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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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RickRogers posted:God speed little peach tree. Your fate will be decided by the scorching summit of summer. Do I need to give it any sunlight at all right now? And if so, how much?
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Aug 12, 2020 06:22
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Wallet posted:It is harder to root cuttings from an unhealthy plant than a healthy one, just as a heads up; even the leaves that aren't browning yet look like they're shriveling because the plant hasn't been able to take up water, which is going to mean that they'll have a significantly shorter window to get out roots before they dry up and die. I'd take cuttings as far away from the rot as you can—I think for Schlumbergera people usually recommend taking at least two segments per cutting. Get as many plausible cuttings as you can to give yourself a decent number of shots at getting one of them to root (rooting powder/gel wouldn't hurt). Though it's not an approach I'm usually into, I would be tempted to try water rooting some of the cuttings if you can get a decent number.  ) using the old paper-towel-in-a-glass-with-water method we used to sprout beans for kindergarten science. The stray-segment-tucked-into-another-cactus-pot method has had only middling success. This time I'm trying a new tack I found online: an inch or so of gravel/small rocks in a jar with water to the top of the rocks and the cactus segments just touching the top of the rock layer. Three days later and I can see some of the prune-iest pieces filling out; many segments are already putting out little roots.Thanks for the gritty mix tip. I think it might be hard to find most of that stuff by me, especially now, but I hope to get it together in time to get these babies planted. OSU_Matthew posted:Crossposting from the purchases thread, but I just recently spent a shameful amount on bulbs from Michigan Bulb Company
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Aug 12, 2020 19:04
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Solkanar512 posted:I know I’m going to sound like a broken record to those who frequent the various gardening threads, but a hotbed might be what you’re looking for. These can be heated with manure or soil heating cables. Plan to keep cuttings. Was going to cut and repot.
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Aug 12, 2020 19:43
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I. M. Gei posted:Do I need to give it any sunlight at all right now? And if so, how much? It has leaves and it’s the middle of August, so, yes, it needs sunlight like every other tree; they are not dormant at all right now Just keep in dappled shade all day or morning light/afternoon heavy shade until it’s cooler in the fall
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Aug 12, 2020 21:52
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Hirayuki posted:These are glorious! I especially love the fancy daffodils and how packed those hyacinths are. I don't know why I never gave much thought to bulbs; we have a couple persistent daffodils in our front garden (we thought we dug them out a decade-plus back) that make me smile every spring. Thanks for the inspiration! I swear daffodils have gotten fancier since I was a kid. I ordered a couple of varieties for planting this fall a little while ago; I almost went for some of the ruffled fancy ones but I love how clean the two color varieties look:  'Eleanor Auchincloss'  'Chromacolor' Also some of these burgundy Alliums 
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Aug 13, 2020 00:50
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I am victorious in bringing five houseplants home to Canada. Clearly I should have bought more. I had box room but I realized it too late!
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Aug 13, 2020 04:42
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Oil of Paris posted:It has leaves and it’s the middle of August, so, yes, it needs sunlight like every other tree; they are not dormant at all right now Word
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Aug 14, 2020 11:57
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Bi-la kaifa posted:We ordered dahlias from Breks and have got about 50% success rate. Other stuff has been ok though Ugh, even my dahlia seeds were in the 80% range.
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Aug 14, 2020 14:32
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Petey posted:Plan to keep cuttings. Was going to cut and repot. The I really think a hot bed is your answer.   It’s around 2’ tall in the back, 4’ deep and 8’ wide. Maybe an inch or two of sand, and set to 75, the air temp never got below the mid 40s even on really cold nights. You also get the advantage of having a really humid environment, which is perfect for your cuttings and germination in general.
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Aug 14, 2020 14:43
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I noticed that a Cow Killer “ant” has taken up residence in my garden. Do they provide any benefits by hanging around? It looks like she’s only really concerned with ruining the cicada killer’s brood from my cursory research. I’ve noticed a decent amount of aphids on my muscadine vines so it would be nice for something to pop up to eat them.
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Aug 14, 2020 14:59
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Solkanar512 posted:The I really think a hot bed is your answer. thanks!
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Aug 14, 2020 16:28
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Petey posted:thanks! You can save a bit of money if you can salvage window sashes for the lids. I had pepper and tomatoes sprouting on Valentine’s Day.
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Aug 14, 2020 17:08
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Anyone recognize this guy? Growing in the shady forest floor of the coastal plain of the SE US. It has an anise smell/taste? It’s not smilax (I don’t think)
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Aug 15, 2020 04:12
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:Anyone recognize this guy? Growing in the shady forest floor of the coastal plain of the SE US. It has an anise smell/taste? It’s not smilax (I don’t think) My money is on arrow leaf ginger if it grows where you're at. I just some for my yard
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Aug 15, 2020 04:29
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Sprue posted:My money is on arrow leaf ginger if it grows where you're at. I just some for my yard Thanks! That looks like exactly what it is.
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Aug 15, 2020 13:14
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Sprue posted:My money is on arrow leaf ginger if it grows where you're at. I just some for my yard Agreed, especially with the description of the smell. Send me some cuttings lol >:]
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Aug 15, 2020 13:16
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Oil of Paris posted:Agreed, especially with the description of the smell. Send me some cuttings lol >:] Is it edible/useful? I read some members of the family it is in have an acid that really screws up your kidneys/liver or something. It was growing pretty spottily in a few places on a shady north slope. I’m gonna keep an eye out for it other places, and may dig some to try out at home.
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Aug 15, 2020 15:02
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:Is it edible/useful? I read some members of the family it is in have an acid that really screws up your kidneys/liver or something. It was growing pretty spottily in a few places on a shady north slope. I’m gonna keep an eye out for it other places, and may dig some to try out at home. I would classify it as poisonous/inedible. It just smells like ginger, kinda, but isn’t related. I think they’re awesome ornamentals That said, some extremely hippy dude in a native plant fb group corrected me one time when I said it was absolutely inedible bc it apparently has some medicinal value and can technically be safely harvested. If you gently caress it up, you ruin your kidneys lol, so I’m going to stick with my original estimation
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Aug 15, 2020 15:16
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Aristolochic acid
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Aug 15, 2020 15:19
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Well the European cousin of this is/was used as a ginger substitute spice (dry the rhizomes, use in tea or something), but yeah, seems both of them and most wild gingers have something in them that messes with Kidneys if used frequently over a long period. Fine to try....probably. The European one is an amazing ground covering plant in shady/wet places. They don't like to be stepped on though. American version is, from what I understand, the same
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Aug 15, 2020 15:24
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 So a few months ago we got this mystery plant at work and we, the plant thread tried to ID it but couldn’t. I’m now pretty sure it’s Ardisia elliptica
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Aug 15, 2020 19:53
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Hello thread. I'm looking for advice on how to keep a dwarf orange plant alive. I've been given one as a housewarming gift but unfortunately I'm the type of person who's managed to accidently kill a cactus from lack of water. I've read the instructions but I need like, properly stupid person instructions. If you tell me "keep the top layers moist" then I'll end up over-watering it to death because I take things literally. I need some wise goon(s) to explain how often to actually water, what I need to buy to make the plant happy and so on. I really don't want to kill this. Am I in the right place? The OP said this is mainly for plant appreciation but I scrolled down the thread list and didn't see a closer option. Dwarf Orange plant in question:  I've only had it for a couple of days and I'm already noticing concerning brown spots. I've given it a little water twice in 4 days:  Please help me not kill this or direct me to the appropriate thread. 
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Aug 16, 2020 13:56
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Oh god. That's not an easy plant at all. Where do you live? Normally citrus trees like to spend as much time outdoors as you can possibly give them but just plunking it outside mid August is begging for stress unless you can do it gradually. Your best bet might just be to prolong the life of the plant as much as possible, accepting that it's not going to stay as beautiful as it was when it was produced in a greenhouse in optimal conditions. -Keep it close to a window where it can receive some (about 6 to 8 hours) of direct sunlight. A bright room with indirect light only will not be enough. They also need a night period too, though, so the area can't be too bright at night either. -Make sure the pot it's planted in directly has drainage holes. If it came with a separate pot with no drainage, make sure there's never any water standing in it. Very few plants like sitting in water for too long but citrus really dislike it. -Make sure the temperature is fairly stable and that there's no drafts or drying heat from a radiator. -They need a fairly consistent and deep watering. When watering citrus, it's better to plunge the whole grower's pot in room temperature water and allowing the water to drain completely. Deep waterings like that are much better for it than overhead watering with a few cups or w/e. -These guys need fertilizer about once a month indoors. If you live somewhere where citrus are an actual possibility outdoors, you should be able to find some citrus fertilizer for sale. If not, yeah a general liquid fertilizer will work but the proportions aren't as well tailored, so I'd generally use it at half strength.
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Aug 16, 2020 14:25
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Citrus don’t like too much water. Every other day is probably too much if it’s not outside in the height of summer. My method for deciding when to water potted citrus is to feel how heavy the container is. With a tree that size in a pot that size, you’ll feel when it gets low on water. Citrus have efficient root systems and can suck up almost all the water in the soil. The pot gets much lighter. The leaves will curl if it’s really getting too dry. It will take as much sunlight as you can give it, with the caveat that it may appreciate being eased into outdoor sun if it’s been inside for months. It looks pretty happy right now. In the longer term, citrus are heavy feeders. Apply citrus fertiliser at the rate printed on the package to keep it happy. I would be looking to move it up a size in pots so it can continue to grow. For potting soil, you want something that drains well, not to much coir or especially peat moss. Pine bark and perlite work well. The cheapest raised bed/container mix or soil conditioner at the shop is often suitable, being mostly wood chips. Wood chips break down in a year or two and you’ll need to repot, but they’re fine while they last. e: Plant Monster raises a good point in that I’m thinking about citrus growing in optimum environments. The worst would be to put it in too large a pot that just stays moist. If it goes a week or more between watering, definitely don’t put it in a larger pot. P.S. Calamondins make the best marmalade. Platystemon fucked around with this message at 14:48 on Aug 16, 2020 |
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Aug 16, 2020 14:41
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I've got a bunch of lemons I grew from random seed (so they're not even dwarves) in pots and they do alright. Not as happy as they would be in their natural habit outside obviously, but I've killed way more succulents and cacti through miswatering and bad soil mixes than I have the lemons. So, echoing what was said above on fertilizer and light. On water, they're very demonstrative and will show you when they're thirsty. I've actually got some examples: These guys are outside and we've gotten rain recently so they're happy. Leaves are 'full' looking, perky, and a bit shiny.  This one is just starting to be thirsty. You see the leaves starting to curl up a bit, especially the big one at the top of the image and the little ones I'm aiming the picture at.  This guy is really thirsty, ideally should have watered it a day or two ago. It'll be fine though. The leaves have lost a lot of their "weight" and look+feel papery and thin. The whole tree looks droopy, too.  So like the guys above said, err on the side of less water than more, water deeply when you do, and eventually you should be able to get a feel for it by just looking at it.
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Aug 16, 2020 15:41
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Thank you guys. I'll give the relevant info line by line, hopefully that's not an annoying way to read. Oh, and here's the instructions it came with. Very non-specific which is why I found myself in this sub-forum for the first tine ever:  Plant MONSTER. posted:Oh god. That's not an easy plant at all. Where do you live? Normally citrus trees like to spend as much time outdoors as you can possibly give them but just plunking it outside mid August is begging for stress unless you can do it gradually. I live in the Netherlands so not quite a native environment for these. I'm keeping it by a window that gets a decent amount of sunlight but with the window open for airflow. I do hope that's not too much of a draft but if it is I can move it to a west-facing window that doesn't open. This will need to be kept 100% indoors as I don't have a balcony. Plant MONSTER. posted:-Make sure the pot it's planted in directly has drainage holes. If it came with a separate pot with no drainage, make sure there's never any water standing in it. Very few plants like sitting in water for too long but citrus really dislike it. I just checked on this. It's in a pot with no drainage, the pot is inside a metal bucket. Should I take the pot out the bucket and repot into something with drainage and then put it back inside the bucket? I don't know if the bucket is for sale display or if it has any portability function for rotation. If it's not obvious yet, I really truly have no clue what I'm doing here. Most of my gardening experience has been watching my mum garden and lawn mowing as a teen. Plant MONSTER. posted:-They need a fairly consistent and deep watering. When watering citrus, it's better to plunge the whole grower's pot in room temperature water and allowing the water to drain completely. Deep waterings like that are much better for it than overhead watering with a few cups or w/e. Thanks for this advice. Sounds like once a week I should fill the kitchen sink and dip the pot in it, and then supplement several times a week with water from a bottle? I still don't really understand how often to give things water. I have no clue what "regularly" means. "Regular" isn't a fixed data point! As for the last point, I'll go to a gardening store and look for liquid "citrus" fertiliser and hopefully not mess that up when applying. Platystemon posted:Citrus don’t like too much water. Every other day is probably too much if it’s not outside in the height of summer. I'm very glad you put in that edit because I was about to be worried whose watering advice to take! Thanks for the info on repotting. I hope to keep it alive long enough to reach the stage where I need to learn to do that. jojoinnit fucked around with this message at 15:49 on Aug 16, 2020 |
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Aug 16, 2020 15:46
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Nosre posted:I've got a bunch of lemons I grew from random seed (so they're not even dwarves) in pots and they do alright. Not as happy as they would be in their natural habit outside obviously, but I've killed way more succulents and cacti through miswatering and bad soil mixes than I have the lemons. Hey I really appreciate these examples! My leaves are looking like the middle pic so I'll give them more water than I've been doing and do my best to make sure I don't leave it too wet at the bottom.
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Aug 16, 2020 15:48
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jojoinnit posted:Hey I really appreciate these examples! My leaves are looking like the middle pic so I'll give them more water than I've been doing and do my best to make sure I don't leave it too wet at the bottom. You’re probably going to want to light this plant for at least a few hours in the morning/daytime if you can’t bring it outside, especially in winter. And I know people who have reflective grow tents for keeping these/tropicals optimally healthy during the winter months. Citrus trees tend to want it drier than your avg tropical (this is why cactus/succulent/citrus soil mix exists) but they can still get over dry in a heated home, but the thing that really messes them up is light fall-off.
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Aug 16, 2020 16:04
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jojoinnit posted:Hey I really appreciate these examples! My leaves are looking like the middle pic so I'll give them more water than I've been doing and do my best to make sure I don't leave it too wet at the bottom. No problem! Just a quick caveat that it is a different species so it may not look exactly the same. It's still sounding like you're thinking more water than necessary - I water these probably less than once a week, none of that "topping up multiple times throughout the week" needed. The pot - yea drainage holes are extremely important, otherwise it's WAY easier to mess up the watering and kill it from wet feet. With drainage holes, it's literally just 'water until it's run into the tray underneath about a centimetre deep" and you're done.
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Aug 16, 2020 16:06
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Couple of extra things: There are two types of liquid feed for citrus plants, one for winter and one for summer (from Compo, at least hier in Deutschland and presumably in the Netherlands as well) and there is also a special citrus potting compost that seems to be a rather heavy, sandy mix but with some granulate in. I know someone who swears by them here, but then again they keep their 2m tall lemon tree in its own private greenhouse. With its own gardena watering system complete with ground humidity sensor.
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Aug 16, 2020 16:07
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Having no drainage holes on a citrus pot is seriously whack. It’s frankly amazing that it’s as healthy as it is like that. Maybe the nursery can get away with it in full sun, but you’re not going to indoors. After fixing that, you can use the bucket for display if you want. Take the inner pot out to water, let it drain well, then slip it back in. It’s a common practice with decorative glazed pots that lack drainage holes. Wedge something in the bottom or sides to prevent the bucket and pot rims from forming a tight seal if they would otherwise do that. You don’t want to create a sealed void between the two. My experience with citrus is that they’re tough. They’re not my prima donnas. Babying them with warm water or protection from drafts is not something I think about. But my growing environment is very different from yours, so listen to people who grow them indoors.
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Aug 16, 2020 16:14
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Platystemon posted:Having no drainage holes on a citrus pot is seriously whack. It’s frankly amazing that it’s as healthy as it is like that. Maybe the nursery can get away with it in full sun, but you’re not going to indoors. If I had to guess about the lack of drainage holes, the plant likely wasn’t grown in that container. Maybe it was repotted from a more traditional nursery pot right before sale. Keeps the plant from making a mess in whatever store it was picked up in and makes it easier to give as a decorative gift and look nicer right off the shelf. Like a lot of gift plants, its long term longevity or health probably weren’t really a concern. It just has to survive the 2-4 weeks in store. Hell, killing it off quickly is maybe icing on the cake if it gets you interested in buying a new one in a month or two. Alternatively, it was kept in a really humid greenhouse and not/rarely directly watered. I dunno how citruses do like that but there are lots of tropicals that can be misted heavily instead of watered if you have the right (commercial/professional) setup for it.
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Aug 16, 2020 16:42
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When I think of where citrus is grown commercially, it's always in Mediterranean climates with hot, dry summers. I don't know what the issue would be with humidity. Probably disease?
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Aug 16, 2020 19:27
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Lead out in cuffs posted:When I think of where citrus is grown commercially, it's always in Mediterranean climates with hot, dry summers. I don't know what the issue would be with humidity. Probably disease? Yup. And fungus. A lot of the problems that succulents/cacti/euphorbia can get can happen to citrus plants. But it’s worth remembering that commercial citrus farming is an immensely technologically and mechanically-dependent endeavor, just in irrigation alone never mind everything else. Just because California’s been in a drought for a buncha years doesn’t mean that its citrus crop would be nearly as robust without the billions of dollars in life support that farmers have to invest in.
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Aug 16, 2020 19:50
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Platystemon posted:You don’t want to create a sealed void between the two. Wuh-oh. I do this regularly at work. Is this just to make taking the plant out easier or does having a sealed space mess things up?
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Aug 16, 2020 20:25
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I have two 10in pots with three Petra croton in each that I bought at Home Despot last year when I moved. They’ve gotten very big and bushy, and also very leggy, in the last year. Aside from an ongoing minor spider mite problem, they seem to be doing great, though they could probably use some more light. They’re very rootbound, and each pot has an individual that’s been leaning and stretching to the point of almost falling out,and while it’s later in the season than I’d like to do this, they need to be separated and repotted (they’re indoor plants so I’m not too worried, I’m planning to be a bit more controlling and artificial with their environment this fall and winter anyway, and it’s still very warm in my area so they can get plenty of outdoor time). Two questions- - should I dust them with DE before planting them, to fight the spider mites? I’ve been wiping off webs and mites where I see them, but I’m getting a bag of DE to make bonsai mix anyway, so I may as well give ‘em a sprinkling outside while I’m at it. - how big should each pot be? 10in is where they are currently, three per pot. Everybody says the pot should be only a couple of inches bigger than the root ball. Since I’m sizing down a bit, does putting each in its own 10in pot make sense? I don’t want to rip them apart and then have to go get pots, frankly. I really don’t want them to drop leaves. They did in winter and I was luckily able to get them to bounce back strong.
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Aug 16, 2020 20:57
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Plant MONSTER. posted:Wuh-oh. I do this regularly at work. Is this just to make taking the plant out easier or does having a sealed space mess things up? I make that recommendation after rescuing plants where the area between the pots got dank and encouraged disease. If you drain the pot well before returning it to the decorative sleeve, it’s probably fine. If you treat the decorative pot like a very tall saucer, that’s not good. I don’t let water stand there, but I still separate the pots for airflow. Maybe that’s paranoia. Platystemon fucked around with this message at 01:32 on Aug 17, 2020 |
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Aug 17, 2020 01:28
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Platystemon posted:I make that recommendation after rescuing plants where the area between the pots got dank and encouraged disease. I usually like to let the water sit for 30-60 minutes if the day is really hot. Then I’ll pour it out. Just don’t let it sit overnight and you’ll be fine for the most part.
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Aug 17, 2020 01:35
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Ok Comboomer posted:- should I dust them with DE before planting them, to fight the spider mites? Ok Comboomer posted:- how big should each pot be? 10in is where they are currently, three per pot. Everybody says the pot should be only a couple of inches bigger than the root ball. Since I'm sizing down a bit, does putting each in its own 10in pot make sense? I don't want to rip them apart and then have to go get pots, frankly. I really don't want them to drop leaves. If they're three to a ten inch pot right now unless they're insanely overgrown putting each in a 10" pot seems like it could be overkill. If the pots are terra-cotta or something else that breathes you can probably get away with it as long as you're careful not to overwater them, though?
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Aug 17, 2020 14:06
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Platystemon posted:Citrus don’t like too much water. Every other day is probably too much if it’s not outside in the height of summer. One other tip for repotting trees into larger pots (I do this with Japanese Maples) - Use pots with straight rather than curved sides. When you have to pot up to a new size, you want to be able to get the plant out, and lots of otherwise nice looking pots have rounded sides.
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Aug 18, 2020 00:33
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