pots?


texts: I have noticed the discoloring of the stems of my roses. Do I have to remove the discolored stems? Aside from cleaning my cutting tools, is there anything I can do to prevent this?


texts: How can I prevent my succulent from tipping over its pot?

texts:
My succulent has been growing sideways for a while. Today the planter tipped over because of the unbalanced weight. I moved the plant to give sunlight exposure from different angles but that didn't really help.

What is causing this and is there anything I can do to help it?


texts:
The depicted Deutzia Gracilis has apparently begun suffering from some kind of invasion.

Who is bugging it (probably aphids) and how can this be fought off (preferably without "strong" pesticides)?

UPDATE So I was able to catch the/a likely suspect at night (see 4th picture), probably a Vine weevil. RIP.

UPDATE On reflection, the plant of concern my be Forsythia intermedia, not Deutzia gracilis.


texts: How should I prune a weeping willow without shortening the life of the tree?

texts:
I prune a lot of neighborhood trees, but I've come to a small problem. Some people like their weeping willows high enough that they can walk underneath without brushing it. I have been doing this by hedge trimming the stems at seven feet.

Now I hear that this greatly shortens the life of the tree, as compared with an unpruned tree. Is this true, and if so, is there a better way to prune it?


texts: What's a nitrogen-fixing ground-cover that grows on very little rainfall?

texts: Here in the desert southwest (Northern New Mexico, zone 7B, heavy clay soil, 7 inches of annual rainfall), clover doesn't seem to grow well due to lack of enough moisture. What's an alternative that will improve my soil over time the way clover will, but grows on an extremely small amount of water?


texts:
I have a small bay tree indoors in a pot. It's next to a large, north-facing window with a minor draught coming from it but thankfully the cold in winter doesn't seem to come in too badly.

The tree was recently repotted (maybe 2-3 weeks ago). Since repotting I've watered it, but not given it any food. I've noticed that although the leaves seem to be greening up again after the repotting, they're somewhat curled under and don't seem to be fleshing out.

I am not sure if some plant food, particularly since colder times are on the way, might be a good idea. Any tips or tricks welcome since I really want this plant to succeed as it has sentimental value :D


texts: Is there a way to make a bonsai from a normal tree cutting (not from a bonsai cutting)? I was just thinking for instance of making a bonsai maple from a normal size field maple, or ash, etc. What trees are suitable for this? (I am in UK)


texts: Severe wind has stripped leaves from lemon & lime tree

texts: I purchased a lemon and a lime tree and potted in Autumn this year.   They are in full sun and have been looking great however we have had some severe winds and this has stripped the leaves from the trees. Both of them.    They look like they have new leaves coming from the buds on the branches, purple in colour, will they survive, should I prune them back, fertilise them?


texts: White patches with black dots on leaves of Areca Palm

texts:
I have a small Areca Palm and today I noticed these small white patches appearing on the leaves, the patch is on the top and bottom side of the leaf, it almost looks like it's dried out? Whatever it is it looks like I've spotted it early as for the most part the plant still looks nice and healthy but I was hoping someone could tell me if these patches are something I should be concerned about?
Thanks very much!


texts: How do I flatten my soil to apply gravel?

texts: I have dug up a section of my lawn to apply gravel. The soil is now very lumpy and I am wondering how to flatten it out?


texts: Can mafia blocks be safely drilled into for fence posts?

texts: I have mafia blocks for a retaining wall and would like to put a fence directly on it, can they be drilled into for fence posts or are they too brittle for drilling?


texts: Why is spiderwort a good plant for mesocosms?

texts:
You may already have heard about the 53 year-old sealed bottle garden, but I would like to know why spiderwort is a particularly sustainable plant.

What are some other plant species that require little care, and would survive in a closed mesocosm with:

A source of direct sunlight
Generally damp conditions
Soil that contains bacteria that can decompose dead matter and shredded newspaper?


texts:
The plant was growing well for a few months but in the last month or so the lower leaves started to yellow as the plant continued to grow rapidly.  The rate yellowing and dropping of the leaves is starting to overtake the new growth.

I live in the Middle Eastern desert, I keep the plant outdoors, it receives full sun from early morning till early afternoon.  It is adequately watered.  Just dealt with a bout of spider mites and whitefly with daily monitoring and treatment.

I am desperately trying to get the plant healthy before the winter months start to set in.


texts: How to safely distribute closely growing chili pepper seedlings around a bigger pot?

texts:
I have a pot of very closely growing chili pepper seedlings and I'd like to distribute them around a bigger pot, but I don't think their roots will allow easy separation. Is there some way I could separate them from each other without sacrificing too many seedlings, like maybe watering the soil down, planting them one by one and covering roots with wet soil?

I hope this picture can help understand how close the seedlings are:


texts: Dendrobium with black spots on the leaves

texts:
There are these black spots on almost every leaf of our Dendrobium (?). It has flowered once but has kind of gone into a resting phase ever since, I guess that is normal (please correct me if it's not).
It is kept indoors, just by the side of a South facing window, so gets indirect sunlight the entire day. We water it once every 4 or so days and is fed water soluble NPK 20:20:20 every couple weeks.
The climate here is tropical so it is warm/hot and humid except for the few winter months of the year.
What are these spots and what should we do to prevent them?
Is it advisable to put it in a place where it gets direct sunlight for a few hours of the day?


texts: How to plant bare-root trees in very hard ground?

texts:
I want to plant a row of hedging in ground which is very hard - using a normal garden spade you can barely dig it which bodes badly wanting to dig a few dozen holes!
I can see things grow well once they get established though. I think it's mainly due a lot of small stones on the surfuce layer.
I expect to mostly plant whips - I have used "slit planting" before but what tools and techniques can be advised to make my life easier? In a few spots I want to plant larger established trees from pots, where I want screening now rather than in a few years.


texts: What is this plant and the white stuffs?

texts:
This plant is in my front yard from previous owner and now I just pay attention.

It has white stuffs all over the places. What is it and is it normal?


texts: term for trees that make the soil inhospitable so that nothing can grow there after they are removed

texts: There's a technical term that I cannot remember, which is applied to trees that change the soil composition where they've grown, so that even after they've been removed, nothing will grow there. Would someone please refresh my memory?


texts: How to protect outdoor potted trees in storm?

texts:
I'm growing a bunch of trees in pots and have been keeping them in the yard. A storm with high winds is expected (~20mph) and as I bring some items indoors (e.g. a flag, light pots hanging from a railing), I wonder if I should do something for the potted trees.

Right now I brought some of the younger and more delicate (grafted) potted trees into an enclosed porch, and I laid the larger potted trees gently down on their side. I'm hoping this will prevent wind from blowing the trees over (not gently) and in case any overhead branches fall on them, the damage may not be as catastrophic to their long-term growth.

Is there a standard practice for preparing outdoor potted nursery plants for tornado and hurricane conditions?


texts: What is a good evergreen barrier plant in the midwest of the United States?

texts:
These plants will be near the base of another treelike and need to be ok with partial to no sun, and then obviously full sun in the winter time.

EDIT:
I forgot to mention that this shade would ideally reach to at least 6 feet. Additionally, there are deer that roam through our yard occasionally.


texts: Is this tree sick and is there something I can do about it?

texts:
We have this tree in our front yard and it isn't looking that good.  I am guessing it was put in when our house was built in '64 so it is over 50 years old.  I'd love to be able to save it if something is wrong with it but I know very little about trees.  The very bottom branches have no needles on them and then as you go up the tree the branches become fuller and fuller.

I know some coniferous trees shed their lower limbs but even at the top of this tree it looks like it is losing some needles.  We just moved in the house and I don't know any of this trees history.

Here's some more photos in an album: https://goo.gl/photos/XbW5ADuuSNK93SKY9


texts: Does seeds from two tomatos from the same plant share the exact same genetics?

texts:
I have a tomato plant with a huge deformed tomato, and other normal ones.

If I save seeds from the deformed tomato, could it result in plants with more chances of giving deformed tomatos than if I save seeds from normal looking tomatos from the same plant?

Or all tomatos from the same plant share the exact same genetics and doesn't matter which one I save the seeds from?


texts: A few of my mint plant's stems are bent, some by almost 90 degrees (this isn't from disease, it came about as a result of rough treatment). I tried bending the stems back, but they go back to being bent in a few seconds. Should I leave the plant be and allow it to heal? Or is this a more serious condition, and should I cut off the stem below the bend with a scissor?


texts: Can anyone identify this plant that grows leaves from its leaf?

texts: This plant has been growing in my garden (south India) for a while. Would like to know its name so that I can take better care of it. Thanks!


texts: How do I properly cut and cultivate my lemon trees to keep them smaller?

texts:
I started growing these two lemon trees from (random storebought lemon) seeds a few years ago and they grew considerably over the last summer after putting them in larger pots.

Because I live in Nothern Germany where we sometimes get -10°C in the winter and I have no idea how much cold they can deal with, I take them inside in temperatures under 6°C (so basically the entire winter).

The problem is that they are getting too big to keep inside but I don't think I can keep them outside all year round. Should I cut them to keep their size within reasonable limits? Can I keep them outside all year round instead?

They are also suffering from soft scale insects (it seems coccus hesperidum is the exact name judging from images found online) that I managed to treat using an oily semi-natural pesticide. However, the insects come back after about a month. I think this is because of the adverse growing conditions inside (hot dry air from the heater and not enough sunlight in the winter).

I've bought a systemic pesticide but haven't gotten around to applying it as it needs to be applied not in direct sunlight and with no forecast of wind or rain.

As you can see in the pictures, the new leaves are unnaturally curled and pretty light compared to the older leaves. I fertilized using a long-term citrus fertilizer last spring and haven't done so again since.

I can try to provide more details where necessary. Thanks!

The smaller left one:

The larger right one:


texts: Why are these bean plant leaves misshapen?

texts:
I've planted a few rows of green bush beans and some of the sprouts have misshapen leaves (see images below). Some beans are perfectly fine whereas others are totally mangled.

The soil is sandy but I amended with a store-bought soil for vegetables. Seeds were from a reputable supplier. I'm in southern Ontario, Canada.

I've grown bush and pole beans for several years in this garden without issue. I'm not sure if it's a virus or an issue with watering. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.


texts: Does this bush plant has red spider/mites problem?

texts:
This bush becomes very ill this year. Its leaves turn to grey and they look dead. However can still see some new green leaves here and there.
Can someone help me to identify what's the cause? I searched the net, thought it maybe due to red spider but not sure.


texts:
We are in the process of buying a home - and the builder says the yard is "4:1" or a "25% grade" - I am trying to understand if this will need to be leveled, and at what cost to be able to use the yard for a swing set/etc - just an estimate?

The yard is 45 feet at the longest edge, 40 feet on the shortest edge. The width is about 56 feet. The slope is most from the back of the fence to about halfway into the yard, for "drainage".

Are we buying a HILL?

Thanks!


texts:
This spring I accidentally stepped on a redcurrant bush and snapped it just above ground level. Without much hope I taped it up using duct tape and 'splinted' it with a cane.
To my surprise it has fruited and still appears healthy even though the stem still seems loose.
Got me thinking, what are the best ways to try and save plants in this situation where the trunk or a branch is broken? Is it something that is typically successful?


texts: Thuja green giants, one dead another on the way out

texts:
I planted 6 5ft green giants from fastgrowingtrees.com back in May.

They took well until recent. The farthest right is clearly not coming back. But the 3rd from left is starting to look like it's dying as well. What can I do? I water 3x a week..  it's been pretty dry in, I am in Illinois close to Chicago.

I purchased a soaker hose yesterday and put it on a 5am timer for one hour now daily until we get more rain.

How can i control anymore from dying, and is it too late for the other one dying? I took my finger and scraped a branch with brown leaves and it was still green.

These are on sloped ground too.


texts: Why do many of my parsley leaves have white tips?

texts: I'm not sure if this is normal? Not every leaf has this but lots of them do


texts: I live in Upstate New York and planted potatoes very late in the season. Some of the potatoes have sprouted and others have not.  For the one's that did not sprout, I carefully dug up my seed potatoes and they are very mushy. Is this normal and if not what should I do?


texts: Plant suggestions for a rockery in a dry, shaded position

texts:
I am planning to make a rockery down the end of my garden. The position is directly underneath two tall Leylandii. The soil there is poor and any moisture very quickly sucked out by the Leylandii.

The spot receives no direct sunlight - it is north facing (UK), and in the corner between two fence panels.

What plants can you recommend that would be suitable for a rockery in this position?


texts: What is this tree/shrub in my Florida yard?

texts: South Florida   currently about 10 feet tall


texts: Diseases Wreaking Havoc With Peppers Should I Discard Them?

texts:
This post has multiple questions inside that I really need help with identifying what's wrong with the plants and should I remove them, if so, which ones.

I'm also curious if any of those issues could transmit to tomatoes, figs, bananas and cucumbers in particular.

Location: Memphis/TN, grow-zone: 7-b, weather: inhabitable/uphill battle.

I have 2 sets of hydroponic peppers outside in the patio with a couple pot planted peppers. I know the diseases aren't from the seeds since the peppers inside are doing just fine but sadly I only have 2 plants inside the tent.

One disease manifests with making the entire leave to lose color and turn into a weird mixture of brown & yellow with small green specs. Here are the pictures of those:

When the disease is advancing:

And it eventually killed one of the small plants as such:

Question is Should I remove these or I could apply some sort of fungicide / hydrogen peroxide? Would there be a possible way to save the ones that still have green set of leaves? If so, do I need to remove all or just removing the obviously infected ones and treating the rest with whatever solution available out there is fine?

Other disease is I'm assuming mild mottle, I'm attaching the picture just to confirm if I'm right or not (this is also a hydroponic plant that I moved to different spot to prevent contact with ghost peppers)

Question #2 is: Is this mild mottle and if so, should I discard this or there's a way to save it?

Following are the same species of peppers with the one above.

Question #3 is: does the following plant seem to have mild mottle? Do I need to remove these? Is there a way to save this?

And finally I have the mad hatter, I thought it had some sort of fungus when the leaves started to have yellow dots and I applied copper/seranade mix with the same ratio I apply to tomatoes. It seems to have made the plant worse and now the disease seems to have spread into much more leaves than it was.

Question #4 is:How can I identify what this is and if it's bacterial, viral or
fungal?

Sorry for asking this many questions in one post but I thought it may be relevant to each-other, particularly if I need to remove all these plants... Hopefully I could get some sort of an answer from here before I cause damage to the garden.


texts:
Can someone help me identify these seeds? I had them in a small packet labeled vine seeds. I either didn't know the name of the vine or assumed I'd remember it.

Thanks, Katy Bain


texts: What is this grub-like bug that's eating my eggplant leaves?

texts: Recently I noticed some bugs eating the leaves of my eggplant. This is the first time I've ever seen these and so far the only plants they are on are the eggplant, they wont touch the peppers next to them. They look almost like short grubs and seem to stay along the edges of the leaves.


texts: What might a UK seed packet labeled "crfincr" contain?

texts:
I have a packet of seeds labeled only: "crfincr". Any idea what they might be?

A clue in how this name is constructed is given in another packet labeled "baswlk" which means "basil (wilkinson's)".

I've planted them and they're coming up very slowly, with small frilly leaves.


texts:
I got the following type of moss and I would like to find out its exact name and as bonus a recommendation if this is appropriate for the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula):

Related question on Help identifying this dark color moss.


texts: Why do chilli and cilantro seedlings look the same?

texts: I have one week old cilantro and chilli seedlings growing in adjacent pots. They look the same. Are they supposed to look the same?


texts: Cut-off cactus piece not showing signs of new roots, should I plant it in the ground anyway?

texts:
around 3 weeks ago I've cut off the top of my healthy moon cactus with the hopes of successfully replanting it. I followed some online tutorials and left it out on a plate to dry, kept it out of any direct sunlight and watered it only once or twice with just a drop of water so that it doesn't dry off completely. Currently it looks like this:

There are no signs of any roots and in most tutorials that I have found they had some signs of roots growing after a couple of weeks. Am I doing something wrong? Also, should I maybe put the plant on the ground even if there are no roots currently and hope the roots start to grow? If so, how much should I water it?


texts: Kale leaves turning yellow in hydroponic system

texts:
I planted kale using hydroponic method. I planted them in September 7th, 2019 and now they're 41 days old. I put them in hydroponic system when they're 21 days old and have two leaves, with nutrition concentration at 0.5 mS/cm and pH 6.8. After three days, the leaves edge turned gray, it looked like burnt. I thought it was because the electrical conductivity quite high for the kale (around 2-3 mS/cm) and I didn't give any treatment, including trying to lower the nutrition concentration. But three days later the leaves turned green and looked normal.

When the kale turned 34 days old, I noticed some of the kale leaves turned light green. From the leaves turned green until that moment, the electrical conductivity was around 1.68 - 3 mS/cm and pH 6.0 - 6.5. I didn't give any treatment because I thought the nutrition concentration was quite high and there's no sign of pests. The pipes inside quite dirty with moss. By the way I alternate the hydroponic holes with romaine lettuce at that time. I thought they would grow fine and not lack of sun lights because the kale plants not tall enough.

Today (October 17th, 2019) I noticed some of the kale leaves have turned yellow.

The older leaves turned yellow. Then I found kale plant which leaves turn yellow, and have brown spots like this picture below.

My questions are:

What cause the kale leaves turn yellow like the last picture? I can't find the similar problems online and I'm still confused wether it's lack of nutrition in general or lack of specific nutrient constituent, or they compete with romaine lettuces in absorbing nutrition, or there are other aspects I miss.
Do moss inside the pipes affect the kale's nutrient absorption?
For those who have grown kale with hydroponic method, what's the optimum nutrition concentration (ppm) or electrical conductivity (mS/cm) and pH for kale growth and development?


texts: What is it best way of starting Eryngium giganteum umbelliferae from seed?

texts:
I was attracted to the wild, fantastic forms of Eryngium giganteum umbelliferae (also known as Miss Willmott's ghost), so I ordered a pack of seeds from a local seed shop:

I also received the instructions for starting them, that say, among other things:

  To improve germination rate, after placing the seed in the soil, cover the container with glass, and keep it outside for 2-3 week in the cold. Then move it indoors to a room with temperature 15 degree C.

It just sounds too complected for a beginner like myself!

I searched the internet, and I got even worse suggestions - some of them said that it may take a year for this plant to germinate in a container. This was so depressing.

This actually stands in a stark contrast to the stories that are told about this plant:

  This species is sometimes commonly called Miss Willmott’s Ghost in reference to Ellen Willmott (1858-1934), English gardener in Essex, who so loved this plant with its silvery ghost-like appearance that she reportedly scattered its seed on a regular basis in gardens she visited without telling the owners.

and

  This plant was named after Ellen Willmott, an eccentric English gardener who loved it so much that she secretly dropped seeds in the gardens she visited without telling anyone and the plants would mysteriously appear later.

Should I just give up starting from containers, and scatter the seeds just like Miss Willmott (but in my own yard)?

My hardness zone is 8a.


texts: Received a plant; need help identifying it

texts:
I recently inherited this plant, and am not sure of what type of plant it is or what its needs are (as far as watering, light, temp, etc.).  Any help in either respect would be greatly appreciated.

Here are links to pictures of the plant


texts:
I've sprayed my plants with DiPel DF as a way of controlling Tomato Hornworms. (The Dipel Solution called for 2 to 4 teaspoons per 32oz of water.) It killed the hornworms effectively; however, it's killing my plants too. I've tried to find them with a magnifying glass; I was able to find and remove a few, but there were more. They devoured a few of my plants and made a huge hole in 2 of my bell peppers. How can I eradicate the hornworms without hurting my plants?

Here are pictures of my plants after spraying them with the Bt solution a week later.


texts: What should I do with unharvested berries on my loganberry plant?

texts:
I've inherited a loganberry bush, and failed to harvest a crop of berries before they shriveled up.

What should I do now? Is there any benefit in picking them anyway? Would that encourage a new crop? Or should I just leave them for the birds?


texts: Is the condition of this stem something to be concerned about?  The plant seems healthy otherwise as well as the other tomato plants in the raised bed.  Do I need to rip it out and destroy it?  I've dealt with Septorium Leaf Spot in the past,  hence the grass mulch.


texts: What is this concrete structure we unearthed in our backyard?

texts:
While working on a backyard project, we found a concrete structure that had been buried beneath a few feet of dirt.  It seems to be mostly constructed of concrete and some large rocks.  While digging it out, there were fragments of a clay pipe underneath it as well as some metal pipes.
Our home was built in 1921 in Portland, Oregon.
Any guesses as to what it may be?


texts: Will small garlic bulbs produce big bulbs?

texts:
This is my first time growing garlic, had a particularly rainy and dismal spring followed by flecks intensified, spread to neighboring garlic plants, and soon were infecting entire crop-garlic-rust, however my garlic bulbs survived but are quite small.

Would the cloves of small size still produce a good marketable size bulb?


texts: Is it OK to use human waste or spent cat litter for fertilizing edibles?

texts: Is it OK to use human waste or spent cat litter directly into the soil where you grow fruits and vegetables?


texts:
I am not at all trained in identifying plants. I've tried the tips from the question: How do you identify a plant?, but I have no idea what kind of group or family this plant belongs to, so starting a search is difficult. Google Image Search yields no results.

So my question is: can somebody identify this plant? It grows quite well in a tropical climate is all that I can say about it. And it measures about 70cm in height.


texts: Winter Watering time of day? At what temperature do I cover any of the plants with plastic tarp?

texts: I have a garden in san mateo, ca that is only 5x9 and we have 5 large tomato plants, herbs, broccoli and lettuce.  We have an automatic water sprinkler that goes off every other day.  I want to know if I should arrange the time of watering to late morning or noon, it's set for 3am now.  How low can the temperature go before covering and for how long do I do this?  All winter?


texts: How many coffee grounds are too many coffee grounds for composting?

texts: I have a pretty steady access to about 4 pots of coffee worth of coffee grounds each day. I have heard coffee grounds are great for a compost pile, but I am wondering how much is too much? Is there a good ratio to maintain between coffee grounds and other compostable material?


texts: Beautiful plants for covering balcony grill to prevent noise and pollution entering home

texts:
I live in Mumbai (India), our flat has an east facing balcony (roof covered) of around 15-20 ft (5-6 m) which receives direct sunlight for 3-4 hours in the morning.

I have few plants (Roses, Aloe Vera, Buddha Belly, Pot hose, Basil, etc.) but they are pretty small and doesn't cover my balcony well.

As our balcony is facing road which most of the time has lot of traffic, causing smoke and noise, so I was thinking to use some plants to cover my balcony's grill to minimize the noise and pollution from entering into my home. It will be great if those plants can beautify my balcony.

Can anyone suggest such plants?


texts: Can trees be propagated/started over winter indoors, or would that 'tire them out'?

texts:
I found a calendar of propagation activities which seems very helpful, and it says that hardwood cuttings can be taken and started for deciduous trees throughout winter. I imagine those cuttings would freeze and be destroyed if left on their own poked into some soil (if the soil is even unfrozen enough to receive them). That makes me think those hardwood cuttings should be grown in a somewhat protected space, either kept in cool dark conditions (in a garage or maybe outdoors with a thick topping of mulch) or nursed to life under a light, with a heat mat, etc.

Any clarification about the above would be appreciated, but my main question is this: can propagated trees that would normally be dormant over winter be started out indoors? If not, why/what bad outcome would they eventually reach?

Example: a bunch of seeds or hardwood cuttings of deciduous trees are planted in air-pruning pots or beds and grown indoors over winter. Around/after last frost in the spring, they're either planted into a larger pot/raised bed to be transplanted or heeled in after 1 year; or planted into permanent beds to grow for 2-3 years before transplanting; or planted into their permanent location to live out their life. For every winter after the one they're started in, they'll be outdoors in the ground exposed to zone 4/5 conditions.

Will baby trees grown this way be crippled by having grown in nursed conditions the winter they're started and then all through summer, basically experiencing a much longer growing season than they ever will in the future?


texts: What are the differences between above and below ground irrigation?

texts: Is there a major difference in effectiveness of delivery of water/nutrients through the use of above ground (sprinkler, flooding, etc) versus below ground (buried drip pipes) irrigation systems?


texts:
I have a policy of letting unknown plants in my garden grow until I can identify them --- it makes it easier to know weeds when they're young if I can see what they grow into. The following has me stumped; details:

It's grown into a 6' behemoth with extremely fuzzy/furry leaves and stem/trunk
It sprouted tiny purple flowers last week
It is maybe nine months old, but most of the growth has taken place in the last month or so
I live near downtown Los Angeles

Based on its general structure I'm guessing it's some sort of tropical, but I have no solid knowledge one way or the other.


texts: I just mounted some staghorn ferns and have been reading that Hoyas can also be mounted. I recently picked up a lipstick plant, and while I can't find any information on whether this genus (or whatever) can be mounted, I'm wondering if it's a safe assumption that as an epiphyte, mounting would be viable.


texts:
I live in central Scotland, which is a bit damp, and the soil in my garden, despite years of aerating, adding sand etc is still quite a thick clay soil.

When it is sunny I get sun all day long, so plants that take root seem to grow well, but I find it very hit or miss as to which ones work. (Hebes, Hostas, Cotoneasters, Willows all work well, as do some climbers, but Roses, Firs have trouble. As you'll see from my previous post, grasses, clover, daisies etc love it:-(

Is there any guidance as to which ones might thrive in this environment, or perhaps some early care recommendations. Ideally plants favourable to bees, birds such as finches and tits and wildlife in general.


texts: Which three of these six plants should I get?

texts:
I am getting three plants. But I have selected six plants from websites.

They are:

Janet Craig
Chinese Evergreen
Fancy leaved Caladium
Massangeana Plant
Philodendron
Snake Plant

Snake plant is well known and so I am definitely getting one. However, I don't have much knowledge about plants, and I want the best plant from the above mentioned plants. Best in terms of following:

low light requirement
dry to mid-humid environment
that can survive in winter and summer
best air-purification(one guy guided me to a blog which said that all plants are good at air-purification, but I want the best of them.)

I can only get three plants. I know this is sort of a personal choice but as I have said before, I don't have much knowledge about plants. I am confused as to which one to get that meets the above mentioned requirement.


texts: Help Identifying these trees and can they grow in pots?

texts:
I saw these two trees, and I'm just wondering what trees these are.

Can they grow in pots? We live in the tropics, so they would be outdoors receiving sun all the time. And they would be in 85-100F heat.

Thanks.


texts: Should I set water aside to off-gas chlorine before using in my herb garden?

texts: Regular tap water contains chlorine, which can be harmful to plants.  Is the concentration of chlorine in tap water enough to merit setting water aside for some amount of time before using it to water my herb garden?


texts: Fig Tree Roots - Far Northern Edge of Range

texts:
So, my official zone is too cold (4B) for even hardy figs, but I have a patch of microclimate on the south side of my house that I would guess could be as much as a full zone higher than the rest of the yard. I can overwinter plants there that should not overwinter here.

I would love to plant a fig for my husband. He grew up with one in his backyard and misses fresh figs. However, the spot where I think the tree would grow best is just a few feet from the foundation of my house. I understand fig roots can do a lot of damage, so in general the trees should not be planted near a foundation - but is that still true for trees that are on the far northern edge of their range and will be dying back to the ground every winter?


texts: Will Potassium Oxide reduce uptake of Sodium as much as Potassium Nitrate

texts: I recently read that the potassium cation (K+) can reduce or prevent the uptake of sodium. I was wondering when a fertilizer lists Potassium as Potassium Oxide, will it have the same blocking effect on Sodium as Potassium Nitrate (KNO3)?


texts: What are these red spots on my guava leaves?

texts:
I had purchased a guava tree (in vase) a month ago and from the beginning (some leaves had problems when I got the tree), some red spots or areas appeared on the leaves. After a while some of them dried and dropped off. What is the problem and how I can cure it?

I water it every three days, it is near the window and has 5 hours of sunlight every day, the temperature is about 20 degrees Celsius.


texts:
This is my first year starting annuals from seeds, mainly for containers. I've read that pinching off the first blooms helps the plant produce more blooms and form a bushier habit.

I started my seeds late and while they're at a good height and have a lot of foliage they just now started to get their first blooms. A small single bud formed a few days ago and it's still only about 1/2" big or less. Other celosias I've seen planted around my area already have large flowers and when I visited a garden center about 3 weeks ago their celosias were already in bloom.

Should I still pinch them and if I do how long can I expect for new blooms to come back?

I'm in the New York City area and these are Fresh Look Orange Celosias.


texts: Why do my tomato seedlings leafs have white spots? Is it Manganese (Mn) deficiency?

texts:
I grew this seedling and five others by starting a slice of tomato in a pot. It's about 6" tall. It's been growing perhaps about a month, and I embarrassingly just found out seed starting mix doesn't come with nutrients, and fertilized it yesterday. It and its siblings all have purple stems near the base, and leaves beginning to yellow. This evening, I found this and a couple others had white spots on them.

Could this be due to the nutrient deficiency? Or is this some type of fungus that needs a fungicide?


texts:
I had sod installed about 12 days ago and its taking really well in 95% of the yard, nice and green and is taking root. There are a few sprinklers near the back brick wall that are not far enough back and don't provide enough water to the surrounding grass. I have been manually watering these areas since the installation when I noticed it wasn't getting enough water.

Aside from the continual water, is there any amendments I can apply to those patches or the dirt underneath them? I can pick the back sections up as if they were just laid on top, they haven't taken root in the browned areas.


texts: Is there a fast-growing, inexpensive privacy plant that can be started in winter?

texts:
I live in a flatshare, in a room on the ground floor (first floor for North Americans). To prevent people from looking into our rooms all the time (there's a parking lot in front), we have outdoor blinds/screens (about 5ft/1.5m high and 15ft/4.5m wide) made out of bamboo.

I would like to cover those outdoor blinds/screens with some green. I've been thinking of Ivy because it grows so fast.

Are there any other plants that can quickly cover the outdoor blinds/screens that I would be able to get seedlings for and start right now? Or is this a completely idiotic idea because Winter is the wrong time of year to start any outdoor plant?

I'm in southern Germany in a climate that Wikipedia calls "temperate seasonal"; there is some chance of snow, although usually only a few days a year; the low end of winter temperature is about -2°C (28°F).

Additional information:

Outdoors underneath a balcony.
Facing North-ish, it doesn't get a lot of sunlight.
Ideally, I would plant them in containers but planting them in the ground is also an option.
Flowers would be nice, but an evergreen covering is also acceptable.


texts: My "Ficus religiosa" sapling stopped growing. How to make it grow again?

texts:
I received this sapling more than 14 months back (April 2019). I had been growing this indoors in the same pot I received it until recently when I switched to a bigger pot in the picture below.

I was able to see the sapling turn new leaves every week until it stopped recently. I was keeping this by the side of the window and I noticed that the tip turned brown (likely due to the recent increase in temperature in the recent days) after which it stopped turning new leaves. Any suggestions on how to make it grow? I am moving this to a new location with less direct sunlight. Does cutting the the top/tip help it to grow?


texts: What is this white web-like, mold-like thing on the plant

texts:
what is this web-like, mold-like thing on the base of the watch chain succulent plant?

I searched in google for plant "molds" --> I saw powdery mildew. I think this is not that. It's more similar to a food mold. The plant has no insects, im sure of it, so i think it's not a web.

A little bit of a background...
I don't exactly know how and when it started to form. It sat in the office before, maybe around less than or a month.

Office env:

temperature is ~21°C
i think it might not be having enough sunlight as it is not near to a window

And then, one day, as I noticed the plant is starting to brown from the bottom, I checked the plant and saw these little white mold-like thing from the stem or the base of the plant.

For 2 days, in hope to save it from browning and to eliminate the mold, I placed it near a window to get sunlight and watered it in the morning. But the plant's condition did not improve. I didn't know what to do, there's water and sunlight, what else would it need?

I thought maybe it wants fresh air from an open space, so i brought it home and placed it in the balcony. I changed the watering schedule to once a week. I think it can get enough sunlight at home. I live in a tropical country, so the temperature is warm.

Current Condition:
No improvement. It is deteriorating. Almost all parts have browned except for the tips of the plant. The mold is still there.


texts: What will help a sappling Silver Birch which is struggling after repotting?

texts:
My girlfriend received a silver birch sappling as a present at Christmas as a memorial for a dead relative.  A month ago we repotted it into a large pot. We placed broken tiles in the base for drainage and filled it with general compost and a small amount of cremated ashes.  We have kept it inside until the weather gets warmer and it is currently placed in an east facing window (Nowhere in our house gets consistent sunlight throughout the day).

The sappling has looked like it was struggling - leaves wilting and the leaves turning yellow along the edges.  We have done two things to "help":

We made a sugar solution on the recommendation of a Tree Surgeon friend and watered the sappling with this.
One morning my girlfriend "deadheaded" the sappling - basically taking all the worst looking leaves off (I thought that this was only done for dead flowers) - the sappling now only has a single leaf.

Any advice would be appreciated.  Should we move the sappling outside? (Current temperatures are in the range 17-22 celsius).  Is there anything else we can do to help the sappling?


texts: What plant is this? Might be a tree, but still a sapling. No flowers yet

texts: Found this in my backyard, has been growing for 1-2 years.


texts: How long and how often should I water my west Texas front yard?

texts:
We just recently moved to a new house, and we are very new to maintaining our yard. We have automatic sprinklers, but we are not quite sure how often and how long they should be watering our front yard.

Is there a specific metric to do this, like every x minutes based on square inch and temperature? We live in west Texas. Hot Weather.

Also, we have 4 sprinklers, with one sprinkler positioned on each corner.

Here is what our front yard looks like:

Right now we set it up to Wed, Fri, Sun, 10 minutes in the morning but we are unsure if it is too much, too little, or normal.


texts: Are green plastic bottles suitable for making a cold frame/greenhouse?

texts: I've been saving up green plastic bottles for a few weeks now with the vague intention of recycling them to make a cold frame or greenhouse. Are green bottles ok to do this with, or would they need to be clear plastic bottles?


texts: Why is this cane growing slow, and having yellow leaves?

texts:
My Dieffenbachia plant is not doing too well right now.

All the other leaves yellowed up and fell off. These remaining ones are barely moving (as in, not opening up quickly).
I have a suspicion that it might be over fertilization. I think I will put it under running water for a bit of time, in order to remove excess fertilizer.
There were some aphids before, but I cleaned those out, and haven't seen any in a while.
Any other suggestion/advise?


texts: How can I permanently get rid of honeysuckle vines?

texts:
I just moved into a new home where the yard was not kept well.  Most of the wire fence in the backyard is overgrown with honeysuckle vines (such that you can no longer see the fence).  In corners of the yard, there is no grass - just vine roots.

What makes the problem worse is that the backyard is very close to a creek, so the soil appears very rich - I'm digging up dozens of bulbs that have sprouted among the roots of these vines.

What are some tips on getting rid of the vines for good?  How can I ensure they don't come back?


texts: Best way to grow and tend to Cucumber plants

texts: I have a few cucumber plants growing in my raised bed.  Instead of training them and providing a vertical trellis, I am allowing the cucumber to grow horizontally in the soil.  Is that a fine approach or not recommended?  If that is a fine approach, do I protect the cucumbers that are lying in the soil by putting some mulch or other material so it does not touch the soil?  This is all organic gardening so no chemicals in the soil.


texts: About a month ago I planted some pothos leaves I had rooted in water, but I haven't seen any growth so far. Could I be doing something wrong or should I wait a bit longer?


texts:
I just bought 25L of a product labelled:
Organic Mushroom Compost.

I know what I'm going to use it for, but am curious about the name.

Today alone, I've read (and been given/told) at least 3 contrasting explanations.
Which is it?

Composted mushrooms.
Compost for growing mushrooms.
Compost that has already been used to grow mushrooms.
(i.e: Recyclable byproduct of the mushroom-growing industry).
Something else.


texts: What is the name of this plant growing up in my Garden

texts:
I am wondering what kind of plant could be this?

It came up by itself.
Is it useful to leave it in my Garden?


texts: Will a cutting from a wild fig tree grow more quickly in water or soil?

texts: I intend to grow a wild Fig tree (Indian) from a cutting I broke off the foot path. Will it sprout roots faster in water or should I pot it and hope? The Pipal cutting has both root buds and branch sprouting.


texts: What's the average brix scale difference between Stowell's Evergreen and Blue Jade?

texts: My local plant sale allows the difference between Stowell's Evergreen and Blue Jade for the two types of corn for sale, and I'm wondering which one would be better if I can only choose between them for sweet corn this year. I'm specifically asking about the part you eat.


texts: What's eating my broccoli and kale, and what can I do to prevent it?

texts:
Something has been eating my broccoli and kale plants. I haven't seen anything on it, so I'm not sure what it is. It started eating the leaves and has progressed to eating stems  and recently seems to have cut one of the broccoli plants down to the base of the stem just above the soil.

Particularly with the kale, sometimes I will see leaves cut off and left on the soil.

I had been using bacillus thuringiensis - spraying it weekly and also after rain on the leaves. It seems to have not been very effective, if effective at all.

I also noticed similar damage to a christmas cactus that was left nearby the broccoli and kale. We moved it to the deck about 15 feet away, and the same sort of damage still progressed - cutting off the leaves and dropping them in or nearby the pot.

I'd prefer a solution that doesn't involve pesticides that can be harmful to humans.

Update
Here are the only "tracks" (nondescript horizontal streaks) I found after one night. There was not any more plant damage that night.

Update 2
I had placed some cut paper towel tubes around the bases of the stems because at one point, I suspected cabbage loopers. Between 7:30 am and 7:00 pm, something knocked or pulled the tubes off and destroyed another broccoli plant, leaving most of the stem. And it ate a bit more of the kale too. Also, I saw some more tracks.

update 2

I set up a camera in front of the damaged broccoli stem and a fresh cabbage leaf three times in the day and early evening in the same spot but did not catch anything.

But I just saw a squirrel rooting around on the deck nearby, sniffing and nibbling at some potted plants.

Update 3

I ended up building a cage to enclose the kale plants that remained. Still not sure what the pest was, but the cage seemed to prevent further damage.


texts: What variety of Goumi berry will thrive under an apple tree in USDA zone 4a?

texts:
I want to plant a goumi berry bush underneath an apple tree.  My goal is to have as much fruit as I can. I am in Minnesota, USDA zone 4a.

What variety should I order?


texts: Why does this sage look different than what is in stores?

texts:
Does anyone recognize this variety? Is it normal for sage to have a woody base?

Also, could you recommend how to prune it please? It has been abandoned for years.

EDIT: Adding close ups.

EDIT 2: Adding soil analysis.


texts: Competitions and lectures for garden designers

texts:
I am curious what a garden designer can do for challenging herself to keep up her talents? Are there any competitions online which I can practice my skills on?

Is there any theoretical lectures about garden designing which I can follow online? Or any conferences which I can follow?

I recently moved another country due to family reasons. I don't have the opportunity to work for a company because of work permit issues.


texts: What are some recommendations for a potted orange tree?

texts: My wife and I would like to have a potted orange tree. We live in the San Diego area so the climate for citrus trees is near perfect, but we don't know what kind of tree we should buy. Also, how large of a pot, half a barrel size? Any other tips on the care and feeding would be most welcome.


texts: Tomato leaves look... off with lightly yellowing leaves

texts:
We have some tomatoes which look... off, slightly yellowing leaves.

Is there anything we can do differently here? Or anything really obvious?

These plants have more or less lived under grow lights for a while. They were transplanted recently, too.


texts: How to revive a bonsai that was repotted after it was dying of overwatering?

texts:
I have a 15 year old Chinese Elm which I bought last year in April and keep indoors. It is placed next to a window, but due to british weather it doesn’t get very strong light.

The bonsai survived very well for a few months until the end of the summer, when it then started losing its leaves out of season. That time, the problem was spider mites, and the bonsai only recovered from them after a few months. It only started growing new leaves at the top of the tree, and very few of them.

A few months later, those leaves fell off with no signs of drying up or yellowing, and soon later even the branches were dying, and I realised the problem now was overwatering. I didn’t know that the soil the bonsai came with retained so much water, and since it is my first bonsai, I didn’t know how to check the soil properly before watering, so I just arbitrarily watered it once a week (but always drained it as much as I could).

Now I got the tree repotted with new soil which drains the water much better, and I am very careful to only water it when the soil is slightly moist. I am not feeding it with bonsai feed since the tree is struggling. It’s been over 6 weeks since the repotting, and the bonsai is still not growing new leaves. The branches that were dying that I had pruned to the point where they were still green underneath, are now still continuing to slowly die closer and closer to the trunk.

Am I still doing something wrong? Is there anything else I can do to try and revive my bonsai properly? Do I actually still have to wait even longer for the new leaves to grow? The tree was even getting more sun than usual in the past week, but it didn’t seem to make a difference.

NOTE: the tree is actually still alive since if I scratch the bark it is bright green underneath, however it is simply not growing new shoots or new leaves.

This is the state of the bonsai before being repotted and pruned, when it had only very few leaves at the top which did not change colour before they fell out.

Bonsai 6 weeks after repotting and pruning, with new draining soil.


texts: Is this beetle on my apricot tree a pest?

texts:
My apricot tree is infested with black and white beetles on the branches. They are 2-3 cm / 1 inch long. I can't find an identification on the web. There is no visible damage to the tree. Is this beetle a pest? Should I be removing them?

My location is the Mediterranean / Middle East.


texts: Why are the leaves of my pea plant (little marvel) drying up and turning brown?

texts:
The pea plant (Pisum sativum) was grown in an ebb & flow hydroponics system until it failed; now it's in a deep water culture unit.

I noticed that the leaves were turning brown/grey. I thought this may be a disease so I sprayed Daconcil when needed, but it didn't seem to help. Thinking it might be fertilizer burn, I flushed the system, but now I noticed the leaves are drying up. To rule out the possibility of burning from too much light, I moved the light 2 inches back sideways. However, it's still progressing.

Why is this happening? Here are some details on the setup and environment.

Pea Little marvel (Pisum sativum)
pH as of now: 6.5 - 6.2 pH
Indoors.
Light is 100w 6500K (daylight) fluorescent.
Light period controlled by timer.
Light period was changed from 14 hrs to 16 hrs after light was moved.
next to air vent. (always cold)
Fertilizer is miracle-gro 20-10-10.
water has hydrogen peroxide in it to keep it oxygenated.
hydrogen peroxide ratio:  1/4 cup of peroxide per quart of water.
Air pump keeps water bubbling/moving to keep it oxygenated (no air stone, just a diy nozzle).

Click on the photo for a larger image

Here's few more of the same setup: 1, 2 and 3.


texts:
Got 3 of this plant and all of them are starting to dry out, so I pulled them off the ground and transferred them to pots to see if it's a soil issue. Also, not sure if they need partial-shade as I have them out in full sunlight.

EDITS:

Photo of the leaves, they are shiny and narrower than most of the Jasmine I found on Google.

Scale of leaves and flowers.

This one probably won't survive the repotting :( we'll see.


texts: Should I water my houseplants before or after spraying for spider mites?

texts: Is it better to water my houseplants before or after spraying bayer products to control spider mites?


texts: Succulent with thorny stems and orange four-petaled flowers

texts: I just bought this plant but I don't know its name nor how to care for it.


texts:
I bought a tiny laurel tree in a pot from the shop 3 months ago. It looked happy but after repotting it's starting to wither and the leaves are turning grey.

I tried changing the amount of sunlight and/or water it gets but that doesn't seem to help.

It's on the balcony of a flat facing south in London. I don't think there has been any temperature less than 0 degrees since I got it.

What's going on with it? Is it some disease?

I'm adding some pictures of the damage.


texts:
Kentia Palms brought in winters from a shop in Western Europe. Outdoor temperature 1-2 °C, interior 23 °C and 40% humidity.
I notice leaves turning brown and some at the bottom going yellow. Any idea?


texts: How old should a seed-grown Passiflora ligularis be to set fruit?

texts: I have five granadilla (Passiflora ligularis) grown from seed this year. How long does it take for them to bloom and bear fruit, assuming they receive proper light and watering?


texts: Is it possible to transplant irises without the rhizome?

texts:
I bought a house and put some raised beds in the yard, on top of what we thought (in very early spring) was just lawn. It turns out there were irises (small purple ones, I don't know the variety) there. They now grow up through the raised bed, and are crowding out the plants I put the bed in for. I love irises, and would love to move them someplace else, but the rhizomes are down through 8" of soil in the bed, plus however far below the surface they were to start with. I've tried to dig them up, and get lots and lots of root, but the rhizomes are almost all breaking off and coming up separately in a second dig. Any chance these rooty but rhizome free irises are going to survive? Should I just give up on this project and try to kill them off completely?

What they mostly look like:

Other side:


texts:
8 days ago today, I brought in two dump truck loads of dirt because my lawn was in horrible shape when I moved here. It had about 4-5 inches that needed to be back filled. It was good soil too, rich And black. I planted Bermuda seed from my local seed company. They said 4-8 pounds covers 1000 square foot. I got 27 pounds. The area is around 3700 square foot. I’ve water it lightly and frequently every day since but on the second day, I didn’t realize how fast the soil dries out so it dried out pretty bad.
I woke up to water this morning and saw patches are coming in but it’s not coming in everywhere and it’s not thick.

Did I use enough seed or did it die off from the second day when it dried out? Any recommendations?
Edit: the picture is a spot where it’s coming in the thickest. A bunch of bare spots in many places


texts: How much light does a scented oak fern need?

texts:
Now I have been reading that ferns don't need a lot of light — so I got one. However, what I can't seem to find is just how much is meant by not a lot.

I plan on keeping the fern in a room with one big north facing window. The room never gets direct sunlight as there is a balcony above the window. The only place for the fern is in the back corner of the room. This means that it will be getting minimal light.

The fern in question is a scented oak fern (gymnocarpium robertianum).

Just how much light does it need to survive?


texts: i’ve just bought this Pachyphytum Oviferum. I noticed spots where the coating on it was missing but I just assumed it was wiped of. Now I’’m worried it could be something else that caused it since there are also these white patches appearing in places where the coating/farina is missing. What could be causing this?


texts: Why are the leaves on my peas and beans turning pale/yellow/brown?

texts:
I have a few pea and bean plants that I have recently planted. They have grown pretty well but one pea plant in particular is starting to look a sickly yellow/pale. The bean plants still look healthy but have a few lower leaves turning yellow at the edges and then brown.
I have two climbing blue lake beans The right most one has the most problem leaves while the one just to the left of it has some browning. The bush beans are just fine.
The sugar snap peas, one is growing really well and is pumping out peas the one in the middle is growing fine but only flowers so far. The left-most one is the most sickly looking.
Can anyone point to the possible cause and a remedy?


texts:
I have created 4 new raised beds in my allotment today and filled them with soil, my aim is to transplant established (4 years old) rhubarb plants into one from the pots they are in and use the other 3 for strawberries which again have been established and cropped from pots for the last 2 years.

A friend of mine has been giving me black bags of pigeon manure mixed with sawdust from his pigeon loft which I have been storing and keeping in the bags to rot down.

I have put this pigeon manure in these new raised beds most of the bags I used have been in my allotment for at least 3-4 months but a couple where given to me fresh this week having been cleaned out of the loft in the past few weeks.

Having read online post spreading the manure (I know I should have read before) I am now concerned this pigeon manure will burn the roots of my rhubard and strawberries. I have dug it in well to about a foot of depth in the raised beds and each raised bed is the size of a wooden pallet.

I have put the Rhubarb in but can lift them and re pot them again if needed. How long should I ideally leave the beds now before I plant in them and should I lift my rhubarb out?


texts:
Newbie herb planter here who is very confused by all of the different information online about how best to start planting herbs.

I have started with the following basic herbs:

Basil
Oregano
Coriander

I have three ~15cm planters or so on a windowsill that gets good sun. I started out by just lashing a handful of seeds into the pots. While the herbs started out strong, they now seem to have stalled. Is this because they have been sown too densely? I don't intend on re-planting outside (live in an apartment with no garden), so how many seeds should I be placing in each planter? I've read online that basil seeds should be sown ~10 inches apart, but surely this would mean I'm only looking at planting one seed per pot, or else I'd need huge pots completely unsuitable for a windowsill.

Fundamental questions I know, but I can't find consistent info. Thanks in advance.


texts: Mystery House Plant (Succulent) is sick?

texts:
I inherited a mystery house plant that I assumed was some type of aloe. Honestly I wasn't too worried about it (it seemed happy and pretty enough) until it got these yellow growths where the leaves meet the stem. I've never seen it before and the rest of the plant seems to be business as usual.
Can anyone identify the problem and/or the plant? I'd be happy with either at this point!

Thank you for your help.

Kate

Please enjoy the ecstatic and grumpy orchids in the background.


texts: How should I plant snowdrops along a long driveway?

texts:
Our drive is getting on for 100m long, bordering a wooded stream. We would like to line it with snowdrops but I'm worried this is a colossal task as some sources claim I need 100+ bulbs per square metre. Ultimately we would like a the whole area to be drifted but appreciate this will take some years.

What is the best way to set this up so it will look OK with fewer bulbs, and spread nicely? What is the minimum bulbs we could get away with that it would not look silly, and should they be planted individually or in small clumps?

I don't have a wide shot in season but:

The woodland is on the right of the drive, falling away into a stream just past the line of trees - the close-up showed it this spring around the stream.


texts: I want to grow bonsai from seeds. What are some of the easiest tree species to start with?

texts:
I started enjoying Bonsai a few years ago.  I enjoy the experience but I also like the challenge.  It is my understanding that growing bonsai from seeds can be difficult but fun for those who enjoy the experience.

Which species of trees are easiest for the new bonsai artist to start with when he or she is ready to grow from seeds?


texts: Can someone identify what is wrong with this flower and what should I do to take a better care of it


texts:
My wife and I are a bit concerned with the appearance changes of our cactus. The plant was always growing fast, however the spring accelerated the growth even more. Some time ago we noticed the twisted "stems". First time after the plant was watered, the stems straightened up, but in a few days got curly-ish again. The next time the plant was watered no positive changes were noticed.

A few questions arise:

Is it normal?
Is it dangerous?
What causes it?
What do we do now?


texts: Why are my Dracaena Dragon Tree leaf tips discolored?

texts:
Recently I noticed that my dracaena dragon tree center leaves have a green yellowish color. First I thought it might be new leaves, but the tips of these leaves are brown. I checked the moisture level, it seems okay as you can see in second image.

I'm keeping it indoors as I'm living in Arabia with scorching heat, as heat reaches peak in August. I water it every 4 days.


texts: The front lawn of the house we rent is infested with ants. Can I use laundry detergent (liquid) to kill them without damaging the grass? I know dishwashing liquid will kill the grass, but will laundry detergent, too? I currently use to kill them with the smell from the shared septic tank which overflows when it's raining but the rain dilutes it until it doesn't kill anything.


texts: Are any plants tough enough to live on the surface of a driveway?

texts:
A lot of driveways around here are two-thirds planted with two hard wheel tracks made of cement blocks or cobblestones. I like the permeability and decoration that goes into them. Our off-street parking space has access only from the side, therefore there is no direct path in and out, rather it's a parallel-parking situation.

Are there grasses that might put up with a car tire occasionally crossing over? I know plants don't generally like to be driven over, but there must be some that are more tolerant or resilient than the rest, probably flexible ones  that can lie flat and stand back up.

I'm interested in planting inside some kind of rows or matrix of hard material over which car tires would pass. Keeping the loose earth just below the driving surface might prevent a mud bath. Is this scheme viable?

My location is San Francisco, California.


texts: Young Oom Sarel Peach tree with yellowing leaves

texts:
Good day all,
Please can someone help me? I have recently purchased an Oom Sarel Peach (South Africa). It is still in it's Nursery bag until I re-pot it into a larger growing bag in a few weeks.
I have given it some Seagrow fish emulsion plant food, once, about 2 weeks ago. I need to give it again tonight or in the next few days. I am having to water it a little nearly every night (about 1/3rd of a litre), as the top 1.5" of soil is dry/barely moist and the bottom drainage holes are also dry.
Are the yellowing leaves a case of overwatering? Should I only water once or twice a week rather?
It also came with a few peaches growing on it already.
Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.
Kind regards,
Trevor


texts: I'm a bit clueless when it comes to plants and gardening but I got this houseplant as a gift a while ago and I was wondering if someone could identify what type of plant it is for me.( I was thinking it might be a peace lily but it has no flowers) Thanks in advance :)


texts: building an aerated static composting system?

texts: I've been doing a little research into hot composting. From what i understand you need a carbon to Nitrogen ratio of 30:1 and you need to rotate the pile when the center gets to around 150 degrees. From what i understand, the rotation had mostly to do with aeration, so the pile has enough oxygen to decompose. I currently have a very large pile of leaves, pine needles, and organic matter, and it's unwieldy to turn. I have a few perforated HDPE sewer pipes Around, and I was thinking about trying to build some kind if aerated system. All of the examples I have found require and active fan to aerate the pile. I want to create something that does not require a fan. Has anyone had any experience with something like this?


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I got black cherry tomatoes growing in pots at the moment.

It's in the middle of spring here and temperatures are between 14 and 20. I am planning to get the tomatoes plants in a bigger container but not sure how big the plant needs to be to put in a bigger pot.

Any suggestions?


texts:
I have a 17" tall / 17 gallon pot and I plan to use it for planting my David Austin rose Charles Darwin
https://www.davidaustinroses.com/products/charles-darwin
I know the website said large Shrub but I am wondering if I can contain the root in 17 gallon pot without killing it.
Thought?


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To prepare for a tear-down rebuild, I had to remove our raised garden beds. Given the effort that went into building them, there was no way I was going to lose those beds to the gears of progress--though I was much more concerned about the soil than the Cypress boxes!
While removing the soil from the beds I noticed that I wasn't seeing any worms. Is this lack of worms a sign of unhealthy soil, or perhaps just a result of looking in October?
The soil was built through blending approximately equal parts of native soil (clay), humus, manure and vermiculite.


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A friend found a yellow flower in her garden in the French Alps, at 1000 m altitude, above Evian:

What is it?


texts: How do I prune long neglected grape vines?

texts:
A previous answer doesn't answer my question. I have a similar situation with a new house and long neglected vines, except with my vines, there was no trellis, and the vines were growing high into the trees. I probably have 25 feet of thick old vine before there is any new foliage.

How drastically can I prune these old vines?

I decided to build an overhead trellis that I can walk under rather than a fence type, (but I'm not sure now if my idea will work right now that I have done more research and reading).

Any suggestions?


texts: What is happening to my squash/cucurbita?

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I have planted in a pot the seeds of a squash/cucurbita (this type) and it was growing very quick and nicely.

In the last couple of days I noticed that the leaves looks half dead/sick, and I don't know what is the cause and what can be done - is it bad treatment (water, sun etc.) or a disease? What can be done to help it?

Of course I can remove the infected/dead leaves, but I'd like to know what is it and how to approach it to improve it.

(I guess that if it will become bigger I'll have to transport it to a bigger pot or to the ground)

Thanks!


texts: Mint questions: identification resources, survival of cuttings, and safety

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I received two unidentified types of mints and for some time have been wondering what they are. I included pictures of them below, but I also would like to learn to identify the different varieties myself rather than merely ask someone else each time. Does anyone know of a good resource to learn from?
Here are the pictures. The first mint flowered, but the too-tall stem fell over in a storm and much of the flower has since fallen away.

The second mint has yet to flower, but it's flourishing.

I've also seen other mint varieties around town and been left wondering what those are as well, so I would definitely like to learn to identify these myself in the future. I haven't tasted either yet because of my next question...
Are all varieties of mint safely edible? I recall hearing in the past that I should steer clear of catmint because it can cause irritability. That was for humans in general, but I specifically am on an antidepressant. I know I need to avoid St. John's wort for that reason, for example. Are any other varieties of mint potentially unsafe to eat? Do any others have possible side effects?
Lastly, I have a question on rhizomes and surviving the winter. My understanding of mint's strategy to survive the winter is that when the above-ground stems die off, the plant is essentially retreating into its rhizome, from which it will sprout again when the weather warms. I have a root cutting of lemon mint which has no rhizome, so I wonder if that means it won't be able to survive the winter. I live in central Pennsylvania on the very edge of zone 6b, almost 6a. Is my understanding correct?
Thank you, everyone, for your help!


texts: What are several methods to kill wisteria?

texts: I have wisteria all over my yard.  It's in my neighbor's yard as well and readily comes over the fence.  It's already claimed a couple of trees.  I am also adding an addition to my  house, and there has been some vegetation removal in some of these areas.  And you guessed it, wisteria is now popping up everywhere.  What are some of the better ways to kill this plant with extreme prejudice?  Don't mind using chemicals to do so.


texts: I used Epsom salts to water cucumber plants and the next day they are dying

texts: Can anyone please let me know if I can bring them back? I used Epsom salts.  They were doing great and now it looks like they are all going to die


texts: How thick of a layer of wood chips will I want to keep the soil warm in a USDA zone 4A environment during the winter?

texts: I'm currently building a 10X100 fungal/garden bed, in a USDA zone 4A environment, and am going to want to keep the soil warm enough to keep fungi spreading. How deep will I want a layer of wood chips to try to keep the area warm enough, but not so warm that it it's like a sauna into the spring. I can tell you that the creek running about 10-20 feet away only develops a thin layer of ice in the dead of winter due to the natural bacterial environment of bog bacteria.


texts: Deep watering: How much water are we talking?

texts: How long and often must a lawn be watered to promote deep root growth throughout the warmer months? I live in South East Queensland and the summer temperatures range between 25-35 degrees Celsius. The lawn is Blue Couch (Digitaria didactyla) and it is on a flat surface that receives 6-8 hours sun per day. The subsoil is clay.


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I got this plant off my grandad last year and think it’s some kind of aloe Vera plant but I’m really not quite sure. Last week I noticed the bottom leaf becoming brown and crispy and the leaf above not being too healthy either. As I’m very new to plant keeping could somebody tell me what’s wrong is it and how I can fixed it?
Thanks a bunch


texts: What plant has no foliage and clusters of red berries on top of a fleshy 1' stem?

texts: I have strange plants growing among my redcurrant/raspberries and close to cobnut trees . They have a single fleshy stem, no foliage, are about a foot tall and have a cluster of bright red berries at the top 2-3 inches of the stem. I had thought that they were some sort of fungus, however they have roots like a small rhizome and are also in clusters. What are they and could they be harmful to the other plants nearby? The redcurrants have been poor this summer, and one bush has had to be dug up and destroyed.


texts: Which gloves to avoid getting hurt by thorns

texts: When you manipulate weed and stuff you can easily get hurt by thorns. Is there a type of garden gloves to avoid and a type to favor for reliable protection?


texts: I have an orchid that recently suffered from stem rot, but I could save a leaf and get rid of any rotting or yellow tissue, and there is still a small fold at the bottom. Is it possible for me to save this plant? I had thought of converting it to water culture from here if I can even save it. Please help!


texts: How to prune a Salix Integra recovering from scale infestation

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I just wondered if you could point me in the right direction with regard to pruning my Salix Integra. Im just about to treat it for a scale infestation and could do with some tips.

Here's a picture


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I’m figuring out how to completely strip and replace my garden.

Do I need to hire a turf cutter, or can I can use weed killer to kill the lawn then rotovate it into the earth once dead?

Is one (a lot) better than the other?

Thanks


texts: Hot pepper plant leaves are yellowing on the edges and curling at the tips

texts: The leaves on my chili plant have started yellowing on the edges and the tips are wrinkling up. This is happening on the upper/new leaves. The plant is still producing chili's.


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I got a pink lemon tree from a nursery last summer. I’m in San Antonio. I made the huge mistake of putting her in the ground during the summer. It is a well drained area. She’s done pretty well until about November when all the leaves fell off.
It hasn’t been too cold here and I covered her during a freeze. All of the branches and most of the trunk have dried out. When I scrape the bottom, there is still green. Is there any hope for her? Should I keep her in the ground? Is it a good idea and time to take her out and put into a pot?


texts: How can stop my sprinklers from spraying the house after replacing house main?

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Recently bought at 90+ year old house. While a plumber was going through our first punch list of issues, he replaced the main pressure regulator to stop both our toilets leaking.

Then first time DIY homeowner turned to the sprinklers. I replaced all the heads that weren't popping up. Now I had many heads that weren't putting out enough water to cover the areas they were suppose to. I capped a few that were putting water in stupid locations, put larger heads in some areas, and smaller heads in others. I had the system pretty much doing what I wanted.

After a couple years, we had low flow issues with the showers which led to replacing the very old 3/4" main water line with the now standard 1" line. Now, my garden and lawn sprinklers are out of control! They spray on the house, and onto cars in the driveway.

I've uncapped what I had capped, changed some head sizes, and dialed down others to the smallest radius but I can't get it under control.

Is there something simple I can do to fix this?


texts: Box-blight or just the effects of winter

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I have some small box-trees which start to have some yellow leaves on the top of some branches. Is this the start of box-blight or just the effects of winter. We have some low temperatures (down to -5 C) here and snow (20-30cm).

Please advise with the help of the pictures below. (Click to enlarge)


texts: This plant comes up every year growing through gravel in a part sunny, part shady position in garden. It comes up in August and flowers late August to late September ( its still in flower now). It dies down to nothing. It does not have woody stems. It's about 2 ft high and 3 foot wide. The leaves are soft and formed in pairs opposite on the stem. The leaves measure at bottom of plant about 12cm long and are smaller at top where the flowers are. They are sort of heart shaped. The flowers have no scent and are trumpet shaped and flower at the top of the leaves in bunches of several at a time- see photo beneath. They have no scent.


texts: How to make Landscape Architecture design sketch like this?

texts:
I went to the Melbourne School of Design on OpenDay, I found theses beautiful Landscape Architecture design pictures. But I do not know how to create these pictures. Such as using what softwares, etc.

If anyone have some ideas, I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

Jane


texts: Black spots on echeveria leaves - cause?

texts:
Activity on 28-01-2019:

Watered - soil is damp as of 29-01-2019, but it is a fast-draining cactus mix.
Pest control - sprayed 2~3 times with pyrethrum bug spray (brand below)
Fertilized - about half a teaspoon of general NPK fertilizer granules spread around the edges of the pot (brand below)

Noticed on 29-01-2019:

Black spots and marks on my babies :(

Pic 1 of 1 of my black prince:

Pic 1 of 2 of my other:

Pic 2 of 2 of my other:

What is happening?

The last time these plants were watered before 28-01-2019 was just under 2 weeks ago.

The brand of bug spray I used is this: http://www.multicrop.com.au/home-garden-products/pyrethrum-long-life-natural-insect-spray.php

The fertilizer I used is this: http://www.brunnings.com.au/all-purpose-npk-fertiliser-2261.html


texts: I'm tearing down a shed, and considering the painted particle board walls for putting at the bottom of some tall raised beds.  Is that a bad idea?  Can/should I use the other structural wood from the shed?


texts: Is this rule of thumb for timing dormant pruning correct?

texts:
In the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service's Training and Pruning Fruit Trees publication it says this (bolding mine):

  The timing of dormant pruning is critical. Pruning should begin as late in the winter as possible to avoid winter injury. Apple and pecan trees should be pruned first, followed by cherry, peach, and plum trees. A good rule to follow is to prune the latest blooming trees first and the earliest blooming last.

Is this rule of thumb correct, or is it backwards? It seems to me that, if you were pruning late in the winter, just before bud break, you would want to prune your earliest-blooming trees first and late-blooming trees last.


texts: How do I grow Amaranth successfully without it becoming invasive?

texts: So I found a really pretty herb called Amaranth. It turns out it's edible and super healthy. Sadly I'm not sure how to grow it and what I can and can't grow near it. And I am talking about the edible plant not its sister plant which is an invasive weed. Should I build a raised box and tarp it under the soil to keep it from rooting elsewhere?


texts: Can I use waste water from kitchen for plants?

texts: Can I use the waste water mixed with dish washing liquid from kitchen for watering my garden?


texts: Identify a plant with pronounced white veins on dark green ovate leaves

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For Mother's day I bought my mother a basket with three different kind of flowers.
She wants to take them out of the basket and into their own pots, and needs to know what plants are they to take proper care of them.

The basket's label is extremely helpful stating just "Flower Basket" and nothing else.

My mother knows quite a bit of gardening but doesn't know these specific plants and asked me to help her identifying them, but my gardening knowledge is negative so I think that together we average 0 knowledge altogether.

These are the pictures of one of the plants in the basket, would it be possible to identify it?


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My spider plant is growing 3 thick stems. I cut 3 off already because friend said they zap life from plant. Do I keep them? Will they produce babies?

I am trying to figure how to add a photo and not sure this will work. This is a picture of the end of a stalky stem that is growing up, out of the spider. A couple weeks ago a friend said cut it so i cut 3 then 3 more have grown.


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My lemons are cracking as shown in below image:

What can be causing this and how can I prevent this in the future?

Location: India.
Weather In May-June: Hot! > 95F days.


texts: How should young honey locust trees be pruned?

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I have four young (2-3 yrs) Honey Locust trees which seem to be doing very well this year. By that, I mean they've shown lots of growth and the leaves are very green and healthy.

The trunks of these young trees all have many new shoots of green leaves, and I wonder whether I should prune these off, or if it will be damaging to the tree.

I want them to grow tall, but also to provide ample shade. If I cut off the new lower branches, will it cause adverse effects?

I found this information:

  In order to encourage your tree to branch out on top (to create a mushroom or umbrella style) you can remove the basal limbs. This will keep the base open and bare. You can also remove the top straggly limbs to encourage wide growth on top. (Source)

So, I think I should remove these lower new branches. If so, when would be the best time? If not, why?


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I have this plant for some months, but it didn't turn out healthy... About 2 months ago these dark spots began to appear and the leaves wither shortly after. I remove the leaves as soon as the spots appear, but they keep coming up.

I water it about once a week but the dirt seems too wet. I've also used liquid fertilizer a couple of times. Will it be ok?

Here is the whole plant.

The pot has drainage holes. I used dark soil with compost (this was written in its description) and perlite. You can see it here too:


texts: I have two of these bushes -I'm not sure what they are, maybe somebody knows? It looks like they might be sun damaged. I know that there used to be a tree nearby that provided some shade, which makes me think they are getting too much sun. They have small white flowers in the spring. Also, I see them around a lot so I think they are pretty common landscape bushes.


texts: What unclean water can I give to my plants?

texts: Since water is scarce here, I would like to water my pots with used water. I guess that it is not a good idea to use water with soap, but what about water with food remnants? For example, I washed the trays of my food dehydrator with water only. The water is now full of vegetable remnants and no soap. Is it safe to give this water to my plants?


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This hellebore flower has been eaten by some insect/snail. I'm trying to identify exactly what they are. I found the following brown thing (poo?) on the leaves. Would someone know what it is?

Thanks!


texts: Why do the leaves on my Kentia palm have dark spots?

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My kentia palm has begun having some dark spots which have already damaged some leaves. Can you give me some advice about it? I may have bad luck with kentias, because I like them very much but I have problems with them every time.

Thanks!


texts: What is this epiphytic cactus with small orange flowers along the stems?

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Does anyone know the species of this epiphytic cactus? Even the genus would be a step forward. Could it be a Disocactus sp.?

The open flower is less than 2 cm (just under an inch) in diameter. The colours on the photo look pretty realistic.


texts: What is this gray-green plant with magenta flowers?

texts: The plant below has flowers about 1+1/4 inch (32mm) across.  The leaves are soft and maybe slightly fuzzy; they feel like thin suede.  This is growing in the Williamette valley in Oregon mainly on a sunny, grassy slope.  I don't know if is a native or a naturalized garden plant (the latter seems more likely, but don't know if it is widespread or local to one property).  Seems moderately successful competing in those sunny grassy areas.


texts: Which of these trees are good for growing as a Christmas tree in a pot?

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I'm going to buy a potted Christmas tree we can keep in a pot, and would like to buy a Nordmann fir (Picea nordmanniana) for its colourful male cones. I have read this species is fast growing and isn't typically pruned, but as we would like to keep it 5 foot high does anybody have words of wisdom for pruning a fir? Is it not a good idea or will it work fine?

Our other idea is to buy a Blue spruce (Abies pungens), as most people found the blue foliage very attractive. Might this be a better plan long term as the tree is a slow growing hardwood so won't require as much pruning, the roots won't spiral round the pot as fast. That said, perhaps frequent pruning of the Picea N. would lead to a dense foliage with a strong pyramidal form? What are your thoughts?


texts: Identification and question about possible sickness / parasite

texts:
I got this plant a couple of weeks ago. The leaves were all soft and roots partly rotten.

I decided to cut away some roots, put it into new soil (not pasteurized though), cut away almost all leaves and put it in a bright spot. I gave it very little water first until the soil dried out, then I started watering slowly.

It grew some fresh green leaves, but they too are rather soft and weak. It doesn't seem to take much water in at all.

My questions:

Which plant is this?
What's it's ailment, some bacterial infection maybe?
What are the long excrescences that I marked?


texts: Are these small hairy leaves first true leaves of my rudbeckia seedlings?

texts:
Are these small hairy leaves first true leaves of these seedlings?

The plant in question is Rudbeckia hirta.


texts: What is the best way to kill a banana shoot but not the entire plant?

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Well the recent winter was pretty bad for the bananas, so I cut them down to ground level, and new shoots are coming up. Great (although that means no flowers or bananas this year).

The problem now is that I have a shoot coming up in the lawn! I can easily cut that back, but it will keep growing. Banana 'trunks' are just leaves wrapped around each other. Even if I cut the shoot, the inner leaf will keep growing. So how can I kill this one shoot but not kill the entire plant/clump?


texts: Monstera/Swiss cheese plant with brown spots on leaves?

texts:
I bought a Monstera about a week ago and the bigger leaves started to look floppy. I thought this was because I didn't water it enough, so I watered it more. I'm guessing this is where I went wrong because after that some brown spots have appeared on the new leaves and on the bigger ones.
The pot is about 3 feet from a window that gets morning light. The plant is in a clay pot that has a saucer and I removed the excess water from the saucer once I watered it.
If I did over water it, do I have to sit it out and see if the leaves will be okay, or is there something I can do to get the plant and leaves to look healthy?


texts: What are the tiny white bugs on my spinach and how should I treat them?

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They don't look like the images of aphids I see when I search Google. They don't move much and are about the size of a strawberry seed or sesame seed.

What are they, what's a good treatment for them, and, if they're washed off, is the existing spinach safe to eat?


texts: I have used dynascape as a program when drawing for a non profit organization.  Since I volunteer my time and do not use the program for commercial or profit I simply can't afford the cost of the program and subscription.  I have used the student version for the past two years.  Any recommendations on what I could use.  My drawings are simple and in no need of color or 3D.


texts: Located in north central Texas. And what kind of plant is this?


texts: Identification of plant with quick growing oval leaves, red flowers and pea-like seedlings

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Here's a photo:

I once had a few seedlings of this plant randomly start growing on my pot, and these are a few features I observed.

It has elliptical leaf shapes with red flowers. I live in the tropics so it might be a tropical plant. I suspect it might have spread its seeds by wind dispersion as some of its seedlings grew in my pots, and all at once.

When it sprouts, it encases its first leaves in this green shell that looks like a giant pea. It grows extremely quickly (approx one new branch every 2 weeks) and has thin branches. Its leaves are light green as grow and darken as they mature.

Also: it guzzles up a lot of water.

Could any kind soul help me identify this plant?


texts: How can I tell if my chilli plant is perennial?

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Last year, I got a chilli plant sapling from a family friend. It planted and grew quite well, yielding around three batches during the summer; the chillies are long, green, and turn a bright red if left long enough on the plant.

The family friend suggested "save some seeds," but it was too late in the season and I didn't save any.

Research online suggests that many (most?) of these plants are annual. How can I be sure if mine is annual or perennial?

I left the plant in the soil throughout winter (-20 to -30C). Now that it's thawed out (mostly), I can see the stalks look okay. I pruned the tallest ones down to a few inches, and removed all the hanging dead leaves.

I would like to grow the same thing, so I need to figure out as quickly as possible if I should wait/watch (and is it worth the extra effort?) the current one, or yank it out and replace it with a new one.


texts: What is this mushroom and is it dangerous for my dog?

texts: I found this giant mushroom in my boyfriend's yard. I found it concerning and I don't know if it is dangerous or not. We have a dog and I'm afraid she will eat it. Does anyone know what type of mushroom this is and if it is something to be concerned about? Any information would be extremely helpful. Thank you.


texts: I need to grow one radish plant per pot, for a science experiment. How many seeds do I plant?

texts: Title says it all. I need to grow ONE plant. How many seeds to grow? It's a small clay pot.


texts: Is this a good organic soil/fertilizer setup for container carrots?

texts:
I am growing 36 carrots in a 18" square container that is 14" deep. I know I have enough room for them but am more worried about whether there will be enough nutrition in the soil to carry them through until harvest.

Is there a certain soil blend or configuration (amendments) that would allow me to set it and forget it?

Some sources say to do a light liquid fertilization every 2 weeks or so about halfway through the grow cycle (35-40 days) of FoxFarm Big Bloom. Is there a more apt liquid fertilizer for carrots?

Update:

I've since moved to a ~20 carrot per container setup and thus far a single grow does not need any added fertilizer but if I keep growing carrots in the same containers, after how many harvests would I need to start fertilizing. Do I need to let the soil settle on it's own at some point?


texts:
I am doing a hydroponic experiment at school comparing different fertilizers and there formulas. For this question I am comparing miracle Gro, jacks's and CN517. Miracle Gro and Jack's are both water soluble fertilizers. CN517 is a liquid hydroponic fertilizer.

I went in to check on everything and I noticed the coloring on the roots of the lettuce. The hydroponic lettuce has nice white roots. The water-soluble has a light brown color, it is noticeable.

I know this can't be from lack of oxygen. I have a air-pump pushing air through a air stone in each section, but I think this is a lack of some nutrient. After all the water-soluble was never meant for hydroponics, but this is a experiment so were looking at what happens.

Update 1: I am going to add a list of everything Miracle Gro, Jack's, and CN517 have listed on the package. But I do think CN517 is not listed EVERYTHING in the fertilizer, just keep in mind...

Miracle Gro

NPK: 24-8-16

Boron: .02%

Copper: .07%

Iron: .15%

Manganese: .05%

Molybdenum: -

Zinc:.06%

Jack's

NPK: 20-20-20

Boron: .02%

Copper: .01%

Iron: .2%

Manganese: .05%

Molybdenum: .01%

Zinc: .05%

CN517

NPK: 3-1-2

Calcium: 3%

Magnesium: 5%


texts: Gritty mix for cactus and succulents usage

texts:
I am seeing some gritty mixes for succulents and I cannot find any info on the product regarding it usage.. Will succulents or cactus do well if they are placed in those gritty mixes?

Here are gritty mixes:


texts:
I've been given a bonsai tree by a friend who knew I was interested in learning about them. Unfortunately all it said on the pack was 'bonsai tree'.

I've done a little research looking for the name of it, my best guess is a fukien tea tree but I'm not totally convinced on closer inspection.

I got it with some berries already on it, in the dark purple, red and white / light green.

The leaves seem to be pointed oval with toothed edges in an alternating pattern on the branches.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I want to try shaping and pruning it soon and would love to do it some justice.


texts:
Me again. Anyone has an idea of what this is? Thanks a lot.

As a sidenote, the images make the flower look more yellow than they are. In reality they are orange.


texts: Newly Planted Autumn Blaze Appears to Be Dying

texts: Planted our Autumn Blaze about 10 days ago in central NC (clay soil).  Normally this time of the year we'd be seeing the start of fall, but we've had an abnormally hot and dry run of 90 degree days and no rain for 2+ weeks (and none in the forecast for another week or two).  While the Prairiefire Crabapple we planted nearby at the same time is thriving, our Autumn Blaze appears to be dying.  It's drooped considerably and the top has turned brown.  We're watering for a few minutes in the early morning.  Despite the heat and dryness and only watering for a bit, the soil around it appears to be wet at all times. We tried skipping a day or two of watering with no difference.  Any ideas?  Are we underwatering?  Overwatering?  Soil too compact?  Is this just transplant shock?


texts: If I fix some drainage for my waterlogged pumpkin, will they revive?

texts:
I've been growing pumpkins in home made growbags (old cat litter bags filled with well rotted horse manure).

Obviously I have to remember to put plenty of holes in the base of the bags.

One pumpkin has been yellowing badly over the last week. Today I checked the base of the bag and it's very wet and when I pierced the base a little dark liquid seeped out and there's quite a pong. So I'm figuring it's an insufficient drainage problem. Either there are insufficient holes or we (this was a project with my kids, and if you've ever gardened with kids you'll know it can get a bit chaotic) completely overlooked piercing the base of this one.

I've added fifty or so holes with a screwdriver. Is their a good chance the roots will recover and the pumpkin will revive? As I say, it's gone rather yellow, but it has barely wilted.

Edit, 1 month on:
Appreciate the suggestions on repotting and I am sure they are valid. However due to limited time in the garden, and a few days of OK sunshine I thought I would leave the plant to try carrying on in the same container (but with the newly punched drainage).

I figured that cucurbits at this time of year are pretty vigorous growers and it might very well make it without much further help.

So it has proved, with a pretty strong recovery. However it has a way to go if it is to catch up with the other pumpkins alongside it. And how well it will fruit remains to be seen.


texts: Can I trim knockout rosebushes in winter?

texts: I live in Northern Virginia and am concerned about possible heavy snow damaging two knockout rosebushes this winter. Is it okay to trim them slightly now with a bigger trim at the beginning of spring? I don't want to stimulate new growth now if that's the wrong thing to do.


texts: What kind of a grow lamp can I use in my apartment?

texts: Can anyone recommend a style of small-sized grow lamp that I can use inside my apartment to give my plants some extra light in the evening that won't cost a lot of money to run.


texts:
I’m intending to try co2 enrichment with Exhale bags.

And from reading on the co2 enrichment I understood that photosynthesis does not play a role during night time and the plant actually emits co2.

I wonder if the bag should be sealed during “lights off” period? So the plant won’t be flooded with co2
I also read that the co2 level should be around 1200-1500 ppm, but the light intensity is also an important parameter and it should be measured as well. So I will need to buy a co2 meter and a light/lux meter.
The prices for those two are ranging from relative budget pricing to very expensive:

light meter
Co2 meter

Are those measuring tools should be sufficient for my purpose ?

What is the lux level for effective photosynthesis to occur when co2 enrichment is involved?

Growing setup:

Plant: let’s keep it private - one plant in 90x90x160 tent.
Light: x4 COB CREE CXB3590 - 200W in total.
Growing medium - Coco perlite mixture.

If any other information is missing please write it and I’ll add.


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