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What type of plants are you interested in growing? This poll is closed. |
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| Perennials! |
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142 | 20.91% |
| Annuals! |
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30 | 4.42% |
| Woody plants! |
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62 | 9.13% |
| Succulent plants! |
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171 | 25.18% |
| Tropical plants! |
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60 | 8.84% |
| Non-vascular plants are the best! |
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31 | 4.57% |
| Screw you, I'd rather eat them! |
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183 | 26.95% |
| Total: | 679 votes | ||
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Ok, so now that there's some thunder and lightning going on I can't do any more yard work, so it's time for some pictures. And no, this isn't a crosspost from the veggie thread, I promise. First off, when cleaning out of workshop I came across a bucket of deadheaded sunflowers whose seeds had been nicely preserved, so here's a random bed next to my mailbox of how cool is looks when you overplant them.  Ok, backyard. I wish I could show you more beds of sunflowers, but this adorable little fucker below has been eating the leaves off of the seedlings. Oddly enough he hasn't touched my veggies and I've been able to keep him out of the backyard, but I'll humanely trap him and release him in a wooded area nearby if he causes too much trouble. I'm in the process of overseeding the bare areas with those left over seeds (mostly velvet queen and autumn beauty) from last year, so if the bed above works well then I'll just to that every year instead of carefully spacing and planting individual seeds.  This right here is a new flower bed, that's split into four rows. The line between the top (empty) row and the second row are were the dripline is so I wanted to avoid planting anything directly there. I'll likely just put more sunflowers in that bare row, but I'm not sure. The tall, spindly ones in the second row are Snapdragons, the second planted row are Black-Eyed Susans and the bottom row are just barely sprouting Gazinnias. I'd like to try some of the Queen Lime (Red, Orange, Blushing) Zinnias next year.  And before we leave the backyard, some gratuitous pictures of japanese maples. The green one is Acer palmatum var. "Tobiosho" which leafs out bright pink, goes to that light green and takes on a lovely red tinge when exposed to direct sunlight, then in the fall takes on all colors from green to red in different sections. The red one is Acer palmatum var. "Iijima sunago". You'll notice the speckled yellow dots from which it gets the name - a reference to a form of painting where paint is flicked off of a brush to form a spray of dots on the canvas. The leaves speckle rather than fade into new colors, and by summer the leaves will turn a deep green before going flaming bright red in the fall.   So these next four pictures have been my huge project this year. Please pardon the lovely lawn and messy bushes, I'm working on dealing with those. So I've planted around 60ish Dahlias (light green to dark purple leafy plants) and 60ish Celosia (red/yellow plants). All of these were raised from seed in the hotbed. Dahlias are really interesting, because they're really delicate but they bounce back really quickly. I broke tons of leaves planting these, new leaves came up in a week, I broke the main stems of three of them, stuck the stems back in the ground and two survived, not to mention that there had been enough time for small tubers to form and new sprouts were coming up at the same time. Really crazy stuff. Flower buds are already forming, so I cant wait to see what sorts of colors I get. I'm thinking about keeping seeds and seeing what I get next year, science projects are fun! I just need to add the tray of Globe Amaranth and I'll be done with that bed.    
Solkanar512 fucked around with this message at 00:30 on Jun 7, 2020 |
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Jun 7, 2020 00:24
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Awesome work! I love Dahlias. Planted them way earlier this year (last year I was super conservative about cold days) and I'm already getting the first blooms out now.
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Jun 7, 2020 15:25
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Some earwigs ate alot of mine up but I managed to kill them with a trap I made. Theyve recovered somewhat.
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Jun 7, 2020 17:40
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ReapersTouch posted:Some earwigs ate alot of mine up but I managed to kill them with a trap I made. Theyve recovered somewhat. What is this earwig trap? The drat things have infested my mailbox.
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Jun 7, 2020 23:10
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Is there a cheap solution to sticky traps? Does yellow really attract gnats? They're attracted to a couple of my plants that prefer more moisture and I'd like to get rid of them but they seem weirdly expensive up here in Canada and are also hella ugly. Also I caved and bought a shelving unit where the weight limit is 150lb per shelf, I can't wait to fill it up with plants. I also made a cute lil curtain out of a thrifted tablecloth(?) to hide my big tupperware container where I keep dirt and pots. For rigging it up with just stuff I had around the house and no real rod I'm pretty happy with it  I've been sitting on this big piece of heavy duty cotton for a while (it's folded in thirds and sewn shut) and I'm glad I didn't cut it apart and scavenge it for something else since it fits in perfectly. I also brought home some new babies! My first time for hoyas at all, my first staghorn, and a low pressure dumbcane. I'm hoping to eventually attach the fern to a wall mount with some moss since they don't really need soil. Is that correct? Any tips? I've heard about branch mounting; does it matter much what kind? 
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Jun 8, 2020 00:20
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If the gnats are a problem with just a few plants, you could try putting a thin layer of sand on top of the soil. The larvae don't do well in sand (for reasons that I don't remember). It worked for me when I had a couple of plants that needed damp soil all the time.
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Jun 8, 2020 01:24
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They're not really at the level of problem; I see maybe one or two a day and only ever in that one corner of my apartment and I spend a lot of time there. More an eyesore than anything. I'll give the sand a try, thanks! e: there's three dozen plants and an aerogarden in that corner so maybe more than a few plants is a fair assessment 
uranium grass fucked around with this message at 03:41 on Jun 8, 2020 |
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Jun 8, 2020 03:39
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Yellow sticky traps work. People used to make them out of yellow cardstock and motor oil, but that’s not exactly environmentally friendly. If you want something that looks pretty and an excuse to get another plant, get a butterwort. It’s nature’s yellow sticky trap. I’ve heard the sand thing referred to as a myth, but I have never investigated it or tried it myself.
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Jun 8, 2020 06:59
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I don't think it's any kind of sand, but some form of diatomaceous earth. It has extremely fine particles that gently caress up the waxy outer layer of most arthropods.
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Jun 8, 2020 09:25
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subpar anachronism posted:They're not really at the level of problem; I see maybe one or two a day and only ever in that one corner of my apartment and I spend a lot of time there. More an eyesore than anything. I'll give the sand a try, thanks! The gnats aren't an issue in and of themselves (other than being a nuisance) but the larvae can do real damage to plants if it gets out of hand. The simplest solution I know of is to allow the soil in the plants to dry out between waterings, but your plants may not like that very much. Fungus gnats like to lay their eggs right near the surface of the soil and they want it to be moist so putting a half inch layer of sand or something else that rapidly drains on top can apparently prevent them from laying eggs—from personal experience this works with pumice. As anatomi noted, diatomaceous earth is also an option (you can get a good sized bottle of food grade diatomaceous earth on Amazon or whatever for 6 or 7 bucks) but diatomaceous earth is ineffective when moist so it's going to require a lot of reapplication on plants that want to be wet all the time. Using Neem oil as a soil drench will supposedly kill all of the larvae and it can be sprayed on the foliage to combat the gnats themselves, and I've also heard of people using diluted hydrogen peroxide though I've never tried it personally. You can also try making your own simple traps by putting some apple cider vinegar in a bowl and mixing it with a few dots of dish soap though I've never found that to be terribly effective.
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Jun 8, 2020 12:30
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I've successfully defeated a year+ long gnat problem (I'd get them under control in one section of the house, but inevitably we'd go on vacation and I'd have to move all the plants into one room, and they'd re-spread) The most important thing was a two-prong attack, targeting both the larva and the adults. Every method is not foolproof so you need more than 1 to eventually win So for me it was a combination of yellow sticky traps for adults, and nematode drenches for the soil. The latter is cheap enough and easily available, look for Steinernema feltiae or Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis
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Jun 8, 2020 12:36
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Could I get some ID help goons? First growing season in this yard so I really have no idea what’s This came up in a mulch bed under cherry. It looks nightshade-y to me but frankly I’ve no clue.  More photos: https://imgur.com/a/RyfYjX0 the yeti fucked around with this message at 13:11 on Jun 8, 2020 |
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Jun 8, 2020 13:09
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Good instincts. That’s Solanum dulcamara
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Jun 8, 2020 13:40
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Platystemon posted:Good instincts. That’s Solanum dulcamara Thanks! The internet suggests it's a spreading pest plant in parts of the US, not sure if I should try to eradicate it or not. No kids or unsupervised outside pets here so I don't think it could be a hazard, just a pain in the rear end.
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Jun 8, 2020 13:49
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subpar anachronism posted:Is there a cheap solution to sticky traps? Does yellow really attract gnats? They're attracted to a couple of my plants that prefer more moisture and I'd like to get rid of them but they seem weirdly expensive up here in Canada and are also hella ugly. I wouldn't say the yellow ones attract them, it's more that the little fuckers whizz and walk around so much they're bound to stumble or fly onto the traps eventually while they explore around. It doesn't help much with the ugly aspect, but the things are pretty cheap on sites like aliexpress etc. I'd just cut them up a bit and hide them in-between pots and the like. And they'd capture the occasional gnats going on exploratory missions. Alternatively if you want something pretty, you could always look into growing a carniverous plant like a sundew, which I've been tempted to try a great many times. 
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Jun 8, 2020 15:56
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Oops, this guy followed me home, I guess I’ll have to keep it.  Acer Palmatium var. “Seiryu” What’s interesting about this particular cultivar is that it’s one of the few laceleaf maples that has an upright rather than a weeping or mounding habit. The colors in the fall will range through yellow, orange, deep red and even a little purple.
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Jun 8, 2020 17:35
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I used to grow a lot of carnivorous plants indoors, and that's how I ended up with a fungus gnat problem to begin with. They need damp soil all the time, so even though they catch adult gnats, the soil itself is a perfect habitat for the larvae. I tried the yellow sticky traps. It caught a lot of gnats, but they were still able to reproduce quickly enough that it didn't matter how many adults I killed. I eventually ran out of yellow traps, so I tried the sand trick and it solved the problem. I used an ornamental aquarium sand and it actually looked really nice with my pygmy sundews. If anyone is curious about carnivorous plants, you owe it to yourself to give them a try. They're extremely easy to order online, and the care requirements are actually pretty easy. They just need a lot of light, low-ppm water, and the right soil mix. Fitzy Fitz fucked around with this message at 18:35 on Jun 8, 2020 |
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Jun 8, 2020 18:31
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 Growing progress of the mystery plant.
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Jun 8, 2020 19:09
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there wolf posted:What is this earwig trap? The drat things have infested my mailbox. Take a small container and poke a bunch of holes in the lid. Add about an inch or two of vegetable oil and a splash of soy sauce and bury the container, leaving the lid flush with the ground. Check back the next day. Theyre nocturnal bugs, so they like to hide during the day. The soy sauce should attract them and theyll drown in the oil.
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Jun 9, 2020 03:15
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My unidentified plant is epipactis helleborine. It’s considered an invasive species, though, in New Hampshire where I live, it’s not considered to be a problem. Do I try to kill it or let it grow? I don’t see any others growing around it, but I don’t want to irresponsibly cause a problem. It’s tough because I absolutely love orchids. My daughter is even named after a type of orchid.
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Jun 9, 2020 11:58
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My wife made a bouquet out of some flowers we have growing in our gardens.
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Jun 9, 2020 15:22
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ReapersTouch posted:Take a small container and poke a bunch of holes in the lid. Add about an inch or two of vegetable oil and a splash of soy sauce and bury the container, leaving the lid flush with the ground. Check back the next day. Theyre nocturnal bugs, so they like to hide during the day. The soy sauce should attract them and theyll drown in the oil. Too late, my mailbox has been taken over by bees. The animal kingdom does not want me getting any mail for some reason.
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Jun 9, 2020 15:40
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I bought a rose bush on the recommendation of a goon here last year, and it's thriving. Here's one of its first blooms: Our peonies were a riot of color in full bloom:  My dahlietta and one of my alstroemerias are blooming, too. 
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Jun 9, 2020 16:07
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ColdPie posted:My wife made a bouquet out of some flowers we have growing in our gardens. That is gorgeous! Are those roses or peonies and do you have any idea what variety? I really like the shape and color. Hirayuki posted:I bought a rose bush on the recommendation of a goon here last year, and it's thriving. Here's one of its first blooms:
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Jun 10, 2020 01:01
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:That is gorgeous! Are those roses or peonies and do you have any idea what variety? I really like the shape and color. They are peonies. No idea on the variety, the plant came with the house. If it helps, the leaves in that photo are from the same plant.
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Jun 10, 2020 14:05
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Following on from last post, I have two areas of the yard I need to get planted over in something low maintenance and preferably nice to look at to keep the city and/or neighbors from being lovely until we can plan some and start working in spring instead of summer. Zone 6a. I'm operating on the idea that June is too late to do anything really substantial but I'm willing to hear otherwise. First area: long strip between my house and the lot boundary that's in partial(?) shade owing to the house and the border of trees the neighbor's got---it runs NW-SE so the sun shines down the gap in the late morning and it's in partial shade the rest of the day. Pretty damp owing to the grade and the fact that it's right under the eaves of my house. Fiancee is interested in creeping thyme but we're generally open to suggestions. Second area: Big square on the front lawn butted up against the house, catches almost literally every drop of morning and afternoon sun. Recently disturbed thanks to plumbing excavation. That it sits over plumbing makes me leery of doing anything more advanced or expensive so I'd like nothing more than to amend the soil if I need to, scatter native wildflower seeds over it and call it a day.
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Jun 10, 2020 14:40
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So I just planted 4 3 gallon blue muffin viburnums on Sunday. I followed the instructions on the card that was attached to the plants that just said to place them into a hole and cover them with mulch. I have been reading in other places that you should break up the roots before you plant them. How important is this step, and should I dig them back up to do this, or leave them alone?
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Jun 10, 2020 18:53
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:That is gorgeous! Are those roses or peonies and do you have any idea what variety? I really like the shape and color.  Some more from this morning. My beloved alstroemeria, an easy plant with lovely thick foliage and a great payoff in flowers:  A baby dahlietta:  Dianthus gone wild:  I noticed that the Christmas cactus "leaf" I'd tucked into another cactus pot had begun to bud off a brand-new leaf, so it got its own pot today.
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Jun 10, 2020 19:14
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lwoodio posted:So I just planted 4 3 gallon blue muffin viburnums on Sunday. I followed the instructions on the card that was attached to the plants that just said to place them into a hole and cover them with mulch. I have been reading in other places that you should break up the roots before you plant them. How important is this step, and should I dig them back up to do this, or leave them alone? How did the roots look when you pulled them out of the pot? If they were wrapped up like spaghetti, you can actually take a box cutter and rake it up and down the length of the root ball in several spots. If it's really severe and the bottom is a completely solid disk of root , you can cut off the bottom inch or so. You wont damage the plant doing so. As long as the roots are pointed in a direction other than in a circle.
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Jun 11, 2020 02:36
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lwoodio posted:So I just planted 4 3 gallon blue muffin viburnums on Sunday. I followed the instructions on the card that was attached to the plants that just said to place them into a hole and cover them with mulch. I have been reading in other places that you should break up the roots before you plant them. How important is this step, and should I dig them back up to do this, or leave them alone? It really depends on the species of plant, how long it was in the pot, what medium was in the pot, and what soil it’s going into. Do you have clay soil? Could you see a lot of roots at the edge of the rootball? Were chunks flaking off on their own or was it pretty well bound together. If I was questioning how well I did on planting it, I would dig it up and fix it. Setting it back perhaps a week, perhaps unnecessarily, won’t matter in the long run. Having the roots unable to break out of the ball might. Before I knew better, I had plants I didn’t plant right that suffered through and overcame the difficulty. I had plants I didn’t plant right, with no apparent ill effect. I even I had plants I dug up months later, basically starting over, because burying the root flare as I did would have killed them eventually. Platystemon fucked around with this message at 02:55 on Jun 11, 2020 |
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Jun 11, 2020 02:52
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Oil of Paris posted:1- It would work for your intended purpose just fine except arguably the aesthetic part; to me, they're very boring trees but definitely serve their purpose in the landscape well, which is to say making a massive hedge. They grow fast, thick, and don't suffer from much disease. Plant 8 feet apart. Hi. This was extremely helpful! I watched the whole video and I'm definitely using her stake strategy. My only question at this point is whether late June is too late to plant 1-2 ft height thujas here in Buffalo. That's definitely hitting the dryest part of the summer. If I make sure to keep up with watering them a few times a week, will they be ok?
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Jun 11, 2020 04:10
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 Any ideas what’s infecting my mint plant?
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Jun 11, 2020 18:09
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ReapersTouch posted:If they were wrapped up like spaghetti, you can actually take a box cutter and rake it up and down the length of the root ball in several spots. If it's really severe and the bottom is a completely solid disk of root , you can cut off the bottom inch or so. You wont damage the plant doing so. As long as the roots are pointed in a direction other than in a circle. When you're doing this for shrubs/trees you should make sure you don't leave any of them circling around the stem of the plant because they can eventually girdle it as it grows. The other thing to keep an eye out for when you're planting things and evaluating their roots is what they're actually planted in. Nurseries will often grow plants in mediums that work great when you have a system giving them water at a constant rate but are varying degrees of awful for a plant that is going to be outdoors in the ground. Wallet fucked around with this message at 18:21 on Jun 11, 2020 |
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Jun 11, 2020 18:18
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How do you all deal with slugs? They're eating all of my dahlias and it's loving embarrassing. I like the idea of beer traps but a lot of the culprits are very girthy banana slugs that I have a lot of admiration for. Does copper tape actually work?
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Jun 11, 2020 20:16
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According to a gardener friend, not really. Personally I never found an efficient method that didn't also affect other organisms (including slugs — they're not all bad), so I've been handpicking...
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Jun 11, 2020 21:28
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Bi-la kaifa posted:How do you all deal with slugs? They're eating all of my dahlias and it's loving embarrassing. I like the idea of beer traps but a lot of the culprits are very girthy banana slugs that I have a lot of admiration for. Does copper tape actually work? Ive seen 'slug fences' advertised here that consist of a wire you wrap around your pot/raised bed and a power supply that keeps a weak current running through it to zap any slugs.
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Jun 11, 2020 22:55
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Growing up we always used that sluggo type stuff that came in a bottle. You’d squirt a dark line of it around your plants and the slugs would touch it and die. It would last a long time as well.
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Jun 12, 2020 06:22
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Trip report on the redigging of my shrubs. One of the shrubs was starting to majorly wilt. The inside of all of the root balls was bone dry even though it had just rained the day before and I watered them that morning. I think the water must have been rolling off and going down the sides. They all had thick mats of roots at the bottom that I pulled apart and I loosened the dirt up in the middle. I soaked the roots with the hose and added some more dirt because I had also planted them slightly below ground level. The shrub that was heavily wilted has made a 90% recovery already. I also learned that my plants are all cloned and will not produce berries without a different cultivar nearby with the same flowering time, despite the berries being the focal point of the pictures on the plant info card. The cultivars I would need aren't even available at the nursery I bought these at.
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Jun 12, 2020 14:40
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Wallet posted:When you're doing this for shrubs/trees you should make sure you don't leave any of them circling around the stem of the plant because they can eventually girdle it as it grows. True alot of them are in a pine bark mix, which drains fairly quickly. Which is fine if they are getting watered every day, but once you get home, they should be repotted or planted soon.
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Jun 12, 2020 20:50
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The Wonder Weapon posted:Hi. This was extremely helpful! I watched the whole video and I'm definitely using her stake strategy. Awesome! Glad you watched it. I’m in the south so it’s hard for me to say what’s the appropriate planting time for you in buffalo, but thujas are very hardy. I’d go ahead and plant them and just keep the water regular and deep until the fall
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Jun 13, 2020 03:26
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