texts: I have rocks laid down on my drive way and it clearly has some problems in the plastic layer below. Weeds have been popping out since we moved in. How do I go about getting this rock driveway redone in the cheapest and most effective way possible?


texts: If you plant deer resistant plants with plants that deer like, will the deer resistance work?

texts: Is there a "bubble" created by plants that are deer resistant to protect deer prone plants from being attacked?


texts: Are these brown- and cream-colored beetles on my Okra a concern?

texts:
I found these beetles on my Okra this morning. Can anyone identify them?
I just moved to central Texas (north of Austin)

Are they predatory?

Or, are they going to eat my plants?
And if so, what would be the best way to take care of them safely for my vegetables?

EDIT: As requested, here is a photo of the underside of one of my leaves.
There are the tiniest white (and some black) specs on the underside of the leaves.


texts: How long can I keep rosette-forming Peperomias without pruning, while in ideal growing conditions?

texts:
Unlike nurseries, flower shops do not provide all conditions for healthy growth. Sellers are often stuck with batches of rosette-forming Peperomias such as P. Caperata, P. griseoargentea and P. argyreia. Sellers end-up with poor-looking plants.

What if these plants remained in the nursery under good growing conditions? Will they offset or keep getting taller? remain compact? trail? hang down from the pot? I searched for pictures on how much they grow beyond their sellable size and still look good, but I have found no reference for that.


texts: How should I repair a partially broken stem with lots of tomatoes?

texts: One of the ropes I used to fix tomatoes loosened and the stem with lots of tomatoes partially broke, but didn't break completely. Should I cut the broken part? Is there some other way to fix it? It has many green tomatoes on it, that need at least 2 weeks to ripen.


texts: Can I graft a zone 10 tree's scion onto a zone 6 tree's rootstock?

texts:
I want to grow pomegranates outdoors in Souther Ontario (Canada), and I am wondering if this would be possible by grafting a pomegranate scion onto an apple rootstock.

Does anyone know if this is possible, and if it is would it survive a Canadian winter?


texts: Solid stone steps or interlocking stones for front stairs

texts:
I'm in the process of planning a landscaping project for the front of our house. Is there any clear benefits to using solid stone steps over smaller interlocking stones.

My perceived benefits for solid stone steps is that they won't warp or change shape over the years. Where as interlocking stones can loosen with high traffic.

Since this is the main entrance to the home. I figure it'll see a lot of traffic.

Is it worth the extra cost? or is it purely a cosmetic thing.


texts:
Location: north Italy (alps)
Yesterday while watering the plants in my garden I noticed a caterpillar on my fennel leaves, and it seemes to eat them. The caterpillar is about 4cm long.

What kind of caterpillar is this, and will it do any harm to the fennel or any other plant in my garden?  I have leeks, blackberries, mint and lemon balm nearby. Should I do something about it?
It's the first year I ever plant fennel in my garden. I think I planted them on a too shady place, as they are growing over 1m high like a stem instead of growing a "bulb" at the base, so I'm not too worried if the leaves are eaten by the caterpillar.


texts: Use of hydrated lime as a calcium source

texts:
We have blossom end rot problem which is apparently a calcium deficiency. We have some builder's lime which I am told is calcium hydroxide and would like to use that as the calcium source. We can't afford to buy anything else so we need to use that. We have a few questions: 1. do we have to do anything to the lime to make the calcium available, to 'unlock it' so to speak? 2. what amount do we need to apply to correct blossom end rot? 3. do we have to be concerned about PH change and if so how do we compensate for it?
The goal is to not have it change the ph and that the calcium would be available for the plants right away.  Thanks.


texts: Baby Chillies die when I put them under LED

texts:
I live in the UK and have been growing some Carolina Reapers from seed using Hydroponics..It's been going pretty well and I have some small plants and larger ones. Here is a larger one sitting on my window ledge:

In the past I haven't had much luck using lights so I was reticent putting my best plants under the lights; so I put a couple of younger ones under two different LEDs and both within a day starting smelling sour and died pretty much straight away (very sad):

I put my hand just above the plant when the LED was on and it was slightly warm if anything...I was hoping to get some fruit going during the winter but instead have dead plants. The others I'm over wintering giving them kick start for summer. So my question is what am I doing wrong?


texts: What should I do to prevent citrus trees from "burned" branches?

texts:
I have 6 citrus trees which I treat same way but 2 of them have this problem and about 3 months ago 1 smaller has not survived.
As a fertilizer I use agro nitrogen - phosphorus - potassium: 5 - 6 – 6 and they are grown indoor.

If you have additional questions, pleas ask me.


texts: Is trimming up the branches of a conifer a bad idea?

texts:
I've seen people cut off lower branches on conifers so they could put stuff under it. Is this a bad idea for a 30 foot tall tree?

Instead of hostas doing low PH food bushes under pine trees:


texts: How can I stop my herbs growing too tall?

texts: I have been growing some herbs in my kitchen in individual pots and they have been growing quite successfully. However, certain herbs, like coriander, have grown to be quite tall, but not strong enough to hold themselves upright. The pots that they are in (that were part of an indoor herb growing kits) have fairly high edges, so I fear this might mean that the plants have had to grow too tall in order to find direct sunlight.  Is there anything I should do to stop this? e.g. replanting them in better pots, trimming leaves etc.


texts: I saw this plant the other day in the street, so it receives tons of sun. We’re in the Caribbean.


texts:
I just bought a house that has a Sycamore maple in the backyard.  My questions are:

What is the life span for this particular type of tree?
when is a good time of year to trim the branches and a good rule of thumb as to how much to trim?
Is this tree known to invade water pipe and destroy plumbing?
Is there a certain fertilizer I can use to strengthen my tree?
The roots of the tree are coming up above ground.  Is it alright to cover them with a rich soil and possibly plant some type of vegetation around it? (my sister says it's not good for the tree)


texts: Do these pictures of the strawberries look okay or are they drying up?


texts: What is causing white patches on the underside of my bamboo palm?

texts:
I have a bamboo palm, which when i first bought was infested with mealy bugs. Over a period of two months I have regularly used rubbing alcohol to reduced the infestation as much as possible. And now it is very hard to find one, sometimes I have to really search in the nooks and crannies .
Now that the bugs are almost gone I have started paying attention to the white patches found on the underside of the leaves (picture below). At first i thought it was because of the mealy bugs but since they are almost gone I think there might be another reason.
I was hoping if someone can help me identify the cause for these patches? (they look like water stains, pretty flat)


texts: How to mend patches in grass, from lawn cuttings

texts:
I cut my grass last year and left some cutting on the lawn I now have some brown patches, what do I need to do to restore my lawn

Just small patches, not really bigger than my hand, just quite a few of them. Do I need to pick out the old grass before I lay some grass seed?

I am located in england.


texts:
I moved into a house a month ago, and am trying to recover the lawn.  There are several patches (roughly a square foot each) with no grass at all, just tough soil.  There are two large maple trees, so it is quite shaded.  Possibly the previous owners had a dog.  Possibly the big trees are sucking all the moisture out of the lawn.  Not sure what the cause of the bald spots is.

I see a lot of information saying reseeding should happen in the spring or fall, but is it possible to reseed these patches with something now to promote growth?

Not sure what type of product would be best, if I should be reseeding or aerating, what time of year would be best, or if it's all a lost cause.  (I hope not!)  I live in Northern Ontario, so in a few months, the lawn will likely be covered in snow.


texts: A section of land/soil is bad due to salt? How to fix?

texts:
A section of a alfalfa farm soil is bad. It is told that the cause is salty soil. What can be done to fix the soil?

Update edit
As requested by @csk , the source of the salt is: well, the land has been a salty desert and has been converted to farm land in a couple of farmer generations. This is as far as I asked local farmers!


texts: To make my garden soil less acidic, I have sprayed a 1 percent aqueous solution of dolomite to control the spread of horsetail. Will this measure help me achieve the desired result?


texts: Why has my jasmine plant gone dry suddenly

texts: I bought my jasmine plant two weeks ago. Initially it looked very healthy and smelt great. Now it has completely dried up. I have cut a lot of the dead parts off. But what should I do to keep it alive?


texts: What part of sunchokes is the last part to stop showing signs of overwatering?

texts: I accidentally overwatered my sunchokes, and they started turning red, so now I'm watching them heal back to a very healthy plant. What part of them heals last?


texts: Just recently bought the house in the middle Tennessee area and as going through the bed in front of the house, I noticed what I believe is fungus on the trunk that is stripping the bark from the front half.  Is this tree fine?  Or do I need to treat it with some kind of anti-fungus or something else?  Or is it too late?  Thanks.


texts: White crystal like spot on bottom side of chili leaves

texts:
I have a (thai) chili in my kitchen. It seems to be fine overall. One week ago I discovered some white spots on the bottom of the leaves (see image).

Whatever it is it does not seem to be moving. It is also kind of hard to scrub off. I tried it with the fingers, that does not work very well.

Some leaves are more afflicted while others do not have this symptom. After a search I found this question. In this question the plant seems to have scale. While the white spots do remind of what my plant has, mine does not have any brown or dying spots on the leaves. It also seems that her/his plant has this on the top of the leaves too.

So I wonder is there any reason to be concerned? Can anybody confirm scale or anything else?

Update:

After some more research I discovered a condition named Chlorosis (Edema) which is caused by overwatering. I have to admit the photos I saw look a lot like what my plant has.

The strange thing is that I did not have the impression that I am overwatering. I always wait until the soil is really, really dry. Might this also be caused by putting too much water at once?


texts: Is it possible to preserve male squash flowers for pollination?

texts: I have only one plant of each, Zucchini and Butternut squash. Sometimes female flowers bloom when no male flower is open. Can I somehow preserve the male flowers to pollinate by hand later ?


texts:
This is the third time that I try to germinate seed, like strawberry raspberry kiwi and stuffs
I put it in glass container with wet cotton balls in it
Instead of the seeds germinate they always get moldy.
Why is this happening?


texts:
These mother's tongue (snake plant) potted plants were purchased about about two/three months ago. They have not been repotted yet and it looks like the nursery soil has some time release nutrients in it.

I suspect that the yellow/dying leaves are from under watering, but I'd like to confirm. The tips of the other leaves don't look burned at all.


texts: What is this tree with bark that has diamond-shaped ridges?

texts:
I was looking at a tree today that I thought was a black cherry tree, but I'm not 100% sure. Its leaves are yellow and have toothed edges. Its bark has diamond-shaped ridges. I believe that black cherry trees have scaly bark with upturned edges, but I figure that this is a young tree, and so the bark might have a different appearance while young.

Could anyone say for sure what kind of tree this is? Here are some pictures.

A leaf.

The bark.

From afar.


texts:
Good day!
I would like to ask for some help to determine what I am doing wrong in growing my sunflower. The sunflower was started from seed about 3 weeks ago and now it has grown a few sets of true leaves. Lately I've noticed that the lower two leaves have started to wilt and the top leaves are starting to yellow. The seedling was not transplanted. The soil is constantly moist, but not waterlogged. The pot is fairly large about a foot deep, with drainage holes. The soil is mixed with garden soil, compost, coir and perlite. It receives about 4 hours of direct sunlight everyday.

I've tried watering it deeply on the assumption that the leaf wilting is caused by dehydration, and foliar feed it with an all purpose liquid fertilizer on the assumption that the yellowing of the leaves is caused by nutrient deficiency. But the condition of the seedling did not improve.

Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated.


texts:
Super newbie here.  There are trees in my area which is Phoenix, that grow tiny yellow pom-poms.  Google tells me the tree is Sweet Acacia.  These trees are amazing to me!!!  I looked up how to plant from seed.
I picked up some seed pods that look like black, dried up beans.  I cracked them open to get to little black seeds that look like tics.  And Google further told me to put these seeds in near-boiling water and leave for 12 hours.  And then immediately put them into potting soil where they may sprout in 3-4 weeks. Am I on the right track?  The near-boiling water has me concerned.  How do these plants propagate naturally? If I follow the instructions above, can I expect the seeds to sprout?  Many thanks to anyone that can help.


texts: What are the disadvantages of using wood mulch as a cover?

texts:
I see more and more wood mulch along the roads, around houses, etc.

At first thought it seemed a good thing to me, because it allows lots of life to grow around, while not releasing a lot of CO2 into the air -- apart from burning fumes which can be horrible to neighbours.

But are there disadvantages with this technique?

First thing which I think might be wrong, is if a large pile produces methane while decomposing. The greenhouse impact would then be a concern.
Second, if I spread wood mulch around my salad greens in the garden, is it an issue for the edible properties of the little ones? Could it add too much sulphur to the soil for example? And would this make my vegetables inedible or toxic?
I heard it could also be harmful to germinating seeds. Is this remotely true?
Are there any other disadvantages you might think of?


texts: What can I grow in small water half-pipes?

texts:
I plan to realize some aerial water pipes (approximately 1 meter high from the ground), and was thinking that it would be nice to "naturalize" them by using instead half or top quarter removed pipes in which some plants could grow using the running water.
I'll use either bamboos of plastic pipes, depending on what I can get my hands on, the goal being using between approximately 3 and 5 cm of diameter pipes.
Could I grow something in those pipes ? The ideal plants would be (by priority) :

Kinda flowery
Having falling down leaves/flowers to hide the pipes.
Somewhat edible

I don't mind putting a bit of soil held down somehow in the pipe. The pipe would get approximately 6 hours of sunlight daily, in a temperate weather (south of france, so think California style weather for an American comparison). The pipe will have a significant slope (about 15 degrees), although I could zigzag somewhat to reduce this if needed. The pipe will have a daily flow of water running through it since it will bring water to another area of my garden (I can adjust the amount of water at will).
If this is just a silly idea, I don't mind hearing it either ^^
Thanks !


texts: What is this giant prehistoric looking plant?

texts:
It has massive green leaves that stay green through out the year, purple flowers in clusters that bloom from early spring through out the summer. And it's in Spain :)
Any help appreciated!
Thank you.


texts: What's the English translation for "Tomate Canario"?

texts:
What's the correct translation in English for "Tomate Canario" (Spanish)?

I got two links in Spanish about the history of this tomato cultivar

http://www.revistabinter.com/2017/06/19/cultivo-tomate-canario/
http://tomatecanario.es


texts: I live in Ireland. I bought an Acer plant "deshojo" ,few years back . Now I have two issues with this plant. One is that it will give that nice pink/red color only for few months (April -june). The rest of the year its almost green, which i don't like.The second issue for me is that , there is possibility of this plant becoming big for my small garden.So i am going to replace this Acer plant with a new Acer Variety So can someone help me to find an Acer plant that's Dwarf (max 8-9 feet) and may not turn to green (a variety that may convert from red-pink-red or red-orange-yellow) and will survive in Ireland Thanks in Advance


texts: I posted about similar marks on one tree I had. Now I see the same on another. Still looking for info about what this could be...


texts: What's the best way to start plants when incorporating fungi into the starting mix?

texts: I have a lot of wine cap spawn from last year (kept a bag separate, and just fed it coffee grounds) that I never really used, and am wondering if I should mix the home grown spawn directly with the soil, or put it on the bottom layer then put the starting mix on top of it, or throw some in the hole after it gets put where I want to grow it outdoors.


texts: How many bean plants will corn / sunflower support?

texts:
I planted a section of my garden three-sisters style this year: corn, squash/pumpkin, and pole beans (for dry harvest).

I also have a 25' row of "Mammoth Gray Stripe" sunflowers (9-12 footers) in the back of the garden where I've planted beans among the sunflowers. I had to saw down a similar variety of sunflower last fall, so I'm pretty sure these are going to be sturdy enough to carry a heavy load.

I started the corn and sunflowers first, thinking that they'd get a head start before the beans start to climb.

My question is:

What's the right ratio of beans to corn/sunflower? I.e. how many vines is each plant capable of supporting?


texts: Want to set up a timed watering system for 'remote' garden patches without utilizing underground water hoses

texts:
I would like to set up a timer-based watering system for my mother's garden (see figure below). I plan to have the timer installed on the main water supply line, which then branches via underground hoses that have sprinklers installed at intervals.

The problem with this approach is that I cannot account for Remote Patches A and C (not sure if the term "island" is appropriate here) without resorting to digging up some of the front yard paved bricks to install the water lines.

I guess an on-the-ground hose would be borderline acceptable for Remote Patch C, but the main gate makes things difficult with Remote Patch A.

Is there a way to water the remote patches without having to resort to laying underground lines/removing paved bricks across the gate? I'm open to all suggestions.


texts: Can I get rid of sap stains on my mulberry tree?

texts: My mulberry tree was leaking sap earlier and it left ugly black stains down the trunk. The tree has deeply furrowed bark. Can I remove this?


texts: Need help with identifying a re-growing plant

texts: Got some almost died out plants from winter from one of my friend and now these leaves (ones on the left) are growing out of a brownish stem. Need help identifying what plant this is


texts: What's the name of this unknown succulent?

texts: I bought this rare succulent from Metrotown, the girl she said she does not know this succulent's name, so can anybody give this plant's name and basic care guide?


texts: Will the roots of my Columnar Yew Tree damage a foundation that's only three feet away?

texts:
I have a columnar Yew which currently is about 18 - 20 feet tall with a spread of about 6 feet. What is the root system like for these trees and what effect will/can it have on the foundations of the house?

The centre of the trunk is only 3 feet from the building. I am concerned for two reasons:

The impact of roots on the footings
The extra moisture content of the soil if it is felled

It is a beautiful tree which at present causes no problem. There are no cracks appearing!


texts: Our Atlanta, GA house has a swimming pool surrounded by cement. At the back, the cement abuts with a narrow strip of soil, maybe 4 feet wide by about 30 feet long, with a fence behind it. The soil strip has plants for ground cover on it.  Over the years, either the cement has sunk or the earth has raised, or both, so that the earth strip is now several inches (say 2-4 inches) higher than the cement. Water puddles up at the junction of the cement and earth, and doesn't drain well.  What are some options for improving drainage at the junctions?  I'd prefer something quick and simple.


texts: I have a Meyer's lemon tree that is several years old and this year it has flowered, I pollinated because we don't have many bees, the fruit has set but I am finding that quite a few of the baby lemons are turning yellow and falling off the tree.  Any idea why this would be happening?


texts: What do nurseries feed their potted trees to make them so healthy?

texts: The potted trees in nurseries always look perfectly healthy. What do nurseries generally give their trees to keep them that way? Let's narrow down the question and focus on plum trees as an example as I understand that each tree variety might have different requirements.


texts: I am not really sure how to take care of a mint plant. I would like to get an idea of how much water I need to put in the plant. Some websites say to make sure the plant is not drying by putting water daily and others say to not put too much. Also, my plant has a white thing like a web from a spider, but I am not sure. The plant is turning brown. I don't know if I also need to transfer my plant to something a little bigger. How can I fix all these problems (I bought this plant from Walmart)?


texts: Unlucky with maples every single time I plant them

texts:
I have tried several times to grow maples. Every time, something has gone wrong and they didn't survive.

I always make sure the seed is viable(In other words I can feel the seed inside the pod) before I plant it.

The first time I tried to grow maples I planted 4 of them because I didn't know how many would grow. They all were going strong until fall came. Not only did they lose their leaves but they didn't form any bark and died from the cold.

The second time I tried I only planted 2 because I thought "Maybe the competition for nutrients was too much for any tree to form bark". They survived for 3 years. The maples were in 1 pot and a second pot was for the groundwater. This helped them through the droughts of summer. The 3rd year that the trees were growing though 1 of them got several wounds in the bark. I taped it so that the tree could heal. After a few weeks I gradually peeled it off making sure that the new bark was fully attached to the tree. I saw no leaf buds on my trees during the 4th year when the other maples already had their leaves.

The third time I tried I planted 3 seeds. 1 of them grew. But this one was worse. Even though there was no groundwater the bark formed in an unusual fashion. Instead of forming from bottom to top like the 2 trees before this, it formed from top to bottom. It never had bark at the very bottom. And it wasn't because of a wound because then I would eventually see bark there.

This year I tried to grow a maple and it was even worse. I planted just 1 seed. It was planted in May just like the third attempt was. It started growing strong. A few days later and there is a lot of rain during that time period. I never watered it when it rained(Or in general when the soil was moist) but I did give it a deep watering when I planted it. Even so the leaves started to yellow like they were overwatered. 1 fell off then the other followed. These were still baby leaves and I didn't see a stem, just the leaves. The root system was still intact and I knew that trees are known to grow back after they are supposedly dead but sadly, it didn't grow back.

Why do I have so many issues with growing maples? Maples should be a pretty easy tree to grow regardless of the species(Which in my case is Sugar Maple). And I don't think it is the soil because other trees have survived in that soil including a Fir sapling that I got from school years ago.


texts: I found this seed on the beach on Koh Jum, an island on the Andaman Sea. The islands nearby are mostly populated by black mangroves (Avicennia germinans) and rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis).


texts:
I just bought 3 elephant ear plants at a nursery. I potted them 2 days ago with indoor potting soil and kept some of their original soil. I watered them (about half a bottled water each) and they started dripping from the tips. I read that could be too much water so I barely watered them and I see one leaf is turning yellow. I have hread that yellow means it needs more water, but why is it dripping water as well? They are in part shade and part sun when the sun moves in my home.
I have them in pretty large pots I would say. Can someone please help me determine why they are weeping and why the yellowing?
Any suggestions? Thank you so much!


texts: Keeping Pests out of Hummingbird Feeders

texts: Is there an effective way to keep bees and wasps out of hummingbird feeders? I have a problem where these stinging insects are preventing hummingbirds from feeding?


texts: Trying to identify something that just popped up?

texts: Many brackets of 7 thin serrated leaves. has scent


texts: how to grow gingko biloba young sapling at home

texts:
I found very little information that will help me grow a gingko biloba plant at home. To the T, i'm a novice in plant nursery with a new zeal/interest. Now, I've been watering a young sapling every alternate day. There are about 7-8 stems out of which 3-4 are dying. I don't understand what could be the reason as I have put new composting ( bought from a store ). I have placed this plant on the window where there is direct sunglight but a acrylic sheet covering the plant from direct light. Weather wise , mumbai is not very hot, not cold currently.

How does the watering system in plants works ?


texts: Help needed to repot my 42" avocado tree in my apt please!

texts:
Hello wonderful people with green thumbs! I've managed to grow an adorable avocado tree from a supermarket avocado pit. I don't know what I'm doing and I'm usually awful with plants so this was truly a miracle but I need some help please. My tree is now about 42" and is in a 10q pot.

We're located in a small apt in New York City and since the winters are too cold for my little tree, we're trying to continue in pots until I can find it a good home in a warmer climate.

I have 3 questions please;
1. I've switched to the pot it's in few months ago but now it's much taller and has bigger roots so I'm afraid to mess it up. What is the best way I can repot to keep my little tree healthy? And how deep should I place the pit? I didn't have a support stick before since it seemed sturdy but now that the top leaves are very big,  it began to bow and now I have a stick as well.
 You can see the new pot in the picture. (On the bottom it says 25q) I'm hoping it will be enough until the winter when hopefully we'll be moved into a house so I can get a much bigger pot.
2. 4 of the leaves by the top are dried midway. The lady at homedepot advised me to cut the dried parts. Should I? What caused this? What can I do?
3. The lady gave me Nature's care organic and natural tomato, vegetable & Herb plant food. Would my little tree like this food? Or is there one better suited for its needs?

Thank you so much!! Whatever advice you can give me will be highly appreciated! Please help my tree!
Ps. I dont know how to add more pics but I'll try to do it in replies. Sorry!

ADDED INFO FOR STORMY

Hello Stormy, I am so sorry! I should have mentioned that this isnt the regular spot for my tree. It sits in a windowsill in front of a VERY bright window facing north. (I only have any windows facing north). It was originally in a 3q pot and when the leaves began to grow really big, I switched to the pot it's in now. This was in February. I cant remember which type of soil it was but it was a plant one from homedepot and I think you might be right about it having some type of fertilizer or something in it cause it suddenly grew very fast and tall. I thought it was the new pot. The leaves continued to grow very big and dark green. The top leaves curling up dry happened only couple weeks ago. And I have 2 theories as to what might have caused it;  either the sudden temperature rise and long exposure to sun without enough water OR that it was caused by my stupidity when I accidentally used the same watering can I use to add treated water to my aquarium. (It is treated by a chemical mix called Prime which removes chlorine, and chloramine and detoxifies ammonia). If there was traces of it in the water maybe my tree got a tiny tiny bit.  I switched to a new watering can since then (might explain why the top leaves are all normal and I have new growth coming along)

I never used any food fertilizer etc. I think I might have stuck 2 miraclegro food spikes in there once long ago.
I will return the soil and fertilizer and get one that you recommend. Do you think i should continue in the pot its in?  Since it grew so fast and tall I thought it would need more space to continue. However I can only keep it in the windowsill if it's in this pot. Anything bigger wont fit. I will make sure to lower the shades so it doesnt get direct sun. And if you recommend I repot then I will place it to the spot closest which is the floor by the window.

When you said cut the leaves to the next leaves.. do you mean i cut off the entire plant body from the leaves up or just trim the leaves? There are normal leaves above it and some new growth coming up.
Thank you so much!!!!!


texts: Brown splotches on leaves on Dracaena Fragrans

texts:
I have a Dracaena fragrans that I've had for about 5 years with 4 stalks. About 9 months ago, I moved it to a bigger pot, and it continues to grow (almost to my ceiling!), but over the last month or so the new growth on the tallest stalk has shown significant discoloration and browning on the leaves (see attached - the right "2 leaves" are actually just 1 cut in half lengthwise). I've noticing the leaves turning a bit yellow before they turn brown.
Nothing significant has changed in terms of the watering, soil, etc., and I repotted it 9 months ago and have not had any issues until now. It has been quite hot this summer, and my apartment gets warm, so I wonder if that could have something to do with it? The strange thing is that it does not seem to be affecting any of the other stalks...


texts: Do my Forget-me-nots need more sunlight?

texts: I planted them two weeks ago, a week later they germinated. Although two days ago I noticed that one was drooping and that they were a dull green. I'm not sure if they need more sunlight; I was thinking about hanging the pot and tilting it to phase the sunlight more but I'm not if that is what they need.


texts:
I'm doing some research before installing a fruit forest as I can't grow vegetables on the STUN (sheet total utter neglect) method, and was wondering if the Marsh Mallow plant is a nitrogen fixer or not. It's year two on the plant, and see it staying where it is until it struggles due to shade. The area experiences flooding every 5-10 years 1 foot down in another part of the yard. The trees will also be shade to protect chickens from hawks in a few years
My main nitrogen fixer (unsure what the others will support in the fruit forest) for about 24 trees will be the goji berry with a list of other trees/shrubs over a flood plane edge being:
Russian Mulberry (make mom happy)
Paw Paw Tree
Red Colossal Gooseberry
Darrow Everbearing Blackberry (make mom happy)
American Persimmon
Dwarf Flowering Cherry
Maypop Passion Flower
Aronia
Fig Tree (make mom happy)
Kiwiberry
Elderberries
Durham Raspberry (make mom happy)
20th Century Asian Pear (could make mom happy)
If you feel I should be concerned about any of the fruit trees please include in your answer.


texts: My succulent plant is developing a yellow stem and white silky strands. Is this normal?

texts:
My succulent plant's stem is starting to get shriveled, and its weak (can't support its own weight) along with yellow. I'm starting to use straws and wooden stakes to support it. Leaves are falling off super fast, and I don't want my succulent (like many others) to die!
Some basic information:

Waters on average every 2 days (I don't think it is overwatering, I accidentally didn't water for 21-28 days, and now it's like this. Before, it was fine). I water with one of those little cleaning spray bottles with ~5 squirts every time
Height is about 1 inch (2.54 cm)
I don't really know about nutrients
Hours of direct light is approximately 5-6 hours depending on weather
Lives in a sort-of wet place (inner east coast of US)
Temperature averages at 71F (21C)
Using succulent soil


texts: What is this plant with pink and yellow flowers?

texts:
This is a potted plant but the people who handle it cannot tell me what it is
specifically.

This is in southern California, US.


texts: I have a five year old Annabelle Hydrangea that is getting bushy. I have lightly pruned it in the past, but I don't know really know how I am supposed to do it. It is about 4' high and 6' wide. How do I prune it to optimize the flowering?


texts:
I have strawberries on east facing balcony in a pot. I watered them with fertilizer mix and after that with normal water, every second day, they seem kind of dry but not completely

They have brown and black spots both on leaves from both sides and on stems. There are few berries, one getting red now, and flowers that look nice.

I'm located in north part of Croatia for the climate.

Are they ok? Should I be worried about different color? What can I do to get most of them, in both fruit and healthy long life of the plant?


texts:
I am planning to redo my back lawn as the previous home owners just let it run wild and now it's a mess of random grasses and weeds. It will be very difficult for me to dedicate an entire day to prepare the entire lawn and sod the following day.

As per my question, is there any reason why I shouldn't do a portion of the lawn at a time? By this I mean if the lawn is 500 sqft, I would do 100 sqft at a time spread over multiple weekends. Thanks for the help!


texts:
I'm interested in replacing my lawn with Zoysia (Empire or Empress). But I've heard it's intolerant of low temperature.

Using the USDA Hardiness scale, what is the minimum it would tolerate?


texts:
My field is surrounded with wine fields and my neighbors prune their wine field every spring which makes so much grape sticks available for me. Sticks are about 1ft-3ft long and thinner than my finger.

I don't have any other organic material available to put in compost pile.

I would like to know if grape sticks can be composted alone and how much time it will take to compost?


texts: Please identify small black cones on avocado branch

texts: One small branch of this five year old avocado tree is covered in black cones that resemble barnacle shells. Ants are clearly interested in them. What is going on here? Has something other than the ants colonized the tree?


texts: How long after "days to harvest" time frame will pumpkins still be good?

texts:
I will be planting some pumpkins, some from some seeds my kid got from church teachers (presumably normal Jack-o-latern style pumpkins) and some Ferry-Morse Pumpkin Big Max.  I noticed the Big Max pumpkin seed packet says 120 days to harvest.

This is my first year living as far south in the US as I do now, and I'm not used to having such a long growing season.  Soil should be warm enough in mid-April to sow the pumpkin seeds.  However, with 120 days to harvest, that means the pumpkins will be ready for harvest in August if I plant then!

How long after maturity will pumpkins on the vine last?  If I want pumpkins in October, should I wait until June to plant them?


texts: Deer ate my lily buds last year. Will the bulbs survive this year?

texts:
My mother has been raising an ever-growing family of lilies of various colors for the past 15 years. In the previous house, they would grow to almost 6-foot tall while in the new house (which gets a lot more sun), they stay around 3'-4'. She is sure that the stunted growth is due to their not needing to “reach” for the sun, so she is not concerned about that. She was a little worried for a while about them going into shock from being transplanted, but then they grew, so they have survived fairly well for quite a few years now.

What she is worried about is the fact that there are deer near the new place. Last summer, she was horrified one morning to find that a lot of her lilies were slashed. She thought it was a neighbor, but when she found clear deer-prints in the dirt (both adult and fawn), she stopped feeling so bad. She doesn’t mind deer eating the flowers, but unfortunately they are “greedy”; that is, they eat almost all the buds before they have even bloomed at all. We tried wrapping the garden in plastic chicken wire, but that didn’t work. I tried looking up a way to spray some sort of repellent but could not find anything reliable.

Her concern now is whether the lilies will survive if the flowers are prevented from blooming and being fertilized by bees (there are plenty of bulbs safely under the ground).

Are the bulbs enough? What role then do the flowers play?


texts: Can these two trees be identified by photo.

texts: I would like know what these tree are. They are located in San Diego county California. The trees may not be native. Thanks, Jon.


texts: Are my Salvia Blue dead? or will they bloom again?

texts:
My Salvia stem and leaves went from deep green to olive green and the flower from purple/blue to light brown. This is my first time planting this type of plant. I didn't do the best research and I believe they have died. They areally still standing and in tact, but looked slumped over, thin, and dried out. Should I take out or can I help them?

Also, I live in Texas. The plants receive 6+ hours of sun. I planted them (6) about 3-4 weeks ago.
I also planted some smaller ones in pots and those are doing great.


texts: What's a good recipe for a grass seed, soil and fertilizer mixture?

texts:
I'm looking to fill some patches on my lawn that are left over from last year's addition of a layer of topsoil. They seem resistant to the typical loosen soil, apply seed and water approach -- which I've done a couple of times.  Each time, I get more coverage but there are still some patches.  I want to finish it off with a convenient mix.

Costco has a bag of premixed dirt, seed, starter fertilizer (and likely peat) which seemed like a good idea.  But, I choked on price.

I understand the guidance re. soil testing in comments... and I certainly have concerns with the amount of sand that was in the top soil (a neighbour is convinced that, with the amount of clay we've got, it will 'eventually' turn into a nice loam).  However, I can't help but think that a convenient mix applied to the areas will address the patches where either the birds keep eating before it establishes or the sand was a bit concentrated, etc.

Anyone have a recipe they're able to share?


texts: I have a large pot of basil growing in my yard. The other day, I was cutting leaves for pesto, the first few minutes were ok, then a small black and silver (grey?) bee-like insect accompanied me (like it was overseeing my work). Within a few minutes there must have been about 20 of them flying around, landing on stems I had cut, as if inspecting the damage I caused. I finally left when two wasps joined them (unrelated To the "bees," but I'm deathly afraid of them). The "bees" didn't seem to be bothered by me, rather the work I was doing. Any ideas on what they might be?


texts: Wormery failure in mass worm die-off ... any advice?

texts:
Last fall our household of two people invested in a small, 3-tiered, commercially-available wormery that came with all components (bedding, lime, worms). All seemed to be going well until we brought it inside to protect it from sub-zero (C) winter temperatures.  It was at this point that a colony of what looked like white spider mites (the same size as, though far less active than, the red ones) exploded in the wormery and inhabited the inner lid and surface of the kitchen scraps.  The mites appear to like warm damp conditions so we did our best to control them by keeping the wormery aerated and by physically removing the mites regularly, although these efforts had little effect. The worms still seemed to be 'healthy', but when draining the reservoir, I often found several dead worms in the liquid. Once outdoor temperatures turned mild enough, the wormery went back outside.  At this point, the mite population decreased, but this was accompanied by a mass worm die-off resulting in failure of the wormery. We followed advice that came with the kit (not adding onion or too many acidic scraps; added newspaper to absorb water; added eggshells to keep the pH balanced; drained the reservoir regularly; kept temperature as stable as possible). Searching through wormery-related online forums resulted in no helpful advice.

Has anybody had a similar experience and knows why this might have happened?

Has anyone had a similar infestation of mites and knows for sure what they are?


texts:
It's a small tree in a very shaded area approx 7 feet tall. Northern Indiana
 BJ


texts: Lily species identifiaction and bloom time

texts: Guys I want to know what species these lilies are and when do they bloom.


texts: I would like to know what variety of cactus this is. It has grown three times its height since I bought it and although I have looked on many websites, I just cannot seem to find anything like it.


texts: This is a small tree with clusters of small white nice smelling flowers. Also has many tiny insects That do bite!


texts: Can we use coco and peat moss at same time?

texts:
As a soil mix, is it wise to use both coco  peat and peat moss to have the good of both the worlds?

Since some plants requires soil to dry out in between watering, peat moss will compact and pull away from the edges of the pot. It also gets a lot harder to re-wet peat moss once it dries. While this is not the case with coco peat, coco peat is devoid of nutrients (?) And I am wondering if mixing them both makes sense or not.


texts: What are these tiny black pest on chilli plant

texts: They are really tiny and hard to focus on with a mobile camera. Are they good guys or bad guys? I don't think they are eating the leaves or the fruit, are they here for flower buds?


texts: Can someone tell me the name of this flower please.


texts:
planted a lot of bulbs and when they flower - pretty much all of them fall to the ground.
Was wondering if I can do anything to make them grow up and straight? Anything that I’m missing?

For the context - I’m in Sydney, Australia, it’s early spring here.


texts: Why did my orange bell pepper smell of ammonia?

texts:
A week ago I harvested an orange Bell pepper from my garden. It was still halfway green, so I put it on our kitchen counter to ripen. When I finally cut it open for a salad after a week of ripening, it had a horrible ammonia smell, unlike anything I've ever experienced from a vegetable. Visually, there was nothing wrong with it, but the smell was a clear sign that something was rotten.

What can cause an ammonia smell from a pepper?


texts: What is the black and yellow plant at the base of my fence?

texts: As you can see, next to the fence at the bottom there is some sort of black and yellow plant with a corn-like looking texture. I can't find anything that says what it is. May it also be noted I live in the U.K. Does anyone know what it is or at least if it's a plant or flower?


texts: Is too much sun better than full shade for Haworthias?

texts:
I recently had several scale-aphids attacks. It involves many of the shaded Haworthias. Systemic insecticides, soap-water blasting, removing and cleaning rotted roots and affected areas, weak bleach solution, fixing soil/drainage issues had no effect. All attacks were in the summer, the dormant season. Waiting to fall awakening, however, is too much time for a sick plant.

I noticed that rooted cuttings which were in full sun appeared red and wrinkled, but a close inspection showed healthy plants, fully-developed roots and a green healthy rosette at the center. Moving affected plants, even gradually, seems futile. They must have been there from the start.

So based on that, should I adjust all my so-far healthy Haworthias to full-sun exposure?


texts:
am trying to grow tomato seeds , the initial stage was successful and my seeds are germinated , i have separated seeds and placed them in cold drinks disposable glasses , i water them and have placed them in my room window , but they are not growing they are dying with germinated two leaves , i do not know why they are not growing and keep dying ? Is it because i have not placed them directly in sun light or what ? here in our city temperature is high its about 40 Celsius , enough temperature to burn these new born plants.  So any suggestion or anything am doing wrong ?

thanks

Update :  new soil mixture : sand + red soil + canals soft soil + natural compost


texts: The new leaves near the stem of my Dracaena are turning black

texts: Why are these turning black.. they were green when I got this plant a few weeks black. Also the tips of some of the leaves are turning brown..please help.. I am new to this.. I am watering after checking the soil is dry


texts: What orange, stringy fungus might be killing my plants?

texts: Last summer all of my plants started dying  I noticed this orange, stringy stuff which I think attacks plants.  They died out during the winter but they are back this Spring.  How do I get rid of them?  I thought it was just in the mulch but it is in the dirt also.


texts: I am trying to identify and treat white fungus at the base of a tree

texts: There is some sort of fungus growing at the base of tree in front of my house. I believe the tree is a Callery Pear Tree. The location is on the sidewalk in Brooklyn, NY. I would like to know if this is something I should worry about and treat? How do I treat this? I tried looking at images of other tree diseases online, but couldn't find anything that looks similar. Thanks in advance for your time.


texts: 7 years old Rose shrub giving shriveled up leaves and flowers

texts:
I live in South India ,we shifted into our new house 7 years ago and planted this dark pink rose soon after from a nursery .There were 2 of them, but one of them died soon after planting, from shock I think.
But one survived and gave beautiful healthy looking flowers . Now since last 10 months or so ,it seems to stop growing and new leaves are few and small and wrinkled.

Buds are also small and shriveled looking with black spots on them. Rose petals are small dry, flower won't bloom fully and die off quicker than usual. I thought because of old age ,but rose plants can live up to at least 20 years in good health it seems.
Winters are not harsh here, and I have tried using cow dung manure and Rose Powder[that's the only rose specific fertilizer you can find here in the market ,having potassium ,Sulphur, magnesium in it].

In India, there's not so much extensive knowledge or experience for roses like in UK or other countries. So I don't know what variety of rose this is.
But still, there is no improvement. No other signs of insect infestation or diseases.

What should I do to improve the shrub? Should I prune it?[we already pruned it this April]
Or using cuttings from it to grow new plants?
We tried growing new plants from cutting ,but none actually grow more than a tiny green bud and few leaves. Does applying honey to the cut end help in root formation?
Please help. Links to websites with how-to are appreciated.
Edit: After Giacomo asked for more clearer photos I observed that there are these black scars like splotches on the leaves.


texts: What is the best time to water the garden?

texts:
What is the best time for gardening? How many times should we water the garden?

I have grass and some plants (I don't know their names). I am just interested in nourishing the grass which is growing very slowly and not getting very green. I have supplied the grass and plants with vermicompost and NPK 17-17-17 complex fertilizers. I do not know these fertilizers well, I just did what the gardener requested.
The garden is in India and I am not sure how to describe the weather for you now.


texts: Can anyone tell me what did I do wrong and how can I take better care of these flowers?


texts: How can I organically make the soil potassium rich?

texts:
I believed that my tomato plants suffer from potassium deficiency, and by searching it on google it states that I can easily fix it by putting potassium fertilizer in my soil.

I am now thinking on how can I organically put potassium on my soil? Is there anything that I can easily found on the kitchen to make my soil potassium rich? Something like this, it states that by putting egg shells on my tomato plants can make the soil calcium rich.

  Place egg shells in the soil near tomatoes. Calcium is very useful to tomatoes because the extra calcium will help prevent blossom end rot.

I am just a beginner when it comes to planting so please guide me.


texts: I got bell peppers of various colours that were bought in Tesco I believe and had a go at growing pepper plants from the seeds after I used the peppers. I watched them from seed in a small pot, transplanted them to big flower bed and they eventually flowered (yellow). The fruit however is tomatoes. I have 6 or 7 plants which all produced tomatoes. How? The plants were grown near actual tomato plants but this hardly is the cause? Any experts know any possible reasons? Thanks


texts: How should I handle tall grass patches in my lawn?

texts:
I recently purchased a home in January. Now that it's Spring the grass is starting to come through. However, I've noticed a variety of grass patches of different colors and lengths before I mowed for the first time:

I assumed this was because I had waited too long to mow my lawn (truthfully, I did). However, after mowing for the first time I noticed these grass patches were yellowish:

After reading online it seems like if your grass is too yellow after mowing it means you cut it too low, but the rest of my lawn is perfectly fine, so that leads me to believe that this grass is something that shouldn't be there.

Should I dig these patches up and re-seed? If not, how should I deal with these?


texts: Which plants relate simbiotically to chillis?

texts:
I have been reading about symbiotic plants and mutualism and I am wondering which plant to introduce to the pot of my perennial chilli plant.

  Any hints?

thanks!


texts: What is this fungi/ mushroom we found on our walk?

texts: Found this while walking in woods near our home, not sure what it is and cant seem to find it on google. Was about 8-9 inches tall.


texts: Tigger Melon growing a single female flower - any hope I can make it fruit?

texts:
I have a 12-14' (mostly vertical) Tigger Melon vine growing that appears quite healthy. It has grown several male flowers in the past but currently it has it's first female flower and no visible male flowers.
Can I do anything to pollinate it or will it be lost? It's in an enclosed greenhouse space so manual pollination is typically expected.
I also have a healthy Model Melon vine growing which does have male flowers (but not female flowers) - is cross-pollination possible?


texts: Planting 2 tomato plants in one 20-gallon grow pot (Smart Pot)

texts:
I bought a few 20 gallon grow pots (20" diameter x 15.5" high), and they look quite big for one plant.

Do you think I can put two plants side by side? That'd be 10 gallons per plant. The only issue is they will end up pretty close together.


texts: My oregano cuttings have become brown at the tips and are dropping leaves. They are planted indoors with a room temp around 70. What reasons could they be dropping leaves?


texts: Late-sown Carrots: any particular problems?

texts:
I usually sow carrots in early June for lifting in September. This year, I am planning to sow a short-rooted variety in August, for harvesting in November-December, and will use a fleece grow tunnel to protect them from frost

Are there any particular problems associated with late sowing?


texts: What should I do with geraniums during the winter?

texts:
I brought my geraniums indoors for the winter.

Do they need light?
Should I water them?
Should I cut them? If so, how short?
When is the best time to take cuttings (i.e. during winter, start of spring, etc.)?


texts: I need help figuring out what kind of tree I have

texts: So when I dug this tree up from the base of my Mahogany tree I assumed it was growing from one of the seeds and was a mahogany tree as well.  As you can tell it is not a mahogany tree at all but at the time it was a stick with two little leaves.  it has long kind of thin leaves with a red vein running down the center and smaller veins running out from it.  I just want to know if it is a tree or bush and what it is.  I really hope it's not poisonous since I have 2 little ones and a dog that will sample anything if you let them.  Any Help would be much appreciated.


texts: Transplanting Satsuma Tree and Need to Know the Root System

texts: I want to transplant a satsuma tree, and I need to know what the root system is on satsuma trees. I Have not tried any method, but I need to know how the roots run, and how far from tree to dig so as to not harm the roots.


texts: What's the name and purpose of this metallic frame at the base of a tree?

texts:
In the city where I live, I've seen metallic frames like this one in various places, at the base of the trees. The tree is already big, I don't think it will prevent it from growing in one direction or another.

And is there any reason for it to be inclined?


texts:
I ordered some saffron bulbs and thought they would be delivered in the fall but they are here now. The directions say to plant immediately. These came from China. They were a little moist from being packed in a plastic bag. I have them drying in a bowl right now so they don't get moldy.

Will these be alright to go ahead and plant now or can I store them till fall somehow?


texts: What are some oxygen producing plants for a small room?

texts:
I am searching for a list of plants which are easy to maintain, small and would produce enough oxygen for one person in a 25m² room.

Until now I just found two sources:

Plants making oxygen
How to Grow Your Own Fresh Air - TED 2009


texts: How do I encourage my tree to grow a full set of leaves again?

texts:
Since before we moved in to our house a year ago, the tree in the front yard has had lots of dead branches. In addition bark is missing at the bottom of the tree.

We cleared 100+ dafodil bulbs that were growing around the base of the tree (along with other weeds) and removed dirt and a thick layer of old mulch piled 6-12 inches above the root spread.

We would like to keep the tree from dying.  Would it be helpful to cut back the dead branches?  Are there any soil amendments or anything else we can do to help the tree survive?  What should we put around the base of the tree (e.g. mulch)?


texts: What is this plant with red blooms and apparently six petals (diameter of blooms: approx. 2-3 cm; location: Central Europe)? I find it quite attractive in its hanging pot.


texts: What Fertilizer should I use on an Autumn Blaze Maple

texts:
I need help finding out what is the best fertilizer for Acer x freemanii 'Jeffersred' Autumn Blaze®. I was told they need iron, but can't confirm that on the internet.

There is some online info here, here, and there though. But I don't seem to be able to find an appropriate credible answer to my question.


texts: When (and how) should I start seeds for bonsai?

texts:
On a walk through my neighborhood, I noticed that the trees are already dropping seeds, and I picked up several each of:

Oak (exact species unknown)
Maple (ditto)
Japanese maple (ditto)

If I wanted to try to start them as bonsai (yes, I know that will take a while), should I get them into soil now, or wait for the fall?

I've read all sorts of stuff about soaking seeds in hot water, keeping them in the fridge to simulate winter, etc. How necessary is all that?

Update
This photo illustrates the condition the seeds are in:


texts: Re-evaluating my relationship with Gorse

texts:
I live in north Auckland, and bit off a lot more then I can chew in terms of a rural block.   Because of its prickliness, density and label as a weed, I formed a negative opinion of Gorse - which grows on the back of my lifestyle block (lifestyle block = small holding)  - mainly near the stream and far side of my property - unsurprisingly the difficult area to reach.

I have clay soil.

I recently drove down to Wellington and the Wairarapa and noticed that (a) Gorse is everywhere and (b) It is actually quite pretty in bloom.   This has got me thinking if I should be re-evaluating my opinion of it, and if so what values it brings

Questions -

Should I be considering Gorse as a weed or a beneficial plant - if the
latter, what benefits does it provide ?
Is there a natural way of displacing gorse without spraying it with
weed killer or hurting myself in the process?   What can I displace it
with?
Is my tentative observation that Gorse does not really take hold in
a mowed area, or in areas with other dense weeds/grasses.  Is this
an accurate perception?


texts:
I'm going to start by saying that I've tried to look this up online, but I'm not knowledgeable about trees and so I came up empty handed.

This limb just fell off of this tree in the front yard. It's a very old tree, and sustained damage last winter from an ice storm. Can anyone identify the white cottony stuff on the inside of the branch? It's it something we need to worry about infecting the entire tree, or is it more likely to be something that "got in" after a crack from the ice storm.


texts: Tree identification and problem diagnosis

texts:
Last summer I moved into a new house and it has this tree in the back garden. Can someone please help me to identify the species and also to work out why it is not growing very well.

Some branches are out in full leaf with the seeds hanging beneath, whilst other branches (probably just over 50% of the canopy) show reduced growth and poor-quality leaves.

Photos:

Updated photos 15.05.2019

The photo below shows a damaged leaf which may have originally misled, apologies for that.

Additional 2020 video footage from a drone: https://youtu.be/S-vcsmApJ7g


texts: Why does my lemon tree have black scabs on the lemons and yellow spots on the leaves?

texts:
We've recently moved to a new house which has a lemon tree in the backyard in dire need of some TLC -- but we're not quite sure what exactly is wrong with it.  Two primary problems, which may or may not be related:

1) Lemons are covered to varying degrees in narrow black-brown scabby spots that come off when scraped.  Sizewise they look kind of like insects, but there's no obvious infestation of anything living.  The inside of the fruit is fine, and this seems to primarily affect the side of the fruit that doesn't get direct sunlight.

2) The leaves have yellow-brown spots, and in bad cases are dried-up and crinkly.

We're in Sydney, Australia, which is warm and fairly humid, but neither of these seems to match up very well with the descriptions here.  Melanose, perhaps, but doesn't look quite the same...?


texts:
Identify this Dracaena
How should I care for this one?


texts: What is this small, daisy-like wildflower found in open woods?

texts: I have this attractive little wildflower growing through my yard, and I would like the identification. They get from 6"-20" tall and very slender. Before blooming, the flower buds are curled downwards.It blooms from early April until summer.


texts: Are glass containers suitable for "air plants"?

texts:
I recently received three Tillandsia ionantha plants as a gift.  The set came with some teardrop-shaped glass "terraria" in which to display the plants.  Each container has a large hole to put the plant in and a few small holes above that, presumably for ventilation.

The kit also came with some sand and goofy "sea life" decorations, not shown here.

I know that cacti and succulents are often sold in similar containers, which are actually quite harmful to the plants.  Is it safe to use these containers with my air plants, or will I be dooming them to a slow death?  And if I do use the containers, what can I do to maximize their suitability?


texts: What edible plants grow well in alkaline clay soils?

texts:
I live in the middle of the chihuahuan desert, where we have clay soils in the Ph range of 8.5.  I don't mind fertilizing and turning the soil, but I want to take advantage of the natural soils around me as much as possible without buying potting soils, peat moss, or composting.  I've read this post, but I'm more interested in planting things I can eat.

Are there any edible plants I can grow in this type of soil (aside from the obvious prickly pear and mesquites)?


texts: Young potato plant leaves yellowing at base

texts:
I'm growing potatoes in a 5 gallon bucket. The mature leaves are a beautiful dark green, as you can see in the below photo, and the plant is growing fine, but occasionally the young, small leaves growing off the tip of the stem will start yellowing. You also get a bit of yellowing at the base of a middle-sized leaf. The yellowing has come and gone once or twice over the lifetime of the plant but I have not figured out what factor is causing it. What could be the cause?
I put the tubers in the soil around 11 weeks ago and it has not flowered, although I believe this variety is not expected to flower. The bucket has ~10 holes drilled at the bottom, maybe an 1/8th of an inch in diameter each.


texts: Why do the leaves of my avocado tree have brown edges and spots?

texts:
I have inherited an avocado tree in a hot, arid climate in a very windy spot.

It has been watered well, but its leaves look like something is wrong with it - they have brown edges.

Perhaps it's been watered too well - the soil it's in appears to be a bit dense and loamy:

What should I do?

Should I try to loosen the soil manually?


texts: What would be the best way to amend clay soil on half an acre? We want to grow our usual garden plants like tomatoes, cucumbers and such but the soil on the land we just bought is small rocks and clay. Short of bringing in 4' of topsoil, is there anything else I can do? We have a whole year until we will be growing on it if that matters. Property is in Northern KY and hardiness zone is 7a-b.


texts: Easiest way to remove large amount of leaves from yard

texts:
I have a corner lot with several large trees, which makes fall a not so desirable time to work outside. My yard is not large enough to warrant a riding mower, so that idea is out. Here is what I've tried:

Leaf rake, leaf chute, and lawn bags. Nope, nope, nope.
Leaf blower/vac, leaf chute, lawn bags. I got a pretty powerful Husqvarna handheld that blows and mulches. The blower works great, so does the vac. Several issues with this approach:

Large lot, the handheld gets a bit heavy after a while. Not a huge deal, but if I'm looking for a new solution, it's something worth mentioning. It's akin to holding a 10lb weight in one's hand for an hour or so. If any solution suggested requires a blower I will probably pursue a backpack blower, and forego the vacuum if necessary or look into a separate vac.
The bag the blower came with was entirely too small, and after I blow all the leaves into a huge pile before I vac( it just seems intuitive to do that) I can't get a good vac rhythm going before it's time to empty the bag. I've seen the huge aftermarket leaf bags, so that's worth a try, but a benefit of the small bag is less lower back strain from repetitive bending over, which goes away if you have a single large bag, as I'd always be bending over digging leaves out of the larger chute to put in the smaller paper lawn bags.

What I have researched recently:

Leaf Tarp/Net. The idea is to blow the leaves onto a tarp or net and haul them off somewhere. Unfortunately my local doesn't do curbside sucking, and I don't have a truck to haul them off somewhere. If there was a cheap enough net I'd be glad to set it out with the trash, as bagging them sort of sucks right now.
SuperNet. This guy might be onto something.

Ideally I'm looking for a reasonably priced approach that will save me time, right now it takes at least 1/2 - A full day to get the first batch of leaves up, and there's always a second back that takes slightly less time. I realize no solution will encompass everything, but knowing what others do will at least get the idea wheel turning.


texts: What is the spiky red-tinged succulent in this succulent group?

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Could you please ID succulent C in the following picture? I like its reddish color. What is its hardiness zone? Would it survive the coldness of zone 5, if left outdoor in the winter, while keeping it in its current container and arrangement?

This question is based on another (closed) question.


texts: I have seen some trees with a thick layer of moss growing on their branches, does this harm the tree? Should this layer of moss be removed or can it safely be left on the tree?


texts: Suggestions for rabbit-proof plants for North Carolina

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We live in southern North Carolina and are trying to figure out what to plant on this hill.   We put in some azaleas a month or so ago, but the bunnies have since ravaged them.  We have tried some "bunny-be-gone" and that seems to be helping, but we're not planning on having to apply a spray regularly and so we're expected them to get munched to death at some point.
The area gets sun from about 10am to 3-4pm, and the total area (pretty much all of the brown that is shown in the photo) is about 75'x 20'.  The vertical rise is about 8' from the grass to the top of the hill/bank.
We're hoping to find a combo of plants to cover this hill/bank area, but really don't have too many ideas on what to plant.  We aren't concerned about carpeting every square inch, just something that covers the majority, has some color, and doesn't require much regular maintenance.  We are truly open to all ideas.  Any suggestions?


texts: How should I protect a buried fountain reservoir from freezing?

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I have a buried fountain reservoir that cannot easily be protected from rainwater. It soon fills and at some point this winter will freeze over.

Is there anything I can put in it that will prevent it from getting damaged? Something that would prevent or reduce pressure from splitting the sides?

[update]

The pump is already out, so I am not so concerned about that.


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This plant is growing in one of my pots. And the leaves looks beautiful. I wonder of this plat is worth planting separately or I should rather pull it out and throw it away. (like is it bad or like a normal plant?) The other hardy stem is that of lemon plant.
Location is Delhi


texts: Which plants to grow in a closed terrarium?

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I have lots of long glass bottles(think Cappuccino bottles, but a little bigger). I would like to grow closed terrariums. Types of plants I want to avoid:

Plants that are easy to prune. I would love to grow succulents, but it might get hard to prune? I am not sure how important pruning is for closed terrariums, but I assume after a while, when the plant grows, it'll require pruning to prevent it from scrunching up in the bottle. Please advice me if I'm totally wrong.
I live in a relatively dry/hot place. Hence, a plant that can live under those conditions would be nice.
I would like to avoid plants that shed leaves often. In the tutorials I read, dead lives can quickly dirty the pot. Hence, relatively sturdy plants would be nice.

Lastly, a nice bonus would be for plants to have nice foliage. In other words, something that looks a little more interesting than spinach leaves.

What are plants that at least come close to this type of criteria?


texts: Why does my Goji Berry produce many flowers but never bear fruit?

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I have a 4 foot tall Goji Berry plant that has been prolifically producing flowers all year long. None of the flowers ever become fruit. I've witnessed hummingbirds poke into each flower because they love purple flowers more than any other color. That means they should be pollinated, right? The dozen other fruit trees in my garden have no problem pollinating naturally - I have many wasps and bumble bees.

It might be diseased. Most of the time, it has what appears like talcum powder on its leaves. I sprayed it down with neem oil once and it went away, but came back within a week. Maybe the powderiness is natural to its leaves???


texts: Help identifying this yellow wildflower in northeast US?

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I have several instances of this yellow flower growing around my property (usually in my lawn grass). As far as I know, it isn't anything that was ever intentionally cultivated.

This is in the American northeast, but it looks suspiciously like something that also grew at my old house in the midwest (but that was over a decade ago and I have no way to verify).

It looks a little like rapeseed, but the leaves don't look right? Also, it seems to be a perennial, or at least, tends to grow back in the same spot for multiple years, whereas if I am understanding correctly, rapeseed is an annual.

Anyway, here's a picture. In theory I can go take more pictures if it would be helpful (maybe someone can suggest what I should try to photograph, specifically?). The pipes are part of a livestock gate, probably 1"-2" diameter, so that may help give a sense of scale. In this picture, I would guess the stalks are 6"-12" tall, but I've seen them grow to maybe 24" or so. (This picture was taken a few days ago, so late spring, specifically late May.)


texts: do plants in pots dislike being moved from place to place for better light?

texts: Question: Does my plant get moved around a lot? Yes, I got it a week ago in fine condition and I've been moving it around and put it in the best locations for light, which changes during each day, so I move it. However, the tips of half of the big leaves are starting to shrivel up. Someone told me that potted plants don't like to get moved around. Is that true?


texts:
I discovered a large number of these grubs in my flowerbed. These critters are in Basingstoke, Hampshire in the south of England.
Should I be concerned? Can anybody identify these?


texts: I have a situation where a row of rhododendrons in front of the house is overgrown and getting large. I was told by someone else that they need to be removed and replaced with smaller rhododendrons. Is that true, or can they be cut back?


texts: I need help to identify a plant which is almost growing wild in my garden. It's a large cactus type plant with long sword-like leaves and a central stem with lots of white bell shaped flowers. I suppose a lily type leaf but these are solid.


texts:
This is my first post here, I have been wondering if soil PH sensors are real or fake? An example is Soil Sensor.
After reading through this post, these seem pretty useless. However the answers here talk about how USEFUL they are not if they give accurate readings. The thing that worries me about sensors such as these for being placed and left is mainly that it is ONLY reading from ONE place, and this isn't a good representation of the area as a whole.
I am wondering if anyone else has tried these? How accurate (if at all) are these? I am thinking of getting one and testing it against a Home Depot PH paper strip test.
Thanks for the info!


texts: What fluorescent bulb is best for my tomato seedlings?

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It has been suggested that my seedlings may not be getting enough light.  What are the best types of fluorescent lights to get?  I have a single bulb, and looking to get another light or two to add to the lighting.  I'm not sure where my wife originally got this bulb, but I figured I'd take this chance to get the "best" bulbs for this task.

As a secondary question, do you typically keep your lights on your seedlings 24 hours a day?  Or do you try to mimic daylight by turning the lights off at night?


texts: What is this plant with spiky leaves found on a beach in Indonesia?

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Some time ago I found a plant on Depok Beach (Yogyakarta, Indonesia).

This is what it looks like:

It looks like spiky leaves that grow from its branches. The leaves are actually quite hard: you could hurt your finger if you touch the end point.

I know it's not aloe.

I'd like to know what it is called but I haven't found the answer, yet.


texts: How deep a container do I need for my Kangaroo Paw?

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I have a Kangaroo Paw var. "Amber Velvet" (an Anizoganthos hybrid), that I will have to grow as a container plant because it's not hardy in my climate (USDA Zone 8a) and must be brought indoors in the winter.

Some Internet research tells me that it will spread horizontally rapidly, so the container should be fairly wide. Also that it likes sandy, well drained soils. What I haven't been able to find out is how deep that soil should be when they're grown as a container plant.

Since it will have to be moved a couple of times a year (at least), and also because it'll be taking up space in my house for much of the time, I'd like to minimize the size of the container it's in, while still giving the plant enough room to thrive.

How deep a container should it have?


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I have two 2 years old avocados. Sadly, they weren't feeling well last few months: leaves started to drop and side branches started eventually to dry out. After massive googling a root rot due to overwatering was identified. For now one avocado has no leaves and already has branches that slowly dry out. The other still has three medium leaves on top.
I read, that avocado root rot is mainly treated by removing the soil, cutting off infected roots and transplanting to a new light and well drained soil. In one video a guy also suggests cutting the top of the stem to help a plant retain moisture, while it can not properly take it from the soil. A couple websites mentioned limestone, gypsum and potassium phosphite as a possible cure for root rot. Also several guides used peroxide to treat root rot by pouring a loose solution of it into the soil, but they mentioned that it may affect the whole pot biosystem and lead to unexpected consequences.
What I am thinking to do is to put the trees in water after cleaning the roots. Probably adding some peroxide will help killing fungus and provide roots with oxygen.
What of the abovementioned could be applied against root rot?
What could be other methods to cure root rot?
Another worrying thing is that the trees no longer have the pits, which could serve as a "nutrients backup". Thus, cutting the top of the stem may seem a good idea, but could also be too much stress for a weakened plant. I would appreciate a comment about this concern a as well.


texts: Should I cut the top off of this bolting lettuce?

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My garden is on a roof top in the South Bronx. I get a lot out of a little space, but I tend to only have one or two of each type of plant.

Most advice I find is for terrestrial gardens with rows and rows of the same plant. I also find that my plants do strange things, like this lettuce that seems to be bolting in the fall. I thought this was a spring occurrence?

Would it be a good idea to cut the top off?

I've had some good success replanting the root of a lettuce after eating the top. But, then again, maybe I should try to collect these seeds and plant them.

What is the best next move?


texts: I have a bag of granule lawn fertilizer (not weed and feed) that I am looking to store after having applied part of it to my lawn. What is the best way to store fertilizers, and how long can I store it before it goes bad?


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I live in Punjab, Pakistan. The temperature is warm to hot for most of the year. There is bright sunlight in my city for probably 320 days in a year. The soil is quite fertile and rich of natural nutrients.

Near about September 2019, I bought 3 plants of Arabian Jasmine to start a new hobby. It is fairly common here, a lot of home lawns have it and sometimes I have seen its dense bushes 3-4 feet wide and similarly tall. I kept the plants in local soil, packed in wooden crates lined with plastic woven sacks. The crates are placed on the roof in a position that the get sunlight all day. My plants were doing fine. I watered them almost every day, with some days missed out when the soil was already wet. I gave each of them 10-15 grams of NPK fertilizer once a week. The plants grew new flowers once or twice a month.

The winter season went quite hard on my plants. Sometimes I couldn't water them for 8-10 days in a row and the temperature fell as low as 2 'C on some days. In Feb 2020, I started to take care of the plants again and give them water and fertilizer regularly.

Now after more than a month, one of the plants hasn't grown anything new and it's branches are completely brown and dry, with not a single leaf left. I think it has died out. The other two plants are growing new buds and I want to recover them as much as possible.

I have noticed that there are some (8-10) old buds still remaining on the plants, which are either completely or partially brown. So I took a few pictures and tried to classify the buds and branches.

New buds, green.
Old buds with brown leaf tips.
Old buds with completely brown and crispy leaves. On green or brown branches.
Green branches with Type 2 or 3 buds.
Brown, crack-able branches.

Please see the attached pictures and try to answer the following questions. Any other advice is also always welcome. If you think I have some wrong concept anywhere, please feel free to correct me.

Some of the buds are completely green. I hope they grow into new branches and leaves. They are spurting from joints and from the middle of the branches. How can I ensure their continued growth and promote formation of new buds?
Some of the buds have leaves with brown ends. I understand these may have faced shortage of water some time ago. Can these buds grow back to normal life? How can I restore them?
Some of the buds are completely brown and crispy. They fall off if I touch them firmly. They are probably dead. Some of these are on green branches and some are on brown, dried branches. If I break these buds off, will new buds grow in their place?
Some of the branches are green but they don't have any grown leaves on them, just type 2 or 3 buds. Are these branches likely to grow?
Some of the branches are brown and dried. If I break them off their joint from the preceding green part, is there a chance a new branch or bud will grow in their place?


texts: Planting potatoes between tomatoes, bad or good idea?

texts: I spaced my potatoes about 3 feet and between each I would like to put about 3 tomatoes to save space. Will this create problems in the near future?


texts: Do mosquitoes breed in the water caught by succulents?

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Echeveria and Agave are succulents that trap rainwater between their hydrophobic leaves. Droplets last a long time in these crevasses.

Mosquito abatement requires avoiding standing water. They reproduce in water, in only a few days. To this end we are supposed not to leave buckets or tires outdoors.

Can these succulents thus host breeding mosquitoes?


texts: Why do my seedlings need more and more water?

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I started Echinacea angustifolia and Rudbeckia hirta seedlings recently.

I do watering by spraying if I can see or touch almost dry soil in cells. In the begining, I sprayed the trays with water every 2-3 days. However, the need for water increased as seedlings developed! Today and yesterday I needed to spray them twice a day.

Is this expected? Do you guys have similar experiences?

The pictures of my seedling trays:

Echinacea:

Rudbeckia:


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I have a small setup ready to go but I need to know how to get all the good bacteria and nitrites up before planting anything.

My local suppliers do not carry anything for aqua/hydroponics and online shipping is quite pricy. I can get a bag or two of aquarium water from the pet store when I get my fish.

What is my best way to get things started?


texts:
The leaves of my rose plant is turning yellow. The young buds are turning brown. Lately the budding ends are drying up.

I water them everyday. Why they are drying up? I can't understand what went wrong. Is there a way to get flowers again?


texts: Pepper Plants - Strange Spots and Colouration

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Pictures should speak for themselves.

6 Week old pepper plants started from seeds.
Are they doing okay? I keep them inside under LED lights. Whats with the purpley colour?


texts: Can drained water from potted plants be used again to water another house plant?

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I'm wondering if it's okay to use water that has drained through a houseplant to water another plant. Is it safe for both the other plant and the soil? What I mean is that we use at least 500ml (2 cups) of water for each pot on an average basis. A lot of the water is drained from the pot, so if someone has no trouble collecting the drained water, can it be re-used to water another houseplant?

This might seem nonsensical, but consider this when you have to water 30-40 or more plants. What one will achieve via this is conservation of water.


texts: Lemon Cucumbers Pollinating Pickling Cucumbers

texts: This year I tried to grow two cucumbers. Lemon and Pickling cucumbers. However I am only seeing Lemon Cucumbers show up on all of the vines. Would cross pollination cause the other vines to grow Lemon Cucumbers? I am positive that I planted a row of both types of cucumbers. They are not that far apart and maybe that was a mistake on my part. Has anyone ever heard of this happening? How far apart should I be planting different type of cucumbers to avoid this.


texts: How do I have grass regrown on a lawn without restricting traffic?

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Here goes a picture of some location in Eastern Europe. The plant with roundish leaves is Plantago and it totally belongs there.

So in the right upper corner is asphalt road. Left of the scene (not visible) is a publicly accessible well. People drive their cars to these scene to get water from the well. When they park on the lawn and then drive away from there they damage the lawn with the wheels. You see the results:

It was covered in grass (some uncool plants but better than dirt) for years and then perhaps two years ago this damage first appeared.

It'd be nice to have grass again on this lawn - it can be any plant that looks like grass and is suitable for a lawn.

This is public area - land belongs to the municipality. That might be formally illegal but most likely seeding anything or dumping some sand or ground there won't bother anyone. However restricting access there would most likely cause resistance and maybe even authorities involved.

How can this lawn be restored to some nice looking condition without restricting traffic to it?


texts: What would be the symptoms of a Song of India plant with too little water?

texts: My Song of India (Dracaena reflexa) has brown spots but I certainly am NOT overwatering it. It has 2 hours of direct sun and 10 hours of artificial lighting. I water it about every 9 days, or when the soil is 2" dry to the touch.


texts:
Recently moved into a house that has drip line irrigation. There are 4 drip lines on one valve. However, when I turn on that valve, only two of the lines work.

The other 2 lines do not even have water flowing to the front of the line where it comes out of the ground. Any suggestions on what could be wrong? I'm not extremely knowledgeable with irrigation systems but know the basics.


texts: Can a citrus tree produce fruit after a freeze?

texts: My citrus tree is in a large pot on the patio where it gets lots of sunlight.  Two summers ago, it was filled with blooms, but they all fell off.  We had a hard freeze that winter and it looked dead.  However, it came back to life, but grew three sprouts from the original graft.  Will it produce?


texts: Are old green zucchini commonly orange inside?

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I was under the impression that zucchini are always supposed to be their regular color inside (pale green or whatever you want to call it). However, twice now I've seen large zucchini that are orange inside (from different people growing them in the same town, on different years). I thought maybe it was cross-pollination the first time, but the person who gave it to me this year wasn't growing anything else but zucchini. So, I'm thinking either they must have the same variety of unique zucchini (which is possible), or zucchini must commonly get like that when it's large (I know it's not always like that).

Anyway, my question is, is this normal? We've grown zucchini lots of times in the past, but only this year and last have I noticed green fruits with orange interiors. The first year, the variety was called Black. This year, I don't know what it is, but it looks like the same variety to me.

Here are some pictures of this year's.

(Although you see me cooking with it here, I should note that the zucchini pictured didn't taste very great, but the one last year that looked about the same tasted awesome.)


texts:
My Kentia Palm has crunchy and black leaves. I have checked the roots and they look fine. I then applied neem oil but this didn't seem to stop the spreading of the plant. The base of the plant looks OK. I do see tiny red spots but they don't seem to move and seem to be native to the plant?
The plant is located 2m from a window where it gets a max of 2 hours direct sunlight if ever.
The soil feels OK, not too moist at least. It's still in it's nursery pot from when I first bought it 6 months ago.
It started with the lowest leaves but now the upper once have also been infected.
Is this some kind of fungus?


texts: How can I preserve and propagate a color sport in my dahlias?

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I have several Hulin's Carnival dahlias in my garden, whose flowers are normally white with flecks or large patches of wine:

This year, one of them has put out a stalk that has pink flowers instead of white, keeping the wine flecks:

I would like to preserve this color variation and propagate it if possible. Since it's now fall, I don't think stem cuttings would work (but would be happy to hear differently). These particular dahlias are under an overhang from my porch, so I've been able to leave them in the ground over the winter. If I do that this winter, is a pink flowering stem likely to grow from the same place on the tuber next year? Would digging up the tuber and dividing off the pink-flowering part give me a better chance for success?


texts:
enter image description here
I inherited this beautiful rose plant when I bought my home.  I live in Florida.  I studied pruning online and thought I did pretty well, but I don't know if I should prune it way back next year during our one (sorta) cold month of January.  I do deadhead and the branches I've cut seem to do very well.  It mostly blooms on the end of very long branches.  Sometimes in groups of five roses and sometimes just one rose.  It blooms over and over.  I'm thinking it's too "leggy" as there aren't many roses in the mid part of the "bush".  What am I doing right?  Wrong?  Oh, also they have a pretty scent, not too strong.  Thanks so much!


texts: What is the name of this plant, is it edible, and how can I care for it?

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I took a little bunch, but it in water and planted it when I saw the roots.
the original plant was low, close to the floor. I kind of like it going up. This plant smells really nice. It's super resilient. I haven't take care of it at all. It has survived the sun of Miami with poor water, and the rainy season. It is the only warrior that has survived with me for 3 years. 'Cuban Cumin' was in the garden sign. Is that what this is?

I want to know if is edible. I have been very nice to it lately and want to know more about the benefits of this plant.


texts: Germinating ALL vegetable/fruit/ornamental seeds in water before planting in soil

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Is it advantageous to germinate all your seeds in water till they sprout before planting in the soil? Or only some? If some, which ones and why?

I have seen people do this online to tomato seeds mainly... wondering if other seeds could gain from this treatment.

I had a dream last night where I received the idea that you actually gain MORE seeds than if you just sow directly into a seed bed. Germinating in the water has a higher success rate? Has my David Lynch inspired dream gotten it right? Is this true?


texts:
I've got several large bushes I am trying to get rid of in my yard.  I started by cutting them down close to the ground, and then tried to kill the root stump with root killer (copper sulfate pentahydrate).  However, a few weeks later, instead of everything having died, new shoots are starting to grow!

So I tried digging a hole around a couple of these plants to get at the root bulb, but one of them appears to have a rather large root (2-3 inches in diameter) which goes straight down and then grows under a patio slab.  I think if I had some kind of tool that I could stick in the hole and cut through the root that might do it, but I don't have such a  tool and don't know what kind of tool I am looking for.

The other one I have tried is very difficult to dig around because the soil is full of rocks and roots from the bush.  I cannot use a shovel, because it hits both of these.  I have tried using a hoe or other similar digging tool to dig around but it is very slow and tiring and at the rate I am going I estimate would probably take at least 30 hours to finish, which at about one hour a week until I am worn out digging would take me months to finish.

Is there some kind of tool that I can use to effectively dig up or cut out the root ball?  Some other method I am missing?  I'm sure I could just call a landscaper and pay them a lot of money, but I would like to do it myself if possible.  What would they know that I don't?

Update: Well it was hard to pick from all the answers to choose an accepted one, but the answer suggesting the cutting mattock was the most help, and I found I already had one of those!   For the bush that was accessible I basically just chopped like crazy in a circle around the root ball until it was loose enough to pry from side to side to finish the job.  The mattock basically just pushed the rocks out of the way as it hit them. Along the way I also used a pruner to snip at the thinner roots that were exposed to conserve my swinging strength.

For the bushes against the slab I did not have room to swing the mattock, so I actually used a regular drill with a fresh 1/4" bit.  First I drilled straight through the center of the root as far below the ball as I could access, then I drilled diagonally in through the same hole around 45 degrees on either side, then continued drilling at angles in between, and then into the same plane from a different angle outside the root.  When I had done this enough I was able to just snap the root in half and the ball came right out.


texts: Can a manual push mower give a good cut?

texts:
I have a new small bordered lawn about 10x6m. I'm currently using an old electric rotary mower I had lying around and it does the job but the cord is a bit inconvenient and it's on its last legs.

It's such a small lawn I'm loath to buy an expensive mower for a 5min job and am wondering about a simple manual cylinder one. But do they give a decent cut, all other factors considered?


texts: How to ripen butternut squash if vine dies

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I have some beautiful butternut squash I am growing in my garden.  Unfortunately, my squash are being viciously attacked by cucumber beetles and are starting to be attacked by squash bugs.  I don't know if the plants will make it through the rest of the season.

If a vine dies, or a whole plant dies, and the squash aren't ripe yet, is it possible to still ripen the squash?  And how would I go about doing that?


texts: my pineapple houseplant has had a stressful summer whilst I was away. The plant wasn’t watered for about a month & some small leaves under the crown have dried out. After this stress the plant has started growing large long leafs on the top of the crown. Now the weight of the crown is too big for the stem. I found the plant bend over in the morning and resorted to tying wooden sticks to it to help it stand upright. I am wondering what is the best course of action to help my plant? It would be such a shame for it to die.


texts: What is this small red fruit with a passion fruit like pulp inside?

texts: Can anyone identify this fruit?  Its ripening now, which is early autumn here in New Zealand.


texts: Avocado leaves with yellowish/brown spots

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I have two young avocado plants in my room that show some problems.

The older one (I started growing the plant from a seed 4 months ago) started to show yellowish/brown spots on its leaves about a month ago and is loosing these leaves quickly after the spots appear.

The second one I started growing about 3 months ago. It doesn't have these spots but started to grow misshapen leaves and lost some lower leaves as well.

It's summer where I live (Switzerland), so it should be warm enough and they sit next to a bright, southeast facing window. I water them when the top inches of the soil are dry. I also tried to spray their leaves because I thought the air humidity might be too low, but that didn't help either. 4 days ago I then tried to add very little fertiliser to the older plant, but haven't seen any changes to the better either.

Do you know what could cause this? Thanks for the help!


texts: What else to test for irrigation box with valves that won't turn on

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My yard's irrigation has a total of 8 zones (two irrigation boxes of 4 zones each). After turning on the irrigation this year, I noticed that one whole irrigation box (4 zones) all won't turn on, while the other does. I have had one zone fail before and I've had to replace a solenoid, but never all 4 fail. I tested the electrical wires on each valve and confirmed each one is getting 24 volts. Next, I tested the resistance of each solenoid and confirmed they were each 25 ohms. Also, I can turn the solenoid a quarter turn, or open the bleed screw, and each valve manually turns on.

Now I'm at a loss at what to do next. I would assume that it's likely not a valve problem, as all 4 valves won't open. It seems more likely to be an electric problem, but the proper voltage seems to be getting to the box. What else can I check to diagnose the problem?


texts:
im new to gardening!
I planted various lettuce plants but now im not sure did i did it right. I am not sure should i plant one or couple seeds per plant spot.
I checked various youtube vids and i saw people doing it both ways for the lettuce.

Thanks


texts: How do you determine the viability of tomato sprouts?

texts:
We have a handful of tomato plants from seed which sprouted before we got grow lights.

Most of them look like:

Should we just accept these won't make it? They don't look like I would think they should, that's for sure. Is there a clear way to identify when tomato plant sprouts are viable?

For reference, our pepper sprouts (which sprouted after the grow lights came) look a lot nicer and considerably less spindly.


texts: Would LEDs be beneficial for most plants?

texts:
I'm trying to grow the following indoors:

Lambs lettuce
Purple Coneflower
Thyme
Dill
Bergamot

I'm having a hard time getting things to grow with fertilized soil and sunlight by windows, I'm wondering if any type of LED would help or am I missing something else all together?


texts:
My backyard is pretty much a weed garden. I have the following concurrent problems:

Poor soil (mostly hard clay)
Lots of weeds (mostly bull thistle and some dandelions)
Dead grass (around 30-50% of it is brown and dead)
A few small bare patches

I'm not sure which of these problems I should address first. For example:

If I remove weeds, they'll just come back because of poor grass and bare spots
If I try to seed/reseed/overseed the grass, it won't remain  because of the soil
If I try to fix the soil, weeds will flourish even more

One piece of advice I got so far was to blanket it with weed killers and then try to fix the grass. I don't think that fixes the root problem (poor/clay soil), and to make it worse, I have a small vegetable patch growing that I don't want to contaminate with weed killer.

What approach should I take to fix this?


texts: How large can potted patio trees grow in the US northeast?

texts: I have a large sunny patio that I would like to shade with the largest potted trees that I can grow practically in the northeast of the U.S. (New England, 6a). What trees are suitable and how large can I expect to grow (or purchase) them? Ideally I would like a mixture of deciduous and evergreen trees. Trees that need to be taken inside are not practical (and would be too small anyway if they could fit inside).


texts: What weed or grass is this taking over my St Augustine?

texts:
Can anyone help me identify what weed or grass this is that is taking over my St Augustine?

Thanks