|
Camellia question that I posted too late on the old thread: Any ideas on what causes these leaf "holes"? This specimen is planted out in the garden, semi shade, and a good number of the leaves have these, almost like burn holes, but otherwise it seems ok (despite probably needing more feed and compost, (the climate here in Germany is tbh not great for them either)). I wonder if maybe it's something to do with a sooty-mold that I often see on camelias that spend time over winter in a greenhouse?
|
#
¿
Dec 17, 2020 13:57
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 14, 2024 04:12 |
|
|
Cowwan posted:How much of a pain is it to start English Lavender from seeds? Lavender is perfectly happy with seeding itself all over the place, even thhrough gravel/mineral mulch, so I imagine follow the packet instructions and you are good to go.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 17, 2020 16:07
|
|
|
My goodness, lavender in Florida sounds like a challenge! We have a great "airated lava-stone substrate" here, (being right by a supervolcano has some benefits) that L. angustifolia goes nuts for; also makes for excellent green-roofing substrate
|
|
#
¿
Dec 17, 2020 19:55
|
|
|
I always assume there is a little microclimate direct by the window, due to the tendency of water droplets to gather on cold glass at night and evaporate during the day. Maybe an air moisture sensor(s) would be good for orchid growers? They are dirt cheap and give you the air moisture as a percentage, so you could move them around the room/house and find out where the best spots are.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 18, 2020 10:33
|
|
|
Platystemon posted:It’s not necessarily that the area is any more humid than the open areas of the house. It’s just that the glass is cold. If its surface drops below the dew point, dew will form on it. Yes I get that, what I mean is our (closed) cold window is a collection point for water droplets at night so in theory the air directly by the window should be moister, as they evaporate over the day? People with good floweing orchids, I have noticed as I walk by anyway, often have them direct by the window and then have a lacy curtain (I have no idea what this is really called) directly behind them. I have to assume that they have, deliberately or not, upped the chances of the air directly by the window being moister. I think it would be interesting to test all this with the the monitor. Or maybe it will turn out that an average room is just too small to have radical differences in air moisture.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 18, 2020 13:44
|
|
|
Platystemon posted:Enclosing the plants is really the way to go because it takes a lot of water to moisten the air in the whole living space, and now you have a bunch of moist air in your living space and it’s dank and you’re getting condensation in the walls and it’s causing problems. Wasn't it really common to display orchids under bell jars or something? I seem to remember seeing something in an old 18th century house/museum
|
|
#
¿
Dec 18, 2020 16:05
|
|
|
Nosre posted:I thought orchids ALSO liked moving air? Read that and figured it meant bell jars/terrariums etc were a bad idea No idea! Just remember seeing them.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 18, 2020 17:16
|
|
|
I think I would love in a geodesic dome if I could find a place with enough land (and no neighbors).
|
|
#
¿
Dec 19, 2020 17:23
|
|
|
Gonna read that post now and probably laugh. Deer oh deer. Maybe dig some big pits, nothing bad can go wrong I am sure. E.lol, wabbits. A customer of mine is like a nature guide/woodsman/self sufficiency (except landscape gardening for some reason) type who is actually pretty famous in Germany. Anyway, I had never seen how people dispatch rabbits kept for food before, and despite being raised pretty rural I was legit a bit shocked. RickRogers fucked around with this message at 17:47 on Dec 23, 2020 |
|
#
¿
Dec 23, 2020 17:42
|
|
|
I. M. Gei posted:Best way to fix a pair of Fiskars loppers that the blades are starting to separate on so they’ll cut clean again? Can you make a photo? They should have an adjustment screw or something. I have some of the larger Fiskars loppers at work, but I can't remember what they look like. Otherwise maybe they just need to be honed/sharpened, as the metal starts to deform with repeated use. (I find Fiskars are in general very useful tools but the metal is way too soft) For pruning shears, it depends on your budget and maybe how strong your hands are. (Also consider a small pruning saw for cleaner cutting in larger branches (Felco, silky and ARS are all very good, with silky being perhaps "the best" imo)) But please don't get ones with plastic handles; they don't last! I have a Felco 9, with the steeper cutting angle and 7 with steeper cutting angle and a rolling grip to offer some hand relief. Felco 2 are the standard model and are fine, but I find them somehow a little cumbersome. I am sure some people will swear by the Japanese brands, such as Okatsune, but as I have not tried them yet, so I cannot say much! I can however say that an opening catch at the top is definitely not my thing. It is in fact very annoying. RickRogers fucked around with this message at 10:45 on Dec 30, 2020 |
|
#
¿
Dec 30, 2020 10:42
|
|
|
Babby Satan posted:Hello all, I dunno, my personal and completely unscientific experience is my aloe goes brownish but stays healthy when I put it close to the window. I have often tried and failed to kill aloe, even by over watering. After musing a little, I have wonder if the gravel you use as a top dressing is having a negative effect. My reasoning is if the layer is too thick and the stones too large and irregular then the soil my stay damp for longer (regardless of if you have a good, free-draining substrate) and the plant will struggle with that or even to just to grow through from its base. There are really capable house plant experts here, so I am sure they will give some real advice!
|
|
#
¿
Feb 21, 2021 18:42
|
|
|
Babby Satan posted:You know, I never thought that the white pebbles might be affecting the drainage. Afaik they don't because the water does still seep down but I did put some smaller gravel-esque pebbles on the bottom of the pot too. But you make a really good point! I'll take the top ones out and see what happens. Thanks for the tip! More they may hinder evaporation. Welcome!
|
|
#
¿
Feb 21, 2021 19:35
|
|
|
Wallet posted:You can definitely do it. Thanks for believing in me 
|
|
#
¿
Feb 22, 2021 09:45
|
|
|
Speleothing posted:We bought a house and the yard is lined with Ailanthus altissima. Good luck, you will need it.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 28, 2021 07:35
|
|
|
4 is def a Buddleia. 2 might be an elder (Sambuccus) 3 could be a lilac I guess. 1 could be cherry laurel. 5 looks like it has been dead for a while Honestly though, they all look like small to medium shrubs at best; I wouldn't have thought that they would have such huge root systems and water requirements as to cause problems upon removal.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 6, 2021 15:13
|
|
|
B33rChiller posted:
Shame yourself! But yes, without leaves and flowers they are all kind of generic and shrubby looking
|
|
#
¿
Mar 6, 2021 19:03
|
|
|
Ragtime All The Time posted:Any suggestions for strengthening juniper trees? I have 9 foot tall juniper and it’s been unhealthy ever since we moved to this place in north eastern Rhode Island. Got a picture and the species? I am only used to European Junipers, but they probably have similar requirements.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 8, 2021 09:30
|
|
|
Jaded Burnout posted:Re the previous identification, is there any chance any of them are a willow? If any then 5, as it has alternating buds, but it's really hard to tell without some kind of close up. If it has/had thorns/prickles then no chance it's a willow.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 8, 2021 12:20
|
|
|
Ragtime All The Time posted:Here it is: My first general thougts with more later when I read up a little bit on the subject. Your Juniper looks in pretty bad shape and has a very limited space for the roots to spread out. I would be careful what you do with the soil around the roots in case by trying to relieve one problem you damage the roots and make the Juniper even more unhappy. Mulching with park/chippings can cause problems with uptake of nutrients and exacerbate the problem. Tea fertilizer is perhaps the key here to getting nutrients directly to the roots without disturbing them I use one from Orus, or Wuxal that are very good for evergreens.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 15, 2021 09:22
|
|
|
Ragtime All The Time posted:Thanks for the tips. I've hit it with some liquid fertilizer around the apparent end of the root spread. No prob, I am not sure there is much more you can do except watching to see if there are pests and diseases present. I cut back some column form Junipers pretty hard around a month ago, as they were starting to fall all over the place. I cleaned as many of the dead needles out as possible and mulched the roots with compost/gave them liquid feed and a granular organic fertilizer with lots of trace elements in. They are growing back nicely now, even from deep on the old wood and I hope they keep their shape better.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 5, 2021 09:09
|
|
|
Cool stuff! I too love planting trees and should stop soon before it is too late. Here is something one of my customers decided to put into their garden after my last visit:  (Slightly  )I did suggest a few types of tree to them last time, but I guess they just didn't quite understand me.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 6, 2021 20:20
|
|
|
I. M. Gei posted:Wellllll poo poo, this is what I was afraid of. Unfortunately this tree and all of its limbs are totally inaccessible from my house (too high up) or from the street (too far for a box lift to reach), so pretty much the only way to get to it is from the neighbor’s yard. I was hoping the city might have jurisdiction to take care of it without us having to talk to the neighbors or get their permission, partly because I’m always paranoid about setting off a neighbor feud, but I guess not. poo poo, I have no idea about US laws, but here in DE it would be totally on the tree owners cost and/or insurance to cover that kind of thing. Would 100 percent get a good arborist company to sort that branch out and establish the health of the tee/further measures needed.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 11, 2021 10:54
|
|
|
I. M. Gei posted:We just want to get the fallen limb off of our roof and off the power line. As far as I know it’s possible that we can do that without the tree guys needing to go into the neighbor’s yard; we can’t really know that one way or another until they come and take a look at it themselves. That could be days from now though. We’ve got plenty of time to talk to the neighbors between now and then. Actually sounds like you should just speak to your neighbors ASAP, assuming they are reasonable people.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 12, 2021 11:12
|
|
|
Schmeichy posted:I like groundcover thyme as a lawn alternative, and it should do fine in shade but might need some help getting established. This, but I have seen Oregano take over a lawn unintentionally and the owners found it so nice and pleasant to walk barefoot on they just let it be. If you insist on grass, it may be more adverse conditions than just a bit of shade causing moss build up and there are grass seed mixes that do better in shade.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 12, 2021 19:10
|
|
|
Bloody Cat Farm posted:Thyme actually sounds like an awesome idea. Thank you! Poor drainage/compaction/low fertility/pH etc. Tbh I hate lawn care as it is always an uphill struggle and sometimes the (literal) underlying cause is that the whole soil structure is terrible for grass. And even when you have it looking good, without a proper yearly maintenance plan (aerification/scarification/4 to 5 times a year fertilizing/Autumn feed/raking/more raking/mowing at an appropriate hight) it can go back to poo poo so quickly that it's not worth trying to get it looking good in the first place. I think what you basically want is a nice surface for your kid to play on though, so grass is actually not necessary, or at least not everywhere. Maybe in the worst most shaded areas have a play zone with a swing or whatever, where you could just cover it in woodchips or something would make a nice soft landing?
|
|
#
¿
Apr 12, 2021 20:59
|
|
|
I. M. Gei posted:By the way if any (or all) of the stuff I said in either of those last two posts is wrong then feel free to correct me. I’m hoping to plant some azaleas in our yard either later this year or early next year, and the less mistaken I am on what I think I know about them, the better. Same goes for fixing up our lawn. Lol, yeah you are right about reseeding/overseeding. I do it after scarification for customers and it should work, but we often get sudden dry spells in Spring/Fall and then they don't water the newly sprouted seeds so it was all for nothing.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 13, 2021 14:51
|
|
|
Fitzy Fitz posted:Privet is specifically grown as a hedge. That's what it's for lol I think he is specifically refering to the building/planting of a hedgerow, which is a little different from a hedge and not suitable for all hedging plants, lol.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 15, 2021 18:23
|
|
|
Here are what the old hedgerows around where I grew up are like. They are pretty crazy and very good for wildlife.  They also have a load of wildflowers in them.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 15, 2021 18:27
|
|
|
Is it not common to go to a tree nursery in America? Maybe I'm just spoiled because I live near some good ones, but if I want a good tree I go to one and pick it out. I get the convenience of shipping, but every time I try it I am disappointed.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 27, 2023 21:51
|
|
|
Definitely agree on the ornamental gravel/mulch; at least (if removing it is not on the table) remove a circle of it around each plant, but in a barrier to stop it 'falling back in' as it were (I'll put in a picture to show what I mean if I can find one), fertilize and mulch with something more appropriate. Cut back the dead rose shoots, fertilize well and give the new shoots some space to come up. It's strange that all the old growth looks like it died back, so I'm guessing the wind/cold was pretty bad
|
|
#
¿
May 3, 2023 05:41
|
|
|
bagmonkey posted:Don't ask me why but I really like hostas ...hosta matter with you?
|
|
#
¿
May 3, 2023 17:32
|
|
|
In German they call them "Funkien" which I think is nice
|
|
#
¿
May 5, 2023 05:23
|
|
|
ohhyeah posted:What’s destroying my plants? Some interesting looking necrosis going on. If you can't see a pest then the causes can vary from too much water, fertilizer/chemical damage to "plant has given up will to live"
|
|
#
¿
Jun 2, 2023 18:59
|
|
|
ohhyeah posted:Those plants are in two big semi-permanent pots that flank my front steps. I stick annuals in them every year and don’t do much else. They usually do great. I'm not sure what to do besides replace the soil? For a job that went over a few years, I had to replace somebody's annuals in x-many containers, 3 times a year and once the container soil was removed at the top and only topped up (and every two weeks or whatever, used some liquid feed). We noticed that the summer plants were markedly poorer and sicker than previous years, and didn't last as long before many decided to rot away and give up in September. So long story short, our customer (basically rich uncle penny bags wannabe) decided not to spare money in the future and we replaced the substrate completely each time and the plants were generally healthier. Tldr: yeah, spells probably work!
|
|
#
¿
Jun 3, 2023 13:51
|
|
|
oatmealraisin posted:Should I prop this sunflower up or will it stop slouching on its own when it gets older? Looks a bit effed, RIP sunflower.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 3, 2023 20:50
|
|
|
Ok Comboomer posted:looks like some kind of (probably ornamental, probably dwarf/small growing) stonefruit plant, like a cherry or a plum or a peach Yeah it looks like either a Prunus cerasifera sort or its dwarf cross, the Prunus × cistena. What kind of problems would be expected from the op though? If it grew a little higher it could give some nice shade.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 4, 2023 20:36
|
|
|
Posting my Turkish poppies, that refused to die despite the house owner excavating out this bed by about 2 feet. 
|
|
#
¿
Jun 7, 2023 06:22
|
|
|
Woodpile posted:Good stuff. My glads starting blooming today. One is almost 6 feet tall.  post glads plzBack to poppies, yeah they are pretty fabulous pink poppies. I also have these P. rhoeas (sorry, I only know the German common names for a lot of plants) from a wild flower mix, as a "gently caress you" to the neat and tidy neighbors who used to mow this strip of no man's land between our house and the street.  And these here are my special new poppies, of which I have yet to research the legalities in my resident country. Nice soft colors though. 
|
|
#
¿
Jun 11, 2023 13:12
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 14, 2024 04:12 |
|
|
Atlas Cedars do have a very unfortunate habit of losing limbs in storms, specifically at points where they have previously been topped/had work done. They never really heal from having limbs removed, but then continue growing up and around at these points which can then trap rain water and develop a long horizontal fault, which at some point just shears off. In other words, like mentioned, the roots (if undisturbed) are usually very stable, but an inspection in the crown of older trees every few years is recommended
|
|
#
¿
Jun 15, 2023 05:11
|
|