|
What type of plants are you interested in growing? This poll is closed. |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Perennials! |
|
142 | 20.91% |
| Annuals! |
|
30 | 4.42% |
| Woody plants! |
|
62 | 9.13% |
| Succulent plants! |
|
171 | 25.18% |
| Tropical plants! |
|
60 | 8.84% |
| Non-vascular plants are the best! |
|
31 | 4.57% |
| Screw you, I'd rather eat them! |
|
183 | 26.95% |
| Total: | 679 votes | ||
|
That's a beautiful orchid. The only ones I see here are like the ones in the background there. Are orchids supposed to be hard to take care of? I have two by the window and they've been doing great for the last two years. I water twice, maybe 3x a month. I want to report my smaller one but I hear that's tricky.
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2015 19:14
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 14:09 |
|
|
Most orchids are easy to care for indoor plants. Sometimes you need to keep them in some kind of mini-greenhouse or whatever in order to keep humidity up, but many do just fine with mostly-indirect light and occasional misting/spraying.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2015 19:23
|
|
|
They grow quite slowly so until the 90s nobody had really figured out how to grow them commercially and they were kind of a niche hobby thing. They're generally very easy to care for but you may have to wait a loooong time between flowering where the plant is pretty boring looking. I imagine most people treat them as disposable, once the flowers are gone they just toss the whole plant instead of waiting 6+months (or even years) for another stalk to come up.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2015 21:05
|
|
|
The Orchid I mentioned earlier in the thread has some sort of buds on it! They may never come to anything, but it's still alive so I'm happy enough with that.
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2015 21:43
|
|
|
Edit: reposted what I wanted under this post.
unprofessional fucked around with this message at 18:53 on Apr 29, 2015 |
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2015 18:50
|
|
|
Reposting for those interested in a simple way of growing orchids. unprofessional posted:I grow ~30 orchids, in about 15 different genera. I did the things people here are mentioning, with differing levels of success for years. Basically, what I found was if I kept an eye on my plants, they did well, and when I ignored their needs, they died. Then I discovered semi-hydroponic growing, and I haven't lost an orchid since then. It takes all guesswork out of growing, and is easy enough that almost everybody can maintain it, and I'm generally confident enough with it, that I only buy orchids on clearance for $5 at the local garden store, no matter what condition they're in when I find them. I bought a 50# bag of LECA (Hydroton) about four years ago, and that's lasted me up until this past week - well worth the expense. In the summer, I put them all outside and keep doing the exact same things.
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2015 18:52
|
|
|
When it says semi-hydroponic for the growing media, would something like this: http://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basicscatlitter.htm be a reasonable substitute? They seem to have similar properties - water retentive, doesn't break down, fast draining. I may try repotting when my flowers fall off, and I have the Canadian equivalent of what the bonsai page recommends, Qualisorb. Also, I found the "official" map of zones for Canada: http://www.agr.gc.ca/atlas/agpv?webmap=78529700717d4cab81c13e9f9404ef10. Where I live (Victoria) it ranges from 6b to 8a.  I just got these from a client. They're Gerbera's right? They're on my porch in shade most of the day, however, some of the leaves have browned. Overall the plant looks a little more wilted than when I first got them. Should I be worried? Skizzzer fucked around with this message at 21:56 on Apr 30, 2015 |
|
#
?
Apr 30, 2015 21:41
|
|
|
Beautiful plant! I think it's a chrysanthemum though, since gerbera daisies are usually huge and flat-faced, preferring to have fewer blooms. It'll perk up again after it gets settled into it's new home. Congrats on your new plant!  Bonus:  More forget-me-nots. They're actually really easy to grow, and they don't mind overcrowding. I can totally recommend them if you're looking for a good plant to grow.  And I swear, there's no prettier color than the fresh green of a new bulb's leaves. These are the elephant garlic bulbs I was talking about a while ago, and now they're starting to sprout. 
EagerSleeper fucked around with this message at 06:42 on May 1, 2015 |
|
#
?
May 1, 2015 06:18
|
|
|
Skizzzer posted:When it says semi-hydroponic for the growing media, would something like this: http://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basicscatlitter.htm be a reasonable substitute? They seem to have similar properties - water retentive, doesn't break down, fast draining. I may try repotting when my flowers fall off, and I have the Canadian equivalent of what the bonsai page recommends, Qualisorb.
|
|
#
?
May 1, 2015 18:19
|
|
|
Can anyone help me identify what type of oak this is?  I found a few acorns on a hike over the winter and decided to germinate them. I'm in northern VA and the area where I found them was hilly with mostly 30-70 foot trees. I'm thinking it might be some sort of chestnut oak?
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2015 16:57
|
|
|
kedo posted:Can anyone help me identify what type of oak this is? That's one of the oaks with broad, shallowly-lobed leaves. It might also be a swamp oak, but their leaves tend not to get as pointy. What did the acorns look like?
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2015 20:05
|
|
|
unprofessional posted:Air flow around orchid roots is especially important. Not sure if this would allow enough or not. I will try it. Looking to repot my succulents this weekend, as well. Going to use square baskets, to maximize space/air flow, as well as air pruning. How did the repotting go? EagerSleeper posted:Beautiful plant! I think it's a chrysanthemum though, since gerbera daisies are usually huge and flat-faced, preferring to have fewer blooms. Yea, they're so pretty I love flowers, they just brighten up my place so much. I hate the one African violet I have though, even though it's in bloom I still think they're ugly. And mmm, garlic. Anything you can eat is also a bonus. Just stole some driftwood from the beach yesterday. Well, I'm not sure if it's illegal to take them but it sure felt like it was.  This is my favourite piece:  I don't have a plan for them yet, but I'll probably use them in the front yard as edging pieces. The big piece I thought would be cool to eventually have plants growing in and around it.
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2015 20:29
|
|
|
kid sinister posted:That's one of the oaks with broad, shallowly-lobed leaves. It might also be a swamp oak, but their leaves tend not to get as pointy. Exceedingly average. Medium brown in color with a similarly colored cap. Not too bulbous or long. They looked exactly like what you'd find if you googled it. Phone posting or I'd find a good image!
|
|
#
?
May 4, 2015 22:26
|
|
|
kedo posted:Exceedingly average. Medium brown in color with a similarly colored cap. Not too bulbous or long. They looked exactly like what you'd find if you googled it. http://www.dof.virginia.gov/print/edu/Common-Native-Trees.pdf stuxracer fucked around with this message at 03:57 on May 5, 2015 |
|
#
?
May 5, 2015 03:54
|
|
|
kedo posted:Can anyone help me identify what type of oak this is? Due to the little spines on the end of the leaf lobes I'd say it's in the red oak group, but beyond that it's hard to say since the immature leaves don't necessarily resemble the adult leaves. I would give Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra) a high likelihood since they are so common through VA.
|
|
#
?
May 5, 2015 09:16
|
|
|
Pogo the Clown posted:Due to the little spines on the end of the leaf lobes I'd say it's in the red oak group, but beyond that it's hard to say since the immature leaves don't necessarily resemble the adult leaves. I would give Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra) a high likelihood since they are so common through VA. Weird, I had no idea young trees would have differently shaped leaves. Thanks for the info! stuxracer posted:Check this PDF from your forestry department. I am also phone posting but the pages all look like they have leaf pictures. Also thanks for this. I clicked through a few oak identification guides but couldn't seem to find an exact match... but perhaps that's because of what Pogo mentioned. Only time will tell!
|
|
#
?
May 5, 2015 14:53
|
|
|
kedo posted:Weird, I had no idea young trees would have differently shaped leaves. Thanks for the info! Check out what a single mulberry tree can do: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Morus_alba-leaves.jpg
|
|
#
?
May 5, 2015 15:09
|
|
|
Just a few images from work today. My boss demonstrates the danger of leaving plants alone in a greenhouse too long.  Baby Pilosocereus azureus (Blue Columnar Cactus)  Super baby Ancistrocactus scheeri (Fishhook Cactus)  
|
|
#
?
May 6, 2015 02:12
|
|
|
Mr. Soop posted:Just a few images from work today.  Mr. Soop posted:Baby Pilosocereus azureus (Blue Columnar Cactus) Mr. Soop posted:Super baby Ancistrocactus scheeri (Fishhook Cactus) 
|
|
#
?
May 8, 2015 07:37
|
|
|
I was wondering if anyone could help me in identifying this plant. Or at least rule out poison sumac.  
Deverse fucked around with this message at 00:49 on May 14, 2015 |
|
#
?
May 14, 2015 00:43
|
|
|
Deverse posted:I was wondering if anyone could help me in identifying this plant. Or at least rule out poison sumac. It's not Poison Sumac. The leaf venation, shape, margins (edges), and surface of your plant are totally different in comparison. Can't tell you exactly what plant you have is, but I can at least assure you of what it isn't. 
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2015 00:50
|
|
|
Mr. Soop posted:It's not Poison Sumac. The leaf venation, shape, margins (edges), and surface of your plant are totally different in comparison. Can't tell you exactly what plant you have is, but I can at least assure you of what it isn't. Thank you very much! Just wanted to make sure as we have a 2 year old running around the yard, just wanted to make sure.
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2015 01:37
|
|
|
Deverse posted:I was wondering if anyone could help me in identifying this plant. Or at least rule out poison sumac. My guess is some type of peony.
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2015 02:06
|
|
|
Tremors posted:My guess is some type of peony. That's what I thought.
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2015 03:31
|
|
|
Finding a random peony in your yard is actually pretty cool.
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2015 00:43
|
|
|
ghetto wormhole posted:That's what I thought. Thirding peony. Speaking of peonies, don't be alarmed when you find the flower buds covered in ants. Peonies actually need ants to eat the sticky stuff off of their sepals that is holding their buds shut. My mom has a story she loves to tell about a friend of hers that always gassed the hell out of her peonies, then never got any flowers. Last peony fact: peony flowers are too big for their stalks and act like big cups. The next time it rains after they bloom, expect to see your peonies bent over to the ground. They do make special wire support rings to help hold up peonies. kid sinister fucked around with this message at 16:44 on May 15, 2015 |
|
#
?
May 15, 2015 16:41
|
|
|
kid sinister posted:Thirding peony. Speaking of peonies, don't be alarmed when you find the flower buds covered in ants. Peonies actually need ants to eat the sticky stuff off of their sepals that is holding their buds shut. My mom has a story she loves to tell about a friend of hers that always gassed the hell out of her peonies, then never got any flowers. I watched a program the other day where amazing self supporting peonies had been developed 
|
|
#
?
May 15, 2015 19:13
|
|
|
^^^^What is this madness you speak of?  Does anyone buy plants online, and know of some good places to buy some? A while ago, somebody posted a cool link where you can buy affordable bamboo plants. I'm still kinda considering have some sweet awesome bamboo that I can use in my arts and crafts/DIY project, but I also like different sorts of plants too. Plants in general, you can say. Mostly I'd like to buy a collection of various plant cuttings, and maybe some cool perennials. Air plants are cool too!
|
|
#
?
May 16, 2015 19:34
|
|
|
EagerSleeper posted:^^^^What is this madness you speak of? Check out PlantFiles at https://davesgarden.com. While they don't sell plants directly, it's a huge plant database where you can find the plants you want, then if you're lucky, a seller will have it for sale with a link to their website where you can buy it. Dave's Garden also has user submitted seller ratings too, so you can see if someone is a bad seller. Poke around enough in the seller ratings and you can find specialty growers, like only seeds, bulbs, veggies, fruits, tropicals, succulents, carnivores, etc. That being said, I've bought tons of stuff from Forest Farm and Lazy S Nursery. They both have huge selections, but their pictures suck. I would definitely use Dave's Garden pictures, then cross reference by the genus and species or follow the sellers' links.
|
|
#
?
May 16, 2015 20:53
|
|
|
Seconding the Dave's Garden recommendation, specifically their garden watchdog section. They're my go-to place to look up sellers when I need a plant that's not carried by my usual ordering places (Bluestone Perennials gets an order from me every year it seems).
|
|
#
?
May 17, 2015 10:42
|
|
|
 Im hopping into the wonderful world of plants by buying some Sensitive Plant seeds. It looks like these will need constantly damp, but well draining soil. Since humidity isnt a problem but consistent sun is, I may have to get a little grow light for this feller. I don't think im missing anything important here..any common plantcare pitfalls I should be weary of? Judging by the title, im guessing the first one is "dont overwater".
|
|
#
?
May 17, 2015 23:09
|
|
|
I grew them from a seed packet last year in a pot on my front porch. They seemed pretty easy to care for, I just kept them well watered like all of my flower pots. Didn't get any of the cool ball shaped flowers like I see on the native ones that grow around here but there were plenty of leaves.
|
|
#
?
May 17, 2015 23:27
|
|
|
They're weeds where I grew up. Jerks with huge thorns!
|
|
#
?
May 18, 2015 01:13
|
|
|
Avocados posted:
Those things are so fun and amazing. Good luck with yours!
|
|
#
?
May 18, 2015 01:30
|
|
|
M. pudica is fun to grow, though I've never started it from seed. I think mine didn't get enough light and it got really leggy and sort of ugly. It's a plant I'd like to have again, especially if I could give it a bit more light so it could be happier.
|
|
#
?
May 18, 2015 09:28
|
|
|
My daughter grew one from seed on our windowsill last year. It got leggy from lack of light but still put out flowers. Over the winter it looked like it died but she insisted on keeping it and continuing to care for it, and now it has 3 new shoots coming up from the base. Definitely easy to care for.
|
|
#
?
May 18, 2015 11:45
|
|
|
Thank you everyone for the great recommendations! I've been shoring up the possible birthday gifts to give myself next month, andAvocados posted:
Welcome! I think you'll find the world of plants to be a fun one. Yeah, you got it right. So long as you don't overwater and let them get some sun, they should be easy to grow. I also think legumes like to grow in crappy, poorly fertilized soil since they fix their own nitrogen or something, but that may only play a role once they're a fair size.
|
|
#
?
May 18, 2015 23:25
|
|
|
Gratuitous "I have a tiny amount of outdoor space and am attempting to grow all of the things" photo: Pictured: two tomato plants, an herb planter with thyme and a few weeds that hasn't made a great comeback after the winter, three oak saplings, rosemary, some sort of climbing flower (whose name I forget), a strawberry plant, cucumber plant, another planter hidden behind the chair with some columbine and creeping jennys, a whole bunch of citrus (lemon and blood orange) saplings on the table and some small purple flower whose name I also forget, and a big ol' probably dead grape vine. Not pictured, some basil, mint (currently engaged in a ladybug/aphid turf war), catnip, and an also-probably-dead blueberry. e: Oh, and some sweet peas. I think I have a problem.
|
|
#
?
May 19, 2015 00:23
|
|
|
What's something cool that really likes wet feet? We've acquired a rain barrel that fits a planter into the lid. It's got a wick to the main barrel, so it acts as an overflow of sorts. It's also open on top so it will be collecting rain that way as well. We're thinking mint since it's five feet off the ground: does it like to be soggy?
|
|
#
?
May 19, 2015 00:34
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 14:09 |
|
|
Watercress maybe?
|
|
#
?
May 19, 2015 01:02
|
|