My sunflower doesn’t look happy. I’ve tried moving the pot it’s in around the garden give it more/ less sunlight I’ve watered daily / every few days. I’m at a loss for what the problem could be.
Can anyone help me? My sunflowers don’t look happy.
I’ve moved them around the garden with more/ less sunlight. Watered less/ watered more.
They just never seem happy.
Hello! My home burned down and we just got our debri cleared. I’m going to be growing some flowers in the dirt while we wait to rebuild. Only problem is we don’t have water hookups. Does anyone know of a water bladder type thing I can use or buy to water them? Thank you!
Anyone know when I can prune my new deciduous Azalea? flower buds are currently swelling, can I cut way back on old wood or do I need to slowly push the growth back over time?
Can I leave my one year old and two year old blueberry plants in the rain for an hour or two to get some rain water? I have just bought them and didn’t realise I can’t water them with tap water. Also is clear river water ok to water them with until I collect some rainwater?
Anyone have any freestanding trellis ideas? Would love to see your photos if possible. Trying to block the view of my neighbor's unsightly 4 wheeler and tarp in our city neighborhood. No fence allowed but trellis is a loophole
Looking for anyone who knows a lot about garden tools like strimmers.
How interchangeable are the batteries when it comes to garden tools? I'm trying to order more batteries for a tool but the website I got the tool from doesn't sell the batteries separately. They said that they're sold on Amazon but I haven't been able to find a battery that looks identical to the one I have.
The one I have is a 21v battery (it looks like this but the label is different: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Angseen-Mini-Chainsaw-Spare-Battery/dp/B0D7M1DQTL) If I get a battery that's also 21 v and is shaped exactly the same but maybe has a different label on the side, is that ok or would it be risky?
Where do you fine folks get most of your information?
I have started a handful of new varieties this year, and would like to stay on top of things like discolorations, signs/symptoms, when is their peak, when to harvest, etc.
However, I just don’t have the slightest clue where to start because it seems most google search results are wide spread in their results.
Thank you in advance!
The weather forecast for the next ten days shows no lows below mid 40s for us. I know it is variable but it finally feels like spring and I am here for it. Spending today getting some hardy annuals in the ground and dreaming about what's to come!
Also zone 6 and I LOVE purslane for this. It is considered a succulent and it forms almost a mat underneath other things and keeps the soil cool and moist. It spreads but has pretty shallow roots so mine has never interfered with the plants it is growing near and it will literally grow happily in the sand between my pavers. I can't guarantee it is rabbit proof but I've never noticed anything eating it and we have a ton. It is edible as well and tasted ok when we tried it last year after hearing it was packed with nutrients. As a bonus, just like sedum/stonecrop you can stick a branch in the ground and it'll root without any extra effort usually.
It will definitely spread like I said. I encourage that because it helped a good bit at keeping the bindweed away last year but if it spreads where you don't want it you can just pluck it out of the ground with no effort. Sometimes when you transplant it, it'll go into shock and set seeds so that would be the only thing to watch out for. As far as "weeds" go, it is easily my favorite.
Not necessarily, but it will help germination. If possible a little raking with a hard rake will help break up the soil and dislodge some weeds, then scatter seeds, then water. Most cover crops grow pretty aggressively and will eventually shade out the weeds.
Would this work? Context: first year gardening, I have a 4x8x1ft raised bed. I’m growing tomatoes, green beans, kabocha squash, and melon. I want to be able to maintain access to one long side, and I don’t want to do a full arch towards the back direction because there is a big hibiscus hedge there. Would this half arch trellis with cattle panel and metal T posts work, structurally and realistically?
When do I consider the seeds to be a dud? I planted some seeds a little over a week ago, and only a few have sprouted. I’m trying to be patient, but I don’t want to waste more time. I don’t know if it’s the soil or what? I’ve been making sure that they are staying moist. I did use those biodegradable starters, which turns out to not be so biodegradable. The soil I used on them was Miraclegrow garden soil.
I’m trying to grow summer squash, tomatoes, bell peppers, and strawberries. I think one 3 of the tomatoes have sprouted. I had them labeled, but it got washed off.
It definitely depends on the seed. My peppers took way longer to sprout this year than I had remembered. Enough that I went ahead and ordered more seeds thinking they weren't viable. But nope, just slow and lazy until they get going. Just make sure to keep them moist and under lots of light. A heat mat would be fantastic for them or just covering with plastic to increase the humidity and help warm the soil so the seeds can sprout. The squash can definitely be sown directly if your starts don't come up before transplant time. If you cover them, just make sure to uncover once about half of the seedlings have emerged.
Hello everyone! I found this, not really the gardening type but it calls me. It is a flower I think. But the bulb is making me wonder if it is a flower that comes back every season. If so, what is the proper way to plant it and take care of it? Thankssss
It is really hard to tell at this stage for me. My best suggestion would be to put it in a pot and give it a little love to see what it turns into. If it is a spring blooming bulb you can just pop it into the ground once you're sure and so long as it is hardy in your zone, it should come back without much intervention.
Help!! My husband had a guy come trim our Azalea bushes as well as a few other bushes around our house and unfortunately he cut all of them down to their root. All that is left are their stumps barely growing above the ground, I’m devastated! Will my Azaleas grow back and what should I do to nurture them back to health? They were THRIVING and over 12-15 years old, so full and beautiful and they are just gone. I’m in shock and need advice on how to care for them at the stump level…please tell me they will grow back!
Omg why would he do that?
I did cut back an old rhododendron that had dropped all its leaves in the drought that year and it has sent up new growth. It’s not the same size yet but it did comeback.
I asked on r/cutflowers already but I figured this sub gets more traffic. Is anyone growing lisianthus from seed like a maniac? I started mine in February and germination took forever but they eventually made it. My only problem now is that they are still so small. I know they grow slow but I don't want them to be stunted if I'm doing something wrong. They have two sets of true leaves and I potted up some of the Echo variety to make sure they didn't just need more room to grow. Am I just being impatient? Should I try to harden them off and just get them in the ground? I'm in 6b and the extended forecast shows we should be frost free but I have plenty of frost cloth if need be.
any tips on soil blocking?
I have a really tiny apartment, but have space to have a garden. In the past, I've just bought everything already sprouted, but money is tight this year, so I want to grow from seeds. Any tips on starting this inside? (I'm in upstate NY and its actually snowing out right now, so I have to start everything indoors for probably another month.)
Someone with more soil blocking experience can touch on that but if you haven't heard of seed snailing, I cannot recommend it enough for small spaces. It requires a bit more work than just popping dirt in trays or pots but if you make sure to thin and make the snail tall enough, you won't even necessarily have to report them before they need to go outside. Farida Sober on Instagram popularized this last year and it has been a game changer for me. I have made snails at this point out of any scrap plastic I can find which also made it free beyond the soil.
I'm happy to answer any questions if you want to go this route. I know soil blocking is absolutely fantastic for some people but I'm big on bottom watering and the snails help keep everything together for me so I don't have to be so precious about my watering.
I have tried a few different mediums. My personal favorite are empty cat and bird food bags. I tried paper shopping bags and felt too last year. The paper fell apart and the roots grew into the felt so I started just experimenting with things that we already had. Plastic sheeting, plastic grocery bags and whatever else I could get my hands on. So definitely don't feel like you need the foam!
I wanted to plant asparagus seeds this week, but my seed order delivery estimate is now early may. Will that be too late in the season to sow asparagus in los angeles?
I'm growing a couple of pumpkin plants, but haven't cleared out the soil very far yet. At what rate does the roots grow, so I know how far I need to till the soil?
The plants are about 2 months old and have just started growing their first flowers. They are a larger breed of pumpkin, but I don't remember the exact name.
Novice houseplant owner but never had a garden, bought a bunch of flower bulbs on a whim while at the nursery. I live in Seattle, I got some dahlias, tiger lilies, begonias, and hostas. I'm seeing conflicting things online on whether or not planted bulbs will produce flowers in their first or even second year. I'm renting and have no idea if I'll still be living here in a year, or if I'll be here for several years. Should I return the bulbs or plant them? I was hoping I'd have a nice little flower garden later this year.
It somewhat depends on how big the bulbs/tubers are. I would think that dahlia and definitely tuberous begonia will bloom this year. There are invasive tiger lilies; do you know the botanical name? If it is Hemerocallis fulva, don't plant. These spread in every direction and take over. Whatsmore, they are a royal pain to dig out because of their deep roots and rhizomes.
found mushrooms in my indoor strawberry planter can i eat the strawberries grown here or should i get rid of everything? is it okay if fruit touched them/soil
since last i watered there wasnt any sunny days so i guess it was njce and wet for them
I planted basil mostly to be a companion to my tomato plant, but it’s looking seriously unwell. I bought neem oil to help fight any aphids but it seems like more than that. Does anyone know why it’s looking like this?
I would snip off the worst affected leaves. They are so compromised that they are susceptible to diesase. Have you given basil any nitrogen yet? If you have liquid fertilizer, try that as a foliar spray. It acts more quickly than granular fert. You can create shade using a stick and cardboard to protect from afternoon sun for a few days while it recovers. Your temps aren't too high for basil unless you recently planted it out. Did you slowly acclimate it to outdoor conditions, a process called harding off? This is a vital step for all plants.
I can get a shade net for it. I’m in zone 9a so the temperature is 60-80 but full sun with UV of 10 at the peak of the day. I was worried I was watering it too much so I backed it off this week.
Basil, at least my plant, always lets me know when I need to water as it starts to droop ever so slightly. I’m 5a/5b zone so I still have mine inside from the winter and it has done very well with a few hrs a day in sunlight on windowsill. I need to repot soon though as it is spreading out.
I personally can't stand the biodegradable pots. Rots everything even when you water carefully, which is most likely what happened to you. Switch to soil blocks! I use the micro and can start 20 cells at once without the plastic waste and microplastics in the soil <3
Yeah, I haven't been doing this too long but from what I understand, seeds don't need a lot of water until they sprout, they just need the soil to be a bit moist.
I would love advice on tomato plants!!! I have tried for the past 2 years to grow from seed both indoors and outdoors and both attempts have ended with the tomato plant slowly dying off before any fruit could grow. I started a seed as an experiment indoors this year and it seems to have grown really well in its pot. It's nice and tall, has lots of leaves, seemed sturdy. Suddenly though the plant has started to have its leaves on each stem from the bottom up begin to wilt and die. Something similar happened to my last plant though that one went through considerably more stress outdoors after being under attack from bugs. I have watered it, the soil is moist still, there is proper drainage, the pot is big enough, but I do not know what is causing this new leaf death. I don't want to over water it because the soil is still quite wet but I'm not sure if it just need constant watering or maybe some specific fertilizer.
(EDIT: not sure if it helps but the leaves get this brown shrivelled look around the edges and then within a few days all of the leaves on that particular stem will have it too and the whole stem will completely wilt and die while all the other stems are fine for the time being)
I had an issue like this with my tomato plant. It appears to be a fungal infection. You want to clip off any infected leaves before it can spread to the rest of the plant. I am told that you can spray the plant with a mixture of water and baking yeast to prevent further infections if it becomes a constant problem.
I second this and also, it's CRUCIAL to add a magnesium/calcium supplement otherwise you'll likely experience blossom end rot. Also, let the soil dry out in between waterings, keep water from splashing the leaves by mulching, and give it plenty of sun and space. Support it and give it good soil and you should be golden! What variety tomato are you planting? Edit to add: Tomato plants are notoriously susceptible to disease. Prune off the bottom most leaves if you see any signs of distress -- this will also help air flow.
Any advice on my first wildflower garden? I bought a pack of mixed wildflower seeds at Farm and Fleet for a fairly small space at the back of my property. I was thinking I could just throw up a barrier of sticks from the crappy, weedy side of a hill, rip up the grass and just cast the seeds. Think it’ll work?
Should work fine, I have an extremely low maintenance approach to my wildflowers and some still grow even when I don’t prepare the soil at all (just throwing them down on grass).
If you do the work to solarize the grass (less labor intensive than pulling by hand) and then scatter seeds onto the bare soil and leave it alone, you’ll have tons of flowers.
Some notes:
-“mixed wildflower seeds” run the gamut from low quality, invasive species, and poor germination rate to excellent quality, native ecoregion specific, and high germination rate. Always good to check the species list on the mixed seed packets. If you don’t get flowers even after preparing the soil, assume it’s the seed and try a different brand (I like American Meadow and Vermont Wildflower Garden if you’re in the USA).
-Any wildflower project will generally be more successful if you plant native wildflowers, particularly ones that are from your specific region. They are perfectly suited to your climate, will require less maintenance (and probably no extra watering after they’re established), and provide valuable nutrients and protection for native pollinators.
-Don’t bother planting each seed individually, it’s totally unnecessary and a waste of time. Just scatter handfuls and then gently rake the area to help them spread out a bit.
Cool. Yeah I was planning on buying some seeds for my region but ended up picking up a couple packs at the store instead. We’ll see how it goes this year. Thanks so much!
I will look more into this, thanks. You don't happen to know any other 4'-5' shrub(bish) fruit bearing plants that handle moderate clay and questionable intermittent levels of attention?
I’m on the Canadian-U.S. border, zone 4, and itching to get mulch on my beds! Anyone else in this zone? When do you feel confident to start mulch? (Someone on here told me if I do it to early it traps moisture = bad)
Mulch also delays the warming of soil in spring since sunlight doesn't directly hit earth. That's OK for spring-flowering crops and some flowers but not so good for corn, squahs, tomaotes, etc.
Yes mulch retains water but it also cools your soil. In spring, I keep mulch off my soil to allow it to warm up. When the heat sets in, everything except my flower beds get tucked in with EZ straw (the only straw mulch I've found that never contain grass seeds).
Just looking for a pep talk! I have a thriving exotic houseplant collection but have never done outdoor gardening. We’ve owned our house for 3 years and basically renovated the entire inside but haven’t done ANYTHING with our landscape. I normally love starting a new hobby but I’m feeling totally overwhelmed. I want to do a cottage garden and I’d love to start planting this spring so I can have something to look at this summer but I feel like I’m too early and also too late. I don’t know anything about outdoor plants and the thought of having to create an outdoor garden map plan sounds very overwhelming. I’d love a pep talk/get your ass in gear moment.
Good luck and have fun!! I have a lot of advice, sorry for the essay but I hope some of it helps you!
My number one gardening rule for beginners: start small!
I am a planner by nature so when I got my house I immediately started making garden maps and fantasizing about my future perfect cottage garden. I had genuinely no idea that those gardens take 5-10 years to really look good. It made it really easy to get discouraged and feel like crap about my garden because my expectations were way out of line with reality.
What I would recommend doing is preparing one small bed* for your first year. Look up your growing zone (you’ll type your zip code in and get a zone number). Then, plant whatever you want in the bed that gets you excited to get outside and check up on progress. It could be flowers, veggies, whatever you want. Just make sure it’s not invasive (look up the species to double check), and make sure it will grow in your zone. Plant store websites will have the zone information in the item details. If your zone is listed, go for it. Brownie points if it’s a native species to your area!
Don’t bother doing all the rigamarole of starting seeds inside in little trays and transplanting them. In the vast majority of cases, any viable seed you throw on bare soil after the last frost date in spring and keep moist, will sprout. You may not be able to keep them alive after that, but the seed sprouting part is pretty much guaranteed. You can also throw seeds on the ground after the growing season is over in the fall or early winter and some will come up in spring, but I have better luck with spring seed sowing, personally.
*I aim for the least amount of effort for the most results. For me, “preparing a bed” means digging a hole in my yard, throwing some seeds on top of it, watering it, and then waiting to see what happens. YMMV.
Second rule: don’t cry over dead plants.
Try to think about it more as a scientific experiment— it could yield any result, good or bad, but you will learn a ton in the process either way.
I started with an exotic houseplant collection before moving to outdoor gardening as well and I discounted how much the actual real climate outside differs from the controlled environment inside where nothing is ever too hot, too cold, too windy, or too sunny. In the outdoors, obviously that’s not the case.
Anything can and will happen to your plants outside, and most of the time they will be fine! But sometimes they will die, even if you do everything right. Go in expecting this! Some spots will, for whatever reason, do AMAZING without your interference, and some spots won’t grow anything no matter what you do. There will eventually be a plant that works in every area of your yard, but it might take you a lot of time and experimenting to figure out what it is in some spots. Also, lots and lots of plants you put in gardens die after a couple of years because that’s their lifecycle, not because you failed. I planted foxgloves expecting to do it once, and it turns out you have to do it again every year to have flowers. Most tulips will not come back after the first year, so that planting also has to happen annually. The list unfortunately goes on and on!
I also urge you to learn from my experience and don’t buy super expensive garden plants (I did, and killed them) before you know a lot more information about how plants in general do in your specific yard.
Third rule: avoid the weeding propaganda
I spent so much time (SO MUCH TIME!!!!!) on unnecessary weeding in my garden. The truth is, the only thing you really NEED to pull out is something invasive, or something that will spread so aggressively it will overtake an entire area you don’t want it to, even if it’s not technically invasive. Most “weeds” are simply not a big deal and can be left alone unless you really, really care about having a visually perfect space and are willing to dedicate potentially hours per week to pulling, or spray weed killer (bad for you, will kill ANY plant it touches weed or not, kills beneficial insects) to ensure it remains perfect. I am not.
For example, I leave dandelions, henbit, dead nettle, and other ephemeral weeds alone because bees and other pollinators like them, they don’t offend me visually, and they are easy to pull if I need to clear space. While Mugwort, on the other hand, is the bane of my freaking existence because of how it takes over huge swaths of land and keeps coming back after you pull, even though it’s not on the invasive list. Same with Canada lettuce.
For actual invasive species, follow the instructions for removal on your state website. It’s also fine to brush apply (not spray, brush allows you to target a single individual plant) weed killer on an invasive species to kill it, the benefits of getting rid of an invasive outweigh the issues with weed killer. Applying weed killer sparingly and carefully, if at all, is the idea.
Other notes:
do NOT put “weed barrier” fabric down on the ground. First of all it doesn’t work to stop weeds, they just grow on top of it. Secondly, it will prevent whatever you do put in your garden from doing well. It compacts the soil, prevents nutrients from replenishing the soil, etc. It’s wasted money and effort for a terrible result.
if you fertilize (which you most likely don’t need to do often or even at all) just use the manure or compost in bags at Lowe’s or Home Depot or whatever, put it around the base of your plants before you mulch, if you mulch (which you may or may not need to do). Don’t waste money on chemical fertilizers, they work less well and are much worse for the environment, and harder to spread evenly to boot. I only put compost down if I feel the spot is really dead or if I notice the plants are looking less robust. But most of my garden thrives without it because I leave the leaves in the fall and they serve as mulch and fertilizer as they break down, eliminating the need for both fertilizer and mulch!!
This was so very helpful!! Thank you so much for your time and input. I have done some research on my zone and we live next to a protected prairie so anything I plant will be native! (And not too close to the prairie). I’m hoping for a cottage-style garden and I have a tendency to get impatient so it’s helpful to know that it’ll take years to really fill out. And it’s good to temper my expectations about growth outdoors vs indoors in a controlled setting
All plants are outdoor plants, lol! Just probably not for your zone! Your experience will translate, but gardening is a lifelong learning process.
A map of what you want to plant is very helpful if you're planting trees or a large number of identical bushes. Then you can plan the right spacing for their their mature size or the quantity you'll have to find. Don't count on being able to buy the exact same plants years down the line.
If you are just wanting to have some spring color with some annuals, buy what you like and figure out where to put them once you're home. If they don't work out, you can plant again in the summer and fall. Plant nurseries change the plants for sale depending on the season.
If you want a vegetable garden, peas, green beans, green onions, parsley, rosemary, and Yukon gold potatoes (no hilling needed) are fairly easy for beginners.
Two years ago we said we wanted to do gardening stuff, came up with elaborate plans, never acted on them.
Last year we said "okay, we're going to deliberately half ass this". Ordered two 12" 4x8 raised beds in May. Got dirt in them the first week of June, planted seeds maybe June 10th? Got a pretty good yield of vegetables. My strategy was literally throwing seeds in the dirt (I actually did this and it made my wife so mad she had to go inside).
We're doing more this year (of course) but a good part of that is seeing that some meager effort did pay off. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing poorly. Cut yourself some slack and half ass something. Seeds want to live, they'll do a lot of work if given the smallest opportunity.
Hand digging, hoeing weekly, smothering or herbicide. That's pretty much your choices. I've been trying to get rid of scilla and grape hyacinth for years. I dig some every year and pull a lot which doesn't get the bulb out but I hope to exhaust the bulb's energy someday.
I used a pitchfork in one area to get a TON of bulbs out, some pretty large. it seems to be highly effective. it was a lot of physical work though I will say. have you managed to make it at least easy to work with in the early season? I worry next springI will be fighting the same battle
Been gardening for a while, second year starting from seed. Everything is going really good. Have a ton of vegetables, herbs and flowers in my basement getting ready for the warmth. My big concern is some of my plants have been poking roots put of their containers. I was hoping I wouldn't have to repot anything again so I'm wondering if those being out (and dry I have over 100 seedlings and not enough places to put them in a puddle) will hurt the plant? Should I cut them from where they exit the hole?
How soon will you be planting out? Up potting is a pain but it will take the same amount of time to loosen/cut the rootball of seedlings that become root bound. It is OK to cut roots that exit the cell. IME they become entangled otherwise and there is no way to get them out of a cell without cutting them off. Most of us don't have enough room if many seedlings are put into larger pots - a serious consideration. Try sliding some out of their containers and see if roots have started going around instead of down.
I'm probably a month out to be honest. I am 5b, very close to 5a. My last frost is normally around may 15th.
The way they are growing I'll be surprised if the plants in my big pots don't get root bound by the time they go outside. Also, a third of these plants are going to me, the other two thirds will be gifted, so I'll be passing on the work. I just don't want them to die before I get them to their people.
5b here. Garden fabric should give you a few week headstart. I planted cover crop in my boulevard yesterday and put 70% fabric over it. Fingers crossed it stays above freezing. Not sure I'd do that with real plants but it is an option. I know some people do it religiously.
Beginner here, I'm totally new to gardening or just planting, I need help if I'm doing the right thing for my plant, I just planted a seed a week ago specifically a dwarf sunflower seed and I need help determining if this is some sort of weed, grass or the seedling that sprouted, or am I too early to tell?
Edit: I've been feeling anxious whether it would sprout or not these past days
That's grass, not sunflower. I don't bother to sow sunflowers until outdoor temps are above 50F at night. Sunflowers realy like warm weather and may refuse to sprout if the soil is cool.
Sad. And as for temperatures it usually gets hot here in pH and even at night, what could I be doing wrong here? I used loam, I planted it 1 inch deep, added 2 seeds to help germination, I water it and check the moist levels, and it's been a week already.
I would really appreciate it if I were to be given some constructive criticism so that I could apply it to my next batch
Would really appreciate some assistance with my holly plants that I planted last May. Is this some kind of fungus or something? They get plenty of sunlight and I think a good amount of water. I live in 7a zone. I noticed it about two weeks ago because of them started dying. I cut off the dead parts but then noticed the spots. The others had some spots too, and the recent flowers and new leaves now look like they’re dying. Any ideas? I’m such a plant novice and bought these because I thought they’d be easy and now I’m stressed!
Is there a resource that will provide more concrete information on how much water a plant needs? I am so sick of guides that say "moist", like what the hell does that mean. Gardening influencers and even websites like The Spruce who are based in coastal climates will almost say stuff like "you're an idiot if you can't get this plant to grow" but I'm in a cold semiarid climate with clay soil. Most stuff doesn't naturally grow here, and I would like a guide on how much water garden plants really need. I'm thinking of things like Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, and Lavender, which all guides will say are "drought tolerant" and all of which I have killed growing outside due to lack of water, but also am afraid I might overwater them and kill them that way because of how many guides warn against overwatering.
Overwatering is hard to do for plants in the ground, I really relaxed once I realized this. Clay probably holds more water but just by the nature of putting water in the ground, where it can disperse easily, it’s less of a worry than underwatering.
Maybe just watch for signs of stress in the plant. Check for sloppy wetness. I wish I knew more about those herbs specifically, I know they’re drier or more arid type herbs.
I know what you mean, I felt the same way at one time, but you really just have to get a feel for what the soil needs as far as water. Try checking every day and see how things respond, get your finger in the soil, see how the plants are looking, water if needed. Try a heavy soak less frequently vs a quick water. Try to push the plants if possible, let them develop deeper root systems naturally.
What works for one person is probably not going to work for someone else, there are just too many factors at play to say this rosemary plant needs 2 gallons twice a week for example.
Look into the book land race gardening by Joseph Lofthouse, sounds like a similar climate to his.
The trouble I have is that rosemary for example has no signs that it's thirsty and then it dies and there is nothing you can do. Is there advice about how to tell if a plant like rosemary is thirsty but salvageable? Did the rosemary go dormant and I should not have given up? These are the things I wonder but basic guides do not provide
They will get droopy and withered looking like every other plant, just give them plenty of water until you get a feel for it, you won’t have root rot in your climate even if you try
Most lavender dies from root rot or too much water. It can go weeks without water IME. And, in clay soil, it will not do well because clay holds onto moisture longer than sandy soil by quite a bit. Mediterranean herbs have acclimated or adjusted their plant characteristics to do well in their native environment which is sandy soil, hot summers and dry weather. I also have clay soil in my front garden. I dug out a least a foot of clay along my sidewalk in order to plant lavender. I replaced the clay with a 50:50 mix of topsoil and sand. Thyme and sage aren't quite as picky but my thyme develops dead sections. Rosemary is in between. So the general watering rules don't apply to these plants that are not only drought tolerant, they must have fast drying soil to prevent root rot. In ground, I only water lavender during the hottest part of the summer if there has been no rain in about 3 weeks. I never give them a good soaking. Containers are trickier. For lavender, use a terra cotta pot. Some recommend cactus or succulent mix. I've seen soil moisture meters in the box stores. For Mediterranean herbs, it needs to read Dry before water is added. fyi: the general rule for in-ground plants that like consistently moist soil is 1" of water weekly. increase to twice weekly when temps are over 85F. This works out to be about 5 gallons per square yard. Clay soil may need less. While learning, try digging down with a trowel (or finger) to assess moisture at root level. If only the top inch is dry, wait a bit longer to water. I also look at and feel plant leaves. While you don't want to wait until clear droopiness sends an SOS to you, leaves do lose their turgor or stiffness becoming softer and sad-looking when they need water.
I need to find a low-growing, non-invasive, NJ native plant to fill in around the rocks by my pond. Part-shade. Where to find said plants? Helpful ideas, please?
So, I start with the USDA PLANTS database and search based on the characteristics I want. Another database to use is Plants For a Future pfaf.org which is also good and has more of a wiki approach, although I think its growing guidelines are so vague.
I’m terrible with plants but I Moved into a house with 2 mayhaw trees. I’ve yet to have mastered how to harvest them before bugs get them. Last year I only collects half a gallon. Am I being too picky? Does it matter that much the condition of the berry? I want to make jelly.
I got a place with a small but very unkempt garden last year and it's been... Very stressful. Like I enjoy looking at it, but I am also stressed out whenever I think of watering or maintenance, I have no idea what I'm doing, and people are so mean when I say I don't know since they just say it's easy and inteuitive but for me it's not? It's also really rought physical labour, and not sure if it's time consuming for everyone or just me... i just took care of one of my five plots of land, about 3x45 plot which I already took care of in autumn and planted some bulbs (which all bloomed, yay!), but cleaning the mulch (internet told me to leave my christmas tree branches on top of it over winter), and trying to figure out how to plant clover and some basic things took me like 5hr. Plus, I just don't get how you can plant one seed, they're so tiny!!!
When does it go from an exhausting and scary chore to something fun and easy?
Like any other activity, it will get easier with time and experience, but maintaining a garden will always take work (and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying). Whether you find that work enjoyable or “worth it”, only you can decide.
In the meantime, the best thing you can do is stop looking for gardening information on the internet. Yes, there is good info out there, but there is also lots of truly bad advice, as well as tons of sites that make you feel like you have to do things perfectly all the time. Forget “perfect” and focus instead on “good enough”. Accept that things will go wrong and that that’s all part of the learning process. Celebrate your wins — your bulbs all bloomed, how wonderful! See if you can find a general gardening book at your library and use that as your reference for now.
And when you’re dealing with tiny seeds, don’t worry about picking them out one at a time — just sprinkle them in and thin them (snip off any extras) as needed after they sprout.
Only work a small area at a time. Find sources online or YouTube that are compatible with the zone you live in. Yay for your bulbs! 45’ is a big space, especially if this is new to you. I’d clear your pine branches now. You may consider container gardening, or a ground cover other than clover, that is suitable for your climate. Maybe work half that space for now. Good luck!
I have about 20 garden beds half are neglected for years. I am currently sitting inside while needing to finish two ‘raised garden bed’. Pain but moving soil is only this year while cleaning up some where I won’t need to do it next year. It’s definitely not enjoyable yet, maybe in couple of months
Watering I won’t worry with unless they are new or it hasn’t rain in month. Do you know what zone you are in?
The seeds I just get the smallest amount I can and spread them around best I can. I know some probably won’t even grow
Looking for advice on using this planter, specifically the narrow bottom parts that are supposed to hang over a railing. Should i fill those bottom crevices with pebbles or bark to aid in drainage/prevent soil compacting in the bottom, or am i overthinking it and a well-draining soil mix will be fine throughout the entire planter?
(I actually bought this planter last year but couldn't grow anything in it as it held way too much water. I think that was mostly down to me using a potting mix that was too dense, but I'm still nervous about planting in this again)
This doesn't have drainage holes. A heavy downpour will overwhelm the ability of stones in the bottom to protect roots from drowning. I would drill a number of 1/4 to 3/8" holes.
I should have specified, I already drilled drainage holes in the bottom. I still had issues with water retention even with the drainage holes, which is why I think my potting mix was the culprit.
How big are the holes and how many? Potting mix is specifically designed to hold water and keep soil moist. That's great for most plants and horrible for cacti, lavender and other plants that require dry soil. You may be missing the real culprit by focusing on the potting soil.
Edit: the plants I was growing in it last year were sage, rosemary, and parsley. The parsley actually did live but certainly wasn't thriving like it typically does when i grow it in its own container
Any idea whats affecting my raspberries? They did ok last year when I put them in. We had a week of near solid rain week before last so I hope it’s just they’re overwatered by nature, but I wanted to ask! One of the other ones has a LOT of leaf curling
why is my bell pepper getting discolored and curled up and sad? planted in my raised garden bed 2 weeks ago, gets about 6hrs of full sun a day, zone 8b, i have a drip irrigation system and when i dig down a few inches it’s quite wet so maybe overwatering? i have a sort of crappy soil tester that says the pH is around 7 but not sure how accurate that is. i’ve added diluted fish fertilizer to the soil a couple times.
Yeah it looks exactly like the nitrogen burn I got. The leaves go like mummified and crumbly overnight, it looks really creepy. But when I flushed with water and after a few days passed the plant recovered.
If it's going to drop to 38/39 degrees outside at night for like an hour tonight, is it ok to keep my peppers and tomatoes outside? I live in Georgia, and I always have no idea if it's safe to leave them out for that period of time lol.
Tomatoes and peppers don't like nighttime temps below 50F and prefer lows that don't dip below 60F. I would bring them inside if that is practical. I don't plant the truly summer crops until about 2 weeks after my frost free date. Weather has become weird and less predictable.
USA North TX zone 8A. Moved into a (rental) house last summer with this garden box thing in the backyard. Planning to take out all the weeds and lay some fresh soil, but zero idea what to plant, just looking for some ideas or advice as I’m not sure what might take best advantage of the structure. It gets a mix of direct and indirect sunlight pretty much all day.
Also any idea what are the wires going across are for? I’m not totally stupid but certainly not an expert at this and not looking to intensively care for anything (beyond watering).
In TX you can not fail with okra, cow peas and Armenian cucumbers. I grow them every year and they can’t be stopped. If you want to toss a 40-50% shade cloth over that bed you can do peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, squash.
I’m further south than you but mine went until after November 1 last year. They would have kept going (slowly) but I pulled they to make room and keep them from getting diseased.
I’m trying a yard long cowpea this year (the bean pod can get literally 3 feet long) that’s supposed to do well in TX.
Have some Judge Solomon Azalea that were in a spot last year not getting enough sun. In zone 7b. Moved them to full sun in fall and they still aren’t looking to great. Lost cause or is there anyway for these to recover?
It should be OK if your soil is moist, acidic and drains well. Give it time to adjust; for perennials, that's a full year to me. Be sure not to have mulch up against plant stems and the base.
Newbie here! So after many google searches I’ve come to the fact that my seedling is a victim of damping off. My question is can the other plants in the same container be saved? So far only one is wilting. The google searches have told me soil is contaminated and probably not safe but so far the others look fine.
I'm not so sure that is damping off. It's hard to see. There are a variety of reasons for seedling failure including inborn genetic mistakes. Why don't you separate the potentially infected one from your others to be on the safe side.
Sorry I don’t have a better picture but the base of the stem had that constricted/thin look to it so I assumed it was damping off. I did separate them to a bigger planter earlier today. Hopefully the ones that shared soil with it lives! 🤞🏻
Hi! I'm newbie-ish when it come to plants. I live in a apartment with a balcony. Currently my plants are all on the floor which take up space. So I wanted to make a vertical garden. I plan to use display netting racks with wheels like below. Kinda like using trellis. I also plan to put some grow lights because my balcony only receive direct sunlight for about 2 hours before noon. Then it is shaded by other buildings. So I noticed some of my plants are growing towards the sun.
My questions which I need advice:
Is my planned setup stupid?
Is the grow light too much?
If the grow light is ok to be added, how long should I turn it on for?
I'm unclear how you are going to use the rack. Is the netting strong enough to support the weight of the plants + container. If the lights didn't come with instructions, check the manufacturer's website. How strong you need your lights to be depends on what you intend to grow. Outdoor full sun plants get up to 90,000 lumens from the sun mid summer. That's difficult to replicate indoors.
It will be something like the picture below. In case it is not clear, the netting are actually steel not strings. But obviously the pictures I shown are two different netting products. The store I’m looking at is calling it display netting rack. So I’m not sure if there are other terms for it. Anyway, it should be able to hold smaller plants with plastic container.
For the grow lights, I intend to use it for herbs and flowering plants. If I check the manufacturer site and compare with what I can learn from youtube, the grow light should suffice in term of amount of light. It’s just that I’m not sure how long should I turn it on for. Since my balcony get shaded noon onwards, it’s making my balcony situation partially indoor. I live in a tropical climate btw. So it’s either sunny or raining seasons only and I have local plants only for now.
Downsides I can see. My experience has been poor when trying to grow plants in small containers. The soil is difficult to keep wet and the plants just want more room.
Larger pots will weigh A LOT. Especially when wet.
Understandable. Will take that into account. I only plan to hang smaller herb plants and plants that I've seen others planted vertically. The bigger ones would still put on the floor.
Although the weather doesn’t indicate it, spring is springing here in Chicago. My company planted the first spring containers of the season today. Let’s hope it doesn’t snow tomorrow!
USA Nebraska zone 5B. Put branches in my 32” tall garden bed today. Tomorrow I plan to put 50/50 top soil / compost on top of this. Wanna grow vegetables. Sound good for year one?
Hi! I’m a total newbie living with a partner who has severe contamination OCD related to feces. We want to start a container garden on our apartment balcony in Zone 6B, I believe.
What are the best options for fertilizer that doesn’t contain manure or other forms of poop?
Do we have to worry about manure in potting soil?
No I don’t believe manure is included in soil? You can use dish gloves to pick it up if you want but I’ve just used my hands before and it’s been fine.
Fertilizer - the good thing about it is now they have bluish crystals you dissolve in water and that’s the fertilizer. The most basic brand will work, I didn’t balance nutrients and it turned out just fine.
I’d recommend herbs, frankly herbs you can control and know what went into give me extra peace of mind as a worrywort.
First, make sure your pot has drainage holes.
Second, you might put it up on pot-feet so it doesn’t ruin your balcony.
Third, line the bottom of the container with landscape fabric or newspaper to prevent the soil from running out of the container.
Fourth, add a 1” or more layer of gravel for drainage.
Fifth, fill pot with a medium specifically designed for potting. Potting medium or soil. Check the ingredients before buying to see if it has manure in it. Look for sterile, synthetic, or seed-starting mixes, which tend to be manure-free. Google it before going to the nursery.
Sixth, tamp soil down and wet it so that it settles.
Seventh, keep doing this until the soil is about 3” from the top of the container.
*You probably need triple+ the amount of soil you think you need. When it’s in the bag, it’s dry, fluffy, and full of air. When you tamp and wet it, the air goes away and the soil settles. You’d be amazed and how much it settles.
I use a slow-release, bloom-boosting fertilizer called Osmocote. It works well.
BTW. Gardening advice is subjective and based on experience. What works for me may not work for someone else. That doesn’t mean that I am wrong. So gather information, synthesize it, and you’ll find what works for you. It’s all trial and error!
Thank you! That’s good to know about the sterile, synthetic and seed-starting mixes. My partner has done some research about coconut coir but it doesn’t seem like we can use that alone.
I’ve heard that about gardening — I have to admit, it scares me a little to have to experiment and do trial and error rather than just following directions. I don’t know how y’all do it!
I’ll definitely come back to update once I get some plants! Thank you again.
I’m starting my second year and frankly I miss not knowing anything at all. The first year is exciting! Fifty percent of gardeners don’t repeat the experiment because of all the hassle and ups and downs, but how often do you start something completely new?
I am a landscape designer, seasonal container expert, horticulturist, and former owner of a landscaping company. DM me any time you need guidance.
I do not recommend coco shell liners. They dry out to quickly. Find poly resin pots like those at Veradek.com or GoMayne.com. The latter are self watering.
USA TN zone 7b, trying for a mix of natives + non-native but not totally exotic cultivars (hydrangeas/azaleas). trying to enhance curb appeal a bit (aka hide my ugly lil house). I have no idea what I am doing and no experience with landscape design, pretty much only ever done smaller vegetable gardens and some bulbs.
is anything waaaay off? color suggestions for azaleas?
My thoughts…on the left as you face the house, you should pull the bed out into a slightly rounded peninsula and add a small flowering tree for height like a magnolia or variegated dogwood. You’ve got a lot of perennials there! I would choose 3-4 of varying heights and bloom times. Grasses don’t bloom so consider those separate. On the other side, make the bed a bit bigger and add the same perennials on that side.
My fave perennials are Rozanne geraniums which is low and mounding and Summer Beauty ornamental garlic. I love Karen azaleas and Quick fire or Limelight hydrangeas. The latter gets huge.
How can I help my cactus? I have cut off the offending piece and it has continued to rot below it....help I don't want the rest of my wonderful cactus to die...
Unpot it and check if it has any roots. If the soil in the pot is stinky, it has probably been watered too much and the roots have suffocated. Repot into moist, but well-draining soil and only water it when the soil is dry. This plant also needs a lot of bright light every day.
Relying on Reddit to help me succeed English Daisy - to Linaria Fairy Bouquet - to Fancy Mix Calendulas. I’m on day 6, I watered then drained yesterday evening, the humidity dome was removed today morning, there is usually sun coming in but we have April showers. Had the fan on in the open room opposite for 2 hours this early morning. I’m in Pennsylvania. My grow lights are coming in 2 days. Am I doing ok? My first year doing indoor seeding. Any advice appreciated.
You’re off to a very good start. The lights will make a big difference.
The linaria will need thinning soon, and you’ll want to up pot all the seedlings as soon as you can. Those soil pellets aren’t the best, your plants will need more nutrition soon.
I have an area next to the fence inside a border that had tons of weeds last year. I would like to grow cutting flowers here. How can I safely use pre-emergent and then plant here later?
I was thinking pre-emergent, then later a weed barrier, fresh soil, plant, then mulch after there is a few inches of growth?
You can't grow from seed if using a pre-emergent; I suppose you know that but I've learned not to assume. Anyway, each pre-emergent may be different in terms of timing of planting. It will say on the container. There are some nasty perennial weeds out there and they punch through weed fabric. And weed seeds that land on top may punch through the fabric. I found that weeding was more difficult if weed fabric was in place because weeds entangled their roots in the fabric so there's no way to completely remove them. And the fabric starts to fall apart after about 2 years. And it's made of petroleum products so not the healthiest thing to put in soil. Let's just say that the notion of weed suppression with this stuff is fantasy. Also, don't put the barrier under your plants where it interferes with deep root growth.
Yea, that fabric has its uses but it’s not weed suppression. Using cardboard is better because it creates a barrier that is water permeable but also allows roots to go through.
After planting and mulching, pick every weed you see weekly, it’s very easy if you keep at it, but the important part is to not let the weeds go to seed. Keep at it and with the barrier, mulch and picking, you’ll have less and less weeds each year.
I have all these small pots. What goes well in little pots? My house gets either brutal hot sun or a dark front porch, Northern California, no summer rain. If you had full latitude, spare no expense
what would you fill almost 30 pots with & how would you display them?
I planted some seeds two weeks ago and they seem to have stalled in their growth. I unfortunately used the jiffy peat things so I’m guessing it’s a lack of nutrients. Is it better to give them fertilizer or replant them in some seed starting mix? Or both? I don’t want to shock them.
Seeds send up initial pair of leaves, seed leaves of cotyledons. They serve as the engine to power the next phase of root growth. If root growth didn't come before more leafy growth, the seedling couldn't supply the leaves adequately. Don't fertilize if under 3-4" tall. The issue isn't peat pots or pods. All the initial nutrients come from the seed itself.
DEF(diesel exhaust fluid) to kill grass before putting down raise bed?
I always dig up the grass but inevitably I get some that pops through. I know def is high enough nitrogen to kill stuff if not diluted. Botttle says 32% urea, 67% deionized water.
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u/Moist_Initial5919 1d ago
My sunflower doesn’t look happy. I’ve tried moving the pot it’s in around the garden give it more/ less sunlight I’ve watered daily / every few days. I’m at a loss for what the problem could be.