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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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B33rChiller posted:Let's see those 'tunias! Here's mine  with calibrachoa and chocolate mint (my son's request) Here's a closeup of those spattered blooms (Headliner 'Pink Sky'):  I also want to heartily recommend digiplexis, hardy to Zone 7 but a wonderful annual elsewhere. It's a cross between foxglove and Canary Island foxglove that grows readily, blooms quickly (and all season) with beautiful flower spikes, and attracts hummingbirds. I've grown 'Illumination Flame' and now, this year, 'Berry Canary'. I like its speckles.  B33rChiller posted:Trying out cosmos for the first time this year. My little girl picked them out, and I recognised the name from animal crossing, so thought what the hell? I'll cobble together a flowerbed she can have to herself. Then she can pick all the flowers she likes without destroying the tomatoes and cukes. They're coming along nicely. 
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Jun 21, 2020 14:54
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| # ? May 13, 2024 21:36 |
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pidan posted:The snake plant allegedly likes small pots, so I'll just try to get a decorative over-pot and otherwise let it mind its own business. I haven't found Dracaena (they stopped being Sansevieria in 2017 but a lot of nurseries still sell them that way) to do better in any noticeable way when under-potted. I would be kind of careful with that advice because they can easily get top heavy which is going to make them very easy for your cat to knock over. A lot of people like to plant them in deeper pots both because it looks more proportional with the plant and because it helps keep them from tipping. pidan posted:- Should I move the plant from the nursery pot into some other (larger? different?) pot? Or do I just put an overpot over it and do a root check next spring? pidan posted:- How do I choose an overpot? The cat likes to tip the plants over, would a heavy pot prevent that? pidan posted:- If a (ceramic) pot has a hole in the bottom, does that mean I put the soil directly in the pot, or do I still need a plastic inside pot? If it doesn't have a hole, does it serve as a saucer? I want to avoid getting water on the wood floor. pidan posted:- Should I water them with a thin stream of water? I have a watering can for outside that spreads the water out a bit, but it's hard to hit the small pots and nothing else. pidan posted:- Does the plant need to stand in the same place all the time, or can I move it around? Wallet fucked around with this message at 15:42 on Jun 21, 2020 |
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Jun 21, 2020 15:31
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I have a west-facing deck that gets indirect sun all morning then direct sun all afternoon. I acquired a couple birds of paradise; I know they like full sun, so as long as I'm keeping up with watering they should be fine out there without scorching, right? I pulled the lavender out of my aerogarden after hearing from several different people how it can take a beating and moved it out there as well. I'm watering heavily during the transition but it's looking good and I think it'll make it. Maybe this will finally encourage some blooms because it's been filling up my aerogarden for like five months now. The foliage smells great but I want lavender to dry, dangit. Also I think I found the mystery plant: alternanthera!  This week I also took a swing at kokedama mounting. I know it's frequently used for the aspleniums but I figured a pothos is also probably fine anywhere.   e: also, any tips on that dang scindapsus in the middle? It got lumped in with a basket of mixed pothos cuttings I was growing and has survived several months but always seems unhappy and curling. It seems like that can signify both under and overwatering but I think if anything I'm under in general, but it had a good drink from the bottom a couple days ago and the soil is moist but not compact or wet. uranium grass fucked around with this message at 16:33 on Jun 21, 2020 |
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Jun 21, 2020 16:26
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subpar anachronism posted:Also I think I found the mystery plant: alternanthera!
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Jun 21, 2020 17:06
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I don't know if this is the right thread, but I'm redoing my living room and I'd like to add some plants. Specifically, I was hoping I could put something in the space above the corner fireplace that would have vines and leaves that could drape down and help cover hide the fireplace: Is there anything I should look for specifically, or should I just visit my local home and garden store and find something with vines? The space does have a recessed fluorescent light, but I imagine that's probably not ideal for most plants. It would not get direct sunlight otherwise, and the sliding balcony door faces due south. I'm in Washington, DC. I've only tried house plants once--corn plants from Ikea about 10 years ago and that failed miserably, so I have a lot of reading up to do this time around. edit: OH VERY IMPORTANT I have 2 cats so toxicity needs to be considered Josh Lyman fucked around with this message at 20:30 on Jun 21, 2020 |
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Jun 21, 2020 19:28
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A lot of vines are happy in lower light, and that close to a window should be more than enough for a Pothos or hanging philodendron
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Jun 21, 2020 19:38
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coronatae posted:Hey y'all got another ID question My friend here has started putting out some big showy blooms!  It's a Hibiscus coccineus, also called scarlet rosemallow or Texas star.
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Jun 21, 2020 19:56
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Nosre posted:A lot of vines are happy in lower light, and that close to a window should be more than enough for a Pothos or hanging philodendron
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Jun 21, 2020 20:06
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Hoya carnosa/porcelainflower?
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Jun 21, 2020 20:25
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Josh Lyman posted:I don't know if this is the right thread, but I'm redoing my living room and I'd like to add some plants. Specifically, I was hoping I could put something in the space above the corner fireplace that would have vines and leaves that could drape down and help cover hide the fireplace: Another option for above your fireplace could be spider plants. They put out shoots that hang down and sprout baby plants. They can eventually create a nice cascading sheet of green. They don't need much light, so recessed fluorescents would be a big bonus. They would live fine on the ambient light there. Spider plants are also very drought tolerant, with roots that puff up and fill with water, acting as a living water tank. Don't waste your money on buying more than one, unless you're dead set on filling all the space immediately. The only plant I can think of that might be easier to propagate is mint. When you get baby plants forming on a runner, place them in a starter cup, and once they have started to root, cut them off the mother. Presto, you now have another spider plant!
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Jun 21, 2020 20:52
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Yeah spider plants are great. I got mine by picking up a piece of stem that had fallen on the floor at my local hardware store and rooting it- free plant!
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Jun 22, 2020 15:46
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Anyone have good recommendations for cheap ground cover that is shade tolerant? I bought a house last year that was quite literally not visible from the street after many years if not outright decades of yard neglect from several previous owners. I would have to tell visitors searching for it to park in front of the stairs that lead into the jungle and assure them there was, in fact, a house somewhere up there. After clearing the whole yard, producing 40(!) bags of yard waste and having a very fun brush with poison ivy I now have a large patch of dirt that had previously been one giant patch of weeds. It’s under two very tall mature trees that keep the patch quite shady. I’d estimate anything planted there will get an hour or two of direct sunlight every day. I’m thinking clover right now but I’ve heard varying reports on how tolerant it is of shade. Something that covers quickly for minimal cost is preferable.
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Jun 22, 2020 18:09
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Yarrow is great. Stays nice and soft in drought condditions, while the surrounding grass turns brown and hard on the feet. Plays nice with clover too. Seems to grow well in the shady parts of my lawn. Googling shows people growing it as an herb, but it is mixed in all over my lawn, and is supposedly a common compoment in meadow and pasture seed mixes. It can get really tall if you let it go to seed, but it will do well with regular mowing too.
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Jun 22, 2020 18:44
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Hazelwort is a favourite of mine. Hardy, very shade tolerant. The big, waxy leaves are quite beautiful coupled with ferns and shade tolerant lilies. Edit: creeping jenny is an efficient ground cover, though apparently it's an invasive species in some parts of the US. anatomi fucked around with this message at 18:56 on Jun 22, 2020 |
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Jun 22, 2020 18:52
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fat bossy gerbil posted:It’s under two very tall mature trees that keep the patch quite shady. I’d estimate anything planted there will get an hour or two of direct sunlight every day. I’m thinking clover right now but I’ve heard varying reports on how tolerant it is of shade. Something that covers quickly for minimal cost is preferable. Are you looking for something that is going to stay super duper short or does it just need to cover the area and be happy under shady trees? There are lots of varieties of creeping ferns (some quite short) that will spread out and should like those conditions. Lily of the valley is also a pretty ground cover that is happy in the shade. What zone are you in?
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Jun 22, 2020 23:11
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fat bossy gerbil posted:Anyone have good recommendations for cheap ground cover that is shade tolerant? I bought a house last year that was quite literally not visible from the street after many years if not outright decades of yard neglect from several previous owners. I would have to tell visitors searching for it to park in front of the stairs that lead into the jungle and assure them there was, in fact, a house somewhere up there. After clearing the whole yard, producing 40(!) bags of yard waste and having a very fun brush with poison ivy I now have a large patch of dirt that had previously been one giant patch of weeds. It’s under two very tall mature trees that keep the patch quite shady. I’d estimate anything planted there will get an hour or two of direct sunlight every day. I’m thinking clover right now but I’ve heard varying reports on how tolerant it is of shade. Something that covers quickly for minimal cost is preferable. If you’re willing to put some work and a little investment into it, you could mulch in some curved garden beds and plant some stuff like Hostas and ferns, which are hearty perennials that thrive in shade. Mulch is excellent for choking out weeds and improving soil health. You could definitely put some shade tolerant grass mixes in to fill out the rest of the space and do some nice landscaping too 
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Jun 22, 2020 23:24
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Lilies! First more Orange Marmalade: This is, i think, a Claude Shride:  Edit: my neighbour used to have that statue in her apartment until her one year-old became too enamored with the petrified mammaries. Edit2k20: this goat willow keeps bouncing back. We have to kill it because it might collapse the walls between which it grows. Nature, man. 
anatomi fucked around with this message at 17:57 on Jun 23, 2020 |
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Jun 23, 2020 10:48
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Wallet posted:Forest Farm who I mentioned earlier has a few varieties I hadn't seen elsewhere so I did end up placing an order with them. They have an interesting selection so I'll definitely report back on how they do when the plants come in. The plants came in and Forest Farm did pretty well. Everything was well packed for shipping with plastic bags and wet newspaper to keep some moisture in the pots and a sturdy arrangement of cardboard to keep them from getting squished. For some reason their website seems to be busted at this moment but I had ordered two different Yuccas and three varieties of Euphorbia. One of the Yuccas they didn't have in stock so they actually called me on the phone and asked what I wanted to do with the order which I'll give them credit for. The plants all arrived in good condition and are well rooted. The two Euphorbias that I ordered as tubes (which is all they had) are a lot more substantial than I was expecting them to be for $9-$10 given what I have received elsewhere. The other Euphorbia and the Yucca I had ordered as gallon plants are a little overpotted, but that at least explains why they were $15 and $19 respectively so no complaints there. anatomi posted:Edit2k20: this goat willow keeps bouncing back. We have to kill it because it might collapse the walls between which it grows. Nature, man. Willows are tenacious as hell. The picture makes it look like you only have a few inches of space between those two walls which seems like it would be a nightmare to try and get one out of. Wallet fucked around with this message at 19:08 on Jun 23, 2020 |
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Jun 23, 2020 19:06
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This is my favorite view in the garden right now.
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Jun 25, 2020 14:10
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Something is laying eggs on my viburnum. Two or three leaves get wadded together with a small amount of silk in the center with tiny black dots inside. It's not like bagworm silk where a large bag of silk is formed on the outside of the leaves. Anyone know what this is? I'll try to take a picture next time, I washed the two I found so far off with the hose.Bloody Cat Farm posted:
Yeah it looks like that. I went back to look at it again and fully unrolled the leaves and it's a single larvae in the middle. The black dots were just poop I guess. lwoodio fucked around with this message at 01:18 on Jun 26, 2020 |
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Jun 26, 2020 00:24
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lwoodio posted:Something is laying eggs on my viburnum. Two or three leaves get wadded together with a small amount of silk in the center with tiny black dots inside. It's not like bagworm silk where a large bag of silk is formed on the outside of the leaves. Anyone know what this is? I'll try to take a picture next time, I washed the two I found so far off with the hose.  Does it look like this? Been wondering what did this to my strawberry leaves.
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Jun 26, 2020 00:38
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After 7 years, my Opuntia polyacantha finally flowered for the first time thanks to a neat little trick known as "total neglect." What I've got here are actually two separate cacti in one pot, grown from cuttings from two distinct plants. Although the smaller cactus took a few extra weeks to bloom, it turned out exactly the way I was hoping it would.   Magenta and yellow flowers! So exciting. I'm curious to see if I can cross breed these two and get an idea of the dominant allele the old fashioned Mendelian way. There are exactly 2 buds left to bloom on each plant so I'm cutting it close, but they should pop tomorrow or Saturday. Any tips for hand pollinating? Should I stuff the stigma with as much pollen as possible, anther and all, or add a drop of water afterwards to help the transfer?e; might as well show it off in all it's wild, untamed glory. 
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Jun 26, 2020 02:39
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We planted a cherry tree a few years ago. My SO says the berries (first ones last year) are sour and that means the tree will always produce sour cherries. I thought maybe the cherries wouldn't taste right until the tree was mature enough. I dunno, are we gonna have sour cherries forever? Guess we'll have to make marmalade then, or candied cherries.
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Jun 26, 2020 08:03
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His Divine Shadow posted:We planted a cherry tree a few years ago. My SO says the berries (first ones last year) are sour and that means the tree will always produce sour cherries. I thought maybe the cherries wouldn't taste right until the tree was mature enough. I dunno, are we gonna have sour cherries forever? Guess we'll have to make marmalade then, or candied cherries. Or cherry pie!!
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Jun 26, 2020 09:18
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treat posted:After 7 years, my Opuntia polyacantha finally flowered for the first time thanks to a neat little trick known as "total neglect." That looks amazing. Do you have to worry about it getting too much water, being outside? I'm paranoid after killing various cacti with too much water, but maybe they're more resilient
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Jun 26, 2020 09:26
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treat posted:After 7 years, my Opuntia polyacantha finally flowered for the first time thanks to a neat little trick known as "total neglect." Hand pollinating cacti is easy - just stuff it with pollen. Shouldn't need anything more. If the flowers don't quite open in sync, you can store pollen in the freezer, also. Doesn't require much prep - just stick it in a little baggie or container with a satchel of silica gel (if you've got one handy lying around.) Leave it in the container with the silica gel overnight to dry it out, then put it in the freezer until the other flower opens.
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Jun 26, 2020 10:38
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Thanks for the tips, elgarbo.Nosre posted:That looks amazing. Do you have to worry about it getting too much water, being outside? I'm paranoid after killing various cacti with too much water, but maybe they're more resilient Not typically. I live along the northern Great Basin in high-desert so it's usually extremely hot and dry, and within O. polyacantha's native range. I have it in a super light cactus soil mix with sand, gravel, and extra pumice so it drains excess water within a few seconds and I only give it a good watering once every week or two, or even less frequently if it maintains turgidity. Still, this has been the 3rd wettest spring on record and if you look closely at the pad with the yellow flower in the second photo you can see some small brown spots, probably indicating a minor fungal infection.
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Jun 26, 2020 16:42
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Ah, if you're within the natural range, that's way easier then. I'm jealous, my cacti have to live inside!
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Jun 26, 2020 16:59
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Everything in the vegetable garden is a disaster right now, but at least the flowers are pretty! 
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Jun 26, 2020 21:21
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treat, those Opuntia flowers look gorgeous! Since you mentioned you're within that species' native range, have you been seeing any Diadasia (cactus bee) visitors? If not, check back next bloom - specialist bees have a creepy ability to find their host plant almost no matter where it is. Two Qs from a noob: - Has anyone ever successfully sprouted an avocado tree from a pit? I've been following these directions for about 5 weeks; the pit has cracked, I'm seeing a teeny taproot (?) come out the bottom of the crack, but nothing on top yet, and the directions say to only plant in soil when the shoot is 6 inches (??!!?!?) tall. Am I too impatient? Won't that take forever, if I'm only now starting to see movement after 5 weeks? I want to freaking plant it already!!!! - Is... fertilizing... real? I grow plants outdoors in the ground for a work project (lovely sandy/clay soil) and fertilize the perennials only yearly or every other year, with less than a tablespoon of Osmocote. The annuals are in 100% perlite and don't get anything. But I'm seeing a lot of peeps in this thread saying to fertilize weekly, and now I'm wondering if that's why my work plants are so healthy and vibrant while my home plants are so lovely and pathetic. Does this still apply if I'm potting plants in 100% outdoor potting mix? I would have thought that potting mix would have enough to get them through without supplementary nutrients, so I haven't fertilized anything I've planted. (Plants under discussion: herbs of various families, strawberries, succulents, bromeliad, orchid)
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Jun 28, 2020 17:52
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snailshell posted:
1. Yes avocados can take ages to get to that stage (especially in winter). It's winter here in Australia now so I have mine inside on a sunny windowsil to give them as much warmth as possible. Having said that you can be waiting for up to 3 months or longer to get a 6 inch plant. The reason its better to use the water method for germinating as opposed to sticking the seed straight into soil is that it's really reliable. I've only had 2 fail out of 25+. 2. Like with all gardening actions (like pruning, watering, repotting, etc.) it's not really the case that doing so will make all the difference, but rather it helps the plant along and makes it grow quicker and/or healthier. Plants do grow in nature without our help after all! Having said this, fertilising is extremely important if you're growing things in pots, regardless of the type of soil. Since pots have a small and limited volume, the plant will use up the nutrients much quicker than if it was in the ground. Weekly is absolutely overkill though IMHO. Monthly fertilising with liquid fertiliser is plenty. Just make sure to stick the the bottle ratios since overfertilising is a surefire way to kill your plants.
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Jun 28, 2020 22:09
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not sure where to ask this but I figure this thread looks at bugs a lot: anyone know what type of bug this is? it's tiny, ~1mm long or less  almost looks like a baby firefly but I'm sure that's not it edit: hmm maybe a springtail? pmchem fucked around with this message at 18:41 on Jun 29, 2020 |
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Jun 29, 2020 18:15
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pmchem posted:not sure where to ask this but I figure this thread looks at bugs a lot: Does it hop if you touch it? Probably a springtail.
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Jun 29, 2020 22:27
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Just moved, and the yard is full of huge junipers that have kinda taken over. I want to plant trees and other shrubs, so will be cutting them down. I initially planned to put them at the bottom of a raised bed, hugelkultur style, but a bit of research kinda suggests they take an exceptionally long time. I might try to compost them, but I'll just have way more juniper than anything else, so not sure how quickly it'd break down. What's the best way to convert it into dirt?
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Jun 30, 2020 03:30
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Chip 'em and pile them up in a compost heap, or use them as mulch for your new trees. Don't pile it up on the tree trunks.
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Jun 30, 2020 04:24
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Can't really chip them (too many other projects going on right now to figure out renting a chipper), but I guess I'll try to cut them smallish and see if I can get some composting action. Good to know not to get it around the trunks
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Jun 30, 2020 04:40
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Depending on your location, I’d post them on Craigslist. I have goats and I pick up that kind of stuff for them, so you might be able to find someone to come get your junipers.
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Jun 30, 2020 05:21
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I feel like every year I struggle with the container plants on my balcony. This is clearly leaf scorch, right? Should I move it somewhere with less light? 
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Jun 30, 2020 22:59
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Yeah looks like scorch to me. See how it recovers when you move it to a little shadier spot for a couple weeks
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Jul 1, 2020 10:15
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Dear DIY Plants Thread: my limited knowledge of succulent-keeping has failed me and I'm unsure of how to proceed Due to COVID-19 I'm crashing with family long-term in the basement. I got a sun lamp for these guys and they've been generally doing okay. I say "generally" because if you look at this picture, the center one is the only one doing well (the brown bits on it are from a week I had to spend away from home - the light couldn't be on a timer so things got a bit bad, and I'm unsure of how to brush off the dead leaves without getting in there with, like, tweezers). They've been doing badly for a two-ish months now, but holding on - I know they should probably be replanted into larger containers, but I've been really busy/stressed and was worried that replanting them might just cause more problems. I've got some time to take care of things now, though, so I figured I'd come here for some insight. The one(s) on the left are my biggest concern. Have a closer picture:  The guy in the middle is going absolutely hog wild, while his friends on the left and the right aren't doing so hot. Over the past two months they've slowly been losing leaves - they shrivel up, then fall off/I break them off. (The middle one has some leaves on its back that are doing the same, but I'm assuming it's the shape of the plant just cutting off light to them. Also, I know what the brown spots on the left one are - I'm pretty sure that's from a bit ago, I choked on a soda and coughed all over them and didn't wipe it all up, it seems  ) They've been growing steadily upward, though, and fresh leaves are budding/forming. I have the assumption that they're just too big for their container, and the center plant is choking the other two out of resources, so I should be replanting them into larger/separate containers.The tall ones, though, I'm not sure if I should replant them as is, or cut the tops off, wait for those to scab over and then plant them? The one on the left is getting some kind of strandy growths - are those an attempt at roots? Should I maybe clip it right below where it's putting out roots and bury the entire stem of the plant up to that point? Or are these plants dying, and should I just be taking the leaves off attempting to propagate them? The tall one on the right is having a similar time, but it still has two thick leaves towards the bottom, which is confusing me; why are those two totally fine, but everything above it is dying? The pot on the right of that main image is, I'm pretty sure, just dying. It's been very slowly losing leaves for two, maybe three months - I thought it stopped, but it's still slowly wilting. Should I just skip straight to trying to save that one via propagation? That one I did actually repot a bit ago (reused an old plastic container, didn't have anything fancy to put it in), but it didn't seem to help much. It's probably getting lovely light because of how it's shaped, but I'm not sure how to fix that without just repotting it insanely deeply so it's facing the proper direction.
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Jul 2, 2020 07:40
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